A PEACEFUL STRUGGLE
‘Jihad bin nafs’ refers to making the maximum effort to keep control over one’s negative feelings. ‘Jihad with the Quran’ refers to engaging in sharing the message of the Quran with others.
The word jihad literally means ‘struggle.’ A sincere effort for the cause of goodness can be called jihad. Man’s lower self leads him to evil. So, waging a struggle with one’s lower self is a form of jihad. Sometimes, friends or acquaintances might pressure you into engaging in activities that are not right from a moral standpoint. At that time, refusing to yield to such pressure and sticking firmly to a good attitude was a form of jihad. Exhorting people to goodness and making them refrain from indecency are tasks entailing a great struggle, and this is also jihad. Calling people to God whilst bearing many hardships is also jihad. If having been treated with bitterness by neighbours or acquaintances or after suffering any other kind of provocation, one refrains from reaction and retaliation and maintains pleasant relations unilaterally; this also can be a form of jihad.
Among the different types of jihad, one, which is internal, is waging jihad with one’s lower self (jihad bin nafs). Another external form is the effort to share God’s word through the Quran. (25:52)
‘Jihad bin nafs’ refers to making the maximum effort to keep control over negative feelings in one’s self, such as arrogance, jealousy, greed, revenge, anger, etc. In social life, it happens time and again that all sorts of base or negative feelings well up within a person, sometimes leading him to succumb to desires and temptations. The internal psychological effort made in such a situation to overcome temptations and remain unswervingly on the path of righteousness is the truly Islamic jihad bin nafs. This struggle is a permanent feature of the life of a devout believer.
Jihad throuh the Quran (25:52) refers to peacefully sharing the Quran’s constructive message with others. Therefore, all who embark upon such a course must study the Quran and the Sunnah dispassionately and objectively. Only after passing through this intellectual jihad will one be able to articulate a true representation of the faith.
Two necessary conditions have been laid down for communicating the message of Islam to people—well-wishing and trustworthiness. Well-wishing reflects an earnest desire on the part of the communicator for the well-being not just of his immediate audience but for the whole of humanity. One should be so rooted in this well-wishing that it remains undiluted even if one encounters injustice and oppression. Overlooking people’s negative behaviour towards them, one who seeks to share God’s message with others should continue to remain their well-wisher.
The element of trustworthiness is important in that it ensures that the message God has sent to the world will be presented to people without deletion, addition or distortion. For instance, if God’s message is Hereafter-oriented, it should not be projected as world-oriented; if it is spirituality-based, it should not be presented as politics-based; if it confines struggle only to peaceful efforts, it should not be misinterpreted as violence-driven.
In the context of the above discussion, it is important to recall the verse in the Quran that says: “God calls man to the home of peace” (10:25). Thus, our target should be peace. Thus, our efforts should be directed toward peace. Therefore, we need to proceed towards peace. So, that is the true criterion by which to judge whether our activities are authentically ‘Islamic’ or not. If our activities lead in the direction of peace, then they are ‘Islamic’; otherwise, they are un-Islamic.
