جَٰهِدُ

9:19-20; 57:11.

Commentary:

The verse speaks of the different classes of believers only and not of hypocrites. Believers are of two classes: (1) Those who sincerely accept the truth and try to live up to the teachings of Islam but take no part in the struggle to defend and propagate the faith. These are, as it were, passive believers—"sitters" as the verse names them. (2) Those who not only live up to the teachings of Islam but also vigorously participate in the work of its propagation. These are active believers, the "strivers" or mujahids as they are called. The latter are far superior to the former in the sight of God. There is, however, a class of believers who, even though they do not join their brethren in actually fighting disbelievers, get an equal reward with those who take part in the actual struggle. These are referred to in the words "excepting the disabled ones". Their inability to take part in actual fighting is due to circumstances over which they have no control. They are heart and soul with the Muslims who are mujahid, wherever the latter go to fight in the cause of God; but their particular circumstances—disease, poverty, etc.—do not allow them to join the expeditions in person. Of these the Holy Prophet once told his Companions in one of his expeditions that there were men in Medina who were with them in every march they made and in every valley they traversed and who were getting the same reward. The Companions asked the Holy Prophet in surprise how that could be possible and who were those fortunate ones. "They are those of your brethren", replied the Holy Prophet, "who were eager to join us but were prevented from doing so by circumstances beyond their control." These are the ones in whose case the verse makes an exception in the words, excepting the disabled ones. But the actual "sitters", though entitled to good reward if true and sincere in their faith, were in no case on a par with the "strivers", neither in rank nor in reward.

17:58.

9:41; 22:79.

Important Words:

الوسیلة (way of approach) is the noun-infinitive from وسل. They say وسل الی الله بعمل i.e. he did a deed by which he became near to God. وسل الیه بکذا means, he sought to bring himself near to him, or to approach or gain access to him, or to advance himself in his favour. وسیلة therefore, signifies, a means of access to a thing; a means of becoming near to, or intimate with, a thing or person; honourable rank with a king; degree; affinity; a tie or connection (Lane).

Commentary:

It is wrong to interpret the word الوسیلة as meaning "an intermediary between man and God"; such an interpretation is not only unsupported by the usage of the Arabic language, but is also opposed to the teachings of the Quran and the sayings of the Holy Prophet. The Quran says that those whom people invoke beside God and whom they desire to make intermediaries between themselves and God, in order to attain His nearness, are themselves in need of attaining His nearness (17:58). The Holy Prophet is also reported to have said: "Ask for وسیلة(nearness of God) for me", i.e. pray to God that He may grant me His special nearness. The prayer after the usual call to Prayer includes the words, "O God! give Muhammad wasilah", meaning that God may vouchsafe to the Prophet increasingly greater nearness to Himself, and not that he may have someone to act as intermediary between him and God. The words that follow, viz. strive in His way, also point to the same interpretation; for they describe the means by which the nearness of God may be attained.

3:145.

Important Words:

اذلة (kind and humble) is derived from ذل i.e. he or it was or became low, base, paltry, humble or weak. ذلت الدابة means, the beast became easy, submissive and manageable. ذل الطریق means, the road became beaten and trodden and easy to be travelled. اذله means, he rendered him low, base, humble or weak. ذل (dhillun) or ذل (dhullun) means, submissiveness or manageableness; also gentleness and mercy. ذلیل which is the singular of اذلة means low, base, mean, paltry, humble or weak; easy and smooth; also gentle and merciful (Lane).

اعزة (hard and firm) is the plural of عزیز which is verbal adjective from عز meaning, he was or became mighty, potent, powerful or strong, or high and elevated; he magnified or exalted himself; he resisted or withstood; he was indomitable and invincible; it (a thing) was or became rare, scarce, hard to find; or he or it was or became dear, highly esteemed and greatly valued; or it became difficult and hard. عزیز of which the plural is اعزة means, mighty and powerful; high and elevated; resisting and invincible; hard and difficult rough in manners; rare or scarce or highly esteemed (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:130.

واسع (Bountiful) is derived from وسع i.e. it (place, vessel, etc.) was sufficient or sufficiently large or capacious or ample or abundant. السعة means, width or extent; ampleness or plentifulness; capacity or power. واسع means, possessing ample power or ability; powerful, bountiful; One Who gives to all; One Who encompasses all things (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse lays down an infallible sign of a true and living religion which is that the number of its followers is never allowed to fall or decrease permanently. If one individual goes out of its pale, God brings in a number to take his place. If the followers of a religion are found to be steadily and perpetually decreasing with no arrangement for recovery, that religion must be dead and truth must have departed from it.

The words اذلة علی المؤمنین (kind and humble toward believers) mean that true believers whom God will bring in place of apostates will be susceptible to the influence of brother believers, will be lenient in their dealings with them, will connive at their shortcomings, will be ready to forgive and forget their faults and will love and be kind to them. And the expression اعزة علی الکافرین (hard and firm toward disbelievers) means that they will not be afraid of disbelievers nor will they be susceptible to their baneful influence. In fact, the above are the two main characteristic qualities of a rising people who love God.

The words, They will strive in the cause of Allah, mean that, unlike the weak of faith who are ever ready to turn back from their religion and stumble at every trial, the newcomers will be zealous Muslims, eager to bring others into the fold of Islam.

We are further told in the verse that a true believer is never afraid of laying down his life in the cause of Allah. He does not fear the reproaches of fault-finders or scoffers. He fears neither the sword nor the censure of the enemy.

8:75; 9:88, 111; 61:12.

Commentary:

Muslims are here commanded to march forth in the way of God, allowing no worldly consideration or impediment to prevent them from doing so. The words خفافا و ثقالا (light and heavy) have several meanings, i.e. whether you are young or old; alone or in parties; on foot or on horseback; with sufficient arms and provisions or with insufficient arms and provisions or with insufficient equipment and scanty provisions, etc.

9:87, 93.

Commentary:

This and the following several verses speak of those who did not accompany the Holy Prophet on the expedition to Tabuk. The passive form in the word المخلفون (those left behind) has been used in allusion to the words, Allah was averse to their marching forth, so He kept them back, and it was said,' Sit ye at home with those who sit', occurring in 9:46 above.

These people not only stayed behind themselves but, as is usual with mischievous persons, also tried to dissuade others from joining the expedition.

Commentary:

The words, Leave us that we be with those who sit at home, need not be taken to have been actually uttered by the hypocrites. They simply express a state of affairs implying that the hypocrites came to the Holy Prophet with various excuses, asking his leave to stay behind.

9:41.

2:136; 16:124.

2:144; 16:90.

Important Words:

جاھدوا (strive) is derived from جھد. They say جھد فی الامر i.e. he did his utmost, took extraordinary pains, he employed himself vigorously in prosecuting the affair. جھد دابته means, he fatigued the beast or burdened the beast beyond its power. جاھد means, he exerted his utmost power in contending with an object of his disapprobation. جاھد العدو means, he fought with the enemy imposing upon himself distress or exerting his utmost power or ability to repel him. جھاد orمجاھدة are infinitives from جاھد (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The word جھاد has been used in two senses in the Quran with a slight change, viz. جھاد فی سبیل اللّٰه i.e. striving hard in the cause of Allah, used in several verses of the Quran and جھاد فی اللّٰه, literally meaning striving hard in Allah, as used in the present verse and in 29:70. As it appears from the latter two verses جھاد فی اللّٰه signifies striving hard to win the pleasure and nearness of God while جھاد فی سبیل اللّٰه signifies the waging of war against the enemies of truth. Thus جھاد فی اللّٰه seems to possess a higher spiritual significance than جھاد فی سبیل اللّٰه.

Jihad is of three kinds: (a) jihad against one’s baser self, i.e. against one’s evil desires and propensities or jihad against Satan and (b) jihad against the enemies of truth which includes fighting in self-defence. These two kinds of jihad may be termed as جھاد فی اللّٰه and the third kind of jihad may be called جھاد فی سبیل اللّٰه. The Holy Prophet has termed the first two kinds of jihad as جھاد اکبر (the greater jihad) and the third kind of jihad as جھاد اصغر (the smaller jihad). Once when he was returning from fighting he is reported to have said: رجعتم من الجھاد الاصغر الی الجھاد الاکبر i.e. you have returned from the smaller jihad (fighting against the enemies of Islam) to the greater jihad (waging war against one’s baser self) (Khatib). According to Imam Raghib, the words جاھدوا فی اللّٰه حق جھادہ include all the three forms of jihad. The words جاھدوا فی اللّٰه may also include the propagation of Islam, as the words, "and He has laid no hardship upon you in religion," indicate. See also 2:219.

The words, "He has chosen you and has laid no hardship upon you in religion," show that while on the one hand it has been laid down as a sacred duty upon Muslims to preach their religion, on the other they signify that Islam is a simple, practical and practicable religion and there is nothing in its commandments which it is not easily possible for man to carry out. To this practicality and practicability of the Islamic ordinances pointed references have also been made in vv. 2:287 & 54:18. The words also show that the Law or Shari‘ah has not been revealed to impose a burden upon man as the Christians say but, on the contrary, to lighten his burdens and to break the chains and fetters with which he has shackled himself and to uplift him morally and spiritually.

The words, "He named you Muslims before," refer to the following prophecy of the Bible:

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name… And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen, and the Lord God shall slay thee; and He shall call His servants by another name (Isaiah 62:2 & 65:15).

The allusion in the words "And in this Book" is to Abraham’s prayer quoted in the Quran, viz. "Our Lord make us Muslims (submissive) to Thee and make our offspring a people submissive to Thee" (2:129). It is very significant that though in its essence the religion of all the Prophets of God was Islam, it was reserved for the religion of the Holy Prophet Muhammad to receive this proper name from God. As the religions preached and practised by the former prophets were only an undeveloped and imperfect form of Islam they did not receive a proper name and were known after their own names.

But as Islam, the eternal faith, received its fullest development and completest consummation at the hands of the Holy Prophet, his religion was given this proper name. This is one of the many superiorities which the Holy Prophetpossesses over other Prophets of God.

The words "He named you Muslims" possess another significance. The word 'Muslim' being from the root 'Islam' which means 'peace'; a true Muslim is one who is at peace with God and man and is also at peace with himself. The Holy Prophet has given an apt definition of a Muslim in the following well-known hadith

المسلم من سلم المسلمون من یدہ و لسانه

i.e. a true Muslim is one from whose hands and tongue other Muslims are safe (Bukhari). It is indeed strange that a religion, whose very name means 'peace' and whose followers are enjoined to preach and practise peace, should have been stigmatized by hostile and ignorant critics as having brought fire and sword into the world, and should have been maligned as being indebted for its expansion and propagation to the swords and spears of its votaries! Nothing could be farther from truth.

Commentary:

As against the wrong construction deliberately placed on jihad by some prejudiced Christian orientalists, the primary significance of this word, as is apparent from this verse, is 'to strive.' It is in this sense that the word has been frequently used in the Surahs revealed at Mecca where fighting with the sword was out of the question. As to the significance of jihad by the sword and the circumstances under which it is allowed and the conditions that govern its conduct and continuance, see 22:40.

9:20, 41.

Commentary:

The reference in the verse again seems to be to the present time—the era of the Promised Messiah, in which, in the absence of religious wars, monetary sacrifice is given precedence over other forms of sacrifice. The present is the time for propagation of Islamic principles and ideals for which money, more than anything else, is urgently needed. The two verses (11, 12) equally are of general application.