Jihād and the Effects of Intention Upon It

Jihād and the Effects of Intention Upon It

By Imām 'Abdul-Qādir Ibn 'Abdil-'Azīz

may Allāh free him

"And military training is from the requisites of Jihād, and it has the same goals as it. And the Muslim Brother is susceptible to injury or martyrdom while in training, so what is obligatory upon him is to make his intention sincere, and for his goal from the training to be Jihād so the Word of Allāh will be the Highest, so that full rewards will be recorded for him, In Shā’ Allāh. As the reward promised for the Mujāhidīn is all contingent upon the condition of the action being “In the Path of Allāh.”

So he must not train or perform Jihād with the aim that he be mentioned and for his stance to be seen, then it be said about him that he is courageous. Nor with the aim that he return to his country then stand in the place of glory, so that it be said about him “The courageous Mujāhid who surpassed his peers.” As the Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said, “Verily, the first person who will be judged upon on the Day of Resurrection is a man who was martyred. So he is brought, then He verifies to him His virtues, so he recognizes them. He says, ‘Then what did you do with them?’ He says, ‘I fought in You (i.e. Your Cause) until I was martyred.’ He says, ‘You lied. Rather you fought so that it would be said ‘(He is) fearless’ and it was said’, then it is ordered in his regard, so he is dragged upon his face until he is placed in the Fire.” 1

And the Muslim must not train or perform Jihād with the aim of reaching a financial benefit or leadership and surpassing someone besides him. Because he might be killed before he attains anything from that, so he will have lost the Dunyā and the Hereafter, and that is the Evident Loss. 2 And the Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم, has said, “Two hungry wolves sent into sheep are not more corrupting to them than the greed of a person for wealth and honour is to his religion.” 3 And its meaning is that greed for wealth and honour, and it is leadership, corrupts the Religion more severely than the corruption of two hungry wolves to a stable of sheep. So what is left of it after this?"

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1-A part of a long Hadīth narrated by Muslim from Abū Hurayrah.
2-Trans. Note: Allāh, Ta’ālā, says,

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ
And among mankind is he who worships Allāh as it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islām). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss. (Al-Hajj, 11)
3-Narrated by Ahmad and At-Tirmithī with an authentic chain of narration from Ka’b Ibn Mālik, may Allāh be pleased with him. Trans. Note: This Hadīth was declared “Hasan Sahīh” by At-Tirmithī in his “Jāmi’”, #2376, “Hasan” by Al-Baghawī in “Sharh As-Sunnah”, Vol. 7/299, and “Sahīh” by Al-Albānī in “Sahīh Al-Jāmi’”, #5620, as well as in five other areas in his books, with one phrasing missing the word “...sent...”. It was also declared “Sahīh” by Shaykh Muqbil Al-Wādi’ī in “As-Sahīh Al-Musnad Min Mā Lasya Fis-Sahīhayn”, #1100.

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