THE GREATER JIHAD

According to a Hadith report, a mujahid, one who engages in jihad, is he who for the sake of obedience to God combats his own base self or nafs. According to another tradition, when the Prophet returned from the Tabuk campaign (in which no war took place), he said, ‘We have returned from lesser jihad to greater jihad.’ The ‘lesser jihad’ is a military struggle, while the ‘greater jihad’ is the struggle against one’s own evil desires. Jihad, if understood correctly, is an entirely peaceful action. At the individual level, to engage in jihad is to refuse to deviate from the path of God despite the desires of one’s baser self and the difficult environment one confronts. It is to face the challenges that stand in one’s path and remain steadfast on the path of Truth. At the collective level, jihad can be called a peaceful struggle. At the very basis of this struggle is an intellectual awakening among people, leading them to positive and constructive action and refining their character. Jihad, understood in this sense, inspires people to seek to become beneficial to others, and to be concerned about their welfare. The weapon deployed in true jihad is love, not hatred and violence. No matter what one’s religion, the fact is that through war or any other form of violence, no positive gains or achievements are possible. Some people misunderstand jihad as the equivalent of war, or what is called qital in Arabic. Equating the two is to completely undermine the significance of jihad. The fact of the matter is that qital is a very limited action, and it is of a temporary nature. On the other hand, jihad is a continuous and comprehensive action. Jihad is an exalted action in Islam, which should carry on continuously, every day and at every moment in our lives. Under no conditions should it stop. When a person is overwhelmed by the quest for Truth, he is immersed in an intellectual jihad. When he realizes the Truth, his jihad takes on added dimensions. He engages in jihad or struggle to the utmost against his own self and his base, Satanic, desires, and in this way he strengthens and deepens his faith and trust in God. He engages in continuous constructive intellectual development, and so his realization of the Truth continuously develops till at last he reaches the highest possible stage.