Greater versus lesser jehad....

[Guest guest]

GReetings ushaji!

 

you write ...

 

 

Al Qaeda is a dangerous group. There is no

justification for killing women and children the way

that they have done. They claim to follow Islam, but

the Koran says quite clearly and explicitly that what

they have been doing is wrong.

 

YES! in fact, in the recent bus explosion in Israel where 16 people

were killed the islamic jehad party has claimed responsibility....

 

but what is jehad? is this the jehad that is based on Koran ?

 

in this context, i would like to share an article i read on the

web...

 

Greater Jehad

 

The true spiritual struggle lies in purifying oneself

 

The Prophet Mohammed had said that we should turn from the Lesser

Jehad towards the greater Greater One . Jehad in general

means 'struggle'. In a specific sense, it signifies holy war. When

the Prophet returned from the battlefield he told his followers that

he "had already finished the Lesser Jehad but the Greater Jehad is

still there."

 

Jalaluddin Rumi in his invaluable masterwork Mathnavi gives us a

profound interpretation of this narration. He says that the very

nature of this Greater Jehad is very complicated.

 

Greater Jehad, in Rumi's view , implies the continuous struggle with

the elements that contaminate the "Self". He indicates that

the "Lesser Jehad" is a temporary struggle with external elements

whereas the "Greater Jehad" is a permanent struggle with internal

elements.

 

He further says : "O Elders ! We have crushed the enemies outside

(poverty, disease, illiteracy and so on) but the hurdle of deadly

enemies inside (lust, anger, greed, ego, envy, doubt) remain

unscathed!

 

"These enemies cannot be crushed by our intellect and consciousness.

They are like a lion whose subjugation cannot be planned by a rabbit

(intellect) . This enemy is like a deadly python whose thirst cannot

be quenched even by entire rivers of water."

 

Humans beings are like a bow, and these internal elements are like

crooked arrows . They cannot be shot from the bow . For achieving an

easy passage to God , we should try to take help from a "perfect

man" , a "spiritual master" , a "guru" and a "Prophet", who could

show us the way . Otherwise we will be helpless and powerless.

 

Rumi says further:

 

"If we do so, even if we are (as insignificant as) a needle , but

with direct access to Almighty, we will be able to blow the Qaaf

(symbolizing a huge , invincible mountain) into smithereens . And

that is why to gain sight of our own `Self ' is so important . The

call for self-consciousness in order to know the Lord is the epitome

of all religious teachings."

 

As Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian nation , says in his book

My Religion: "There is one reality in the whole world and that is the

knowledge of the self. Whoever knows his own self knows God and his

creatures . Whoever is devoid of such knowledge is devoid of any

knowledge."

 

In the world there is only one force , one type of freedom and one

form of justice and that is the power of ruling over ones own self .

Whoever has domination over his self has domination over the world.

 

"There is only one sort of goodness in the world , and that is loving

others as one loves himself ; in other words we should regard other

people as we regard ourselves . What remains is illusion and nullity."

 

It is obvious that the self consciousness that we are discussing is

not that which appears on one's ID card (name , father's and mother's

names , birth place and place of residence ). It is not a biological

self-consciousness (that man ranks one degree higher than bears,

monkeys, and other beasts). To shed light on this obscure area ,

Sheikh Mahmud Shabistari (1267-1320) in his mystical poem Gulshan-i-

Raz (the mystic rose garden) explains the nature of "Self" as follows:

 

Who am I ? Make me well aware of "self"

What does it means, within your self , "travel" ?

Then you inquired about , what is it "self" ?

Make me aware of "Self". Who is this "Self"?

 

Acquiring knowledge of this Self , which is God, is the Greater Jehad

 

author of this article is

 

Mr. Issa Rezazadeh, Cultural Counsellor

 

published in indian express

 

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ushaji, that is why i am convinced there is no one 'brand' of

terrorism -although 'islamic terrorism' seems to be the most

obvious.... terrorism comes in many shapes and sizes ... "

imperialism' was one form of terrorism... unprovoked military

aggression is another; suicide bombinga are yet another; so on and so

forth....

 

ultimately it all boils down to this- the oppressor and the

oppressed ....

 

when we will see the end to all this? or is this just a beginning?

 

love and thanks as usual for your thoughful comments...