Jihad

[star_munir]

(Thanks to S.Mohamad Ibrahim for this article)

Jihad: Its True Meaning and Purpose


Jihad is never a tool of waging war against the innocents; it's never a means of flexing muscles or bullying the weak and oppressed. Jihad in Islam is something unique, established to defend the divine message from being eliminated or hindered by its enemies.
Shedding more light on the true concept of Jihad, here is the statement made by Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, president of the Fiqh Council ofNorth America, states:

Allah says, (And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive (with sincerity and under discipline). He has chosen you, and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the religion of your father Abraham. It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (Revelation) ; that the Messenger may be a witness for you, and you be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular Prayer, give regular Charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector, the best to protect and the Best to help!) (Al-Hajj 22: 78)

Jihad is one of the most misunderstood, and abused aspects of Islam. There are some Muslims who exploit and misuse this concept for their own political objectives. There are many non-Muslims who misunderstand it. There are some non-Muslims who misinterpret it to discredit Islam and Muslims.

What is Jihad?

The word Jihad does not mean "Holy War".
It means "struggle" or "striving" .
The word for war in the Qur'an is "Harb" or "Qital" .

Jihad means serious and sincere struggle on the personal as well as on the social level.

It is a struggle to do good and to remove injustice, oppression and evil from the society. This struggle should be spiritual as well as social, economic and political.

Jihad is to work hard to do right things. In the Qur'an this word is used in its different forms 33 times. It often comes with other Qur'anic concepts such as faith, repentance, righteous deeds and migration.

Jihad is to protect one's faith and one's human rights.

Jihad is not a war always although it can take the form of war.

Islam is the religion of peace, but it does not mean that Islam accepts oppression. Islam teaches that one should do one's utmost to eliminate tension and conflict. Islam promotes non-violent means to bring change and reform.

Actually, Islam urges that one should eliminate evil through peaceful means without the use of force as much as possible. In Islamic history from the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until now, Muslims most of the time resisted oppression and struggled for liberation in non-violent and peaceful manners.

Islam teaches proper ethics in the situation of war also. The war is permissible in Islam, but only when other peaceful means such as dialogue, negotiations and treaties fail. It is a last resort and should be avoided as much as possible. Its purpose is not to convert people by force, or to colonize people or to acquire land or wealth or for self-glory.

Its purpose is basically : defense of life, property, land, honor and freedom for oneself as well as defense of others from injustice and oppression.

The basic rules of war in Islam are:

1. Be strong so that your enemy fear you and should not attack you.
2. Do not begin the hostilities. Work for peace as much as possible.
3. Fight only those who fight, no collective punishment; non-combatants should not be harmed. Weapons of mass destruction should not be used.
4. Stop hostilities as soon as the other party is inclined to peace.
5. Observe the treaties and agreements as long as the enemy observes them.

Allah says very clearly: (Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not do aggression, for Allah loves not the aggressors.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 190)

(The prohibited month, for the prohibited month, and so for all things prohibited, there is the law of equality. If then any one transgresses the prohibition against you, transgress ye likewise against him. But fear Allah, and know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 194)

Jihad is not terrorism:

It is to be emphasized that terrorism against the innocent civilians, whether through aggression or suicidal means, is under no circumstances permissible in Islam. Islam encourages the oppressed people to struggle for their liberation and it commands other Muslims to help those who are oppressed and suffering, but Islam does not allow, under any circumstance, terrorism against non-combatants and innocent people.

Terrorism is not Jihad, it is Fasad (mischief).

It is against the teachings of Islam. There are some people who use their twisted arguments to justify terrorism for their causes, but it has no justification:
Allah says: (When it is said to them: 'Make not mischief on the earth,' they say: 'Why, we only want to correct things.' Indeed they are the mischief doers, but they realize (it) not.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 11-12)

Islam wants to establish a world order where all human beings - Muslims and non-Muslims - can live with justice in peace, harmony and good will. It gives its followers full guidelines to find peace in their personal and social lives, but it also tells them how to extend the good will on the basis of human relations towards others. Muslims worked under these principles for centuries. People of many faiths lived with them and among them. Islamic societies were known for their tolerance, generosity and humanity.

In our modern society where we are living in a global village, where non-Muslims are living with Muslims in the Muslim countries and Muslims are living with non-Muslims in countries where non-Muslims constitute a majority, it is our duty to bring better understanding among ourselves, work for peace and justice for all people and cooperate with each other in matters of goodness and virtue in order to stop all terrorism, aggression and violence against the innocent people. This is our Jihad today.

[AmeenKhwaja]

The great Lord of Lord's (Mawla Ali), - upon whom be the blessings of God, the King the All-High! — said that once the Prophet (blessings of God be upon him) sent a party of his companions on a military expedition. On their return, when they participated in a jihadi asghar, or the smaller war in the cause of religion, and said that they still had to take up the jihadi akbar, the greater war. Whereupon they inquired from the Apostle of God: "What is the jihadi akbar?" And he replied that the most glorious war is that which a man wages against his own vile instincts. This is, indeed, the truth, the blessings of God be upon him who said it! Brethren in religion, ye who aspire to attain love and affection [3] for the Lord, listen to me a while, hearken to the real meaning of the words of the Prophet, and then reflect a little upon your own existence. Perhaps some one amongst you may therein find some truth (falah) which shall bless his life.

<b>The real meaning of the great jihad is a war against one's own vile instincts to bring them under control, so that those low passions which constantly endeavor to deviate one's feet from the path of rectitude, in opposition to the behest of reason, may cease to mislead one into acting against the prescriptions of the true religion.</b> It is one's duty to bring the impulses of one's instincts under the control of one's reason, training nature always to obey and to comply with the dictates of reason. This constitutes the substance of what is called "salvation": in this lies the true meaning of the expression siratu'l-mustaqim, i.e. the bridge narrow as the edge of a sword which leads to Paradise. To bring these instincts under control is to walk along the right path. If God pleases, [4] we will explain this in the present treatise.Brethren in religion! There are very many verses in the Coran, and very many hadiths that deal with this question of purifying the instincts and of correcting them. Amongst them is one in which God says: "He acquireth the peace of mind who refineth his own nature". And verily this is so, for there is no matter of greater importance than to purify one's own self. Only by this may one hope to progress along the path of rectitude, because there is no greater obstacle against success in this direction than one's own lower instincts, which obstruct one's fulfillment of the dictates of religious philosophy and the commandments of the Divine religion. It is only when you bring this self under control, carefully watching its movements, [5] lest it overpowers you unaware, and tempts you to take a false step, that you are able to advance slowly in the life of true virtue.

Hadrati Mawla explains what should be the devotion, obedience, and the loyalty to the guiding principles amongst his followers, how they should walk in the right path and bring their lower selves under control. He says: "O, Creator, this is my disobedient self which I must force to kneel (before Thee) just as I force to kneel an (obstinate) camel, tying its knees by the rope of Thy will, so that it may not do anything that does not coincide with Thy desire".

Remember, therefore, friends, that one must keep one's self under the keenest surveillance, so as not to let it have one single moment of opportunity to escape from control, and force its will upon one. If this is not done, it may take one out of the way, overpower one's will, raising its head from the Hell, and thus prevent one from attaining the position of communion (maqami qurb) with God. It will not permit one to attain all the good which the righteous can attain. For this reason one has to make effort in order to find the proper way. [6] It is said in the Coran (IX, 19): "Those who fight in the way of God, We guide them on Our way". It is this way which is the siratu'l-mustaqim. One has to keep away and restrain his nature from the worldly things that it may covet, thus building up for oneself a kind of spiritual treasure (dhakhira), never deviating from the main path into which religion directs him.

From
Risala Dar Haqiqati Din
The True Meaning of Religion
By
SHABU'D-DIN SHAH AL-HUSAYNI
Translated into English from Persian by
W. IVANOW

[mahebubchatur]

An excellent debate with two scholars based on Violence Jihad in scriptures, history interpretations use and modern day
(Dec 2021)

Title Debate: Is Islam More Violent than Christianity? (Dr. Javad T. Hashmi vs. Robert Spencer)
Link about 2 hours

https://youtu.be/nLoGV8MdPY4