An analytical study of Jihad ideology of Maulana Wahid- Dud-Din Khan

مولانا وحید الدین خان ؒکا نظریہ جہاد : تجزیاتی مطالعہ

Abstract

In the Islamic tradition, when the absolute word Jihad is mentioned, it means fighting with the infidels in the battlefield for Allah. But if there is any evidence, the word Jihad can also meant other efforts for the service of religion. According to Maulana Wahid-Dud-Din Khan, the name of exaggerated efforts for any purpose is Jihad. The word Jihad is used four times in the Qur'an and everywhere this word is used in the sense of effort and struggle and not directly in the sense of fighting. In Islam, the real status is peace not war; peace is a permanent state while war is a temporary state.

Although Maulana consider defensive Jihad as legitimate, but in this too, his effort is to create one-sided atmosphere of Dawah. He says wherever the word Jihad is used in the Quran, it means Jihad with Dawat, Jihad with self and Jihad with wealth etc. In the current era, instead of fighting and rioting with non-Muslims for no reason, an environment of Dawah is important. If war becomes unavoidable, only the combatant will be killed and the non-combatant will not be harmed.

The question is Jihad in the sense of fighting has been abrogated in the modern era, Maulana gives the answer that this order remains the same, the new issues that have occurred in the modern era are not related to the cancellation of self-rule, but to the change of circumstances. Its explanation lies in the jurisprudential rule that changes in time and space change the religious order. Therefore, it is clear that there is a difference between alteration and cancellation.