Various aspects of Jihad

IN the wake of currents and cross-currents of world events, it seems absolutely necessary to understand that Islam teaches to live in peace and preserve peace. It condemns aggression and for the defence of peace advocates Jihad in the way of Allah, first against our “Nafs” and “devil”, and against those who disturb peace and violate security of Muslim Ummah.

It is an all-round struggle and makes it obligatory for all Muslims to exercise all their powers, and resources to preserve peace. Now it seems imperative to discuss the real significance of jihad in the light of the glorious Quran and Sunnah. There is a great deal of misunderstanding in the West about the concept of Jihad in Islam and they believe that it is synonymous with “War” (Qital) undertaken for the spread of Islam. An eminent western scholar A.J. Wensink, in his book “A Handbook of Early Muhammadan Traditions” uses the word jihad for war. Similarly, another writer Klein, in his book, “The Religion of Islam,” comments in the same strain i.e. fighting against unbelievers.

The word Jihad, is derived from Jahd or Juhd which signifies exertion, striving and endeavour and ceaseless effort to one’s utmost capacity bestowed by Allah. It is also used in the sense of exerting one’s power and ability without implying any sense of war. In the language of Shariah this word is also used for war (Jihad-bis Saif), with the object of bringing an end to oppression and aggression against Islam. Its object is not to “propagate Islam”, but to remove those tyrannical forces which are inimical to Islam and are not prepared to give all a fair deal.

Islam is not a theoretical philosophy. The Quran and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) envisaged a complete code of conduct and way of human life and practical action, commandments and prohibitions, good action and service to mankind in all phases of human activities. The Quran emphasised jihad for noble and hard work and not sitting idle like stagnant water but moving swiftly like the flowing currents of oceans. How vividly the Quran states:

“Those of the believers who sit idle, other than those who strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and lives. Allah conferred on those who strive with their wealth and lives a rank above the sedentary. To all Allah has promised good, but He has bestowed on those who strive a great reward above the sedentary” (4:95). The above verse has stated with clarity of diction that idleness and sitting with comfort and luxury is not tantamount to jihad or striving. It is incumbent on us to dispel the great misconception about the word Jihad and Qital (war) as being synonymous, therefore the Quran has expressed “Jihad in the way of Allah” and “Qital in the way of Allah” with distinctive clarification. Its practical example is clearly reflected in the life of Prophet Muhammad who with his forbearance and patience boldly faced all privations and tribulations for thirteen years in the Makkah in the spirit of Jihad. The hostility, persecutions, physical torture and inhuman behaviour of the pagans, all the bore valiantly with the inspiration of Allah.

Moreover for ten years during his Madinah life he had to face most difficult problems and encounter wars with the pagans which he overcame with his unimpeachable integrity and Divine message in the light of jihad as enjoined in the Quran: “The true believers are those only who believe in Allah and His Messenger and than doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. They are the truthful and sincere” (49.15).

Further it states, “So those who have emigrated and were driven forth from their homes and have been persecuted in My Cause, and have fought and have been slain, verily I shall remit their evil deeds from them and verily I shall bring them into Gardens.” (3:195).

Jihad also stands for performing noble deeds, for elevating moral character and for seeking refinement to attain nearness to Allah and achieve His guidance. The Quran says: “We shall guide those who strive in Our cause to Our paths (of acceptance and nearness). Verily Allah is with those who do good.” (29:69).

In this Surah Allah has laid the greatest stress on remaining fearless and steadfast to uphold the banner of Truth (Haq) and has mentioned such achievements of past Prophets and Messengers how they faced all hardships with firmness and confidence and ultimately Allah blessed them with success as stated in the Quran: “And whosoever strives, strives only for himself, for verily Allah is altogether Independent of His creatures of the world” (29:6).

Striving in the way of Allah and struggling with the greatest power and ability in the cause of Justice and Trust, unmindful of life and wealth or even family and children is an achievement of high order and excellence as the Divine Book says.

“And strive in the cause of Allah, a perfect striving, for He has exalted you and have laid no hardship on you in religion (Deen); follow the faith of your father Abraham,” (22:78).

Jihad is also waged, by striving ceaselessly, against ignorance and for disseminating knowledge, learning and science. Islam has given top priority to knowledge and pen but Muslim masses are groping in total darkness. No Muslim international organization has ever addressed this problem which is lying dormant. It also stands for enlightening the people with best refinements and human behaviour and conduct of life. Every individual should be replenished with his own culture and the current scientific and technological advancements and progress. “Call them to the path of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the best way,” (16:125).

The true teachings and understanding of the Quran will make the minds of our nation wide awake. It is the fountainhead of the sciences. Every subject connected with heaven or earth, human life, commerce and various trades is occasionally touched upon and it created marvellous development of all branches of sciences viz, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, biology, medical studies and study of Nature.

This Jihad for knowledge occupies a dominant position in the Muslim world and has worked as a torch-bearer of knowledge during the heyday of Muslim civilisation.

Jihad with wealth also plays an important role in reawakening the people to spend in the way of Allah in the right channels for the good of mankind. If there is dire need of wealth in some direction, it can be given preference over individual needs as the companions of the Prophet Muhammad did on various occasions by donating large amount of money; as the Quran depicts: “Verily! those who believed and left their homes and strove with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah.” (8:72).

The Quran is replete with verses emphasising the value and significance of wealth in this respect: “Go forth, light-armed and heavy-armed, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the way of Allah. That is best for you if you understand.” (9:41). And “The true believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messengers and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. They are the truthful and sincere” (49:15).

One of the traditions (Hadith) also relates that a great jihad is to speak boldly and confidently for justice and equity before a tyrant and aggressor. In several Ahadith (Traditions) the word jihad is not used exclusively for fighting. Once the Prophet said: “The Hajj is the most excellent of the Jihad” (Bukhari, 25:4). Jihad includes the service of Islam in any form by speech, pen, writing, teaching, wealth or medicine.

When the Prophet reached Madinah, the Muslims were forced to struggle for their very survival against a spate of armed attacks by their enemies who became bolder and more bitter in opposition and mustered all their forces to wipe out the followers of the Prophet.

The Muslims were obliged to take up arms in self-defence. This struggle was termed as Qital (war) as clarified in the following verse when permission was given to fight: “And fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, and do not be aggressive; verily Allah does not love the aggressor.” (2:190). This clearly reflects that aggression was strictly prohibited.

In such fights in the way of Allah those who sacrificed their lives were called Shaheed (martyrs). The Quran says “Think not of those who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are alive finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.” (3:169).

Muslims under pressure to integrate into Western culture

FOLLOWING the Sept 11 attacks on America, the Muslims in the Western world are feeling under pressure to struggle harder to integrate in Western society in order to reduce the chances of racial abuse by the mainstream white population. It is widely feared that the 9/11 attacks have badly damaged race relations not only in America but also in the whole of the Western world.

The governments in Europe are trying their utmost to formulate policies to bridge the increasing gap between the Muslim minority and the mainstream white population. Britain, like many other European countries, has large numbers of faith-based schools. But now the government in London is under pressure to discourage the trend of faith-based schools amid fears that they could foment racial tensions in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

It is widely feared that the creation of more Islamic schools could add to the problems in Britain’s inner cities. The government is particularly monitoring the position closely in areas such as Bradford, Oldham and Burnley, towns with large numbers of Pakistanis where there was rioting this summer.

The situation in America is already causing problems within the whole of Europe, including Britain. The attacks on the US had underlined the need for Britain and other Western countries to reduce fear and tension within their own communities.

Now there is general feeling in Europe that anything which encourages isolation and segregation in communities is a recipe for disaster. There are millions of Muslims living in European countries, and the events in the US had reinforced the need for the governments in Europe to find ways for integration of the Muslim community into mainstream society.

This integration is considered a must for the future prosperity and integrity of Europe. Now one of the main questions in Europe is, how to deal with faith-based schools? The fear is that if governments adopt tough rules to deal with the faith-based schools, there could be a strong reaction from the minority religious groups, particularly the Muslims.

The British prime minister, Tony Blair, despite strong opposition from some of his own ministers, is in favour of Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu and Sikh schools within the state education system, believing this will give schools their own “ethos” and allow greater diversity. But a number of his ministers are not in agreement with him because they believe that the faith-based schools would risk reinforcing divisions within communities.

Only recently Muslim groups in the Netherlands reacted with anger to a suggestion by a minister that only Dutch should be spoken in the country’s 450 mosques. The controversy was prompted by the Immigration Minister Hilbrand Nawijn who said: “Imams have a duty to convince their fellow Muslims that they have to be loyal to the values and norms of Dutch civil society”.

The minister was speaking at the opening of a controversial new college to instruct imams in Dutch attitudes toward homosexuality and women’s rights. The proposal was inspired by the murdered ultra-nationalist politician Pim Fortuyn, whose LPF party secured the second biggest position in this year’s election of the country and became a coalition partner in the government.

The Muslims are generally considered homophobic in the Western world, and the leader of the LPF party, who himself was homosexual, before his murder had angered the 800,000 Muslims in the Netherlands by criticizing Muslim views on homosexuals and women.

The minister, Nawijn, is himself an LPF member and under the manifesto of his party he is bound to spread the message of his slain leader. The establishment of the college is aimed at giving imams intensive Dutch language lessons and courses on freedom of speech and religion, and non-discrimination against women and homosexuals.

The establishment of the college is being criticized by some but the minister says that the aim of this education is “correcting Islam’s negative image and of spurring the acceptance of Muslims here”. The establishment of this college is a unique experiment in Europe where new imams will get 600 hours of courses by Muslim immigrant teachers who are familiar with Dutch culture.

Attendance at the college is mandatory for new imams and they will not be licensed unless they pass the final exam. “If they (imams) refuse to attend, the minister will make it clear that they are not welcome in the Netherlands anymore and they will not get residence permits,” a spokeswoman for the immigration ministry said.

Surprisingly, the mainstream Muslim community has fully welcomed the establishment of this college as a step forward in discouraging extremism but many Muslims have expressed their anger over the proposal that only Dutch should be spoken in Mosques.