A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "I am a coward and I am weak."He replied, "Come to a struggle in which there is no thorn, the Hajj."
جاء رجل إلى النبي ﷺ فقال: إني جبان، وإني ضعيف، قال: هلم إلى جهاد لا شوكة فيه الحج.
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Narrated by Abdul-Razzaq (8809) and Tabarani in Kabir (3/147), both from the hadith of Muawiya bin Ishaq, from Abaya bin Rifa, from Husayn bin Ali, who mentioned it. Its isnad is sahih.Haythami said in Majma (3/206), "Tabarani narrated it in Kabir and Awsat, and its narrators are trustworthy." I say, it is as he said, except that Abdul-Razzaq narrated it from Thawri, from Muawiya bin Ishaq, and said in it "Ali bin Husayn" instead of "Husayn bin Ali." It appears this is a distortion, for Abaya bin Rifa narrates from Husayn bin Ali. Tabarani confirmed in Awsat (4287) that it is not narrated from Husayn except through this isnad. See Majma Bahrayn (1648).As for what has been narrated from Umm Salama, as a saying attributed to the Prophet, "Hajj is jihad for every weak person," it contains a break in the chain. It was narrated by Ibn Majah (2902) and Imam Ahmad (26520), both from the hadith of Waki, from Qasim bin Fadl, from Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Ali, from Umm Salama, who mentioned it. But Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Ali, who is Baqir, did not hear from Umm Salama.On this subject there is also what has been narrated from Talha bin Ubaydullah, that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say, "Hajj is jihad, and Umrah is voluntary." This is very daif. It was narrated by Ibn Majah (2989), and it contains Umar bin Qays al-Makki, known as Sindal, who is discarded as a narrator.On this subject there is also a narration from Uthman bin Sulayman, from his grandmother, his father's mother, who said, a man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "I want to perform jihad in the path of Allah." He said, "Shall I not direct you to a jihad that has no thorns in it?" I said, "Yes indeed." He said, "The Hajj to the House." It was narrated by Tabarani in Kabir (24/314) through the route of Walid bin Abu Thawr, from Abdul-Malik bin Umayr, from Uthman bin Abu Sulayman, with his isnad, who mentioned it.Haythami said in Majma (3/206), "It contains Walid bin Abu Thawr, whom Abu Zura and a group declared daif, while Sharik vouched for him."