Shaykh Mashhoor bin Hasan Aal-Salmaan
Question: Is this a hadeeth : “We have returned from The Lesser Jihaad to the Greater Jihaad.”
Answer: This is not a hadeeth.
And they say that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) returned from a battle, and he then said these words !
And they claim that Jihaad is [only] the Jihaad of the soul.
And that the Jihaad of the battle is only a lesser Jihaad!
This narration was actually the words of a Tabi’ee (Successor) from Shaam, his name was Ibraahim ibn Abee ‘Ablaa.
An-Nasaaee transmitted a chain of narration to him [Ibraahim] ; in his book ‘Al-Kunaa’.
And from what I know is that it [this book of Imaam Nasaaee] is missing [cannot be found].
And Al-Mizzi brought this chain of narration of An-Nasaaee ; in his biography of Ibraahim , in his book ‘Tahdheeb al-Kamaal’
So this is a statement of a Tab’iee and not a Prophetic hadeeth.
Translation by : Abu Waheeda as-Salafee