Riyad as-Salihin, 53

'Abdullah bin Abu Aufa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at one time when he confronted the enemy, and was waiting for the sun to set, stood up and said, "O people! Do not long for encountering the enemy and supplicate to Allah to grant you security. But when you face the enemy, show patience and steadfastness; and keep it in mind that Jannah lies under the shade of the swords." Then he invoked Allah, saying, "O Allah, Revealer of the Book, Disperser of the clouds, Defeater of the Confederates, put our enemy to rout and help us in over-powering them". [Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

وعن أبي إبراهيم عبد الله بن أبي أوفى رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في بعض أيامه التي لقي فيها العدو، انتظر حتى إذا مالت الشمس قام فيهم فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏ يا أيها الناس لا تتمنوا لقاء العدو، واسألوا الله العافية، فإذا لقيتموهم فاصبروا، واعلموا أن الجنة تحت ظلال السيوف‏"‏ ثم قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏"‏ اللهم منزل الكتاب ومجري السحاب ، وهازم الأحزاب، اهزمهم وانصرنا عليهم‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏ وبالله التوفيق‏.‏

References1 variant

In-Book Reference: Introduction, Hadith 53

Sharh · explanationclick to expand

Guidance from the Hadith: 1) It forbids the individual from wishing to meet the enemy; but if it happened, one must be patient and ask Allah, the Exalted, to aid him in fulfilling this task. 2) It is recommended to supplicate Allah for the defeat of the enemy, because a fighter in the cause of Allah always resorts to Allah to grant him victory over his enemies. Benefit: The prohibition of wishing to meet the enemy does not imply dislike of Jihad, or not cherishing the idea of fighting in the battlefield, nor wishing to be a martyr for the sake of Allah. Instead, all of these wishes are encouraged by the Sharia and are traits of those who are righteous and truthful.

Related hadiths5