Q4: What is Jihad?
A4: Lets first look at this word from a linguistic concept. Jihad comes from the root word in Arabic meaning 'to strive' or 'to struggle' or 'to do something that others do not want to do'. It has been misconstrued by the media to mean a military engagement. No one wants to go to war, so when the war comes some say lets go to Jihad – lets do something that no one wants to do. The word Jihad in the Glorious Qur'an is never used to mean a military battle. The actual word used is 'kitaal' – 'a fighting'.
According to the great scholar, Imaam ibn al-Qayyim who states that there are 14 levels of Jihad and only the last one refers to a military struggle.
Some of the levels are:
•1 Struggle to do the right thing within yourself.
•2 Struggle against the whisperings of others. If someone suggest a trip to the pub or bar it takes fortitude and strength
to say no. To say 'no' is a Jihad or a struggle within oneself.
•3 Struggle against people calling you to evil or the personal desires that people might have. The root of all sin according to Islamic philosophy lies in lustful desire and doubt. We do not know what we really should be doing so we fall into error or we know what is right but we just want to do it because it feels good. These are the 2 roots of all error. This struggle is also a Jihad.
•4 A woman who dies giving birth is in Jihad and dies a martyr.
•5 A man walking in the street and a building falls on him is a martyr.
•6 One who is struggling with cancer or illness and dies in his struggles is engaged in Jihad and is a martyr.
•7 A person who dies trying to save another is a martyr.
•8 The final level of Jihad is to struggle on a physical plane in a militaristic capacity. Here we have 2 branches. The first is the Jihad of defending ones land, ones home or ones person. If one is accosted in the street for his wallet and in his resistance he looses his life then he is a martyr as he struggled to defend what was his. The second level is go out in pursuit of the enemy. As an aggressor you have limited and strict rules of engagement. Just like all legal systems you have strict rules of engagements. Some of the rules of engagement are; not to destroy trees; not to engage elders, women or children and any non-combatants. All these are legal principles of this type of Jihad. What is happening in the world today such as 9/11 we as Muslims say that this is not Jihad as our scholars have made it very clear time and again. Thus Muslims are limited to the defensive Jihad.
Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
http://www.deenislam4us.blogspot.com/
A4: Lets first look at this word from a linguistic concept. Jihad comes from the root word in Arabic meaning 'to strive' or 'to struggle' or 'to do something that others do not want to do'. It has been misconstrued by the media to mean a military engagement. No one wants to go to war, so when the war comes some say lets go to Jihad – lets do something that no one wants to do. The word Jihad in the Glorious Qur'an is never used to mean a military battle. The actual word used is 'kitaal' – 'a fighting'.
According to the great scholar, Imaam ibn al-Qayyim who states that there are 14 levels of Jihad and only the last one refers to a military struggle.
Some of the levels are:
•1 Struggle to do the right thing within yourself.
•2 Struggle against the whisperings of others. If someone suggest a trip to the pub or bar it takes fortitude and strength
to say no. To say 'no' is a Jihad or a struggle within oneself.
•3 Struggle against people calling you to evil or the personal desires that people might have. The root of all sin according to Islamic philosophy lies in lustful desire and doubt. We do not know what we really should be doing so we fall into error or we know what is right but we just want to do it because it feels good. These are the 2 roots of all error. This struggle is also a Jihad.
•4 A woman who dies giving birth is in Jihad and dies a martyr.
•5 A man walking in the street and a building falls on him is a martyr.
•6 One who is struggling with cancer or illness and dies in his struggles is engaged in Jihad and is a martyr.
•7 A person who dies trying to save another is a martyr.
•8 The final level of Jihad is to struggle on a physical plane in a militaristic capacity. Here we have 2 branches. The first is the Jihad of defending ones land, ones home or ones person. If one is accosted in the street for his wallet and in his resistance he looses his life then he is a martyr as he struggled to defend what was his. The second level is go out in pursuit of the enemy. As an aggressor you have limited and strict rules of engagement. Just like all legal systems you have strict rules of engagements. Some of the rules of engagement are; not to destroy trees; not to engage elders, women or children and any non-combatants. All these are legal principles of this type of Jihad. What is happening in the world today such as 9/11 we as Muslims say that this is not Jihad as our scholars have made it very clear time and again. Thus Muslims are limited to the defensive Jihad.
Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
http://www.deenislam4us.blogspot.com/
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