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Islam is like a
tree whose roots are its beliefs and whose branches
are its practices. If the roots are not firm
and healthy, the tree will not survive - but the
roots only form the foundation of the tree.
The Islamic
Practices are referred to as such because they are
the ways in which the theory of Islam - the Beliefs
- are turned into reality. The different forms
of outward worship translate a person's inner love
and connection with the Almighty into a physical
form.
Islam has ten
fundamental Practices: prayers, fasting, two
types of necessary almsgiving, pilgrimage to the
holy city of Makkah, jihad, enjoining good,
forbidding evil, supporting those who walk in the
path of God, and turning away from the enemies of
God.
1. Prayers
(salaat)
Prayers are the
pillar of religion. Through prayer, people
establish communication and dialogue with the
Almighty, and they realize that they are not alone
in this universe and that they have been created for
a legitimate purpose. Allah created human
beings to recognize and appreciate His grace and
blessings.
Just as the body
needs food to survive and grow, so does the soul,
and the food of the soul is prayer. So that
people receive their necessary spiritual nourishment
and maintain a strong connection to Allah, Islam
orders them to pray at five particular times of the
day:
Establish
regular prayers from mid-day till the darkness of
the night, and recite the Qur'an in the early dawn;
verily, the recitation of the Qur'an in the early
dawn is an act witnessed. (17:78-79)
The necessity of
connection with the Absolute
People offer
their prayers to Allah for many reasons, the first
being the greatness of the Creator. In
society, whenever people meet others whom they
perceive to be of a high rank - such as celebrities,
politicians, doctors, scholars, and so on - they
show considerable respect to them at the expense of
their own dignity. If people show so much
respect to other human beings who were also created,
like themselves, from dust, how much respect should
they show before their Creator whose knowledge,
superiority, and grandeur is limitless and eternal?
Shouldn't they, at least, stand before Him many
times a day and bow in respect and gratitude?
Allah refers to
those "endowed with understanding" as
such:
Those who
remember Allah always - standing, sitting, and lying
down on their sides - and contemplate the creation
of the heavens and the earth, saying, "O Lord!
You have not created all this without purpose.
Glory be to You! Grant us salvation from the
torment of the Fire." (3:191)
Human beings
feel frail in front of the Absolute Power in this
universe. If they try to act on their own
without the help of their Lord, they will certainly
fail because the source of all power and might is
Allah. Those who accomplished great feats for
humanity - scientists in the laboratory, soldiers in
the battlefield, astronauts in space, doctors in the
hospital - all sought help from their Lord before
embarking on their adventures. Alone, human
beings are poor and in need of Allah:
"O
mankind! You are the ones who are in need of
Allah, but Allah is free from all needs, worthy of
praise. If He wanted, he could destroy you and
bring about a new creation, and that is not hard for
Allah." (35:15-17)
The need for
prayer is great, and a deep and strong feeling
inside people drives them towards the Absolute Power
to seek His help and assistance.
The instinct to
worship has been born with human beings as part of
their natural disposition (fitra).
Since the dawn of humanity, people have worshipped
God in many different ways; prehistoric implements
used for this purpose have been found. The
need to worship is as strong as the need to eat, and
just as the person who lacks proper food will eat
anything to put an end to hunger, the person who
does not find the proper spiritual nutrition will be
led to unlawful worshipping such as the worship of
animals, fire, stars, science, art, materialism, or
anything else that has no power to help or harm
anyone. Whether people have a proper religion
or not, everyone worships something, but they should
only worship Allah and nothing else.
The regular
Islamic prayers have innumerable practical benefits,
such as discouraging those who perform them from
committing bad acts: "Truly, prayer
restrains from evil and shameful deeds."
(29:45) But one must remember that the
Qur'an differentiates between merely saying the
prayers and "establishing" them.
While reciting prayers is simply a physical act,
establishing prayer encompasses complete mental and
spiritual concentration and the commitment not to
leave them aside. Those who do establish the
prayers and show their devotion through them have
mastered one of the foremost qualities which the
believers show:
"Successful
are the believers - those who offer their prayers
with humility and submissiveness... and those who
guard their five compulsory prayers. These are
indeed the inheritors who shall inherit Paradise and
abide forever therein." (23:1; 23:9-11)
Imam 'Ali (peace
be upon him) has said: "If a prayerful
person knew to what extent he was surrounded by His
mercy, he would never raise his head from
prostration."[30]
When a society
ceases prayer
Leaving behind
the prayers is dangerous and leads to disaster:
"There has succeeded them a posterity who have
given up the prayers and followed their lusts, so
they will be living lost, in confusion and
disarray...." (19:59)
Details of
the Five Prescribed Prayers
Preconditions:
Times:
The dawn prayer
(al-fajr): This prayer should be done
between the time the first ray of light appears in
the sky and the time of sunrise.
The noon prayer
(azh-zhuhr): The specific time for this
prayer is right after the sun passes over from its
noon position. However, it can be done up
until sunset.
The afternoon
prayer (al-'asr): This prayer can be
done any time after the noon prayer and before
sunset.
The sunset
prayer (al-maghrib): This prayer should
be done after the sun sets at the time when the red
sky on the eastern horizon disappears but can be
said up until midnight.
The night prayer
(al-'ishaa): This prayer can be done
any time after the sunset prayer and before midnight
Direction (al-qiblah
During prayer,
all Muslims must face the Ka'bah, the House
of Allah built by Prophet Abraham and his son
Ishmael (peace be upon them). The Ka'bah
is located in the city of Makkah in the Arabian
Peninsula in the Middle East. One way to
determine the precise direction of prayer (called al-qiblah)
is to use a compass. In America, Muslims face
north-east to find the shortest path to Makkah.
Place
The place where
a person is going to say prayers should either
belong to that person, or else that person must have
permission to pray there (unless the place is
public, in which no permission is required).
The spot where the forehead touches the ground
should be clean (taahir), and prostration
must be done on earth or inedible plants (including
paper and wood). If a man and woman are
praying together, the woman must stand behind the
man so that he cannot see her.
Purity of the
body
Just as the soul
must be pure, concentrated, and calm before prayers,
the body must also be free from impurities.
Certain items are considered ritually impure and
must be avoided, removed, or purified before the
prayers. A specified washing (wudhu)
must also be done before the prayers:
O you who
believe, when you intend to offer prayers, wash your
faces and your hands from the elbows to the
fingertips. Rub [with wet hands] your heads
and your feet up to the ankles, and if you are in a
state of sexual impurity (jenaba), purify
yourself [by bathing your entire body]. (5:6)
If water is
unavailable, dust may be used out of necessity:
But if you are
ill or on a journey and you come from the call of
nature or have been in contact with women and do not
find water, then take clean sand and rub your faces
and your hands. Allah does not want to place
you in any difficulty, but He wants to purify you
and to complete His favor on you that you may be
thankful. (5:6)
Clothing
During prayer, a
man must wear at least enough clothing to cover his
private parts, and a woman must cover her entire
body (including the head and hair) except the face
and hands. Clothing worn during prayer must be
clean and lawfully obtained and may not have been
stolen or borrowed without permission.
The call to
prayer (adhaan):
Although not
required, the call for prayer is highly recommended
and is one of the distinguishing emblems of the
Islamic faith. The call to prayer consists of
two parts: the adhaan and the iqaama.
The person
reciting the adhaan should stand facing the
direction of prayer and say:
Allahu
akbar - God is the Greatest
(4 times)
Ashhadu an
laa ilaaha illa Allah
I testify that
there is no God but Allah (2 times)
Ashhadu
anna Muhammadan rasul Allah
I testify
that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
(2 times)
Hayya 'alaa as-salaah
Hasten to prayer
(2 times)
Hayya 'alaa
al-falaah
Hasten
to success
(2 times)
Hayya 'alaa
khayr al-'amal
Hasten to the
best of deeds (2
times)
Allahu akbar
God is the
Greatest (2
times)
Laa ilaaha
illa Allah
There is no God
but Allah
(2 times)
The iqama
should be said immediately before the prayer and is
identical to the adhaan with three
exceptions: (a) the initial phrase, "Allahu
akbar," is only said twice; (b) the final
phrase, "La ilaaha illa Allah," is
only said once, and (c) the phrase "Qad
qaamat as-salaah" ("Prayer is being
offered") should be inserted after "Hayya
'alaa khayr al-'amal."
The prayers
Each of the
prayers consists of a specific number of units (rak'aat).
The dawn prayer has two units, the noon and
afternoon prayers have four units, the sunset prayer
has three units, and the night prayer has four
units. The simplest prayer to learn is the
two-unit dawn prayer which will be described here.
Once all of the
preconditions above have been fulfilled, and the
person intending to offer prayer is facing the
proper direction (al-qiblah), the prayer may
be begun. First, a sincere intention should be
made to say the particular prayer (in this case, the
dawn prayer). Then the hands should be placed
behind the ears and the following said:
Allahu akbar
God is the Greatest [31]
The first
chapter of the Qur'an (al-fatiha) must be
recited:
Bismillah ar-rahmaan ar-rahim
In the name of
Allah, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate
Al-hamdu lillaahi rabb al-'aalamin
Praise be to
God, the Lord of the Worlds
Ar-rahmaan ar-rahim
The Merciful,
the Compassionate
Maaliki yawm-id-din
Master of the
Day of Judgement
Iyyaaka
na'budu wa iyyaaka nasta'in
You alone do we
worship, and from You alone do we seek help
Ihdina-s-siraat
al-mustaqim
Guide us the
straight path
Siraat
alladhina an'amta 'alayhim
The path of
those whom You have blessed,
ghayr al-maghdubi
'alayhim
not of those on
whom is Your wrath,
wa laa
adh-dhaalin
nor of
those who have gone astray.
Next, another
full chapter of the Qur'an must be recited.
The example given here is the chapter entitled
"The Oneness of God"[32]
Bismillah al-rahmaan
al-rahim
In the name of
Allah, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate
Qul huwa
allahu ahad
Say, He is
Allah, the One
Allahu-s-samad
Allah, the
Eternal
Lam yalid wa
lam yulad
He begets not,
nor was He begotten
Wa lam yakun
lahu kufwaan ahad
And there is
nothing comparable to Him.
At this point, "Allahu
akbar" should be said and the person should
bow, placing the hands on the knees and keeping the
back straight. While bowing, the following
should be recited:
Subhaana
rabbi al-'azim wa bihamdih
Glory be to my
Lord, the Great, and praise be to Him
Then, resuming
the standing position, the following should be said:
Sami'a Allahu
liman hamidah
God hears the
one who praises Him
Then "Allahu
akbar" is said, and the person does
prostration (sujud) on the ground. In sujud,
the forehead, palms of the hands, knees, and tips of
the topes must all touch the ground, and the
following must be said one or three times:
Subhaana
rabbi al-a'laa wa bihamdih
Glory be to my
Exalted Lord, and praise be to Him
"Allahu
akbar" should be said, and the person
should sit up on the knees and say:
Astaghfirullaaha
rabbi wa atubu ilayh
I seek
forgiveness of God, my Lord, and turn towards Him
Again, "Allahu
akbar" should be said, and sujud
repeated. Then the person should stand up and
repeat the same process, i.e. recite the
first chapter of the Qur'an, recite another chapter
of the Qur'an, bow, and do the two sujuds.
Finally, sitting on the knees, the following must be
said:
Ashhadu an
laa ilaaha illa Allah
I testify that
there is no God but Allah
wa ashhadu
anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh
and that
Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
Allahumma
salli 'alaa Muhammadin wa aal-i- Muhammad.
O
Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.
Assalaamu 'alayka
ayyuha an-nabiy wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu.
Peace be upon
you, O Prophet, and the mercy of God and His
blessings.
Assalaamu 'alayna
wa 'alaa 'ibaad allahi-s-saalihin.
Peace be upon
us, and upon all the righteous Servants of
God.
Assalaamu 'alaykum
wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu
Peace be upon
you, and the mercy of God, and His blessings.
It is
recommended that "Allahu akbar" be
said three times, raising the hands each time to the
side of the face. This action concludes the
two-unit prayer although it may be followed by
supplications or other recitations.
2.
Fasting (sawm)
Almost every
religion on earth encourages some form of fasting.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)
and the prophets before him (peace be upon them) all
called upon their followers to fast: "O
you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed
for you just as it was prescribed for those before
you so that you may be pious and learn
self-restraint." (2:183)
Islam prescribes complete fasting - complete
abstinence from food, drink (including water),
smoking, and sexual activity from dawn until the
time of the sunset prayer (about twenty minutes
after the sun actually sets).
Although fasting
is recommended on many days, it is required during
every day of the month of Ramadan, the ninth month
of the Islamic lunar calendar. One reason why
the month of Ramadan was decreed by Allah for this
honor is because the Qur'an was first revealed
during the month of Ramadan on a night called
"The Night of Destiny" (laylat al-qadr).
Muslims believe that on this night, every year,
Allah determines the fate of all people for the year
to come, and a chapter of the Qur'an was revealed
about this night:
Verily, We have sent it [the Qur'an] down on the
Night of Destiny
And what would make you know what the Night of
Destiny is?
The Night of Destiny is better than a thousand
months;
He sends down the angels, and the Spirit during it
by His will for every matter;
Peace! Till the rising of the dawn.
(Chapter 97)
So that people
would worship Allah copiously for many nights, the
exact night of the Night of Power has been kept a
secret, but it most likely falls on the 19th,
the 21st, or the 23rd of the
month of Ramadan.
As with prayer,
the benefits of fasting are innumerable and can only
be appreciated by those who practice it.
Fasting strengthens the willpower, teaches
discipline, encourages sympathy with the poor,
breaks bad habits, improves the health, and
establishes a sense of religious brotherhood and
sisterhood. But the strongest benefits are
spiritual; Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her), the
daughter of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and
his family), has said: "Fasting is to
deepen and strengthen faith." Fasting
sharpens the spiritual awareness and imbues a sense
of gratitude towards Allah.
Aside from
giving up their own food and drink, those who fast
are also encouraged while fasting to give charity
towards the poor and needy in society.
3-4.
Almsgiving (zakaat and khums)
Every material
possession that people acquire comes through the
generosity of Allah. Although people must work
to earn a living, Allah is the one who determines
what sustenance they will receive. To some,
such as Mary, the mother of Jesus (peace be upon
them), He gives unconditionally:
"Every time
Zachariah entered the sanctuary to visit her, he
found her supplied with sustenance. He said,
'O Mary! From where did you get this?'
She said, 'This is from Allah; verily, Allah
provides sustenance to whomever He wills without
limit." (3:37)
Not only human
beings but also all the plants, animals, and other
creatures in this universe are sustained by Allah:
"Many are the creatures that carry not their
own provision; Allah provides for them and for
you." (29:60)
Since everything
people possess is from Allah, when they are told to
return some of their wealth in charity, they are not
actually giving up their own property but merely
what Allah has lent them for use in this world.
Allah says: "O you who believe!
Spend out of what We have provided for you."
(2:254)
Giving charity
benefits the individual as well as society since
almsgiving purifies the soul from stinginess and
meanness: "Take alms from their wealth in
order to purify and sanctify them." (9:103)
For society, the money from the obligatory charities
(zakaat and khums) provides security
and dignity by providing for the needy, bridging the
gap between the rich and the poor, and eliminating
poverty. The money collected is used for food,
shelter, education, health care, orphanages,
libraries, pavement, and other public services.
From a moral standpoint, the obligation to pay the
obligatory charities is no less important than the
obligation to pray; whenever the Qur'an refers to
those who establish prayers, it immediately refers
also to those who pay the obligatory charities.
Charity is not a
gift for the poor but rather is a right:
"And in their properties is the right of the
beggar and the destitute." (51:19)
A community in
which everyone pays the zakaat and the khums
will be successful, but a community in which people
do not pay them will fall apart. Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) has
said:
"My
community will continue to live fairly they are
faithful to each other, return deposits to their
owners, and give alms (zakaat) to the poor.
But if they do not fulfill these duties, they will
encounter famine and scarcity."[33]
Imam 'Ali (peace
be upon him) has also said:
"Allah the
Glorified has fixed the livelihood of the destitute
in the wealth of the rich. Consequently,
whenever the destitute remains hungry, it is because
some rich persons have denied him his share."[34]
These sayings
and legislations only refer to the obligatory
charities; in addition to them, people are
encouraged to give voluntary charity of every kind -
in money, word, or deed. Voluntary charity is called
sadaqa and, like the zakaat and khums,
benefits both the individual and society.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)
has said:
"Give
charity and cure your sick persons by it because
charity can surely remove your bad fortunes and
ailments, and it causes prolongation of your
lifetimes and increases your rewards."[35]
He also has
said:
When charity is
delivered out of the hand of its owner, it says five
things: at first, I was perishing and you gave
me life I was insignificant and you made me
great. I was an enemy and you turned me into a
friend. You used to protect me then, but now I
will protect you up till the Day of Resurrection.[36]
Allah says in
the Qur'an: "Surely those who recite the
Book of Allah and keep up prayer and spend out of
what We have given them secretly and openly hope for
a gain which will not perish." (35:29)
Specifics of
the zakaat and khums
Zakaat.
The zakaat is a type of almsgiving which must
be paid yearly on the following items if they are
possessed in sufficient quantities: wheat,
barley, dates, raisins, gold, silver, camels, cows,
and sheep.
Khums.
Khums should be paid yearly on 20% of the
excess profit that a person acquires.
"Excess profit" refers to the profit that
remains after a person pays for food, clothing,
shelter, and other necessities for himself and his
family. It must be given to one authorized to
collect it (usually, a religious scholar) so that it
can be distributed in the appropriate way. Khums
must also be paid on six other items, such as gems
obtained while diving, but these cases in modern
society tend to be rare.
The khums
has been ordained in the Qur'an: "And
know that whatever profit you may attain, one fifth
of it is assigned to Allah and the Messenger, and to
the near relatives [of the Messenger] and the
orphans, the destitute, and the wayfarer, if you
have believed in Allah and that which We sent down
to our servant [Muhammad]." (8:41)
5.
Pilgrimage to the city of Makkah (hajj)
Everyone who can
must, at least once, make the pilgrimage (hajj)
to the holy city of Makkah. This pilgrimage
occurs every year during Dhul Hijjah, the
twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
Those who make the pilgrimage follow in the
footsteps of Abraham (peace be upon him), the father
of the prophets. 4,000 years ago, Abraham
(peace be upon him) along with his wife Hagar and
his son Ishmael set out on a vast journey wandering
through Babylon, Syria and Arabia crossing vast
hills, rivers, and deserts until arriving in the
holy land of Makkah where Abraham (peace be upon
him) received revelation from Allah:
"Do not
associate with Me anything, and purify My house for
those who circle around it and stand to pray and bow
and prostrate themselves. And proclaim among
the people the pilgrimage. They will come to
you on foot and on every lean camel from every
remote path that they may witness the benefits for
them and mention the name of Allah during the
appointed days over what He has given them."
(22:26-28)
First, Abraham
and Ishmael (peace be upon them) had to raise the
cubic structure, the Ka'bah, on the
foundations of the "first house made for
mankind" (3:95) - built originally at the
dawn of creation by Adam (peace be upon him).
Then Abraham (peace be upon him) had to proclaim the
pilgrimage to mankind. Unconcerned as to who
would hear his voice in this desert land, he climbed
atop a nearby mountain and proclaimed to humanity
the divine message of the hajj. This
call has passed through the distances of space and
time and still reverberates to the millions of
people around the globe who answer his call and come
to make the pilgrimage.
Significance
of the hajj
The hajj
is the supreme symbol of universal brotherhood and
is the greatest annual congregation in the world.
Every year, in Makkah, millions of people from
diverse origins stand shoulder-to-shoulder.
Clad in the barest of materials - two pieces of
white cloth - and performing the same rituals, no
person can be distinguished from another on the
basis of wealth, lineage, power, or education.
The most powerful leaders are on the same level as
the masses of the world. All artificial or
human-imposed distinctions between human beings are
lifted, and people have the chance to know each
other solely as brothers and sisters in humanity for
the span of a few days.
This sense of
equality should translate back into everyday life;
the person who has gone on the hajj should
return home freed from erroneous notions of racism,
classism, and so forth. For the Islamic people
as a whole, the hajj serves as an enormous
convention or conference in which news is passed on
and problems are solved. Since the beginning
of Islam, the hajj has been one of the major
cultural unifying factors of the Muslim peoples
since, every year, delegates from every civilization
meet in one place.
The hajj also
develops the human soul. Every human being,
whether aware of it or not, is travelling towards
Allah, and part of the essential spiritual
development in life is to recognize and accept this
journey. The hajj not only represents
this journey physically but also forces the pilgrims
to express their willingness to leave behind
everything for Allah.
Allah has made
known that among the ways to approach Him for
forgiveness is to journey to His house, the Ka'bah
in Makkah. Once Imam 'Ali (peace be upon him)
was with a group of his followers in the vicinity of
the Ka'bah when they saw a man holding in his
hand the cloth cover of the Ka'bah and
supplicating: "O Keeper of the House!
This house is Your house, and this guest is Your
guest. Each guest sees goodness from its host.
Tonight, let Your goodness be the forgiving of my
sins." Imam 'Ali (peace be upon him)
asked his followers: "Did you hear the
words of this man?" The said, "Yes,
we did." Imam 'Ali (peace be upon him)
replied: "Almighty God is more forgiving than
to drive away His guests."
The rites of hajj
The beginning of
the pilgrimage is marked by proclaiming, "Labbayk,
Allahumma, Labbayk" - "I am here, O
Lord, I am here!" followed by, "You Who
have no partner - I am here! Surely all praise
and blessings are Yours, and the Kingdom - I am
here, O Lord, I am here!"
During the hajj,
all of the millions of people present engage in
circling the Ka'bah (a practice called tawwaf).
This constant circling around Allah's House
symbolizes humanity's dependence on Allah and
teaches the ones doing tawwaf to seek help
only from Allah. It also illustrates how every
person's ultimate being revolves around Allah.
After tawwaf,
the pilgrims run between two small mountains called
Safa and Marwa, re-enacting Hagar's search for water
for her infant son Ishmael. Alone in the
desert, she and her baby had been in desperate need
of water, and she had been running back and forth
looking for some hint of moisture in the sand.
Seeing her effort, Allah produced for her the spring
of Zamzam, a spring of cool, pure water which gushed
forth at Ishmael's tiny feet and has continued to
flow until this very day. By imitating her
search, the pilgrims not only remember her story but
also assimilate into themselves the message that
they cannot sit and wait for Allah's blessings to
unfold magically upon them. Rather, if they
are in need of something, they should work hard and
then hope for the munificence of God in response.
The most
significant day of the pilgrimage is the Day of
Arafat. Arafat is a desert outside the city of
Makkah in which all the pilgrims must stand from
noon to sunset and communicate with Allah. The
time in Arafat marks the real essence of the hajj;
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)
has said: "The hajj is
Arafat." In Arafat, the pilgrims leave
behind all material possessions except for the two
pieces of cloth they are wearing and are returned to
the same condition in which they were born.
The vast gathering - imagine, millions of people all
dressed alike all standing in the same place all at
the same time - represents the true origin and fate
of humanity: born from dust, living for a
short while, and then being resurrected from dust
again. The scene of Arafat resembles what the
Day of Resurrection will be like as countless
individuals are pieced together from dust again to
withstand judgement by the Almighty.
At a place
called Mina, the pilgrims throw pebbles at Satan.
This act is extremely difficult and dangerous and
represents probably the only case in human society
where people would voluntarily enter a mob of people
throwing stones in all directions. By stoning
pillars, which are physical representations of
Satan, the pilgrims reinforce inside themselves how
they should treat Satan, who has sworn to be the
enemy of mankind. This act is also another
historical re-enactment; on his way to fulfill the
command of Allah in slaying his son, Prophet Abraham
(peace be upon him) met Satan in each of these three
places and, instead of listening to his dissuasions,
threw stones at him.
At the end of
the hajj, each pilgrim must sacrifice an
animal just as Abraham (peace be upon him) did in
lieu of his son. The sacrifice indicates the
pilgrims' willingness to sacrifice anything in life
for Allah. The meat of the animal should not
be wasted, though; one-third may be kept for
personal use while one-third should be given to
friends and the final third to the poor.
6. Jihad
The literal
meaning of jihad is "to strive
hard" to progress in all aspects of life.
Although this word, in English, has taken on purely
military connotations, in reality it covers the vast
range of human enterprise - family life, work,
spiritual development, and, at the end of all this,
justified defensive warfare.
The most
important jihad is the struggle to purify the
soul, and this jihad far outweighs any
military jihad. Once, Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him and his family) met a group of
soldiers returning from a defensive battle and
addressed them: "Welcome to the people
who have concluded the minor jihad
(struggle)." Astonished, the soldiers
asked, "Was this the minor jihad?
Then what is the major jihad?"
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)
replied: "The major jihad is the jihad
to purify one's self."
The beginning of
the jihad to purify the soul is to restrain
the self from committing sins and thereby corrupting
the soul. The next step is to control material
desires and ambitions and free the self from the
things that distract it from Allah. All of the
forms of worship in Islam - prayers, fasting,
charity, and so on - exist to purify and perfect the
soul. Only in the upward development of the
soul do human beings find happiness in this life and
the next, for if the soul is unhappy, a person will
be miserable regardless of how materially wealthy he
or she may be. "And by the soul and Him
Who perfected it, then showed it what is right and
what is wrong for it - indeed, he succeeds who
purifies his soul, and, indeed, he fails who
corrupts his soul." (91:7)
The soul is the essence of man; it is the part which
will outlast this life and be judged in the next,
and one of the main reasons human beings were placed
in this world is to test and develop their souls.
Jihad
does also refer to the legitimate struggle to defend
human rights, such as personal and religious freedom
as well as the defense of land, property, and
families. Those who are being attacked have
the right to defend themselves in jihad:
Permission [to
fight] is given to those against whom war is being
wrongfully and offensively waged, and surely Allah
is able to give them victory. Those who have
been expelled from their homes unjustly, only
because they said, "Our Lord is Allah...."
(22:39-40)
The believers
are in fact commanded to defend human rights and
integrity:
And why do you
not fight in the way of Allah and the utterly
oppressed men, women, and children who are crying
out, "O Lord! Rescue us from this town
whose people are oppressors, and raise for us from
You one who will protect, and raise for us from You
one who will help." (4:75)
Jihad as
fighting must be for just causes and to defend the
freedom, liberty, and integrity of societies - and
when these issues are at stake, fighting is not only
permitted, but required. "Fight against
aggressors until oppression is stopped."
(2:193)
None of the
powerful countries today could have achieved their
stature without a war for independence and a
struggle for freedom, nor would they have retained
their positions without strong military development.
In life, struggle will always exist between good and
evil, truth and falsehood, and societies cannot
progress if tyrants are left alone to do what they
want to do.
7-8.
Enjoining good (amr bil-ma'rouf) and
forbidding evil (nahiy an al-munkar)
"Let there
arise from you a group of people inviting to what is
good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what
is wrong; these are the ones who will be
successful." (3:104)
In order for
religion to progress and society to flourish, people
must take the initiative and attempt to guide each
other towards the right and away from the wrong.
This kind of advising is mandatory on those who
believe in Allah and the Day of Judgement.
Giving sincere advice is not, as some may argue,
meddling in someone else's business, but is in fact
a valuable favor and one of the best forms of
charity.
9.
Supporting those who walk in the path of Allah (tawalli
li awliyaa' Allah)
This entire
phrase means to be a friend and a helper of the
righteous, pious people who are on the side of Allah
and religion. Specifically, it includes the
prophets and imams (successors to the
prophets) as well as those who work to establish
order, justice, and religion on earth:
"And
whoever takes Allah, His messenger, and those who
have belief as protectors and guardians, then the
party of Allah will be victorious." (5:56)
10. Turning
away from the enemies of Allah (tabarri
min a'daa Allah)
This phrase
refers to the opposite of tawalli li awliyaa'
Allah. Those who sincerely believe in
Allah must dissociate themselves from those people
who obstruct truth and justice and prevent the light
of Allah from reaching others:
"Allah does
not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those
who fought not against you on account of religion
and did not drive you out of your homes.
Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity.
It is regarding those who fought against you on
account of religion and have driven you out of your
homes and helped to drive you out that Allah forbids
you to befriend them, and whoever will befriend
them, then such are the wrongdoers."
(60:8-9)
"O ye who
believe, take not for protectors and helpers those
who take your religion as a mockery and fun from
among those who received the scriptures before you,
nor from among the disbelievers, and fear Allah if
you indeed are true believers." (5:57)
"Let not
the believers take the disbelievers as supporters
and helpers and friends instead of the believers.
And whoever does that will never be helped by Allah
in any way." (3:28)
It is for the
good of the believers that Allah warns them against
being friends and associates of the unbelievers and
the tyrants and the enemies of Allah and humankind.
Notes :
[30]
Gharar al-Hikm, p. 175
[31]
Saying the prayers in Arabic is highly recommended.
However, if a person is absolutely unable to say the
prayers in Arabic, the prayers may be said in
another language which the person understands, such
as English.
[32]
Al-tawhid/Chapter 112
[33]
Wasaa'il ash-Shi'a, vol. 6 p. 13
[34]
Nahj al-Balagha (The Peak of Eloquence)
[35]
Kanz al-'Ummal, vol. 6 p. 31
[36]
Al-Ithna'ashariyyah, p. 23
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