Jihad (Fighting/Struggling for the Cause of Allah swt)

In the linguistic sense, the Arabic word "jihad" means struggling or
striving and applies to any effort exerted by anyone. In this sense a
student struggles and strives to get an education and pass course
work; an employee strives to fulfill his/her job and maintain good
relations with his/her employer; a politician strives to maintain or
increase his popularity with his constituents and so on. The term
strive or struggle may be used for/by Muslims as well non-Muslims; for
example, Allah, One and Only True God says in the Qur'an:
"We have enjoined on people kindness to parents; but if they strive
(jahadaka) to make you ascribe partners with Me that of which you have
no knowledge, then obey them not..." 29:8, also see 31:15.
In the above two verses of the Qur'an, it is non-Muslim parents who
strive (jahada) to converttheir Muslim child back totheir religion.
In the West, "jihad" is generally translated as"holy war", a usage the
media has popularized. According to Islamic teachings, it is unholy to
instigate or start war; however, some wars are inevitable and
justifiable.If we translate the words"holy war" back into Arabic we
find "harbun muqaddasatun", or for"the holy war",
"al-harbual-muqaddasatu". We challenge any researcher or scholar to
find the meaning of "jihad" as holy war in the Qur'an or authentic
Hadith collections or in early Islamic literature. Unfortunately, some
Muslim writers and translators of the Qur'an, the Hadith and other
Islamic literature translate the term "jihad"as "holy war", due to the
influence of centuries-old Western propaganda.This could be a
reflection of the Christian use of theterm "Holy War" to refer to the
Crusades of a thousand years ago. However, the Arabic words for "war"
are"harb" or "qital", which are found in the Qur'an and Hadith.
For Muslims the term jihad is applied to all forms of striving and has
developed some special meanings over time. The sources of this
development are the Qur'an (the Word of God revealed to Prophet
Muhammad(S)) and the Hadith (teachings of Prophet Muhammad(S) [(S)
denotes Sall-Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam meaning peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him). The Qur'an and the Hadith use the word "jihad" in
several different contexts which are given below:
1. Recognizing the Creator and loving Him most
It is human nature to love what is seen with the eyes and felt with
thesenses more than the UNSEEN REALITY. The Creator of the Universe
and the One God is Allah. He is the Unseen Reality which we tend to
ignore and not recognize. The Qur'an addresses those who claim to be
believers:
*.
"O you who believe! Choose not your fathersnor your brethren for
protectors if they love disbelief over belief; whoever of you takes
them for protectors, such are wrong-doers. Say: if your fathers,
andyour children, and yourbrethren, and your spouses, and your
tribe,and the wealth you have acquired, and business for which you
fear shrinkage, and houses you are pleased with are dearer to you than
Allah and His Messenger and striving in His way: then wait tillAllah
brings His command to pass. Allah does not guide disobedient folk."
9:23-24
It is indeed a struggle to put Allah ahead of our loved ones, our
wealth, our worldly ambitions and our own lives. Especially for a
non-Muslim who embraces Islam, it may bea tough struggle due to the
opposition of his family, peers and society.
2. Resisting pressure of parents, peers and society
Once a person has made up his mind to put the Creator of the Universe
above all else, he often comes under intense pressures. It is not easy
toresist such pressures and strive to maintain dedication and love of
Allah over all else. A person who has turned to Islam from another
religion may be subjected to pressures designed to turn him back to
the religion of the family. We read in the Qur'an:
*.
"So obey not the rejecters of faith, but strive (jahidhum) against
them by it (the Qur'an) with a great endeavor." 25:52
3. Staying on the straightpath steadfastly
Allah says in the Qur'an:
*.
"And strive (jahidu) for Allah with the endeavor(jihadihi) which is
His right. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you in the deen
(religion) any hardship..." 22:78
*.
"And whosoever strives (jahada), strives (yujahidu) only for himself,
for lo! Allah is altogether independent of the universe." 29:6
As for those who strive and struggle to live as true Muslims whose
lives are made difficult due to persecution by their opponents, they
are advised to migrate to a more peaceful and tolerant land and
continue with their struggle in the cause of Allah. Allah says in the
Qur'an:
*.
"Lo! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they wronged
themselves, (the angels) will ask: in what you were engaged? They will
say:we were oppressed in the land. (The angels) will say: was not
Allah's earth spacious that you could have migrated therein? ..." 4:97
*.
"Lo! those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape persecution)
and strive (jahadu) in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's
mercy ..." 2:218
Allah tests the believers in their faith and their steadfastness:
*.
"Or did you think that you would enter Paradise while yet Allahknows
not those of youwho really strive (jahadu), nor knows those (of you)
who are steadfast." 3:142
*.
"And surely We shall try you with something of fear and hunger, and
loss of wealth and lives and fruits; but give gladtidings to the
steadfast." 2:155
We find that the Prophet Muhammad(S) and his clan were boycotted
socially and economicallyfor three years to force him to stop his
message and compromise with the pagans but he resisted and realized a
moral victory.
4. Striving for righteous deeds
Allah declares in the Qur'an:
*.
"As for those who strive(jahadu) in Us (the cause of Allah), We surely
guide them to Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good doers." 29:69
When we are faced with two competing interests, it becomes jihad to
choose the right one, as the following Hadith exemplify.
*.
Aisha, wife of the Prophet(S) asked, "O Messenger of Allah, we see
jihad as the best of deeds, so shouldn't we join it?" He replied,"But,
the best of jihad isa perfect hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)." Sahih
Al-Bukhari #2784
At another occasion a man asked the Prophet Muhammad(S):
*.
"Should I join the jihad?" He asked, "Do you have parents?" The man
said, "Yes!" The Prophet(S) said, "then strive by (serving) them!"
Sahih Al-Bukhari#5972
Yet another man asked the Messenger of Allah:
*.
"What kind of jihad is better?" He replied, "A word of truth in front
of an oppressive ruler!"Sunan Al-Nasa'i #4209
The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad(S) said:
*.
"... the mujahid (one who carries out jihad) is he who strives against
himself for the sake of obeying Allah, and the muhajir (one who
emigrates) is he who abandons evil deeds and sin." Sahih Ibn Hibban
#4862
5. Having courage and steadfastness to convey the message of Islam
The Qur'an narrates the experiences of a large number of Prophets and
good people who suffered a great deal trying to convey the message of
Allah to mankind. For examples see the Qur'an 26:1-190, 36:13-32. In
the Qur'an, Allah specifically praises those who strive to convey His
message:
*.
"Who is better in speech than one who calls (other people) to Allah,
works righteous, and declares that he is from the Muslims." 41:33
Under adverse conditionsit takes great courage to remain a Muslim,
declare oneself to be a Muslim and call others to Islam. We read in
the Qur'an:
*.
"The (true) believers are only those who believe in Allah and his
messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and
their selves for the cause of Allah. Such are the truthful." 49:15
6. Defending Islam and the community
Allah declares in the Qur'an:
*.
"To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to defend
themselves), because they are wronged - and verily, Allah is Most
Powerful to give them victory - (they are) those who have been
expelled from their homes in defiance of right - (for no cause) except
that they say, 'Our Lord is Allah'.... " 22:39-40
The Qur'an permits fighting to defend the religion of Islam and the
Muslims. This permission includes fighting in self defense and for the
protection of family and property. The early Muslims fought many
battles against their enemies under the leadership of the
ProphetMuhammad(S) or his representatives. For example, when the
pagans of Quraysh brought armies against Prophet Muhammad(S), the
Muslims fought to defend their faith and community. The Qur'an adds:
*.
"Fight in the cause of Allah against those whofight against you, but
do not transgress limits.Lo! Allah loves not aggressors. ... And fight
them until persecution is no more, and religionis for Allah. But if
they desist, then let there beno hostility except against
transgressors." 2:190,193
7. Helping allied people who may not be Muslim
In the late period of the Prophet Muhammad's(S) life the tribe of Banu
Khuza'ah became his ally.They were living near Makkah which was
underthe rule of the pagan Quraysh, Prophet Muhammad's(S) own tribe.
The tribe of Banu Bakr, an ally of Quraysh, with the help of some
elements of Quraysh, attacked Banu Khuza'ah and inflicted heavy
damage. Banu Khuza'ah invoked the treaty and demanded Prophet
Muhammad(S) to come totheir help and punish Quraysh. The Prophet
Muhammad(S) organizeda campaign against Quraysh of Makkah which
resulted in the conquest of Makkah which occurred without any battle.
8. Removing treacherous people from power
Allah orders the Muslims in the Qur'an:
*.
"If you fear treachery from any group, throw back (their treaty) to
them, (so as to be) on equal terms. Lo! Allah loves not the
treacherous." 8:58
Prophet Muhammad(S) undertook a number of armed campaigns to remove
treacherous people from power and their lodgings. He had entered into
pacts with several tribes, however, some of them proved themselves
treacherous. Prophet Muhammad(S) launched armed campaigns against
these tribes, defeated and exiled them from Medina and its
surroundings.
9. Defending through preemptive strikes
Indeed, it is difficult to mobilize people to fight when they see no
invaders in their territory; however, those who are charged with
responsibility see dangers ahead of time and must provide leadership.
The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad(S), had the responsibility to protect
his people and the religion he established inArabia. Whenever he
received intelligence reports about enemies gathering near his borders
he carried out preemptive strikes, broketheir power and dispersed
them. Allah ordered Muslims in the Qur'an:
*.
"Fighting is prescribed upon you, and you dislike it. But it may
happen that you dislikea thing which is good for you, and it may
happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. And Allah knows and
you know not." 2:216