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Sahih Muslim

كتاب الإمارة

The Book on Government

Chapter 33Hadith 1878a

حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْوَاسِطِيُّ، عَنْ سُهَيْلِ بْنِ أَبِي، صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قِيلَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَا يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ تَسْتَطِيعُونَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَأَعَادُوا عَلَيْهِ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا كُلُّ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ لاَ تَسْتَطِيعُونَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ ‏"‏ مَثَلُ الْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ الصَّائِمِ الْقَائِمِ الْقَانِتِ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ لاَ يَفْتُرُ مِنْ صِيَامٍ وَلاَ صَلاَةٍ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ الْمُجَاهِدُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى ‏"‏ ‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked: What deed could be an equivalent of Jihad in the way of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted? He answered: You do not have the strength to do that deed. The narrator said: They repeated the question twice or thrice. Every time he answered: You do not have the strength to do it. When the question was asked for the third time, he said: One who goes out for Jihad is like a person who keeps fasts, stands in prayer (constantly), (obeying) Allah's (behests contained in) the verses (of the Qur'an), and does not exhibit any lassitude in fasting and prayer until the Mujahid returns from Jihad in the way of Allah, the Exalted.

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When Allah wants two hearts to meet, what is the hadith?
A widely quoted teaching states that when Allah wants two people to meet, He makes their paths converge — often summarized as when He wants two hearts to meet, they will meet. Muslims frequently reflect on this narration as a reminder of divine decree (qadar), trust in Allah's plan, and patience regarding relationships and life events. Always verify wording and grading with qualified scholars and authentic sources.