The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 265
PT. 17 Commentary: AL-HAJJ The word has been used in two senses in the Quran with a slight change, viz. i. e. striving hard in the cause of Allah, used in several verses of the Quran and a, literally meaning striving hard in Allah, as used in the present verse and in 29:70. As it appears from the latter two verses a signifies striving hard to win the pleasure and CH. 22 The words, "He has chosen you and has laid no hardship upon you in religion," show that while on the one hand it has been laid down as a sacred duty upon Muslims to preach their religion, on the other they signify that Islam is a simple, practical and practicable religion and there is nothing in its commandments which it is not easily possible for man to carry out. To this practicality and practicability جهاد في سبيل الله nearness of God while signifies the waging of war against the enemies of truth. Thus au seems to possess a higher spiritual. جهاد فی سبیل اللہ significance than Jihad is of three kinds: (a) jihad against one's baser self, i. e. against one's evil desires and propensities or jihad against Satan and (b) jihad against the enemies of truth which includes fighting in self-defence. These two kinds of jihad may be termed as and the third kind of jihad may be called. The Holy Prophet has termed the first two kinds of jihad as the greater jihad) and the third kind of jihadas (the smaller jihad). Once when he was returning from fighting he is reported to have said: i. e. you have returned from the smaller jihad (fighting against the enemies of Islam) to the greater jihad (waging war against one's baser self) (Khaṭīb). According to Imām Rāghib, the include all the three forms of jihad. The words جهاده words حق الله ¿ may also include the propagation of Islam, as the words, "and He has laid no hardship upon you in religion," indicate. See also 2:219. 2179 of the Islamic ordinances pointed references have also been made in vv. 2:287 & 54:18. The words also show that the Law or Shari'ah has not been revealed to impose a burden upon man as the Christians say but, on the contrary, to lighten his burdens and to break the chains and fetters with which he has shackled himself and to uplift him morally and spiritually. The words, "He named you Muslims before," refer to the following prophecy of the Bible: And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name. . . And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen, and the Lord God shall slay thee; and He shall call His servants by another name (Isaiah 62:2 & 65:15). The allusion in the words "And in this Book" is to Abraham's prayer quoted in the Quran, viz. "Our Lord make us Muslims (submissive) to Thee and make our offspring a people submissive to Thee" (2:129). It is very significant that though in its essence the religion of all the Prophets of God was Islam, it was