Professor Dr. Akbar Husain

SPIRITUAL JIHAD

Professor Dr. Akbar HusainDepartment of PsychologyAligarh Muslim University.

ALIGARH (U.P)

In Islam, Jihad does not mean “Holy War”. And isnot a declaration of war against other religionsand certainly not against Christians and Jews, assome people perceived it. I will attempt to explainthe meaning and the concept of JIHAD and its fivepsycho -spiritual dimensions based on acronym,psycho -spiritual dimensions based on acronym,namely, justice, inner struggle, harmony andhumanness, action and Divine Unity and Da‘wah .Jihad literally means “The struggle in the path ofAllah” it can mean a number of things that aMuslim does for the sake of Allah. Jihad should beaccompanied by action, justice and inner struggleto cultivate harmony and humanness, andestablish divine unity and da’wah.

Islam like other religions prohibits the killing of anyinnocent person, be he/she a Muslims or non-Muslim .According to the Holy Qur’an, killing an innocentperson is a sin like killing an entire community ofhuman-beings. The Qur’an (5:32) asserts thatwhosoever kills one innocent unlawfully, it is like as hehas killed the entire humankind.Islam calls its followers to love, compassion,Islam calls its followers to love, compassion,brotherhood, justice, sacrifice, devotion,reconciliation, tolerance and peace and prevents themfrom conflict, oppression, anger, fighting, compulsionand hatred. There is common misconception thatIslam is a religion of violence; it is due to the termjihad. Jihad has long proven to be one of the mostcontroversial terms. The understanding of Jihadshould be conducted with an awareness of thecontroversial nature and the ambiguity surroundingthe concept in the modern context of terrorism andreligious extremism .

It is true that jihad is one of the mostimportant teachings of Islam . But jihad is notsynonymous with war. Islam teaches us toserve all creatures of God without anydistinction . Islam is of the view that we shoulddistinction . Islam is of the view that we shouldhelp anyone who is in need of our sympathyand help. Dividing mankind into groups andparties as one’s own and others,acquaintances and strangers, co-religionistsand followers of other religion in the matter ofsocial service is against the nature andteachings of Islam .

Jihad: Meaning and Concept

The initial and essential meaning of theconcept of Jihad , the root of which in Arabic‘Ja-ha-da ’, means “making an effort”. It alsorefers to “resizing” (i.e., resisting oppressionrefers to “resizing” (i.e., resisting oppressionand persecution). Confronted with pressuresof all sorts, from the mildest to the mostviolent, Prophet Muhammad received a verse(revelation of the Qur’an) that pointed to theways and means of resistance – of the Jihad -he was to undertake.

Al-Jihad (exertion): The human nature isprone to be subdued by temptations leadingto a satanic path. Through Jihad (exertion)these temptations can be warded off, allowingmankind to follow the path of Allah’s pleasure .mankind to follow the path of Allah’s pleasure .Through spiritual Jihad the human soul ismade submissive to the divine will, thusachieving the highest level of tranquility (TheQur’an, 89:27).

The term Jihad means ‘an active struggle using armedforce whenever necessary’ or ‘striving for moral andreligious perfection.’ A person who strives for Jahd isMujahid . Media abuses the meaning of Jihad byreferring to it as a holy war where Muslimsunreasonably kill non -believers .unreasonably kill non -believers .According to Islam, Jihad means a struggle, a peacefulstruggle. The Qur’an says: ‘And make Jihad on them,with the help of the Qur’an’ (25:52). This means ‘dogreat jihad with the ideological power of the Qur’an.’Whenever his opponents attacked him, ProphetMuhammad (S.A.W) used the Qur’an to answer,protect himself and resist. This is what the Revelationof the Qur’an clearly taught him, this verse whichmarks the first incident of the word Jihad in theQur’an .

Nowhere does it say, ‘with the help of sword’. Clearly,Jihad is an act to be performed by the power of ideologyrather than the power of the sword; it is only anothername for peaceful activism along Islamic lines (Said,Funk, & Kadayifci, 2001).Almighty God orders His Messenger Muhammad to resistAlmighty God orders His Messenger Muhammad to resistthe Quraysh’s ill-treatment of Him by relying on theQur’an. The Quranic text is actually Prophet’s spiritualand intellectual weapon against Quraysh aggression: Tothose who sneer, insult, and humiliate, to those whoattack, torture, and kill, to those who want miracles andproofs, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) invariably answerswith the weapon and shield of the Quran. Armed with theknowledge of Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and hiscompanions first of all tried to convey their messagefreely while avoiding confrontation.

The Quraysh leaders did not want it to be so, andthey intensified their persecutions as Revelationsof the Qur’an followed upon each other in rapidsuccession. The first Muslim Companions, like theProphet, engaged in resistance – in Jihad –reminding people of the existence of the one God,of Life after Life, of the Last Judgment, and of theof Life after Life, of the Last Judgment, and of thenecessity for good, and the Quran was always theweapon of their spiritual and intelligencejudgment and their shield in the face of physicalbrutality.However, the persecution was so violent andcontinuous that this Jihad was sometime difficultto bear. One day, a group of Muslims came to theProphet Muhammad (SAW). They asked him :“Won’t you invoke God for us, that he may helpus?” The Prophet firmly answered:

Among the Muslims who came before you,many were thrown into ditches dug for themand were sawed in two from head to foot, andthis did not turn them way from their religion;their flesh was torn apart from their bones andtheir flesh was torn apart from their bones andsinews with iron combs, and this did not turnthem away from their religion. By God, thiscause will certainly prevail, so it will bepossible for a lone traveler to go from Sanaato Hadramout {regions in Yemen} withoutfearing anything but God, or the wolf for hissheep. But you are too impatient!”

They therefore had to be patient, endure,persevere, and never despair of Allah and Hiswill. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was teachinghis companions the difficult association oftrust in God with pain . The experience oftrust in God with pain . The experience ofphysical and moral suffering made it possibleto reach the state of faith where one acceptsadversity, where one can doubt oneselfwithout doubting God.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) neverthelessremained very accessible and constantlyready to receive the women and men whotried to understand Islam or were in quest oftruth . He observed them, answered theirtruth . He observed them, answered theirquestions, and accompanied their progress.Years later, when returning from the Hunaynwas expedition, the Prophet had declared:“We are back from the lesser Jihad (efforts,resistance, and struggle to reform) to thegreater Jihad, a companion asked: “ What isthe greater Jihad, Messenger of God? ´Heanswered: “ it is fighting the Self [the ego]. ”

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) describes theprescribed prayer as ribat, which can betranslated as “dedication to something orguarding the frontier.” It appears in theQur’an :Qur’an :“O you who believe! Persevere in patienceand vie in such perseverance; be alert andprepared for jihad; and fear God, so that youmay prosper (8:60).

Jihad cannot be declared against one or more Muslims ora Muslim state or nation. It cannot be declared against acommunity or even a person because they belong todifferent religions. Thus the target of Jihad cannot be theHindus, Buddhist, Jews and Christians simply becauseof the difference of religion . It is all means not that onlyof the difference of religion . It is all means not that onlyMuslims have the right to declare the Jihad againstanything or anyone, but they can declare the Jihad undercertain circumstances when it is necessary so neitherMuslims can declare the Jihad on the basis of their ownissue against a community, a state or a nation that haspeaceful relations with Muslims and respect their religionand promote peaceful relations with others. Jihad doesnot encourage the use of violence against non-Muslims,but the fact is that it encourages peaceful relations withother community

Dimensions of JIHAD

The analytical model, jihad can be defined as thepeaceful Islamic way of life for paving the way towork for justice, inner struggle, striving forharmony and humanness, righteous action, andharmony and humanness, righteous action, andwork for divine unity and da’ wah. Islam wants toachieve all these aims and objectives throughjihad .

Justice

The entire history of Islam has infused greaterjustice and vibrancy. Justice is the socialdimension of jihad which includes strugglingagainst social injustice and creating a communalidentity based on charity, respect and equality .identity based on charity, respect and equality .Also it takes the form of calling people with thecommunity to enjoin good and forbid evil. Justiceis the foundation of social life. According to Islam,justice is not the direct result of peace. The natureof every human being wishes to seek justice.Therefore, jihad may provide a framework withinwhich we may work towards justice.

Without the support of God, we cannot getjustice in the unjust world. During the courseof seeking justice, each one of us witnessesthe existence of God. This is a psychologicalproof of the existence of God. Hence constantproof of the existence of God. Hence constantstriving for demanding justice should be anessential feature of jihad. We should performit as the duty in all circumstances.

Inner struggle

Jihad or inner struggle in the Way of God-thegreater struggle of which is the inwardstruggle of the self ( jihad al-akbar ). Thisdimension of Jihad encompasses the struggledimension of Jihad encompasses the struggleagainst the evil inclinations of the Self. Sojihad actually means peaceful struggle,especially for da ‘wah work. It involves everyMuslim’s earnest, moral efforts to resist allinternal or external inclination towards sin ofall kinds. This includes the struggle toovercome problems, difficulties, tasks, andtemptations.

For Muslims, or non-Muslims as for all humanbeings, this inner struggle was the most difficult, themost noble, and the one that required the mostunderstanding, forgiveness, and of course, sincerityto oneself. War and its lesser Jihad had shown howdifficult it was to die for God; daily life and its greaterdifficult it was to die for God; daily life and its greaterjihad now showed Muslims that it is even moredifficult to live for God.The human species alone is provided with intellect tofight against and overcome everyday challenges. Apowerful intellect as a form of inner struggle canhelps us overpower all forms of extremism, terrorism,fundamentalism and fanaticism . The role of thepositive intellect does not lead to destruction. Wemust make an inner struggle to attain the purpose ofexistence and to develop spiritual health .

Harmony and Humanness

For billions of years, the entire universe has beenfulfilling its function in total harmony with His divineplan. The core concept is that man needs to be inharmony with the Divine Law; the act of achieving thatharmony with the Divine Law; the act of achieving thatharmony is Taslım . Once we surrender to the Law, wewill be at peace with ourselves and with everything in theuniverse. That is the real salvation. All revelations cameto support man in achieving that purpose. Harmony as adimension of jihad cultivates spiritual demand, patience,and peace. Only when the body, mind, heart and spiritare harmonized, and people are motivated to activity inthe illuminated way of the Divine Message, then they canbecome attain truly the goal of jihad.

What is our relationship between jihad and harmony? Formany of us, jihad means fighting for the safety and security;whereas harmony is a lifelong craving, a want, and issomething which develops peace and positive relationship.Through jihad one can attain innate security, overcome withfears, an uncertain future, lack of faith and trust in univer salprocesses that are behind our negative traits.

Most would agree that humanness is the best value insociety In the present world, we see that humanness isnoticeable by its absence in our societal set-up. Ourrelations seem to be oriented not by humanness but byconsiderations of caste, creed, religion, nationality or o therdenominations. There is religious fanaticism, communalis m,regionalism, casteism and even linguism . The implicationsof divisions are rampant hatred, ill-will, violence and wor se,terrorism that has become a global problem .

What is humanness? The dictionary definition says itis being human or to be humane. To be humane is tobe kind, benevolent, tender and merciful. Everyonelikes these values but in day-to-day life, we see peoplereflecting just the reverse of these values. That’s howmuch alienated we are from each other, and we see somuch hatred and selfishness all around us. The basicreason for lack of humanness is ignorance about Selfreason for lack of humanness is ignorance about Selfand our relation with the cosmos.

We do not approach Islam from a superior standpointor with prejudice; our task is to convey what webelieve is best for our humanness. If we set our goalsthrough jihad to achieve the highest possible rank ofhumanness, we will realize how close we are to God,regardless of various heritages and religiouspractices. Social harmony cannot be established ifpeople tend to blame others.

Action

Humans need should be to exercise the right choiceof action in their life. This dimension of jihad is in theform of positive action be used against aggression orform of positive action be used against aggression orto fight forces of tyranny and evil oppression, and,even then, to observe the strict limits of conductprescribed by Islam that preserves the life ofinnocents and the sanctity of the environment.Human beings are active. Therefore, they should beled to those activities that form the real purpose oftheir lives as guided by God and communicated bythe Prophets.

According to Khan (2004), “Every action hassome consequences for the perpetrator, and evrystate that he finds himself in precipitates afavourable or unfavourable reaction. He thenmakes or breaks himself by the manner in whichhe employs his faculties” (p. 21).All of man’s action and activities should be basedAll of man’s action and activities should be basedon God’s guidance. Once we are able to connectto our Superior Self and to the Divine throughjihad , we will begin to act in a positive manner. InIslam ‘spirituality’ does not viewed as separatefrom the activities of everyday living. Muslimsbelieve that our all of the actions must be inaccordance with the pleasure of the AlmightyAllah , so it is believed that everything is spiritualin Islam .

Divine Unity

The main aim of the Prophetic mission was topreach Divine Unity. All Prophets concentrated onthis basic principle: O my people serve God: Youhave no god other than He (11: 84). Such a unityof belief is a strong evidence of Divine Unity, theof belief is a strong evidence of Divine Unity, thefundamental principle of Prophets Mission, asdeclared by Prophet Muhammad (SAW): “Themost meritorious of the words spoken by me andthe Prophets before me is: “There is no god butGod, He is One, having no partners.” (Imam Malik,Muwatta, “Hajj,” 246; Hindi Kanz al-‘Ummal, 5:73)When the Divine Unity becomes the base of one'slife, then there will be love.

Islam makes its adherents concerned, notonly about Muslims, but also about every manon this earth. Islam is opposed to bigotryteaching i.e. hatred and enmity. We shouldconsider jihad as service to all the creaturesconsider jihad as service to all the creaturesof God and treat human beings as as onefamily. Anas narrates that the ProphetMuhammad (WAW) has said: “All thecreatures make the family of God. Amongthem the man who serves the family best isbeloved of God.”

Divine unity opens up a realm of spiritual knowledge andspiritual transformation. This faith can be awakened amongyouths. It is not part of a dogma but is the language of thesoul. This understanding explains the difference between adogmatic call, according to which people claim to know theabsolute Truth, and a call in which people believe in theDivine unity as an unattainable Truth. The former pays muchattention to forms, names, and rituals . The latter focuses onpurity of the heart, life experiences, and the meanings of allattention to forms, names, and rituals . The latter focuses onpurity of the heart, life experiences, and the meanings of allreligious symbols. Youth should be reminded to openthemselves to accept the Truth i.e. Divine unity. The Divineunity is free of the specific religious worship systems andrites. Without maintaining Divine unity, we would be unableto understand and attain the true spirit of jihad. When beliefin maintaining Divine unity is removed from people’s heartand mind, their souls darken and the spirit of jihad is judgedfrom wrong point of view

Da‘wah

Da‘wah is another positive behaviour whichseems to be closely related with jihad . Da‘wah hasbeen the termed in the Qur’an ‘the call to God.’Da‘wah aims at bringing people closer to theirDa‘wah aims at bringing people closer to theirCreator and Sustainer. Khan (2002, 2003) positsthat “As a mission, da‘wah work by its very natureis divine” (p. 9). People who are engaged in theda‘wah mission prevents them from succumbingto hatred and violence against the other, andensures their intellectual growth and personalitydevelopment. This helps activate a man’spotential to the flourishing, he becomes aspiritual.

Da‘wah is the call to Islam . According to theQur’an, da‘wah is the great jihad. It is a greatjihad because it is a universal mission and mostserious task towards flourishing . It engagesserious task towards flourishing . It engagesone’s entire capacities throughout one’s wholelife. Most of the time we are faced withintellectual challenges and excellence, we arebound to give strong response associated withda‘wah .

Thus, da‘wah becomes an extensive course ofaction through which one’s personalitydevelops day by day, until one reaches thehighest level of mental and spiritualdevelopment . Da‘wah is a superior course ofdevelopment . Da‘wah is a superior course ofaction towards the development of spiritualpersonality. One who adopts it as a mission inthe practical sense is spiritually and morallyactivated to the maximum possible extent andthis course would surely leads him to reachthe highest level of humanness. Da‘wah canbe achieved only in an atmosphere of peaceand harmony.

Conclusion

A model of JIHAD which is suggested in thischapter would makes us to know that thisuniverse is in finding all those things that aman should strive to experience at theman should strive to experience at thespiritual level. By applying this phenomenonas an ideal, the Qur’an asks us to follow thesame path of peace, i.e., to move in one’sorbit and trespass. (The Qur’an, 3:83). Thus,harmonious living is not only for the humansbut it is also important for the universe.

Islam guarantees the sanctity of life. To spreadfear in any society or hurt others or terrorizepeople all are considered major sins in Islam . Whoare involved in misunderstanding the concept ofjihad in the form of injustice, disharmony,negative actions and not devotion, it is believednegative actions and not devotion, it is believedthat Allah would inflict severe pain in the form ofpunishment for them . So, humanness is the basicphilosophy to be followed by all for maintainingharmony. All religious principles focus on theunity of humankind which is natural. Seek justicefor all through jihad . Establish a harmoniousworld where injustice no longer exists.

Jihad should be focus for man. One whosemind, heart and spirit attached to it realizesthe human duties and the meaning of life.Although Jihad is not the pillar of Islam but itis a duty that all Muslims must respond . Beliefis a duty that all Muslims must respond . Beliefin the spirit of jihad means achieving thehighest level of tranquility and becomes asource of spiritual development. In spiritualterms, if a man adopts it as a part of life, hereceives God’s such support that he may notfind in anything else. He becomes a man ofGod throughout his life.

Thank Thank You!