In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The term JIHAD is derived from the Arabic root word �Jaahada� which means to strive, to struggle or to make an effort. The term includes any effort that is made to promote human progress whether at the spiritual or physical level. Thus, the common translation of the term as �Holy War� is grossly inaccurate and misleading. The Arabic equivalent to �Holy War� would be �Harb-ul-Muqaddasah� which is non-existent in the entirety of the Qur�an and the Sunnah. Jihad simply means the struggle for the sake of Allah.
There are various types of jihad. Some of them are Jihaad bis Saif, Jihaad bil Maal, Jihaad bil Tarbiyya, Jihaad bil Da�wa, Jihaad bil Qalam, Jihaad bil Lisaan, and Jihaad bin Nafs. �Saif� means sword, and Jihaad-bis-Saif is the struggle that is done on enemy borders with force, might, and sword. This is the kind of Jihad in which a person�s weapon is his equipment.
Jihaad-bil-Maal is the struggle by means of wealth. To spend one�s wealth with the desire to help in a humanitarian cause, spread Islamic awareness, and for the cause of Allah. This is the kind of Jihad in which the weapon is wealth.
Jihaad-bil-Lisaan: In Arabic �Lisaan� means �tongue� so Jihaad-bil-Lisaan is the struggle by the tongue. To engage in a civil dialogue by way of the tongue. Persuading people to adopt the right path and dissuading them from evil by talking to them and encouraging them by communicating. In this kind of Jihad, the tongue is the weapon.
Jihaad-bil-Qalam is the struggle by the means of the pen. This �Muslim Teens in America� series is a form of Jihaad-bil-Qalam. It is the intellectual struggle and stimulation by the use of pen. Using the pen spread Islamic awareness for the cause of Allah. In this kind of Jihad, the pen is the weapon.
Jihad-bil-Nafs is the spiritual struggle for purification of one�s own self against one�s own evil inclinations and passions. It is always easy to criticize other people, but criticizing one�s own self is the hardest. The battle becomes very difficult when you are the conqueror as well as the victim. The enemy is the Shaitaan, and he is undetectable by the five human senses, hence it is even more difficult. Since the enemy is undetectable, his ambushes make us vulnerable, and his attacks are unlimited, a person is constantly struggling to overcome the temptations and improve himself. Because this is the hardest and limitlessly continuous form of Jihad, it is regarded as the Jihaad-ul-Akbar, the Greatest of all Jihads. Thus, any effort made towards self-purification and conquest of one�s ego is a major Jihad.
Sufyan al-Thawri said: "I never dealt with anything stronger against me than my own ego; sometimes it was with me, and sometimes against me"
�Fight against your ego with the four swords of training: eat little, sleep little, speak little, and be patient when people harm you. Then the ego will walk the paths of obedience like a fleeing horseman in the field of battle."
Tomorrow's Topic: If You Wish To Be...
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