Jihad Fillah

Jihad Fillah I n Chapter 29 of the Quran, there is a verse which says: “We will surely guide in Our ways, those who strive hard for Our cause, God is surely with the righteous.” (29:69). In this verse, there are no such expressions as “Jihad fi-sabeelillah” (jihad for the cause of God) but rather the word is “Jihad fillah” (jihad in God). That is, there is striving hard not for the cause of God, but striving hard in God. Chapter 29 was revealed before the emigration to Abyssinia (5 A.H). That is why, it is clear that, in this verse the word jihad does not mean qital. Similarly, here ‘jihad’ cannot mean the practical following of divine commands, because no such word is used here. In this verse, what is attainable from jihad fillah is called guidance, that is why, in this verse, jihad fillah, would mean something which could be linked with guidance. The fact is that, in this verse of the Quran, jihad means jihad-e-fikri, meaning “thinking jihad” or “intellectual jihad”, that is thinking about God, thinking (tafakkur), reflection (tadabbur) about God, trying as much as possible to attain the realization of God, increasing one’s faith through continuous study and observation. Realization is the beginning of faith. It means trying to recognize God through the observation of His