Main /

Forty Wisdoms of Jihad - Foreword

Foreword

Tags: Nawafil, Jihad, Bay`at

It is an immensely attractive reality that a good deed of a mu'min can neither be started nor accomplished without the grace and help of the Lord of the world. How great a secret is hidden in the wisdom of Allāh that He always wants to keep the attention of the faithful towards His luminous presence, so that according to "there is no strength and power except by Allāh", they continue to seek heavenly help all the time.
It is my sincere suggestion to all the righteous people and dear friends who want to advance in knowledge and other good deeds, that they should never forget Islamic prayers and adhkar (pl. of dhikr = remembrance). If a mu'min wishes to advance spiritually on sirat-i mustaqim and experience the light of the Qur'an and Islam and its spiritual and intellectual miracles, he has to seek the help of additional prayers, about which it is said in a Hadith-i Qudsi:
"And My servant always gets closer to me through additional prayers, so much so that I begin to love him. When I love him I become his ear through which he hears. I become his eye through which he sees. I become his hand through which he holds. And I become his foot through which he walks".
Glory be to Allah! Look at the dignity of the Divine favours of additional prayers (nawafil sing. nafl = additional prayer). Such fortunate servants can only be the special friends of Allah. It becomes clear here that nothing is impossible concerning knowledge and ma`rifat (recognition) if Allah becomes light in someone's personal world (batin), and through this light he hears, sees, holds and walks. This Hadith-i Qudsi is the most clear proof of the principle of merging in and surviving with Allah (fana fi'llah and baqa' bi'llah) Thus, surviving in Allah and discovering the hidden treasure is one and the same and it is replete with the secrets of knowledge and ma`rifat.
I emphatically invite everybody generally and knowledge-loving people particularly to reflect on the above mentioned Hadith-i Qudsi because this Hadith alone, apart from being an explanation and an elaboration of several verses, provides adequate answers to many difficult questions. The main reason (for the comprehensive nature of the above Hadith) is that the perfect personality in which Divine light shines and is centred in, is the entire universe of knowledge and wisdom. And this is the subject of this Hadith.
My dear friends and myself were extremely delighted as a result of writing this article on the "Forty Wisdoms of Jihad". There are several reasons for this happiness. Now, we are even happier, as due to its extreme significance, we are publishing it separately so that (God willing), it may become available to all our dear friends. This article is very important, pleasant and useful and the overflowing of perennial happiness lies in the great bounty that it has been soundly and beautifully rendered into English. And this favour has been done by Ghulam Abbas Hunzai Sahib. One of the countless virtues of Abbas Sahib is that his lectures, which are full of knowledge and wisdom enrapture huge gatherings. Not only the masses, but the learned too are greatly amazed by his insight and sagacity.
Our exalted Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah was prominent among those leaders of Islam who struggled politically and intellectually for the creation of Pakistan. That is clearly reflected in the first wisdom. For an Isma`ili, the question whether fighting to defend Pakistan and Islam is jihad or not, automatically becomes invalid after this wise action of the noble Imam.
Ignorance is also a forceful enemy of the country and nation. Therefore, insha'a'llah, we shall, in our own way, keep on waging a fierce jihad against it. Since any major external war cannot be fought without an army, therefore we have, by the grace of God, not only an army but also many officers.
Tomorrow on the Day of Resurrection, those who are virtuous, possessors of good will and true servants of faith throughout the world of Islam, will be masters and kings in Paradise. If service to the Qur'an and Islam is according to Divine will, then this service can be the head or the king of all forms of service whose reward in Paradise is certainly the great kingdom (76:20), because in this world there is no greater worship and service than the former and in the hereafter no greater reward than the latter.
The main objective, in both minor and major jihads is to support knowledge and wisdom and oppose ignorance. Accordingly, the significance, appreciation and admiration of intellect, knowledge and wisdom can hardly be over emphasized.
In reality, the physical jihad, material jihad, spiritual jihad and jihad through knowledge, are different parts of one great feat. Thus, one part alone without the other parts, is incomplete. This is the reason that the Prophet once told his companions, may God be pleased with them, that they were returning to a major jihad from a minor jihad. (i.e. fighting against the carnal soul which is the major jihad).
Those who are aware of Qur'anic wisdom and spirituality, can tell you that there are numerous subtle armies of Allah, the Exalted, to protect and support true religion. They can neither be seen nor stopped because they are spirits and angels. As it is stated in the holy Qur'an: "All the armies of the earth and the heavens are under Allah's control" (48:4).
Although Allah, the Blessed and the Exalted, is absolutely Powerful and Independent of everything, but He, the Generous Noble, has made amazing laws of mercy in order to bestow His great favours only on His servants. Accordingly, Allah, the Pure and Exalted, says: "O those who believe, if you help Allah He will help you and make your foothold firm" (47:7). He says too: "And lend unto Allah a goodly loan" (73:20). Again it is stated: "Strive with your wealth and with your lives in the way of Allah" (9:41). Thus, all this is for the sake of the spiritual progress of the faithful and to award them a kingdom in Paradise.
The virtue of physical jihad (i.e. jihad through sacrifice of life) and material jihad is in the same ayat which reads: "Lo! Allah has bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden will be theirs: They shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain" (9:111). The bond of this deal which has already taken place between Allah and His servants is so important that bay`at (oath of allegiance) is repeatedly taken to renew it. The term bay`at stems from the root word "bay`a" which means both to buy and to sell. Thus, the secret of jihad through life and property is hidden in the act of bay`at. You can enquire why the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) conducted the bay`at-i rizwan - bay`at of Divine pleasure (48:18)?
It is a contemporary matter that if you cannot participate in a physical jihad with professional skill because you are not a part of an Islamic army, you should not despair. Because, after all, there are golden opportunities for other forms of jihad also, such as jihad through property, jihad through knowledge and spiritual jihad.
How can the sacrifice of property acquire the status of jihad? One of the answers to this question is that according to shari`at, property in the form of legal blood money can be compensation for a life (4:92). The same is true in a worldly sense, that if a family suffers the loss of life in the protection of the government, it is given an appropriate sum of money as compensation. This provides the proof of the fact that apparently, material sacrifice is inferior to the sacrifice of life, however, when material sacrifice is necessary it can be as useful as the jihad through the sacrifice of life. This is only a partial example.
Within our limited circle of access, insha'a'llah, we will continue to wage jihad through knowledge. In this jihad, all our dear students, both from the east and the west, participate. In this collective act (of jihad) there is not a single activity, rather hundreds of activities are undertaken by our friends. All of us who are within this circle of action are extremely happy and satisfied. The reason for this happiness is the mercy of the Holy Lord and the success due to which, we love each other like our own souls and sincerely address each other saying "this success has been possible due to your sincere efforts". This is the way the principle of Monoreality operates. All praise is due to Allah, Who is the Sustainer of all the worlds.

N. N. Hunzai, Karachi,
2 Rajab al-Murajjab, 1414
Thursday, 16th December, 1993

Chapter Index

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter