Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 2875
sahih

Narrated `Aisha:

the mother of the faithful believers, I requested the Prophet (ﷺ) permit me to participate in Jihad, but he said, "Your Jihad is the performance of Hajj."

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ بِنْتِ طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتِ اسْتَأْذَنْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي الْجِهَادِ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏

‏ جِهَادُكُنَّ الْحَجُّ ‏

‏‏.‏ وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بِهَذَا‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 56, Hadith 91
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 127 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Jihaad is the pinnacle of Islam, and it requires certain (physical and emotional) capabilities, and Allah, Exalted is He, has conveniently relieved some people of such an obligation, including women. In this hadeeth, the Mother of the Believers, ‘Aa’ishah(may Allah be pleased with her) stated that she asked the Prophetﷺ to allow her to participate in Jihaad, given its great virtues and refined rank in the sight of Allah, Exalted is He, but he ﷺ said, "Your Jihaad is the performance of Hajj.” This means that women are required to strive and exert physical effort in Hajj rather than on the battlefield, for they are (inherently delicate and) unable to handle face-to-face confrontations with the enemy on the battlefield, being beyond their innate capacity. The same goes of ‘Umrah, i.e., women are rather required to strive and exert physical effort in ‘Umrah rather than on the battlefield. The version recorded by Ibn Maajah reads: “What is incumbent on them (i.e., women) is the Jihaad that does not involve fighting, namely, Hajj and ‘Umrah.” Women earn rewards for performing Hajj and ‘Umrah that are equal to those earned by men for partaking in Jihaad. It was also said that the obligatory Jihaad, meaning, striving in Allah’s Cause, for women is performing Hajj and ‘Umrah, just like it is obligatory on every male believer to partake in Jihaad in Allah’s Cause, if he is able. Hajj is described as Jihaad, either in terms of Taghleeb (i.e., an expression in the Arabic language that consists of just one word but indicates two different things at the same time; one of the words takes preference or is treated as being used in the majority, for a given reason) or verbatim. Jihaad in this context is striving against one’s own (evil-enjoining) ‘self,’ because Hajj involves enduring physical and financial hardship. It is noteworthy that it is allowable for women to accompany the Muslim army, to help the male fighters out by conducting the tasks that are compatible with their physical capabilities, such as the provision of medical treatment for the injured, serving water to the fighters, and the like. The hadeeth highlights the great virtues and rewards of Hajj, designated for both those who perform it as an obligatory act of worship and those who perform it as a voluntary one. It is also inferred therefrom that the grace of Allah, Exalted is He, conferred upon people is great and enormous; He does not close some doors except to open others. .