جہاد کی فضیلت

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I asked, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, which deed is the most excellent?” The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Faith in Allah, and (after that) jihad in the way of Allah.” (Bukhari)

After faith in Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared in this hadith that the most excellent of all deeds is jihad in the way of Allah. Jihad in the way of Allah means to strive in the path of Allah — that is, to strive with all one's might for the ascendancy of the religion of Islam, for its protection, and for its call and propagation. Jihad in the way of Allah is a deed repeatedly enjoined and emphasised in the Qur'an and the ahadith. The teaching of the Qur'an and Sunnah about jihad, and the encouragement of the pure Sunnah, had this result: that our noble Companions loved death more than life, and after battle preferred reaching their Lord to returning home to their families.

Jihad is among the most important of Islamic obligations and is like the blood coursing through the body of Islam; it is the guarantor of Islam's dominance, authority, and glory. The history of Islam bears clear witness that the Muslim community, once beset by grief and by the oppression of its enemies, was delivered from those oppressors and disbelievers through jihad and became the greatest power on the face of the earth. As long as jihad remained alive in its true spirit, honour and eminence kissed their feet; and once this duty was neglected, that glory departed as well.

The truth is that the story of the rise and fall of Muslims in this world is bound up with jihad alone. Whenever Muslims rose up filled with the spirit of jihad, they not only gained honour, nobility, and glory in the world, but also illuminated a humanity sunk in savagery, barbarism, and ignorance with peace and security, justice and fairness, nobility and brotherhood, as well as with the light of the sciences, arts, and civilisation. Allah has promised that through jihad He will disgrace the disbelievers and polytheists and grant the believers joy and peace of heart:

“Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them, and give you victory over them, and cool the breasts of many believers, and remove the fury of their hearts; and Allah will grant guidance to whom He wills, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (Tawbah 14-15)

The promises Allah has made in the Qur'an are as true and just today as they were fourteen centuries ago. It is better that Muslims kindle within themselves that very same spirit.