Through Force or Faith? — Page 112
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 112 َو ْنَم َدَهاَج اَمَّنِاَف ُدِهاَجُي ٖهِسْفَنِل١ؕ َّنِا َهّٰللا ٌّيِنَغَل ِنَع َنْيِمَلٰعْلا And whoso strives, strives only for his own soul; ver- ily, Allah is Independent of the entire universe. ( S u rah al-‘Ankab u t, 29:7) Similarly, Allah, the Exalted, says at another place, explaining the practical form of this jihad , as: ىٰلْوَمْلا َو َمْعِن ُرْيِصَّنلااْوُنْوُكَت َءٓاَدَهُش ىَلَع ِساَّنلا١ۖۚ اوُمْيِقَاَف َةوٰلَّصلا َو اوُتٰا َةوٰكَّزلا َو اْوُمِصَتْعا ِهّٰللاِب١ؕ َوُه ْمُكىٰلْوَم١ۚ َمْعِنَف ْمُكْيِبَا َمْيِهٰرْبِا١ؕ َوُه ُمُكىّٰمَس َنْيِمِلْسُمْلا١ۙ۬ ْنِم ُلْبَق َو ْيِف اَذٰه َنْوُكَيِل ُلْوُسَّرلا اًدْيِهَش ْمُكْيَلَع َو َو اْوُدِهاَج يِف ِهّٰللا َّقَح ٖهِداَهِج١ؕ َوُه ْمُكىٰبَتْجا َو اَم َلَعَج ْمُكْيَلَع يِف ِنْيِّدلا ْنِم ٍجَرَح١ؕ َةَّلِم And strive in the cause of Allah as it behoves you to strive for it. He has chosen you and has laid no hardship upon you in religion; so follow the faith of your father Abraham; He has named you Muslims both before and in this Book, so that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and you may be witnesses over mankind. Therefore observe Prayer and pay Zak ā t, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protector and an Excellent Protector and an Excellent Helper! ( S u rah al- H ajj, 22:79) In these noble verses, Allah, the Exalted, has enjoined jihad , and, in its explication, says, ‘Establish prayer and give Zak ā t and hold fast to Allah’. Moreover, He has mentioned adoption of right- eousness and access to God through the mediation of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Thus indeed, reformation of self and obser- vance of worship is the most important form of jihad because the jihad against self, as is mentioned in these noble verses, is also