JIHAD
The Greater and Lesser Struggle
By: Muhammad Issa Rasul Allah (USA)
(Article from the Black Flag "Initium Africanus" Special 2014 Edition Magazine)
Over ten years ago the September 11th, 2001 World Trade Center Attack sparked global confusion leading to the magnification of a word that had been used to describe the Israeli PLO and other Middle Eastern militant groups but not rhetorized to the level humanity has been gripped with today; “TERRORISM!”
An un-sanctioned war against United Nations protocol was led by George W. Bush then president of the United States, claiming Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and was funding terrorists. With a slip of the tongue Bush categorized the “War on Terror” as a “Crusade” behind the false theatric propaganda some Muslim rulers were on a rampage to take over the world with the replay in the news of the word “JIHAD”. Strikes on Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria have ensued increasing rage amongst many Muslims all over the globe including opportunists in Sub-Saharan Africa.
What “jihad” means has been entirely taken out of context as people have been led to assume it is a teaching that solely advocates for war to forcefully convert non-Muslims to Islam. In Arabic the word “jihad” means simply “struggle” or literally "striving in the way of God,” “al-jihad fi sabil Allah." In the Quran, footnotes concerning “jihad” and index references to the action are widely classified under “striving” and “fighting.” Based on this broad terminology the 11th-century Islamic scholar, Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in "The History of Baghdad" cited Jabir ibn Abd-Allah, the companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as inferring there are two forms of “jihad” being a greater and lesser struggle.
The greater struggle for which the term may be applied refers to spiritual challenges a Muslim faces in practicing Islam. This could range from temptations during fasting to the pursuit of increased women’s rights. The 2011 uprisings or “Arab Spring” in North Africa that lead to the toppling of governments was sparked by Mouhamed Bouazizi who lit himself on fire on December 17th, 2010 in protest of the seizure of the fruits he was vending by a municipal officer. This raised public sentiment against all the already corrupt Islamic governments in the region. In the interest of liberty this was an example of “greater jihad.”The American Revolution taken in this context was a “Jihad”.
The concept of the lesser struggle is the type of “Jihad” generally understood by fighting in the “War on Terror.” Granted the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reformed Islam against vicious persecution by the Arabian priesthood in the 8th century A.D. some Islamic scholars as explained by John Esposito in “Islam: The Straight Path” (2005) consider JIHAD to be a sixth pillar of Islam though this is not officially recognized. Islamic scholars argue the passages referring to jihad in the Quran have historical implications which if not understood cause their meaning to be taken out of context. For this reason groups in Islam like the Ahmadi Muslims reject entirely any form of fighting which is not defensive. It is at this juncture where the definition of Jihad is debated amongst Muslim scholars. Surah Al-Baqarah 2:190-193 of the Holy Quran reads as such:
“190. Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. 191. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for persecution is worse than slaughter;… 192. But if they cease, Allah is of Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. 193. And fight them on until there is no more persecution and the religion becomes Allah’s but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression.”
Footnotes in the Holy Quran English translation “Revised and Edited by the Presidency of Islamic Researches, IFTA, Call and Guidance” in footnote 204 states precisely:
“War is permissible in self-defense, and under well-defined limits. When undertaken, it must be pushed with vigour, but not relentlessly, but only to restore peace and freedom for the worship of Allah. In any case strict limits must not be transgressed: women, children, old and infirm men should not be molested, nor trees and crops cut down, nor peace withheld when the enemy comes to terms.”
It must be admitted then, the Quran explicitly calls for fighting in the interest of defending Islamic communities. This is a requirement placed on every Muslim, with priority given to men. In its full interpretation any Islamic community in the world that is attacked must receive the support of Muslims anywhere on the planet for defense. Muslims are to fight and remove the aggressors from their lands, BUT if the aggressors cease their attack, they are supposed to stop.
The continued wars in the Middle East are being seen as provocation against Islam, especially after no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq. Splinter cells of jihadists with weapons and massive funding have been spreading around the world. An inverted global “offensive jihad” is being fought in the interest of hegemony boosting militant groups like the Islamic sect “BOKO HARAM” in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Rising behind political vexation in Northern Nigeria following President Goodluck Jonathan's ascension to completion of the tenure of Umaru Yar'Adua who died on May 5th, 2010, the sect made their first act of public aggression with the Bauchi prison break on September 7th , 2010 which was later followed by the first December 31st, 2010 attack in Abuja. The recent kidnapping of over 276 young girls from a dormitory secondary school on April 14th in Chibok has gained the group international infamy after being officially categorized as a “terrorist organization” on May 22nd by the UN Security Council and USA.
Senior Islamic Clerics including the Sunni Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh, Iranian Shia jurisprudent Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, the Nigerian Sultan of Sokoto Sa'adu Abubakar, and others have stated the sect is exaggerating the tenets of the Quran.
The current leader of “Boko Haram” (figuratively "Western education is a sin."), Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, justifies the sect’s jihad on the basis of opposition to western culture and a desire to establish a separate Islamic state in Nigeria under Sharia Law; what actually appear to be political motives. Boko Haram also began its jihad without being attacked and kills women and children, against Quran-ic precepts. However, the mere fact verses abound in the holy book that can be interpreted to justify the use of force for religious purposes is still something viewed as strange by anyone who understands the nature of the commission to advance the knowledge of the Light.
The definition of "jihad" is obscure even amongst Islamic scholars, making it more necessary to organize seminars to define the concept within a more humane context. Unfortunately the camps at war prefer to mobilize young men against one another along lines of religious distinction. Until elucidation on the word “jihad” is satisfied millions of deaths in the name of “The War on Terror” will only continue to mis-portray the beauty of Islam as a disciplined spiritual path with a rich mysticism and heritage.
