What is the meaning of the hadith, "Do not wish to meet the enemy..."?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan al-Bayhaqi 16:1052?
Answer:
The scholars interpreted this to mean: on the basis of self-admiration, on the basis of self-reliance, and the like.
As for wishing to meet the enemy out of desire for jihad, or out of desire for martyrdom in the path of Allah, he should begin with jihad; because the Messenger encouraged jihad and incited people to it:Riyad as-Salihin 1341.
So the prohibition against wishing is not absolute; rather, the intended meaning is the wishing that is accompanied by pride and arrogance, or self-reliance. As for one who wishes to attend jihad, to fight in the path of Allah, and to meet the enemy of Allah, there is nothing wrong with it, and this is not included in the prohibition.
The saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
Do not wish to meet the enemy, and when you meet them, be patient.
لا تتمنّوا لقاء العدو، وإذا لقيتُموهم فاصبرواAnswer:
The scholars interpreted this to mean: on the basis of self-admiration, on the basis of self-reliance, and the like.
As for wishing to meet the enemy out of desire for jihad, or out of desire for martyrdom in the path of Allah, he should begin with jihad; because the Messenger encouraged jihad and incited people to it:
He who dies without having fought in the Cause of Allah or without having thought of doing so, will die with one characteristic of hypocrisy in him.
مَن مات ولم يغزُ، ولم يُحدِّث نفسه بالغزو؛ مات على شُعبةٍ من النِّفاقSo the prohibition against wishing is not absolute; rather, the intended meaning is the wishing that is accompanied by pride and arrogance, or self-reliance. As for one who wishes to attend jihad, to fight in the path of Allah, and to meet the enemy of Allah, there is nothing wrong with it, and this is not included in the prohibition.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.