بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Jihad: The struggle to become a muslim
Published July 2nd, 2007 Fahad
"So when you read the Quran, you shall seek refuge with God from Satan the rejected. (The Quran 16/98)"
THE DESERVING STRUGGLE
The Quran 22/78: And struggle in the way of God a deserving struggle…
The Quran commands to struggle in God’s way a deserving struggle/’jihad’ (22:78). How does the struggle/’jihad’ in God’s way deserve to be? This article will explain how that ‘jihaad’/struggle deserves to be according to the Quran, and in doing so also clarify the misconception that the word refers to some “holy war” to convert the entire world forcefully.
According to the Quran, a deserving ‘jihaad’ is the struggle with one’s self and wealth, and with the message of the Quran, in order to become a ‘muslim’/submitter to God. Lets see how…
THE STRUGGLE TO BECOME A MUSLIM/SUBMITTER TO GOD
If one wants to become something in life, for example a doctor, he will have to struggle/strive to become it. He can’t be a doctor by birth, nor can he become it by just saying some magic words. Same is the case with becoming a ‘muslim’/submitter to God. But mostly it is believed that to be a ‘muslim’/submitter, you just have to be born in a Muslim family, or just proclaim the Shahada(3/18).
But according to the Quran, one can neither be a ‘muslim’ by birth nor can he be transformed into one just by saying the ‘magic words’, but he/she has to struggle/strive to become one. That struggle is called “jihaad” in the Quran.
Take the example of Ibrahim and Ismaeel. They were neither ‘muslim’/submitters by birth, nor could they transform into ‘muslim’/submitters by proclaiming the Shahada, but had to call on to God to make both of them ‘muslim’/submitters to Him.
2/128: “Our Lord, and make both of us muslim/submitters to You, and from our progeny a nation submitting to You …
If the prophets cannot become muslimeen/submitters so easily, how can today’s “Muslims”? Are they better than the prophets?
22/78: And struggle in the way of God a deserving struggle. He is the One who has chosen you, and made no hardship for you in ad-deen/the system(of God), the creed of your ancestor Abraham; He is the One who named you al-muslimeen/’the submitters(to God)’, from before as well as in this(Quran)…
This jihad/struggle is linked with there being no hardship in God’s system, the religion of Ibrahim(not muslim by birth), and being al-muslimeen/those who submit to God’s system. Therefore the deserving jihad/struggle is the struggle to become submissive/’muslim’ to the system of God. Becoming a ‘muslim’ requires a struggle without which a person should forget about entering the ‘Paradise’:
3/142: Or did you think that you would enter Paradise without God knowing those who would stuggle/jahidoo amongst you and knowing those who are patient?
THE STRUGGLE WITH ONE’S SELF AND ONE’S WEALTH
In order to stay in a state of submission to God, a believer has to struggle with his self and his wealth.
49/15: The Believers are those who believe in God and His messenger, then they did not doubt, and they strive with their wealth and their selves in the way of God. These are the truthful ones.
Why struggle with the self? Because the self is the advocate of sin (12/53)…
12/53: And I do not make myself free of blame, for the self is the advocate of sin, except what my Lord has mercy on. My Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.”
Therefore, struggle with the self means to not giving in to sins.
And why struggle with the wealth? Because…
89/20: …you love wealth with inordinate love!
Therefore, struggle with one’s wealth means to not hoard(70/18) without recognizing in it the right of the needy(70/24).
THE STRUGGLE WITH THE MESSAGE OF THE QURAN
25/52: So do not obey the rejectors, and strive against them with it(the Quran) a great striving.
Striving with the message of the Quran against the rejectors is called the great jihad/struggle/striving. This includes propagating the message of the Quran, clarifying the misconceptions, exposing lies and disproving the allegations made against it.
THE JIHAAD/STRUGGLE IS FOR ONE’S OWN PROSPERITY
29/6: And whosoever struggles then he is only struggling for himself; for God is in no need of the worlds.
5/35: O you who believe, be aware of God and seek a way to Him, and struggle in His way; that you may prosper.
Therefore ‘jihaad’ in the way of God is for people’s own selves, so that they can prosper, and it has nothing to do with forcing the entire world to convert.
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