Part 5
By Basham Shaheed
3. Abandoning Jihad in the Path of Allah
Among the most fundamental crises that have halted the advancement of the Muslim Ummah and directly contributed to its intellectual, political, and spiritual decline is the abandonment of jihad and the resulting subjugation of Muslim lands to tyrannical and unbelieving governments, their domination, control, and colonial exploitation.
Historically, it was through the power of jihad that Muslims succeeded in carrying the sacred message of the Prophet of Mercy, the Final Messenger Muhammad (PBUH), to the farthest regions of the earth.
Jihad was not merely a military undertaking, but a mighty instrument through which Muslims derived strength, honor, and triumph; by its blessing, societies were shielded from corruption, humiliation, and the destructive moral diseases that eat away at nations.
So long as Muslims kept the banner of jihad aloft, they ruled vast territories, rapidly expanded their influence, and consistently overcame their enemies. Merely hearing the name of Islam would cause adversaries to tremble. None dared to violate the sanctity, dignity, or lives of Muslims. Jihad was the highest pinnacle of Islamic faith. Through the sacrifices of the earliest generations of mujahideen, our noble ancestors and the great luminaries of the Ummah secured honor, leadership, and a flourishing civilization, achieving victories wherever they confronted those who opposed them.
But from the moment the sword of jihad was set aside, Muslims began to weaken. Gradually, they slipped into a state of fragility, humiliation, and defeat. Today, they find themselves unable even to defend their own religion, honor, dignity, and homeland. They struggle to protect, much less assist, their oppressed brothers and sisters across the world who are being crushed beneath the machinery of tyranny, occupation, and destruction.
In the absence of resistance, the disbelieving powers carved the Muslim world into fragments, dividing it into small, powerless states. They replaced the laws of Almighty Allah with secular codes incompatible with Islam. They imposed educational systems and curricula purposefully designed to erode the faith, conviction, and identity of Muslim youth. Worse still, anyone who rises to defend his religion, land, liberty, and independence is branded with the slur of “terrorist,” a label used to criminalize justice and sanctify oppression.
In short, jihad is among the foundational pillars of Islam. And from the day this great obligation was abandoned, the Ummah has been accompanied by weakness, inferiority, and disgrace.
Yet if the spirit of jihad is revived once more within the hearts of Muslims, if foreign and domestic colonialism, whether political, military, or economic, is forced out in all its forms, and if sovereignty over our lands, resources, minds, and moral compass is restored, then the fate of the Ummah will change dramatically. One must ask: what would unfold if such a revival were to take root?
There is only one path capable of restoring the dignity, honor, and happiness of Muslims, and of delivering retribution for the relentless injustices imposed upon oppressed Muslim communities worldwide, and that is jihad. The children of Islam must be educated, nurtured, and inspired with the spirit of jihad so that, tomorrow, they may reclaim the noble inheritance that slipped from the hands of their forefathers.
