The Greatest Jihad

The Greatest Jihad: Combat with the Self

Author	Imam Khomeini
Language	English
Genre	lecturs
Publisher	CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication date	1991
Publication place	Iran
Published in English	December 6, 2013
Pages	86
ISBN	978-1-49435-076-5

Jihad al-Akbar (The Greatest Jihad) is a set of lectures created by Imam Khomeini in Najaf, which was published in 1991 by the institute for compilation and publication of Imam Khomeini's works.^[1]

Etymology

Jihad in Islam means striving way of God.(al-jihad fi sabil Allah)^[2]

In the Islamic view, jihad is two types:^[3]

1. External jihad ( physical jihad):

• Jihad (the help of God's religion) is with pen or tongue or sword.^[3]

1. Inner jihad ( spiritual or jihad al-nafs ):

• Jihad al-nafs is against all evil, anger, lust, insatiable imagination and any other bad morality in humans.^[4]

Ja'far al-Sadiq, the sixth Imam of Shiites, said: “The Muhammad dispatched a military unit to the battlefront for defense. Upon their (successful) return, he said to them "Blessed are the people who did the jihad al-Asghar" but yet jihad al-Akbar has remained.^[5] Practices of the Religion^[6] jihad al-nafs was called jihad al-Akbar and physical jihad was called jihad al-Asghar.^[7][8]

Context

In this book, Imam Khomeini Orders to Persons and students and clerics who do Jihad al-nafs. "It is necessary that you purify yourself so that when you become a head of an institution or a community you purify them and in this way take a step to rectify and build a society".^[9][10] Find a good teacher and participate in ethics classes."The possibility of evil propagation and unclean hands intervening and portraying the phenomenon of having an ethical programme of rectifying one-self as unimportant eventually corrupts the hawza".^[10] In the thought of Imam Khomeini, human learns to Loss of worldly likings and self-giving to God. Imam says: People should not be proud of reaching a high position (scientific, material, political, etc).^[8]

See also

• Islamic Government: Governance of the Jurist
• Tahrir al-Wasilah
• The Unveiling of Secrets
• Forty Hadith of Ruhullah Khomeini
• Kashf al-Asrar

References

1. Ansari, Nasir al-Din. "The Works and Declarations of Imam Khomeini". Islamic Thought Foundation.
2. Josef W. Meri, ed. (2005). "Medieval Islamic Civilization". Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 0415966906., Jihad, p. 419.
3. Michael Bonner (2008). Jihad in Islamic History. Princeton University Press (Kindle edition). p. 13.
4. Staff writer (30 October 2012). "Merits of the Soul: Struggle against the Self (Jihad al-Nafs)".
5. Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir ibn Muḥammad Taqī (1956). Bihar al-anwar. Javad al-Alavi va Muhammad Akhundi, 1956. p. 182.
6. Esposito, John L. (1988). Islam: The Straight Path. Oxford University Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0195043983.
7. Bonner, Michael (17 August 2008). Jihad in Islamic History: Doctrines and Practice. Princeton University Press, 2008. p. 78. ISBN 9780691138381.
8. HAGHANI KHA VEH, ABOULHASSAN. "ABOULHASSAN HAGHANI KHA VEH".
9. Khomeini, Ruhollah. Jihad e Akbar. p. 23.
10. Abbas, Mirza. "The Methodology of Imam Khomeini (r) in the Purification of the Soul".