Jihad is regularly misconstrued as war, with
all its connotations of violence and bloodshed. However, in the Islamic
context, and in literal sense, the word jihad simply means a
struggle - doing one's utmost to further a worthy cause. The actual Arabic
equivalent of war, is qital, and even this is meant in a defensive
sense.
According to Islamic teachings, jihad is
of two kinds. One is with the self (jihad bin nafs), that is, making the
maximum effort to keep control over negative feelings in one's self, for
instance, arrogance, jealousy, greed, revenge, anger, etc. The psychological
efforts to lead such a life of restraint is what jihad bin nafs is
about. In social life, it happens time and again that all sorts of base,
negative feelings well up within a man, causing him to lead his life succumbing
to desires and temptations. The internal effort made in such a situation to
overcome the temptations of the self and to continue to lead a life guided by
principles is the truly Islamic jihad bin nafs.
According to the Hadith, a believer is one who wages jihad with
himself in the path of obedience to God. That is, at moments when the self
(nafs), lured by some temptation, desires to deviate from the path of God, he
keeps control over it and remains unswervingly on the divine path. This is his jihad -
a permanent feature of the life of a believer, continuing day and night, and
ending only with death.
Two conditions have been laid down in the Qur'an for the
communication of the teachings of Islam to others - naasih,
well-wishing and amin, trustworthiness. The former appertains to
God and the latter to man.
What is meant by naasih (well-wishing)
is an earnest desire on the part of the preacher of truth for the well-being
not just of his immediate interlocutor, but the whole of humanity. This
well-wishing should be so steadfast that it remains undiluted even in the face
of injustice and oppression. Overlooking people's negative behaviour towards
him, the preacher should continue to remain their well-wisher.
Islam asks us to perform jihad by means
of the Qur'an, calling this 'greater' jihad (25:52). But it
never asks its believers to do the 'greater' jihad by means of
the gun.
Jihad through the Qur'an means striving to
the utmost to present the teachings of the Qur'an before the people. That is
presenting the concept of One God as opposed to the concept of many Gods;
presenting akhirah-oriented life; a humanitarian-oriented life and
duty-oriented life as a categorical imperative taking moral precedence over a
rights-oriented life.
Jihad, according to Islam, is not something about
which is any mystery. If a simply a natural requirement of daily living. It is
vital both as concept and as a practice because, while leading his life in this
world, man is reportedly confronted by such circumstances as are likely to
derail him from the humanitarian path of the highest order.
These factors sometimes appear within man in the form of
negative feelings. This is something to which everyone must remain
intellectually alert, so that if for any reason there is some danger of
negative mindset gaining upper hand, he may consciously and deliberately turn
himself to positive thinking. Even if circumstances repeatedly place him in
situations which are depressing and demoralising, he must never on such
occasions lose courage or lose sight of noble goals. The re-assertion of his
ethical sense is the realjihad which he has to wage.
From the Islamic standpoint, intention is all-important.
Any undertaking carried out with good intentions will win God's approval, while
anything done with bad intentions is bound to be disapproved of and rejected by
God. In actual fact, intentions are the sole criteria of good or bad actions in
the divine scheme of things.
This truth relates jihad to man's entire
life and to all of his activities. Whatever man does in this world, be it at
home, or in his professional capacity, in family or in social life, his prime
imperative must be to carry it out with good intentions and not the reverse.
This, however, is no simple matter. In all one's dealings, adhering strictly to
the right path requires a continuous struggle. This is a great and unremitting
lifelong struggle. And this is what is called jihad.
Even if one is engaged in good works, such as the
establishment and running of institutions which cater for social welfare or
academic needs, or if one is personally engaged in social work of performing
some service in the political field, in all such works the element of personal
glory has a way of creeping in. Therefore, in all such instances, it is
essential that in the individuals concerned there should be strong tendency to
introspection, so that they may keep before them at all times the goal, not of personal
glory but the greater glory of God.
It is one's intense inner struggle to make all activities
God-oriented which is truly Islamic jihad.
Jihad is regularly misconstrued as war, with
all its connotations of violence and bloodshed. However, in the Islamic
context, and in literal sense, the word jihad simply means a
struggle - doing one's utmost to further a worthy cause. The actual Arabic
equivalent of war, is qital, and even this is meant in a defensive
sense.
According to Islamic teachings, jihad is
of two kinds. One is with the self (jihad bin nafs), that is, making the
maximum effort to keep control over negative feelings in one's self, for
instance, arrogance, jealousy, greed, revenge, anger, etc. The psychological
efforts to lead such a life of restraint is what jihad bin nafs is
about. In social life, it happens time and again that all sorts of base,
negative feelings well up within a man, causing him to lead his life succumbing
to desires and temptations. The internal effort made in such a situation to
overcome the temptations of the self and to continue to lead a life guided by
principles is the truly Islamic jihad bin nafs.
According to the Hadith, a believer is one who wages jihad with
himself in the path of obedience to God. That is, at moments when the self
(nafs), lured by some temptation, desires to deviate from the path of God, he
keeps control over it and remains unswervingly on the divine path. This is his jihad -
a permanent feature of the life of a believer, continuing day and night, and
ending only with death.
The other form of jihad is that which is
engaged into propagate the constructive message of Islam. All those who embark
upon such a course must first of all study the Qur'an and Sunnah in a
dispassionate and objective manner. No kind of conditioning should be allowed
to come in the way of such study. Only after passing through this intellectual jihad will
the would-be proponent of Islam be in a position to make a true representation
of his religion.
Two conditions have been laid down in the Qur'an for the
communication of the teachings of Islam to others - naasih,
well-wishing and amin, trustworthiness. The former appertains to
God and the latter to man.
What is meant by naasih (well-wishing)
is an earnest desire on the part of the preacher of truth for the well-being
not just of his immediate interlocutor, but the whole of humanity. This
well-wishing should be so steadfast that it remains undiluted even in the face
of injustice and oppression. Overlooking people's negative behaviour towards
him, the preacher should continue to remain their well-wisher.
The element of trustworthiness (amin) is important
in that it ensures that the religion God has sent to the world will be presented
to the people without deletion, addition or distortion. For instance, if the
Islam sent by God is akhirah (Hereafter) oriented, it should
not become world oriented, if it is spiritually based, it should not become
politics based; if it confines jihad to peaceful struggle, it
should not become violence based.
Islam asks us to perform jihad by means
of the Qur'an, calling this 'greater' jihad (25:52). But it
never asks its believers to do the 'greater' jihad by means of
the gun.
Jihad through the Qur'an means striving to
the utmost to present the teachings of the Qur'an before the people. That is
presenting the concept of One God as opposed to the concept of many Gods;
presenting akhirah-oriented life; a humanitarian-oriented life and
duty-oriented life as a categorical imperative taking moral precedence over a
rights-oriented life.
Jihad, according to Islam, is not something about
which is any mystery. If a simply a natural requirement of daily living. It is
vital both as concept and as a practice because, while leading his life in this
world, man is reportedly confronted by such circumstances as are likely to
derail him from the humanitarian path of the highest order.
These factors sometimes appear within man in the form of
negative feelings. This is something to which everyone must remain
intellectually alert, so that if for any reason there is some danger of
negative mindset gaining upper hand, he may consciously and deliberately turn
himself to positive thinking. Even if circumstances repeatedly place him in
situations which are depressing and demoralising, he must never on such
occasions lose courage or lose sight of noble goals. The re-assertion of his
ethical sense is the realjihad which he has to wage.
From the Islamic standpoint, intention is all-important.
Any undertaking carried out with good intentions will win God's approval, while
anything done with bad intentions is bound to be disapproved of and rejected by
God. In actual fact, intentions are the sole criteria of good or bad actions in
the divine scheme of things.
This truth relates jihad to man's entire
life and to all of his activities. Whatever man does in this world, be it at
home, or in his professional capacity, in family or in social life, his prime
imperative must be to carry it out with good intentions and not the reverse.
This, however, is no simple matter. In all one's dealings, adhering strictly to
the right path requires a continuous struggle. This is a great and unremitting
lifelong struggle. And this is what is called jihad.
Even if one is engaged in good works, such as the
establishment and running of institutions which cater for social welfare or
academic needs, or if one is personally engaged in social work of performing
some service in the political field, in all such works the element of personal
glory has a way of creeping in. Therefore, in all such instances, it is
essential that in the individuals concerned there should be strong tendency to
introspection, so that they may keep before them at all times the goal, not of personal
glory but the greater glory of God.
It is one's intense inner struggle to make all activities
God-oriented which is truly Islamic jihad.
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