- Chapter: Striving (mujāhada)
Allah the Exalted says, “As for those who strive in Our cause, We shall surely guide them to Our ways; and indeed Allah is with the doers of good.” ⦗Al-ʿAnkabūt 69⦘
He also says, “Worship your Lord until certainty (death) comes to you.” ⦗Al-Ḥijr 99⦘
And He says, “Remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself wholly to Him.” ⦗Al-Muzzammil 8⦘—that is, cut yourself off for His sake alone.
He, Most High, also says, “Whoever does an atom’s weight of good shall see it.” ⦗Al-Zalzalah 7⦘
And He says, “Whatever good you forward for yourselves, you will find it with Allah—far better and far greater in reward.” ⦗Al-Muzzammil 20⦘
And He says, “Whatever good you spend, Allah is fully aware of it.” ⦗Al-Baqarah 273⦘. There are many well-known verses on this subject.
Commentary
The author—may Allah have mercy on him—entitles this section “Striving.” Mujāhada means a person’s struggle against his own self and against others. The first—and most demanding—arena is one’s struggle against the self, and no battle against external foes can be successfully waged until the self has first been conquered.
Striving against the self revolves around two matters: forcing it to perform acts of obedience and restraining it from acts of disobedience. Both are burdensome for the soul except for those to whom Allah grants ease. Performing acts of worship is heavy on the soul unless Allah lightens it, and abandoning sins is likewise heavy unless Allah grants relief. Therefore, the soul requires persistent striving, especially when its appetite for good is weak; a person must grapple mightily with himself in order to compel it toward righteousness.
Foremost among these inner battles is the struggle to achieve sincerity for Allah in worship, for sincerity is of tremendous gravity and extreme difficulty—so much so that some