Below is an extract from www.islaahiadvices.com
Mujahadah means to strive for the pleasure of Allah. In the early days of Islam, Mashaaikh would prescribe intense spiritual exercises and thousands of dhikr. Sins were not as common, so this required great strength, making it a suitable form of Mujahadah for them. As time has elapsed, sins have become extremely common making restraint very difficult. Therefore, the greatest form of Mujahadah in the 21
st century is to abstain from sins. For example, before the invention of mobile phones, acquiring obscene material was difficult, now it is in our pockets. Just having a phone and not going on filthy sites for the pleasure of Allah is Muajahadah.
Furthermore, back in the days it was difficult to phone an illicit beloved. It was a great risk because what if someone else picked up the house phone? You would have to make an excuse on the spot to hide your haram intent. Now we all have mobile phones there is no need to call the house phone anymore, eliminating the risk of someone finding out. In fact, you do not even need their number anymore! You can just search for them on social media and you are bound to find them somewhere. Maintaining haram relationships is so much easier than it used to be, therefore, abstaining is much more rewarding than it used to be.
After fulfilling the basics of Islam, this is the secret to attaining wilayat (friendship with Allah) and a catalyst to reaching Allah. Without it, the chances of attaining wilayat are slim. May Allah grant us the tawfiq, Aameen.
— Hazrat Ml. Dawood Seedat حفظه الله
(Above is an extract from Hazrat’s talk on 13/11/17 in Masjid-ut-Taqwa, Pietermaritzburg. To listen to the full talk, please
click here.)