Is it true that the people of the 'Araf are those who went out to jihad in the path of Allah without the permission of their guardians, and then died? And if this is true, how are the verses and hadiths that encourage jihad in the path of Allah to be understood?

The questioner : We heard from a hadith scholar that the people of the 'Araf are people or men who went out to jihad in the path of Allah and did not seek permission from their families to go out for jihad, but they went out and were killed in the path of Allah and died as martyrs, and they did not enter Paradise or the Fire, so they are on the 'Araf between them until Allah judges them on the Day of Resurrection. Is this true or not? Then, if it is true and a person wants to do jihad and emigrate in the path of Allah in our present time, would he be among the people of the 'Araf if he does not seek permission from his parents to go out, because they may not give him permission? And if that is the case, we have read in the Noble Qur'an the exhortation from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and the encouragement of jihad, in His saying: and His saying: And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said in his exhortation to jihad: "Whoever dies without having even thought of going on a military expedition dies upon a branch of hypocrisy" or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said. What is your opinion on this?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Our statement in this matter is that what you heard about the people of the 'Araf being a group who went out to jihad in the path of Allah without seeking permission from their families is not correct. For the people of the 'Araf, as stated by the scholars, are "a group whose good deeds and bad deeds were equal, so they are not those whose bad deeds predominated such that they would be entered into the Fire to be purified of their bad deeds, nor are they a group whose good deeds predominated such that they would enter Paradise, but rather their good deeds and bad deeds were equal". So it was the wisdom and justice of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that they be stopped on the 'Araf, and their final outcome is that they will enter Paradise by the grace of Allah (the Exalted) and His mercy. These are the people of the 'Araf.
As for what you mentioned about jihad in the path of Allah without seeking permission from the parents, we say in that: if the jihad is voluntary, then you do not go out except with the permission of the parents. And if the jihad is obligatory, then it does not require the permission of the parents, rather you may go out even if you do not seek their permission and even if they are not pleased with it, because there is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator, except if they are in dire necessity for your presence, in which case removing their necessity takes precedence over jihad. And upon this is understood the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): where they needed, indeed were in dire necessity for, the presence of their son with them.
And as for the virtue of jihad in the path of Allah and emigration, this is a known matter by the evidence of the Book and the Sunnah, and jihad in the path of Allah is the pinnacle of Islam and one of the most important righteous deeds and the most beloved to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). But let it be known that jihad in the path of Allah is not merely fighting the disbelievers, rather jihad in the path of Allah (the Exalted) is that in which a person fights so that the word of Allah is the highest only, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the man who fights out of tribal loyalty, and fights out of bravery, and fights to be seen in his position, which of these is in the path of Allah? So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And this is the true, correct standard by which it is known whether jihad is in the path of Allah or not in the path of Allah. So whoever fights in defense of the homeland merely because it is a homeland, it is not in the path of Allah. And whoever fights for his homeland because it is an Islamic homeland that he takes refuge in from the disbelievers, then he is in the path of Allah. So the standard mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is a clear, distinct standard. Yes, whoever fights in defense of his wealth, or in defense of his family, or in defense of himself and is killed, then he is a martyr, as established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).