16.) What
do Sufi masters think about the idea of jihad or holy war?
There is
nothing holy about war, and those who would seek to glorify the killing and maiming of
others do Islam, in general, and the idea of ‘jihad’, in particular, a great
disservice. While at a certain juncture of Muslim history, Allah did give permission in
the Qur’an for Muslims to be able to defend themselves under certain conditions,
authorization was not being given to wage war on anyone one liked and label it
"jihad".
In fact,
Jihad cannot be properly translated as "war". There are other words in Arabic
which are used when the idea of war is being discussed.
Jihad
means spiritual struggle. The best jihads have been described by various Hadiths in terms
of, among other things, fasting, hajj, speaking the truth in the face of tyranny, and
seeking to constrain the activities and desires of our individual carnal souls which are
the seat of our rebellious tendencies concerning spirituality.
Sufi
masters are all for the idea of struggling against our inner spiritual ignorance, darkness
and stubbornness. They are opposed to: the killing of innocent people and animals, the
waging of hostilities against children and old people, as well as the destruction of
crops, along with the means of livelihood, with which a people sustain themselves.
(Back to FAQs Menu)
|
