KHUTAB V: 15. THE MEANINGS OF JIHᾹD AND ITS DERIVATIVES

15. THE MEANINGS OF JIHᾹD AND ITS DERIVATIVES

          The term jihād is derived from the verb jahada, yajhadu meaning: to endeavour, strive, take pains, to over-work, exhaust (one self). The verb jāhada, yujāhidu means: to endeavour, to strive. Its verbal noun is jihād, if for the path of Allah, in defending Islam, then it means arms-struggles, fighting for Islam.

According to mufassirīn (commentators of the Qur’ān), the term jihād and its derivatives in the Qur’ān have three kinds and meanings, as follows:

1.    الجِهَادُ بِاْلقَوْل  (jihād through saying, statement), such as:

فَلَا تُطِعِ الْكَافِرِينَ وَجَاهِدْهُمْ بِهِ جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا ( الفرقان:52)

So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them

(by preaching) with the utmost endeavour with it

(the  Qur’ān) (Q. 25:52)

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ جَاهِدِ الْكُفَّارَ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ وَاغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ

وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ (التوبة:73)

O Prophet (Muhammad)! Strive hard against the disbelievers

and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode

is Hell,--and worst indeed is that destination. (Q. 9:73)

   2.   الجِهَادُ بِاْلعَمَل  (jihād  through  doing good deeds), such as:

وَمَنْ جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ (العنكبوت :6)

and whosoever strives, he strives only for himself.

Verily, Allah stands not in need of any of the ‘ālamīn

(mankind, jinn, and all that exists) (Q. 29:6)

وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ( العنكبوت:69)

And for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We

will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e., Allah’s

religion—Islamic Monotheism). And verily,

Allah is with the good doers (Q. 29:69)

3. الجِهَادُ بِاْلسًلاح   (jihād  through fighting with arms), such as:

لَا يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ

وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ دَرَجَةً وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ

الْحُسْنَى وَفَضَّلَ اللَّهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا (النساء:95)

Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at home),

except those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or

lame), and those who strive hard and fight in the Cause of

Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred

in grades those who strive hard and fight with their wealth

and their lives to those who sit (at home). To each, Allah

has promised good (Paradise), but Allah has preferred

those who strive hard and fight, to those who sit

(at home) by a huge reward. (Q. 4:95)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى تِجَارَةٍ تُنْجِيكُمْ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ  .تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ

وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ

إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (الصف: 10-11)

O you who believe! Shall I guide you to a trade that will

save you from a painful torment? That you believe in Allah

and His Messenger (Muhammad), and that you strive hard

and fight in the Cause of Allah  with your wealth and

your lives: that will be better for you,

if you but know! (Q. 61:10-11)

          The early scholar al-Rāghib al-Asfahānī (d.ca. 502/1109), divided jihād into three categories: strive against physical enemies, strive against Satan, and strive against the soul (i.e. controlling oneself). He said that these three categories are included in the following verses:

وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ

مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ...(الحج:78)

And strive hard in Allah’s Cause as you ought to strive

(with sincerity and with all our efforts that His Name

should be superior). He has chosen you (to convey His

Message of Islamic Monotheism to mankind by inviting

them to His religion of Islam), and has not laid upon

you in religion any hardship; it is the religion of

your father Ibrahim (Abraham) (Islamic

Monotheism)… (Q. 22:78)

انْفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكُمْ

خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (التوبة:41)

March forth, whether you are light (being healthy, young,

and wealthy) or heavy (being ill, old and poor), and strive

hard with your wealth and your lives in the Cause of Allah.

This is better for you, if you but knew. (Q. 9:41)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ

آَوَوْا وَنَصَرُوا أُولَئِكَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ... (الأنفال:72)

Verily, those who believed, and emigrated and strove

hard and fought with their property and their lives in the Cause

of Allah as well as those who gave (them) asylum  and help,

--these are (all) allies to one another…(Q. 8:72)

Al-Rāghib al-Asfahānī also cited the sayings of the Prophet s.a.w. as follows:

جَاهِدُوا اْلكُفَّارَ بِأَيْدِيْكُمْ وَ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ (رواه ابن حبان)

Strive against disbelievers with your hands and with

your tongues (Reported by Ibn Ḥibbān)

Muslim scholars divide jihād into four levels: (1) incumbent on every Muslim, namely, struggling against the soul, and struggling against Satan’s temptation; (2). incumbent on members of the Muslim community who have power to do so, such as fighting against hypocrites, disbelievers, tyrants, heretics, liars, and evilfolk. The early Muslim scholar Ibn al-Qayyim divided jihād into four levels: jihād gainst the soul, against Satan, against disbelievers, and against hypocrites.

          The jihād against the soul has also four levels: (1) jihād in learning the truth and guidance. The great earlier scholar al-Hasan al-Basri, said:

مَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ مِمَّا خلَقَ اللهُ أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللهِ فِي عَظِيْمِ الثَّوَابِ مِنْ طَلَبِ عِلْمٍ،

لاَ حَجّ، وَلَا عُمْرَة، وَلَا جِهَاد، وَلَا صَدَقَة، وَلَا عِتْق، وَلَوْ كَانَ اْلعِلْمُ صُوْرَةً

لَكَانَتْ صُوْرَتُهُ أَحْسَنَ مِنْ صُورَةِ الشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِوَالنُّجُوْمِ وَالسَّمَاء وَاْلعَرْشِ

Nothing among the creations of Allah is greater for Allah

in its great reward more than seeking knowledge,  neither

 a hajj,  an ‘umrah,   jihād,  giving charity, nor freeing

a slave; if knowledge had a picture it would be better

than the picture of the sun, the moon, the stars,

 the sky and the Throne (of Allah)

                                      Al-Imam al-Shafi’i said:

لَيْسَ بَعْدَ اْلفَرَائِضِ شَيْءٌ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ طَلَبِ اْلعِلْمِ، قِيْلَ لَهُ:

وَلَا اْلجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيْلِ الله؟ قَالَ: وَلَا اْلجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيْلِ الله

“After religious injunctions there is nothing better than

seeking knowledge.” He was asked: “Not even the jihād 

in the Cause of Allah?” He said: “Not even the

 jihād in the Cause of Allah.”

(2) jihād by practising what has been learned, as without which there would be no benfit from learning it; (3) jihād by teaching and propagating what has been learned and practised, as hiding the guidance that has been learned and practised without disseminating and teaching people would be useless and would not protect one from Hellfire; (4) jihād by being patient facing any hardship in propagating and teaching the path to Allah.

          The jihād against the disbelievers and hypocrites:  It has also four levels: (1) jihād by the heart, meaning that we disagree for what they do and believe; (2) jihād by the tongue, meaning that we speak the truth and spread the word of Islam with our tongue; (3) jihād by the wealth, meaning that we spend our wealth for the defence of Islam, and (4) jihād by the hand, meaning that we defend Islam with fighting if necessary.

          The jihād  against tyrants, innovators, and wrong-doers has also three levels: (1) jihād  by the hands, namely, by using force if possible; otherwise, (2) jihād by the tongue, expressing the tyranny, innovations and wrong-doings of the tyrants, innovators, and wrong-doers. This can be done in many ways: speaking in seminars, public lectures, peaceful demonstrations, writing in newspapers, magazines, etc. The Prophet s.a.w. said:

أَلَا إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الْجِهَادِ كَلِمَةُ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِر (رواه ابن ماجة)    

Verily, the best Jihād  is the word of Justice in front of the

  oppressive Sultan [ruler]. (Reported by Ibn Mājah)

  If his is also not possible, then (3) jihād by the heart, disproving these wrong-doings, and asking Allah’s guidance and protection.

          The contemporary scholar Dr. Muhammad al-Nābulsī divided jihād into four categories:

1.    جِهَادُ النَّفْسِ وَالْهَوَى وَ هُوَ اْلجِهَادُ اْلأَسَاسِيّ (Jihād  against the soul and passion, and this is the basic jihād). It is because a person who cannot control himself and his soul will become a defeated person, and such a person cannot even face an ant.

2.    الْجِهَادُ الدَّعَوِيَ (Jihād  by means of da‘wah, propagation). This kind of jihād is calling people to Allah’s Cause, teaching the Qur’ān, explaining the Sunnah of the Prophet, and explaining the laws dealing with fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).

3.         الْجِهَادُ اْلبَنَّائِيّ (Jihād in the field of building and development). In this kind of jihād, as a Muslim  you are required to participate in building and developing the community and the country, to “leave an imprint in life, and if you do not, then you become an extra person (only) in this life (for contributing nothing to the community), namely, you have to become an excellent physician, an excellent engineer, an outstanding university professor, a remarkable writer, a superior manufacturer, we need them, we need selected people to participate in building the ummah (Muslim community)”

4.         الْجِهَادُ اْلقِتَالِيّ (Jihād by arm fighting in the way of Allah). If we succeed in the three kinds of jihād mentioned above, jihād against the soul, jihād in the field of da‘wah, jihād in building and developing the Muslim ummah, then it is expected that we shall succeed in the jihād by fighting the enemies. (CIVIC,19.04.13)

    المراجع:

  1.     الدامغاني, الوجوه والنظائر في القرأن الكريم     

  2.    ابن الجوزي, الوجوه والنظائر في القرأن الكريم 

  3.    المكتبة الشاملة

4 .  الراغب الأصفهاني , المفردات

  Wikipedia. 5