Priorities
Q508 :It is stated that jihad, the holy war, is one
action which earns the highest reward from Allah. Please
comment.
A508 : If we were to ask people where do they place
jihad for Allah's cause in their list of virtuous actions, most of them
will undoubtedly place it at the very top. Jihad requires a person to
recognize the fact that Islam is the religion of the truth, accept it
and hold firmly to it, and to convey it to others. In order to do this,
a person may have to sacrifice his wealth and his life. Jihad means to
accept these risks willingly. Although most people understand the term
to mean fighting the enemies of Islam in order that Islam may achieve
supremacy over all other philosophies and creeds, its significance is
much wider than its erroneous translation as "holy war". Every action
which serves the dual purpose of establishing Islam firm in its own
land and conveying it to others, including an information campaign, is
part of jihad. Whether we take jihad in this widest sense or restrict
it to the narrower sense of fighting the unbelievers in battle, it
ranks with most people as the most important action which earns reward
from Allah. Since jihad requires a positive effort which involves
sacrifice of one's time, money or life, it tends to overshadow other
virtuous actions which bring us reward from Allah. Companions of the
Prophet were in the habit of asking him about everything which relates
to religion. They realized that Islam is a complete way of life which
requires them to modify or amend, or totally change their practices so
that they are in line with what Allah requires of them. Hence, they
went to the Prophet asking him about anything on which they did not
have clear guidance. At times, they put their questions in general
terms in order to establish a certain principle or a definite list of
priorities. Abdullah ibn Masood, a companion of the Prophet who
achieved great renown as one of the leading scholars among the
companions of the Prophet, reports that he asked the Prophet once:
"Which action is most pleasing to Allah?" He answered: "To pray on
time." I asked: "What comes next?" He answered: "Then comes kindness to
one's parents." I said: "What comes next?" He said: "Next comes jihad
for Allah's cause." (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and others.) We
note that the Prophet mentions first a pure act of worship which falls
in the area of personal relationship with Allah as the act most
pleasing to Him. He follows that with an action which falls in a very
narrow section of social relations, i.e. family relations. He places
both actions above the one which has more to do with public life and
with the common welfare of the Muslim community. Moreover, the two
first actions require much less effort and sacrifice than the third
one. This Hadith reveals that the Prophet had a keen insight into what
motivates people to work and to sacrifice. We know that prayer is the
most important duty imposed by Islam. It does not impose a very heavy
burden on the individual. It is an easy and pleasant duty which makes
man constantly aware of what Allah requires of him and keeps him on his
guard against falling in sin. It is only natural that the fulfillment
of the top and most frequent duty should earn the greatest reward from
Allah. What the Hadith tells us is that prayer must be offered on time
in order to earn that great reward and be most pleasing to Allah. In
other words, punctuality is of essence for prayers to be so highly
rewarded. Kindness to parents is placed second in importance. There is
no doubt that our parents have the greatest claim on our love and kind
treatment. Nothing that we may do for them in their old age, when they
grow weaker and more dependent on us, compensates them for the kindness
and love they show us when we were young and totally dependent on them.
We need only look at any child being cared for by his mother in order
to appreciate how great the sacrifice of the mother is and how little
the child can offer in return. People may not argue about the claim of
parents on their children's kindness, a duty which earns reward from
Allah. Allah rewards us for our good actions although we may do them
only by way of duty. But the emphasis placed by Islam on this kindness
to parents is due to two different considerations. First, it is easy
for a child just reaching adulthood to be preoccupied with its own
affairs, looking after its own interests, and to be proud of strength,
tough position, etc. It is very easy for such a person to be negligent
in his duty toward his parents. Some people find it very difficult to
part with their money, even when they have to pay it to their own
parents. They may have more than enough for their own needs, and their
parents may be poor, but nevertheless they find it extremely difficult
to help their parents financially. It is not uncommon to hear about
cases of unkind treatment of parents. Hence, the reminder is needed and
the Prophet reminds us in the most effective of ways. Secondly, with
such a great claim on their kindness and love which our parents posses,
if we do neglect our duty, we are bound to neglect other duties which
our religion imposes on us. We will definitely be less inclined to be
kind to others who are not related to us. We will be hesitant to extend
our help and support to those who need it and have no immediate claim
on us. Such an attitude is totally alien to Islamic behavior. Hence,
the Prophet stresses this duty. He says in another Hadith reported by
Al-Bukhari on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar: "Allah's pleasure is
dependent on the pleasure of parents, and His displeasure is caused by
the displeasure of parents with their child." In this Hadith the
Prophet shows that the surest way to earn Allah's pleasure is to be
kind to one's parents. If one is unkind to them to the extent that
their love is replaced by displeasure, anger or bitterness, then this
is the surest way to earn Allah's displeasure. There can be no gloomier
prospect than this.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News - Jeddah )