What 'Jihad' Really Means

Which Jihad ?

'Jihad' is a religious duty, an act of faith, prescribed by the Holy Quran for every Muslim. 

Alas, Islamic teachings are, on the one hand, so little known by Muslims, and on the other, so vilified by non-Muslims, that many false conceptions have settled in people’s minds. 

For many people, it seems convenient and legitimate to cover under the term jihad (holy war) any struggle to settle a dispute where their interests are at stake (and thus, all means, even the most reprehensible, seem to be good). For the non-Muslim jihad has long been equated with the holy war against non-believers, for the spread of Islam. It seems to me necessary - through this series of sermons on jihad, terrorism and Islamophobia - to return to the sources of Islam, through the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) to explain what jihad really is, for the objective minds.

The term jihad is derived from jahada which means making intense efforts to the ultimate limit (Al-Ankabut, 29:7). Jihad is such an important injunction for Muslims that it is mentioned in no less than 36 occasions in the Holy Quran.

Three types of Jihad

In fact, it is of such importance that all the acts of faith prescribed for the believer (prayer, fasting, zakah, and pilgrimage to Mecca) are spiritual exercises designed to overcome the weaknesses of the individual and prepare him for the accomplishment of jihad. Jihad, as it appears from the reading of the the Holy Qur’an, denotes three types of fighting:

1. The fight against oneself (nafs).
2. The fight against evil in all its forms.
3. Armed combat against the visible enemy.

We can differentiate between the three types of jihad by calling them respectively Jihad-i-Akbar (greatest jihad), Jihad-i-Kabir (the great jihad) and Jihad-i-Saghir (the little/ lesser jihad). The Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) considered that Jihad-i-Akbar is the supreme, noblest combat and he said, when his troops returned from the Tabuk expedition: “You have accomplished the minor jihad now; there remains the supreme jihad.”

Djihad-i-Akbar:- it is the tireless fight against oneself, against one’s bad tendencies and inclinations. It is not therefore a fight of the State (the Country/ State/ Government, especially the Islamic One), but a struggle peculiar to the individual against his weak instincts/ carnal desires, such as infidelity, adultery, lies, dishonesty and materialism. However, the State has the obligation to help the citizen in this fight, creating the conditions conducive to his internal purification. It is the duty of the State to rid the social environment of any obstacle that may hinder the path of the individual to inner purity (e.g. the sale of alcoholic beverages, drugs, the practice of debauchery and games of chance).

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, “Purity (or Cleanliness) is half of faith.” This purity denotes the purity of the spirit. According to my analysis, a soul encumbered with unhealthy desires remains hermetically closed to divine grace. By purifying one’s soul of every bad inclination, the individual accomplishes this supreme jihad and reaches half of the faith by becoming fit to receive the grace of his Creator and to follow the path of spiritual progress.

A Prayer at the Ka'baa Shareef

‘The first House (of worship) to be established for all mankind was the one at Bakka. It's a blessed place; a source of guidance for all people; there were clear signs in it; it is the place where Abraham stood to pray; whoever enters it is safe. Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to God by people who are able to undertake it’. (3:97) 

Remember the time when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House, praying, ‘Our Lord, accept this from us; for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. Our Lord, make us devoted to You; make our descendants into a community devoted to You. Show us how to worship and accept our repentance, for You are the Ever Relenting, the Most Merciful’. (2:128-129) 

The Promised Messiah, Al Imam Al Mahdi, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian (1835-1908 AD) never had the chance during his lifetime to visit Makkah to offer his obeisance at the holy Ka’baa Sanctuary. Yet, some of his disciples could make that sublime spiritual journey during his time, and one of them was Pir Munshi Ahmad Jan. When the Pir Saheb was about to go on Hajj pilgrimage in the year 1302 AH/ 1902 AD, Hadhrat Massih Mauod (as) gave him several instructions on fervent prayers to be invoked on his own behalf while at the Ka’baa Sheriff in Makkah. In this context, when the journey for Hajj pilgrimage was to take place, the Promised Messiah (as) wrote to Pir Saheb in a letter:

‘Remember the request of my humble and unworthy being that when by the grace of Allah the Almighty you are granted the honour of visiting the House of Allah, please pray on behalf of this humblest of Allah’s servants with great humility and submission at that praiseworthy and blessed place in the following words:

‘O Most Merciful of all the mercifuls, a servant of yours –humble, unworthy, full of shortcomings, and unskilled—Ghulam Ahmad, who resides in the country of India, prays that:

O Most Merciful, be pleased with me.

Forgive my faults and sins, as You are Most Forgiving and Merciful.

Grant me the ability to do what pleases you greatly.

Create a separation between me and my self as East is separated from the West.

Let my life and my death and all my capacities be an offering in Your way.

Grant me life in Your love, and let me die in Your love.

'Jihad' and the 'Zealous Idiots'

The concept of Jihad in Islam

A religion is only worthy of the name if it rhymes with common sense. If it cannot win through this, and it must use the sword to overcome its shortcomings, it needs no other argument to prove its sham. The sword it wields cuts its own throat before it reaches its target. 

The objection that the sword was used during the early years of Islam, thus attesting to the legality of Jihad, is based on an ignorance of the conditions prevailing during this period. Islam has never allowed the use of the sword to be a source of rallying. Also the Holy Qur’an forbids constraint – the use of force – in religious matter. 

Why was the sword used?

The circumstances leading to this measure had absolutely nothing to do with the propagation of religion; they are related to the protection of life. They can be summed up as thus: the inhabitants of the deserts of Arabia were barbarians who could scarcely distinguish good from bad. They had harboured a hatred for the nascent Islam and had become its worst enemies. The reason for this hatred can be easily understood. The arguments put forward by the early Muslims concerning the uniqueness of God and the Islamic truths were devastating for the idolaters of Mecca and its environs.

Soon the inhabitants of these regions realized that it was unseemly for man, the most noble of divine creatures, to submit to stone. The Meccans were thus unable to counter the new adherents on the basis of arguments. The most reasonable ones were quick to join Islam. Family ties were broken and the son separated from his parents and the brother from his brothers. This exasperated the Meccans and it became clear to them that the only recourse to counteract the spread of the new religion – which was to the detriment of their parents’ false beliefs – was the use of extreme measures. The new Muslims were thus savagely persecuted. 

Mystical Journeying: 'Isra' and 'Mi'raj'

'..Before concluding my sermon, I would also like to say a few words about the Isra and Mi'raj of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It was indeed two of the most important visions and communications that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) received from God the Almighty, for it was during one of those spiritual - and not physical - journeys that Allah ordered Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and his Ummah (his community) to worship (Salat) five times a day.

Importance must be given to these blessed days, not because the Holy Prophet (pbuh) made “physical” journeys to heaven, but because all communication between Allah and His Messenger was and will always be special. These experiences were purely spiritual, lived by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in a state between awakening and sleep, called “Kashf” (vision). 

Keep in mind that man can never rise to the Pleiades physically, even if he tastes the final death. His corpse remains on earth, while the soul goes back where it is destined to go.

When the unbelievers had asked the Holy Prophet (pbuh) to go up to heaven and bring them a book, here is the answer he gave them: “Am I not only a human-messenger?” (Al-Isra 17: 94)

The “Kashf” is not a definitive death. The soul is spiritually awake and connected to God through His revelation and Divine Force that draws him to Him and to a world of temporary spiritual well-being. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) lived the most perfect “Kashf” because Allah made him cross the seven heavens to meet Him in an intimate and loving way.