What is JIHAD ?

[shamshuddin]

JIHAD..... Striving in the way of God.

Working for an honest living, studying to obtain knowledge, being kind to fellow creatures, helping the needy, being obedient to parents and teachers is Jihad.

The ultimate Jihad in Islam is fighting within one's self in order to destroy false pride, hate, envy and greed.

[Ghulam Mustufa]

shamshuddin said:

JIHAD..... Striving in the way of God.

Working for an honest living, studying to obtain knowledge, being kind to fellow creatures, helping the needy, being obedient to parents and teachers is Jihad.

The ultimate Jihad in Islam is fighting within one's self in order to destroy false pride, hate, envy and greed.

Assalamu Alaykum,

Brother Shamhuddin makes a valid point in the present circumstances.

We must all strive that little bit harder because we all have faults that we would like to get rid off and the only way is to intensify and focus more on our ibaadat (worship) at each and every prayer time. The more we detach ourseves from this dunya (world) the more clearer the light will become.

[suhayb]

Totally agree,

It's a constant struggle with one's own self, trying to control our Nafs so as not to get led astray. It's so easy to let your Ibaadat slide and once you miss one of your Namaz etc... The next time it becomes easier and easier. Before you know it you not doing any Ibaadat at all. Astagfirullah

So we must all start a Jihad within ourselves to do more Ibaadat and be better Muslims, as we can only really change ourselves. Then Insha Allah others may be inspired by our example.

Jazak Allah Khair

Fi Amanillah.

[MRT]

The simple message to everyone reading this is, stop being yourself ..... and now become ' A MUSLIM' !! that my freinds is Jihad.

[Walid]

mrt said:

The simple message to everyone reading this is, stop being yourself ..... and now become ' A MUSLIM' !! that my freinds is Jihad.

Mashallah well said mrT, in other words when the nafs does not acquire knowledge in the religion, it will be miserable in both places of dwelling (this life and the next).

[simnani]

Nafs has two meanings. First, it means the powers of anger and sexual appetite in a human being... and this is the usage mostly found among the Sufis, who take "nafs" as the comprehensive word for all the evil attributes of a person. That is why they say: one must certainly do battle with the ego and break it, as is referred to in the Tradition: "Your worst enemy is your nafs which lies within your chest."
The second meaning of nafs is the soul, the human being in reality, his self, his person. However, it is described differently according to its different states. If it assumes calmness under command and has removed from itself the disturbance caused by the onslaught of passion, it is called "the satisfied soul" (al-nafs al-mutma'inna)... In its first meaning the nafs does not keep in mind its eventual return to God because it has kept itself far from Him: such a nafs is from those who follow evil and devils.


Imam Al-Ghazzali on the Inner Childlike Self (Sufi term: nafs)

[Tasleem]

To engage oneself in the battle against the evil Nafs for the sake of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is equated with Jihadul Akbar (or the greatest battle one could ever fight). Our Prophet (Salla Allahu ta'ala alayhi wa Sallam) said the Nafs is our greatest enemy. It is reported in a Hadith:

The Prophet (Salla Allahu ta'ala alayhi wa Sallam) came back from one of his campaigns saying: "You have come forth in the best way of coming forth: you have come from the smaller jihad to the geater jihad." They said: "And what is the greater jihad?" He replied: "The striving of Allah's servants against their idle desires."

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has therefore made guidance dependent on jihad. The most perfect of people are those who struggle the most for His sake, and the most obligatory of jihads (afrad al-jihad) are the jihad against the ego - ‘jihad al-nafs’; the jihad against desires - ‘wa jihad al-hawa’; the jihad against the devil - ‘wa jihad al-shaytan’; and the jihad against the lower world ‘wa jihad al-dunya’. Whoever struggles against these four, Allah will guide them to the ways of His good pleasure which lead to His Paradise. But whoever leaves jihad, then he leaves guidance in proportion to his leaving jihad.

"O Allah, guide us in the straight path, the path of those whom You have favoured. Not of those who have earned Your anger and nor of those who have gone astray." (Surah Fateha: 5-7)

Ameen!

[shamshuddin]

The Prophet (Salla Allahu ta'ala alayhi wa Sallam) came back from one of his campaigns saying: "You have come forth in the best way of coming forth: you have come from the smaller jihad to the geater jihad." They said: "And what is the greater jihad?" He replied: "The striving of Allah's servants against their idle desires ".

Life can be a constant struggle, but as Mrt quite eloquently said in his post

Posted by MrT on 1/8/05 at 10:53pm
The simple message to everyone reading this is, stop being yourself ..... and now become ' A MUSLIM' !! that my freinds is Jihad.

This 'Jihad' we practise daily, when we recite verses of the Quran, pray our salat, do zikr and pray tasbeeh are all forms of zikr-Allah and Jihad, conquor this and you have conquered your nafs. This is the only way to get closer to Allah ......

.... "The striving of Allah's servants against their idle desires "

[talib]

You could also look at it from the Sufiistic perspective, and say the jihaad against the outer self i.e. not looking at bad things, not swearing backbiting, lying, or cheating, touching forbidden things, stealing, going into bad places, eating haram, hearing excess talk, as opposed to the inner jihad of keeping content, being tranquil, being patient, thanksgiving, being generous, doing dhikr, muraqibah, khafi, and having for others what you would have for yourself.

I hope Allah the Almighty accepts my classification!

And He knows the best.....

[Javed]

Did you know?

"The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self." (Bukhari)

Words of Wisdom from Prophet Mohammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam