Jihad
by M.A. Malek
A
great deal of misconception exists, particularly in the West, with regard to
the meaning of the word jihad in
Islam. In reality jihad is a duty
upon all Muslims to commit themselves to a struggle on all fronts -- moral,
spiritual and political -- to create a just and decent society. It is not -- as
is commonly understood -- a 'holy war' against the non-believers. The phrase
'holy war' was coined by the West in its struggle against the Muslims in the
time of the Crusades (a war instigated by the Church for 'religious' gain).
There are other words in Arabic which are more appropriate to use in a war. And
these words would surely have been applied had the idea of war been at the core
of the concept described in the Qur'an by the word jihad. Examples of such words are harb (war) and ma'araka
(battle). Below we quote the late Haji Ibrahim Golightly's
response to a question on jihad.
“Jihad means to strive or make an effort,
usually in an Islamic context, so that anything which requires an effort to be
made is jihad and the person doing it
is a mujahid. The
media would have us believe that it is fighting and killing in the name of
Allah. It is certainly in the name of Allah but, as usual, the media have
corrupted the meaning so that they can apply its new meaning to 'fundamentalist
Muslims', basically any Muslim who does not subscribe totally to the Western
way of life. Making time in a busy schedule to study the Qur'an; going to a halal butcher rather than the closest or
most convenient one; discussing Islam with both Muslims and non-Muslims and
helping them to understand it better; studying ayat (signs), both of Qur'an and
in nature and science, in order to increase 'ilm,
or knowledge; setting other Muslims a good example and showing non-Muslims the
true way of Muslims; are all examples of jihad
in daily life. Jihad is the effort
made, not just against internal and external evils, but also to live at peace
with oneself and one's community (Muslim and nonMuslim).”
He
concludes by saying: “Simply explaining the true meaning of jihad to those who do not know, is jihad in itself.” In fact, the
implication of the word jihad, like
all other words, can only be judged in the context of the Qur'anic
verses in which it is used. The following are some typical verses, with
appropriate comments, to indicate what the Qur'an conveys by jihad. The material below, including
most of the translations are based on Chapter 5 of Maulana Muhammad Ali's book “The
Religion of Islam.”
(22:78) And
strive hard (jahidu)
for Allah with the endeavour which
is right [...].
The jihad implies that one should exert
oneself to one's utmost ability (i.e., moral, spiritual or political) for the cause
of Allah; to establish Allah's Deen, without
resorting to war.
(29:6) And
whoever strives hard (jahada),
he strives (yujahidu)
only for his own soul, that is for his own benefit, for Allah is altogether
Independent of (His) creatures.
(29:69) And
those who strive hard (jahadu)
for Us, We will certainly guide them in Our ways, and Allah is surely with the
doers of good.
The Arabic word jahadu is
derived from jihad, and the addition
of fina (for Us)
indicates that jihad, in this case,
is the spiritual striving to attain nearness to Allah, and the result of this jihad is stated to be Allah's guidance
for those striving in His ways.
(25:52) So
do not follow the unbelievers, and strive hard (jahid) against them a mighty
striving (jihadun)
with it.
The personal pronoun
'it' refers clearly to the Qur'an, as the context will show. It is a struggle (jihad) to win over the unbelievers, not
with the sword but with the Qur'an.
(66:9) 0 Prophet!
Strive (jahade)
against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them [...]
Here the Prophet is
asked to carry on a jihad against
both unbelievers and hypocrites. The hypocrites were those who were outwardly
Muslims and lived among Muslims, and were treated like Muslims in all respects.
They came to the mosque and prayed with the Muslims. A war against them was
unthinkable and none was ever undertaken. They sometimes fought along with the
Muslims against the unbelievers. Therefore, the injunction to carry on a jihad against both the unbelievers and
hypocrites could not mean the waging of war against them. It was a jihad in the same sense in which the
word is used in the above verses, a jihad
carried on by means of the Holy Qur'an as expressly stated in 25:52, a striving
hard to win them over to Islam. Jihad
in both 25:52 and 66:9 is used in the moral and political sense. It does not
imply war.
(2:218) Lo! Those who
believe, and those who emigrate (to escape persecution) and strive hard (jahadu) in
the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's mercy. Allah is Forgiving and
Merciful.
(8:74) Those
who believe and left their homes and strove hard (jahadu) for the cause of Allah,
and those who took them in and helped them -- these are the believers in truth.
For them is
pardon, and a bountiful provision.
(3:142) Or
deemed ye that ye would enter Paradise while
yet Allah knoweth
not those of you who strive hard (jahadu),
nor knoweth
those (of you) who are steadfast?
In
all of these verses, jihad is used in
the general sense of striving hard, morally, spiritually, and in our day-to-day
life. In all cases, jihad implies a
struggle in Allah's ways to achieve an objective, without resorting to war.
References
1. Jihad, Haji
Ibrahim Golightly:
A question & answer printed in The Message, the UIA magazine of July -
September issue, 1995.
2. The Religion
of Islam, by Maulana Muhammad Ali M.A., Ll.B.
Published by National Publication and Printing House U.A.R. Based on chapter 5,
pp. 545-595.
Posted August 21,
2009. This article was printed in the April-June
2009 issue of "The Message," a United Islamic Association (UIA)
publication, London, England.