The great jihad

The great jihad

If he, who has submitted to fancies, wants to reform his life and afterlife, to gain goodness and happiness in this life and afterlife and to reform his inners, deeds and morals, he should fight against his fancies as a brave soldier fighting in the war field. He has to know that he will win in this war by the assistance of Allah. He has to know that the mercy of Allah will be with him and that the matter of his victory and the defeat of fancies is a definite matter. If we say that man is unable to do that and he is weaker than to resist the influence of fancy, then there will be no meaning to sending prophets by Allah and no meaning to revealing Divine books and no meaning to the efforts of the imams.

But since man has the ability to face this internal tyrant and defeat it and that defeating it is something possible for all people; therefore Allah has sent the prophets and revealed His books and so Allah has shown His proof before people and He will not accept any excuse from anyone in this concern neither in this world nor in the afterworld.

Man, since he has not fallen in the trap of fancy yet, must care too much for watching himself and remember Allah every moment. Man has to beware of being polluted with the impermissible things that make the idol of fancy appear and be powerful. If man keeps himself against fancy, dignity and honor grow inside him and then piety and godliness grow inside his heart.

When man ignores this matter, he will be involved in worshipping the idol of fancy and after sometime when the ray of the Divine mercy shines after the waking of the conscience or hearing some preaches and advises or associating with pious people, man understands how the idol of fancy rules over him and sees its bad effects on his behavior and morals. Then he should not delay to fight it. In fact he must consider the jihad against this idol as an obligation or indeed the most important obligation. He should pay much attention to this matter because it is an order from Allah and he should respond to the invitation of the prophets and imams in order to reform himself; morals and deeds. In order to defeat this idol, he should refrain from sins, pay much attention to the obligations, do good, mix with the pious, associate with the benevolent and purify his wealth from ill-gotten monies. If he fights his fancy with these weapons, he will win this battle definitely. It is this battle that is called in the Divine knowledge as the “greater jihad”.

It is mentioned that Imam as-Sadiq (s) has said, ‘Once the Prophet (s) sent a battalion (to fight the enemy) and when they came back, he said to them, ‘Welcome to the people who have achieved the minor jihad and remained for them the major jihad.’ It was said to him, ‘O messenger of Allah, what is the major jihad?’ He said, ‘It is the jihad against one’s fancy.’

One who resists his fancies his jihad is higher than any other jihad and one who desist (emigrate) from fancies his (hijra) is better than any other (hijra). Hence, the reward of this jihad and this (hijra) is more and greater than the reward of every other great deed.

Imam Ali (s), who was the first man in this field of jihad, said, ‘The fighter, who is martyred for the sake of Allah, is not rewarded more than one who is able (to commit sins) but remains abstinent. An abstinent is about to be one of the angels!’[1]

The way of reform

With paying attention to that Allah the Almighty has sent one hundred and twenty-four thousand prophets, a lot of whose instructions and teachings have been mentioned in our considerable books and some of them have been mentioned in some verses of the Qur'an, and with regard to the revelation of the Divine books especially the Qur'an, which is the eternal miracle of the master of the prophets Muhammad (s), the existence of the infallible imams (s), whose instructions and teachings have been mentioned in the Islamic books concerning the individual and social fields and which are at the hand of the all, and with regard to nature, conscience, mind, will and option as moral deposits and the profitable principal of man in this life and the afterlife and with regard to that all the moral elements which confirm the authority of Allah on man in all the fields and affairs of life at all times and in all places; with regard to all that can it be said that the way of reform is closed before man? Is man unable to follow the way of reform? Is man obliged to do, to believe or to behave as what he has done, believed or behaved with no will or option?

Certainly, the answer is “No”. The way of reform is open before the all as long as the heavens and the earth exist. Every man is able to walk in the way of reform and no one is obliged with his beliefs, morals and deeds.

The many sinful and criminal people, who had submitted to their fancies and then repented of their sins and purified their souls and hearts from the ties of fancies, throughout history is a clear evidence showing that the way of reform is not closed before anyone and that man is not obliged with his deeds and morals.

But there are some improper discussions and weak sayings which are irrational and have no evidence that some ignorant people cling to and they think that they will be excused in keeping on their sin and disobedience. They think that the way of pleasures is wide open to them so they hasten after their fancies and lusts and invite the others to that.

These persons know well that they are wrong and know that their sayings have no scientific or real evidence and away from reason although their sayings are quoted from some sociologists and psychologists in the materialist western universities that invite people to satisfy their lusts and desires in any way.

“Nay! man is evidence against himself, though he puts forth his excuses.” Qur'an, 75:14-15

Are the persons, who commit tricks, cheating and hypocrisy through their dealing with people and color their empty theories with a scientific color and offer them to people or hide their bad reality with bright masks or deceive the people and the society to live by that at ease or spread among the people heresies and deviate doctrines after coating them with color of science, progress and development to destroy the life of man and the civilization of the human beings…are these people unaware of their doings and unaware of the results of their doings?

The Holy Qur'an confirms that such people know what they do but they exploit people along the ages for their own advantage and their private life, to satisfy their lusts and fancies and to fish in troubled water.

No doubt that the cultural environment prevailing over these people is a deviate environment and the culture is dark having nothing save party-spirit, zealotry and satanic jealousy. These people have denied all the facts of the existence and especially Allah the Almighty. They have denied the signs of the truth and resisted them and therefore they have had such misleading culture and born in their minds silly and weak theories. These people make of these weak ideas and theories a doctrine and religion to which they invite the others in order to separate them from Allah and the truth.

These people have no aim in this life save to spread corruption in the earth and to pollute the peoples and nations with different sins and disobediences.

“And when he turns back, he runs along in the land that he may cause mischief in it and destroy the tilth and the stock, and Allah does not love mischief-making.” Qur'an, 2:205

The Zionists have indicated in their book “The Protocols of the Wise men of Zion”: ‘it is we who have established the bases of the victory of Darwin, Marx and Nietzsche and spread their doctrines among the nations and peoples.’ Thus they have destroyed the morals by these deviate theories and ideas as it is clear for the all.

The world in its culture nowadays submits to three persons of the Jews; Marx, Freud and Darwin. Darwin’s theory of “evolution of the species” has led to destroy the virtues and morals among the European peoples. These thinkers always emphasized on dishonoring religion and degrading sacred beliefs. They polluted the minds of people with their theories and showed religion and clergymen in an ugly picture before the public.

These people, by depending on the theories of the scholars they have connected with, did not leave any field of humanity unless they corrupted it. They corrupted all kinds of relations and connections between man and his Creator and his life and fellows. They corrupted all that with bad and deviate theories and ideas.

Actual deviation is that which concerns the Divine fact and the relation of man with Allah and the intellectual deviation also is how to look at the world of existence and its relation with Allah, the relation of man with the world and the relation of the world with man…the deviation in perceiving the life, its aims and latent relations…the deviation in perceiving the human soul and the connection of man with his brother, the individual with the society and the wife with her husband. And in general it is the deviation in all the affairs of life.

Under the shadow of this deviation the affairs of living have submitted to the influence of fancy and lust and corruption continued spreading day after another until Allah has become less effective (in people’s regard) than all the other worshipped things in man’s life. False gods and worshipped idols began prevailing over all the affairs of individual and social life.

These people have masked themselves with the scientific aspects until they made most of the people believe in theories they have theorized and all these factors affect the fate of man who has no will or option to determine his fate. Man’s life has become under the control of these unreal factors.

These weak phrases and silly theories have led many people in the world and especially in Europe and America and particularly the youth in many nations and societies to believe in the idea of “free will”. They often said, ‘I have become free to take my way in the life with my own will and option and to manage my affairs as I like. I am free to choose my belief and conduct according to my own mind and view towards the life. I make my life and future by myself. I determine my fate without the will of Allah.’

The result of these claims is that man takes himself out of the circle of the care and protection of Allah into the trap of the Satan and the net of fancy.

And the result of these claims too is that the power of evil, sedition and exploitation prevail allover the world.

And the result of these claims is that injustice and oppression spread in all the countries and as a consequence of that slavery appears and all the peoples submit to lowness and subservience and slip in the valley of slavery to capitalism, some slip into slavery to governments, others become slaves to the dictators and others slip in the abyss of the desires and lusts that destroy the families and their relations.

And the result of these claims is that debauchery spread allover the world especially among the youth; men and women.

And the result of these claims is deviation, madness, confusion of feelings and the abundance of psychological and mental hospitals in the developed countries on the one hand and on the other hand the people have involved in the mire of (imitating) models, cinema films and stars, pornographic films, T.V. programs and other lusts and desires where they have become ignorant to understand the truth and they spent all their lives in pride and indifference.

And the result of this wretched life is that all the apparent and hidden affairs of man have sunk into corruption, deviation and debauchery; therefore we see many people in the world live desperately and their minds are shadowed by a cloud of hopelessness, worry and chronic grief. At the same time they feel the whips of their conscience and the pressure of their natures so they cry and shout that the way of reform is closed before man or if it is open, man will be unable to follow it and at last, and in order to calm down their consciences, they say that man is obliged to submit in all his affairs to the decree of fate.

But this darkness is as a result of the influence of the satanic culture, ignorance and the poisons of the deviate and misleading scholars and scientists.

But as for the pure Islamic culture, it is concentrated in the Shia doctrine which depends in its ideology on the Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet (s) and the infallible imams (s) and always associated with evidence, wisdom and reason. It announces clearly that the way of reform is always open before the human beings and will never be closed till the Resurrection Day and that the movement in the way of reform is possible to the all even to the one who is polluted with all kinds of sins. It is not right to impose certain beliefs, deeds or morals due to the saying of “the decree of the fate” and the likes.

It would be better to draw the attentions to some Divine knowledge and instruction that guide man towards reform and deliverance to pure oneself and the society from sins and disobediences.

Imam as-Sadiq (s) says to somebody, ‘You have been made as the doctor of yourself, the disease has been showed to you, you have been taught the means of health and you have been guided to the cure. See how you treat yourself!’[2]

Yes! Man knows his foothold and state and has a control over himself. He is the doctor of himself. His diseases are his false beliefs, satanic morals and bad deeds which have been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and the honorable traditions. The cure of these diseases is pure faith, good morals, tranquility of the soul and good deeds. All these are signs of mental healthiness the bases of which are repentance, asking Allah for forgiveness, piety, abstinence and refraining from sins. Man, by the aid of these facts, must try to reform himself and purify his morals.

Imam al-Baqir (s) narrates from his fathers that the Prophet (s) has said in his recommendation to Ameerul Mo’mineen Ali bin Abu Talib (s), ‘O Ali, the best of jihad is when one rises in the morning without intending to wrong anybody.’[3]

When one rises every morning in this way and when he goes out of his house without intending to show enmity towards anybody, without intending to harm anyone, without thinking of evil even towards his enemies and without intending except to serve people, surely he will fill his inners with light and his outwards with benevolence.

Imam as-Sadiq (s) says, ‘Whoever controls himself when he desires, fears, likes, becomes angry and becomes satisfied Allah will protect him from Fire.’[4]

Ameerul Mo’mineen (s) says, ‘Wake up your heart with pondering, let your side turn away from sleeping in the night and fear Allah your Lord!’[5]

Imam as-Sadiq (s) says, ‘Pondering leads to piety and to do according to piety.’[6]

One day a man came to Imam as-Sadiq (s) and asked him, ‘Would you tell me about noble characters?’

Imam as-Sadiq (s) said, ‘Pardon who has wronged you, relate with who has broken his relation with you, give who has deprived you and say the truth even if it is against you!’[7]

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘If a sin or a lust happens to someone and he refrains from it for fear of Allah, Allah will save him from Fire, secure him from the Great Fear and carry out His promise to him as He has said in His Book,

“And for him who fears to stand before his Lord are two gardens.” Qur'an,55:46

Whoever faces a worldly life and an afterlife (the opportunity to do good for the afterlife) and he chooses the worldly life, he will meet Allah on the Resurrection Day with no good deed to save him from Fire and whoever chooses the afterlife and turns away from the worldly life, Allah will be pleased with him and will forgive his bad deeds.’[8]

Someone has said to Imam as-Sadiq (s), ‘There are some people committing sins and they say that they hope (to repent in the future) but they still commit sins until death comes to them.’ Imam as-Sadiq (s) said, ‘These people sway among wishes. They are liars. They do not hope because whoever hopes something tries to get it and whoever fears something flees from it.’[9]

In interpreting this Qur’anic verse “And for him who fears to stand before his Lord are two gardens”, Imam as-Sadiq (s) says, ‘He, who knows that Allah sees and hears what he says and knows what he does whether good or bad and so he refrains from doing bad deeds, is the one who (fears to stand before his Lord) and controls himself before desires.’[10]

Imam as-Sadiq (s) has said to Amr bin Sa’d, ‘I recommend you of fearing Allah, piety and ijtihad (trying one’s best to derive the true legal verdicts). Know that no ijtihad is useful without piety.’[11]

Imam as-Sadiq (s) has also said, ‘You have to fear Allah, to be pious, to practice ijtihad, to be truthful, to give deposits back to their owners, to be noble-minded and good to the neighbors. Be propagandists to yourselves without your tongues (but with good conducts and deeds). Be good and do not be bad. Prostrate yourselves before Allah too much (pray and worship Allah) because when any of you prostrate too much, Iblis will call out behind him “Woe! He obeyed but I disobeyed and he prostrated but I refused to!’[12]

The Prophet (s) has said to Ameerul Mo’mineen (s), ‘There are three things which if anyone has had he will be the best of people near Allah; who performs the obligations Allah has imposed, will be the best worshiper, who refrains from the sins Allah has prohibited, will be the most pious one and who is satisfied with what Allah has given him will be the richest one. O Ali, there are three things which if one has not had, his deeds will not be completed; piety that makes him refrain from disobeying Allah, good manners to treat people with and patience to face the ignorance of the ignorant with…O Ali, Islam is naked and its clothing is pudency, its adornment is abstinence, its magnanimity is good doing and its pillar is piety.’[13]

Imam al-Baqir (s) has said, ‘The best of worships are the abstinence of abdomen (not to eat ill-gotten food) and chastity.’[14]

Imam as-Sadiq (s) has said, ‘The Shia (followers) of Ja’far (Imam as-Sadiq) are those who abstain from eating anything ill-gotten, who are chaste, practice jihad, work for the sake of their Creator, hope His reward and fear His punishment. Such people are the Shia of Ja’far.’[15]

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘My umma will still in good as long as they love each other, guide each other, give deposits back to their owners, refrain from impermissible things, entertain guests, offer prayers and pay zakat. If they do not do this, they will be afflicted with rainlessnes and barrenness.’[16]

It is understood from these traditions that the way of reform is open before the all and moving in this way is possible to everyone and that man is not obliged to his doings, behaviors and morals. Man can determine to do anything willingly and freely. In fact it has been referred in these traditions to an important fact that man should adorn himself with goodness, benevolence and moral beauty instead of ugly and bad satanic doings, support the truth with his will and hand, purify his soul and inners from his bad morals and doings and to change them into good deeds and morals. Every one follows the way of reform Allah will help him to change his bad deeds into good deeds and when good deeds replace the bad ones Allah will forgive all the bad deeds of that one.

“Except him who repents and believes and does a good deed; so these are they of whom Allah changes the evil deeds to good ones; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” Qur'an, 25:70

“Save him who has been unjust, then he does good instead after evil, for surely I am the Forgiving, the Merciful.” Qur'an, 27:11