The Hardest Aspect of the Hardest Act of Worship in Islam From my looking at this Dîn (religion) and my long experience with its signs and acts of worship, I find that the most difficult act of worship upon the soul is Jihâd. Therefore (due to its difficulty) it is the topmost part of Islâm, and the bountiful rewards which Allâh has prepared for the Mujâhidîn are no passing coincidence. In the Sahîhayn (al-Bukhârî and Muslim) on the authority of Abû Dharr: I (Abû Dharr) said: عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَىُّ الْعَمَلِ خَيْرٌ قَالَ ” إِيمَانٌ بِاللَّهِ وَجِهَادٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ” {‘O Messenger of Allâh, which is the best of deeds?’} He said: {“Îmân in Allâh and Jihâd for His Cause”.} And in the Sahîhayn on the authority of Abû Hurayrah may Allah be pleased with him, it was said: {‘O Messenger of Allâh, what deed is equal to Jihâd for the sake of Allâh (in reward)?’} He said: {“You are not able to do it”.} So he repeated it (i.e. the question) two or three times … every time, he (Sallallahu ‘elayhi Wasalam) – said: {“You are not able to do it”.} Then he (Sallallahu ‘elayhi Wasalam) said: {“The likeness of a Mujâhid in Allâh’s Cause is like the one fasting, praying, being attentive of Allâh’s verses not breaking from his prayer nor his fast until the Mujâhid in Allâh’s Cause returns”.} And in the authentic hadîth with Ahmad and at-Tirmidhî: {“Standing a period of time in the row of fighting is better than standing (praying) for sixty years”.} Therefore there is ijmâ’ (consensus), likewise, that there is nothing equal to the reward of Jihâd, and that ribât is better than being by the Ka’bah. On the authority of Abû Hurayrah, the Prophet said: عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: “موقف ساعة في سبيل الله خير من قيام ليلة القدر عند الحجر الأسود..” رواه ابن حبان في صحيحه والبيهقي وغيرهم وهو في صحيح الترغيب والترهيب للألباني {“That I make ribât for one night in Allâh’s Cause is better than that I stand (for prayer) in Laylatul-Qadr by the Black Stone”.} Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, al-Bayhaqi and others, also in at-Targhib wal Tarhib by al-Albaani. And (similarly) in the Qur’ân: أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ الْحَاجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَجَاهَدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ لَا يَسْتَوُونَ عِندَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ * الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِندَ اللَّهِ ۚ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ {“Do you consider the providing of drinking water to the pilgrims and the maintenance of al-Masjid al-Harâm (at Makkah) as equal to the worth of those who believe in Allâh and the Last Day, and strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allâh? They are not equal before Allâh. And Allâh guides not those people who are the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrongdoers). Those who believed and emigrated and strove hard and fought in Allâh’s Cause with their wealth and their lives are far higher in degree with Allâh. They are the successful.”} [Sûrat at-Tawbah: 19-20] It is stated in Sahîh Muslim that the reason for revelation of this âyah was the ikhtilâf (differing) between the Sahabah regarding what was the greatest act of worship in terms of reward. Was it to give water to the pilgrims or maintaining the Masjid al-Harâm or Jihâd in Allâh’s Cause? I found that the hardest thing in Jihâd was its waiting; making ribât for the battle is harder than the actual battle itself. Since the more the period becomes longer in making ribât, the more boredom begins to creep into the sedentary souls. The zeal begins to waste away day by day, if the soul does not find what preserves its ardour, burning flames and the fuel from the acts of worship, as well as what sparks the blaze for zeal and its setting alight the fire of its courage for the battle. Those who live amongst the Mujâhidîn know this fact clearly, especially those who come to the Jihâd from far, leaving the decor of worldly life and its treasures and the glitter and gloss of wishful dreams. Then the Shaytân comes to tempt them to return to their worldly lives which they left. But he (Shaytân) does not enter except through the door of “benefit” and “the weighing of benefits” and “balancing of the pros and cons”. He does not immediately come to them through the door of abandoning the Jihâd, rather through the door that the place you left will cause their children to be neglected, and the Masjid that they left will fall short in its maintenance and the family which their souls tore away from, will (itself) be torn apart. By Sheikh Al-Mujahid ‘Abdullâh Azzam. Extract from Nida’ul-Islâm vol.5 issue 22 Translated by Abû Zayd
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 11:43:33 +0000
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