The Concept of Jihad

even in the face of injustice and oppression. Overlooking people’s negative behaviour towards him, the teacher should continue to remain their well-wisher. The element of trustworthiness (amin) is important in that it ensures that the Islam God has sent to the world will be presented to the people without deletion, addition or distortion. For instance, if the Islam sent by God is akhirah (Hereafter) oriented, it should not become world oriented; if it is spirituality based, it should not become politics based; if it confines jihad to peaceful struggle, it should not become violence based. Islam asks us to perform jihad by means of the Qur’an, calling this ‘greater’ jihad. But it never asks its believers to do the ‘greater’ jihad by means of the gun. This is a clear proof that jihad is, in actual fact, a wholly peaceful activity, carried out through peaceful methods. It has nothing to do with violent activities or violent threats. Jihad through the Qur’an means striving to the utmost to present the teachings of the Qur’an before the people. That is, presenting the concept of One God as opposed to the concept of many gods; presenting akhirahoriented life as superior to world-oriented life; principle-oriented life as against interest-oriented life; a humanitarian-oriented life as more elevated than a selforiented life and a duty-oriented life as a categorical imperative taking moral precedence over a rights-oriented life. Jihad, according to Islam, is not something about which there is any mystery. It is simply a natural requirement of daily living. It is vital both as a concept and as a practice because, while leading his life in this world, man is repeatedly confronted by such circumstances as are likely to derail him from the humanitarian path of the highest order. These factors sometimes appear within man in the form of negative feelings. This is something to which everyone must remain intellectually alert, so that if for any reason there is some danger of a negative mindset gaining the upperhand, he may consciously and deliberately turn himself to positive thinking. Even if circumstances repeatedly place him in situations which are depressing and demoralising, he must never on such occasions lose courage or lose sight of noble goals. The re-assertion of his ethical sense is the real jihad which he has to wage. From the Islamic standpoint, intention is all-important. Any undertaking carried out with good intentions will win God’s approval, while anything done