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somewhere and the conditions demand that collective force be used for the defence and assistance of the faith then, in the case, the use of force for the defence and assistance of faith according to the rules laid down for it, will constitute Jihad. Two conditions, however, are essential for it. Firstly, such a step must not be motivated by any personal or national self-interest, greed or enmity. It should be taken solely to carry out the command of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and to serve the cause of His faith. And, secondly, that the rules prescribed for it are scrupulously observed. If force is used without the fulfillment of these conditions, it will not be Jihad according to Islam but wanton wickedness and mischief.

To speak a just word before a tyrannical ruler (be he a Muslim or a non-Muslim) is, again, a form of Jihad. In the Traditions it has been spoken as “the best of Jihad”.

All these forms of religious struggle and endeavor, at their proper time and place, are among the obligatory duties of Islam, and, as we have seen, the term Jihad is applied to them in various degrees.

We now proceed to examine some of the verses of the Quran and Traditions of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) enjoining on Muslims the duty of Jihad and revealing to them what unique glory and spiritual merit lies in it. First, the Quranic verses:

And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive (with sincerity and under discipline). He has chosen you.

Another Quranic verse is translated as:

O ye who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous penalty? That ye believe in Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and His Apostle, and that ye strive (your utmost) in the cause of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), with your property and your person: that will be best for ye if ye but knew! He will forgive ye your sins and admit ye to Gardens beneath which rivers flow, and to beautiful mansions in Gardens of Eternity: that is, indeed, the Supreme Achievement.

After these, the Traditions:

“To believe truthfully in Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and to strive in the cause of Faith is the best of all deeds.”

“It shall not be that a person whose feet are covered with dust in the path of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) went to Hell.”

“For anyone of you to rise in the way of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) (i.e., in the defence of Islam and to take some part in the struggle for its progress and glory) is better than seventy years of worship in the corner of his house.”

May it be allotted to us also by Allah to earn the Divine reward that is for those who make earnest exertions in the path of His faith!

Martyrdom

In the special language of Islam a person who meets his death in the path of faith either as a result of obeying its injunctions and carrying out its commands as a staunch and devoted follower or in the course of struggle for its defence is called a martyr. For such a man there is a place of unparalleled honor and