Sunan Abi Dawud 4344
سنن أبي داود#4344Sahihحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبَادَةَ الْوَاسِطِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ هَارُونَ - أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جُحَادَةَ، عَنْ عَطِيَّةَ الْعَوْفِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَفْضَلُ الْجِهَادِ كَلِمَةُ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ " . أَوْ " أَمِيرٍ جَائِرٍ " .
Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The best fighting (jihad) in the path of Allah is (to speak) a word of justice to an oppressive ruler
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 39:54