Inspiration and Spirituality

Jihad al-Nafs: The Greater Struggle

Published

November 23, 2007

Shaykh Abu Aaliyah Surkheel

What are the dimensions of jihad?

What is inner jihad?
Ibn Rajab on inner jihad.
One soul, three potentials?

Click here to learn more…

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Related Topics:Heart Inspiration Spirituality Tazkiyyah

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Shaykh Abu Aaliyah Surkheel

Abu Aaliyah is the founder of The Jawziyyah Institute, a leading institute for Islamic moderation and contemporary thought in the United Kingdom. Sidi Abu Aaliyah has been in involved in Dawah and Islamic teachings since 1986. He has translated a number of books from the Arabic language into English such as "The Exquisite Pearls". Abu Aaliyah's written works and audio lectures can be found online.

5 Comments

Nafees

November 23, 2007 at 2:07 PM

Like your first Taqleed article, this one is also beautifully written, no pretensions, simply good Islamic authorship and argument in English – something so rare. May Allah Reward you.

Reply
abuadam

November 23, 2007 at 7:26 PM

mashAllah. excellent article. by the way when is the 2nd part of the Taqleed article coming out?

Reply
Abu Aaliyah

November 24, 2007 at 8:05 AM

As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah.

Currently I’m in Australia, then I’m going to India; returning back to the U.K. in the first week of December, inshallah. Somewhere around the third week of Dec. is when I hope the second part of the Taqlid paper will be completed, bi’idhnillah.

Jazakumullahu khayran to you all for your comments and your patience.

Reply
Truth of the Matter

November 24, 2007 at 8:23 AM

And Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have Mercy upon him) describes those who neglect the obligation of commanding the good and forbidding the evil and Jihad in the Path of Allah as those who are lowest in their religious commitment, and the worst sinners in the Sight of Allah – the Exalted – as he says: “As for Jihad, and commanding the good and forbidding the evil, and being true to Allah and His Messenger and His servants, and giving victory and aid to Allah and His Messenger and His Religion and Book, then these are obligations that do not even occur to them, let alone be desired or implemented by them. And the lowest in people of religious commitment, and worst of them in the Sight of Allah are those who abandon these obligations, even if they abstain from every single one of the worldly pleasures. And you see very few of them having their faces turn red because of the limits of Allah being violated, or exerting their effort in aiding His religion. The situation of the major sinners is better with Allah than these.” (Uddat as-Sabirin; p. 121)

Reply
hidayah

December 4, 2008 at 6:33 PM

Asalaam alaikum, just re the title I wanted to mention that the hadith about jihad an-nafs being the greater hadith is not saheeh despite the fact it is popular among the people – our local sheikh mentioned that, and here is a link regarding it: http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/10455 — I just think we should be aware of this since there are a few very oft repeated hadiths that are not saheeh (including the one about Jannah being at the feet of the mother) but of course I am not giving any rulings as Im not a scholar, just passing on what I’ve heard from scholars – everyone can look into it themselves insha’Allah.

Reply