All praise belongs to Allah, for the blessing of gathering us upon the service of His deen and the seeking of His pleasure. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah; a witnessing through which Allah makes firm in our hearts the light of certainty. And I bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is His slave and Messenger; a witnessing through which we are tied to his presence—a tying that will prepare us for his service and victory. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness until end of day!
Sura 2 - Al-Baqara [The Cow] Verse 32-32: 32. They said: "Glory to Thee, of knowledge We have none, save what Thou Hast taught us: In truth it is Thou Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."
Sura 3 - Aal-E-Imran [The Family of Imran] Verse 7-7: 7. He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.
Sura 12 - Yusuf [Joseph] Verse 22-22: 22. وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ آتَيْنَاهُ حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Sura 12 - Yusuf [Joseph] Verse 22-22: 22. When Joseph attained His full manhood, We gave him power and knowledge: thus do We reward those who do right.
As for what proceeds (wa ba’ad);
I sincerely thank Allah, for you and me; that He has blessed us to reach this sacred months of sacrifice and sanctuary, and that, all the while we are upon the belief of “La Ilaha Ila-Allah, Muhammad Rasul-Allah”.
The word "Jihad" in the Arabic language literally means to do the best and to give effort to the best of ones ability. Its grassroot meaning requires doing any act with strong attention (mind) and intention (heart).
All of this effort is for one purpose: to strive to serve God. Muslims use this word to describe the strong effort in challenging anything that has been unjust. For example, all efforts to achieve and to maintain real peace would be called jihad. Seeking beneficial knowledge is also a part of jihad, as is helping the poor, comforting the sick and, in general, behaving in a way that glorifies God (Allah). It does not stand for terrorism, as portrayed by the media. In fact, the true meaning is quite the opposite.
Jihad is a cardinal Islamic virtue in which it’s used to support Islam’s aim which is to purify the inner and outer person or community, and to deal with society in an equitable manner where poor and vulnerable people are treated with full respect. Unfortunately, the word jihad has been corrupted and misused, not only by some Muslims, but also by Westerners. "Holy war" carries a negative connotation. There is no justification for criminal acts committed in the name of God. Like anything powerful even the word jihad can be used to justify good or evil.
True, Jihad is the most beloved deed to Allah in general. However, certain deeds might become more beloved to Allah in certain instances. For example, in a time where you have no shortage in Mujahidin, while the scholars are few, it becomes more important, and more rewarding for people to seek knowledge to fulfil an obligation, than to perform Jihad.
Most 'Jihadis' will reply to this saying: 'Well Jihad today is Fard 'Ain and it takes precedence over all other obligations'. Well, true that Jihad is Fard 'Ain until every single Muslims land is freed, but what aspect of this Jihad is Fard 'Ain? Is it the aspect of going physically to fight Fard 'Ain or other aspects of it, like media, politics etc?
For example, during the first Afghan Jihad, it was pretty clear that the Afghans were in need of men more than money, and hence came the Fatwa of Sheikh Abdullah 'Azzam that Jihad is Fard 'Ain on every able male, and perhaps the same in Bosnia. However, in Chechnya the situation was quite different. In fact, the Chechens didn't want many foreigners coming in, and they explicitly stated that they are not in need of men. So is Jihad still Fard 'Ain on us in person? If not then what other aspects of Jihad are we obliged to do? Shouldn't we be trying to engage in other fields of Jihad which the Muslims are lacking in, such as media, politics etc? Shouldn't we be looking to secure the release of our brothers from Guantanamo Bay and Belmarsh? Or should we simply dream on and wait for some sophisticated Mujahidin unit to launch a secret operation behind enemy lines to free the brothers?
Islam promotes and teaches peace while "Terrorism" suggests to do the exact opposite of that. Then why is the word "Terrorist" always coupled with the word Islamic? A complete oxymoron! Unfortunately today people have been misled to think that Islam is a religion of Terror and oppression. In this lecture Shaykh Khalid Yasin reveals through historical accounts who in essence are the genuine terrorists and that Islam in is innocent of such claims.
