The greater and lesser jihad
Jihad has two aspects: fighting against superstition, wrong belief, carnal desire, and evil inclinations in the quest of intellectual and spiritual enlightenment (the greater jihad); and encouraging others to strive for the same goal (the lesser jihad).
The lesser jihad does not refer only to striving on battlefields. Being comprehensive in nature, it includes every action from speaking out to presenting oneself on the battlefield when necessary—but only if it is done for His sake. Speaking or keeping silent, smiling or frowning, joining or leaving a meeting, and all other actions taken to help individuals or communities can be considered part of this type of jihad.
The lesser jihad seeks to mobilize all material facilities and is performed in the outer world, whereas the greater jihad is a personal struggle against one’s carnal self. These two forms of jihad cannot be separated.
Only those who defeat their carnal selves can perform the lesser jihad, which, in turn, helps those engaged in the greater jihad.
Those who abandon the lesser jihad are liable to spiritual deterioration and subsequent recovery. Everything praises and glorifies God with each breath and thus is a sign of God’s Existence and Unity, a sign that may guide them to the Straight Path. For this reason, there are as many paths leading to the Straight Path of God as the breaths of all His creatures. Those who return from the lesser jihad can be captivated by such worldly weaknesses as pride, love of comfort and ease, and may think it is time to relax and indulge in such things. This is why the Prophet warned his Companions once when they were returning to Madina after a victory:
We are returning from the lesser jihad to the greater. However, to secure God’s help and protection and to be successful in the greater jihad, in fighting against animal desires and impulses, depend upon supporting His religion. If people want to be safe from going astray, their aim in life must be to strive for God’s sake, and all of their actions, even the simplest (i.e., eating, sleeping, choosing, and training for a job, etc.) must be directed toward this objective. God declares in the Qur’an: O believers! If you help [the religion of] God, God will help you and make your feet firm [in practicing your religion and against Satan, your carnal selves, and enemies]. (47:7)
The Prophet combined perfectly these two aspects of jihad. He displayed monumental courage on battlefields. ‘Ali, one of the most courageous Muslims, stated that the Companions took shelter behind the Prophet at a battle’s most critical moments. For example, when the Muslims experienced a reverse and began to scatter during the first phase of the Battle of Hunayn, the Prophet urged his horse toward the enemy lines and shouted to the retreating Muslims: “I am a Prophet, this is no lie! I am the grandson of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, this is no lie!”
This bravest of all people was also the most devout worshipper of God. He was consumed with love and awe while praying, and all who saw him felt great tenderness for him. He frequently fasted every other day or even several days in a row. Sometimes he would stand almost the whole night in prayer, which would cause his feet would to swell. Sahih al-Bukhari records that once ‘A’isha thought such prayer excessive and asked him why he prayed so much, seeing that God had forgiven all of his sins. His reply: “Shall I not be a grateful servant to God?”
The Messenger of God sometimes prayed without waking his wife. Such Traditionists as Muslim, Tirmidhi, and Haythami relate from ‘A’isha that once she woke up and saw that the Messenger was not beside her. Thinking he might be with another wife, she became jealous and started to get up. But then her hand touched the Prophet’s feet, and she realized that he was prostrating in prayer, saying: “O God, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath, in Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and with You from You. I am not able to praise You as You praise Yourself.”
The Companions also combined jihad’s two aspects in their lives. They used to spend their nights praying. Ibn Hanbal relates that once two soldiers had to take turns praying while standing guard. An enemy soldier, understanding this situation, shot a shower of arrows at the praying soldier, who continued to pray even though he had been hit. After he finished his prayer, he woke his fellow soldier. Seeing his friend bleeding profusely, this man asked why he had not woken him up sooner. The Companion replied: “I was reciting Surat al-Kahf, and did not wish the deep pleasure I found therein to be interrupted.”
They were very sincere in their deeds, for they constantly disciplined themselves in order to attain God’s good pleasure. During his caliphate, ‘Umar once interrupted his own sermon with: “O ‘Umar, you were a shepherd taking care of your father’s sheep!” When asked why he had said that, he answered: “I remembered that I was the caliph, and became afraid of feeling proud.” One time, when asked why he was carrying a sack on his back, he replied: “I felt some pride, and wanted to get rid of it.”
Only such people can obtain the desired results from their jihad. Those who retain their pride, self-regard, and insincerity most likely will cause great harm to the cause of Islam and never obtain the hoped-for result. Jihad requires both self-control and preaching the truth, as well as overcoming our carnal desires and animal impulses and encouraging others to do so to obtain God’s good pleasure. Neglecting the former produces social anarchy; neglecting the latter engenders laziness. The Prophet expresses jihad’s two aspects as: “The eyes of the two people will never witness the fire of Hell: the eyes of soldiers who keep guard at frontiers and on battlefields, and of those whose awe of God causes them to cry.”
In Surat al-Nasr, the Qur’an describes both types of jihad: When the help of God comes, and victory, and you see people entering God’s religion in throngs, then glorify the praise of your Lord, and seek His forgiveness; for He is Relenting, Merciful (110:1-3).
When the believers sincerely pursued the lesser jihad on the battlefield, against those who sought to prevent their worship of the One God, or their enjoining good and forbidding evil, God’s help and victory came and people started embracing Islam in throngs. At that moment, the Almighty decreed that His praises should be glorified and His forgiveness sought. As all success and victory are from God, only He deserves our praise and worship.