The Battle for our souls: Jihad-e-Akbar
The Battle for our souls: Jihad-e-Akbar
by: Hiba tur Rafiq
It was during the battle of Badr when the Quresh sent out Umar Bin Wahab to investigate the situation of the Muslim Army. Riding on horseback, as he laid eyes on the Muslim Army, his eyes swelled up and his heart began to beat faster and faster. In a state of panic, he raced his horse back to the Quresh and announced to them what he had seen. "O Quresh I did not see men on the mounts, I saw death riding on the backs of camels."
Not too long after, when a well-equipped army of 1,000 Quresh met 313 of the very same men Umar Bin Wahab had described, "the Muslims fell on the Quresh like lightning." (alislam)
The Quresh either met death or fled for their lives. All the enemy dead were placed in one pit for burial and Rasulullah (saw), addressing them, said, “O ye who lie in the pit, you were bad relations of your Prophet. You rejected me, others accepted me. You turned me out of my home, others gave me shelter. You made war on me, others aided me.” The people that had rejected the Prophet were aligned with Satan whether they knew it or not. The people that turned the Prophet out of his home were part of an evil plan. The people that made war on the Prophet were forces of evil.
In the battle between good and evil, the commander of the evil forces was Satan: In his place stood a man named Abu Jahal. What might had he brought? How long would he last? Which God did he call upon when he decided to face the army of Muhammad Rasulullah (saw), the forces of good, the friends of Allah? Before the fighting began, Hadhrat Muhammad Rasulullah prayed, "O Lord, make good Thy promise. If today this party of Muslims is wiped out, there will be none left to worship Thee." On the other end, Abu Jahal also prayed. "O God, if we are in the wrong then stone us from above or punish us otherwise." In just a matter of time, Abu Jahal was cut down like a dry tree.
Abu Jahal had not taken a drink from the cup of Life. He had not obeyed the command of Allah himself, he had denied the Prophet, and he was among the disobedient. Why were Abu Jahal and his army unsuccessful? What did Umar Bin Wahab really see in the Muslim army? Was it strength of weapons? Sharper swords? Stronger Armor? Or was it the strength of character? The strength of belief? Of strong will? Did he see in the Muslims the fear of Meccans or did he see in them the fear of Allah?
What Umar Bin Wahab saw was the obedience to and love of the Holy Prophet of Islam in every Muslim heart, the fear not of Meccans but only of Allah and the desire to surrender not to Satan but only to Allah. This is how the Muslim army brought to its knees a force three times its own size.
Today, over 1,400 years from the battle of Badr, a similar “battle” has emerged. Satan has rearranged his forces and once again come to challenge the Army of Rasulullah (saw). His propaganda and might are stronger than ever. The forces of Satan once again outnumber the Muslims as they did during the battle of Badr. The epic battle of the Messiah and the anti-christ is at hand. The battlefield, however, is much larger than that of Badr. The representative of God, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) has formed a company of men who resemble the army described by Umar Bin Wahab: Hungry and thirsting for the pleasure of God. From a distance, it can be seen that the battlefield is round. Atop stands the Khalifatullah (Vicegerent of Allah), Commander-in-chief of the Muslim Ummah, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba). Behind him are rows of Umara 
Governors), representing almost every nation of the planet earth. Behind them are scores of Sadraan (Presidents). Following their lead are Qaideen (Leaders) of the mightiest force ever formed: Majlis Khuddam-ul Ahmadiyya. They are here to fulfill their pledge, chanting: I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah; He is One, has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His servant and messenger. They stand ready to sacrifice their life, wealth, time and honor for the sake of Islam, for the sake of peace, and submission to the Creator. Among the Khuddam, I stand. As I lift up my eyes, I see Satan facing his army of innumerable souls. The battle has now begun!
The outcome of this battle is in your hands. Our weapon is prayer. Our guidance is the Qur’an. Our commands come from Khalifatul Masih. We must not fall to Satan’s propaganda. We must not let up till we conquer the forces of evil. This battle is everlasting. This fight is for our souls.
Just one year after the battle of Badr, the Meccans were on the road marching to Medina with an army of 3,000 with Abu Sufyaan as its head. The Holy Prophet had 1,000 men, outnumbered, once again. Hadhrat Muhammad (saw) appointed fifty Muslim men to guard a mountain pass located in the rear of the Muslim army and instructed them to guard their post, and not leave it in any event. As the two armies met, Muslims, being fearless of everything and fearful of Allah, drove the Mecan army back once again. Upon seeing the Meccans retreat, the fifty men left their post without the orders of Rasulullah (saw). Khalid bin Waleed, one of the Meccan commanders, seeing the window of opportunity, attacked the Muslims from the rear. The Muslims suffered heavily. A stone hurled at Rasulullah (saw) knocked him down unconscious among the many Muslims that died that day. One can only imagine the emotions that were roused that day. The Muslims gathered around the Holy Prophet to protect his life. By divine grace, the Meccans left the battlefield.
On the grounds that I stand today, many have stood before- some have conquered the fields of battle over an over again, whereas others have been cut down at the hands of Satan. Today, will I fight bravely? Will I stand my ground? Will I obey the orders of Rasulullah to protect my post? Will I obey the orders of Khalifatul Masih to continue struggling and not let up? Or Will I give up? Leave? And Give in to Satan.
Five years after the battle of Uhud, 10,000 Muslims marched into Mecca victoriously following their commander Hadhrat Muhammad Rasulullah (saw). , the leader of the Meccan opposition, accepted Islam.The Meccan commander who attacked the Muslims from the mountain post during the battle of Uhud, Khalid Bin Waleed, became a great Muslim commander. Hadhrat Muhammad (saw) entered the Ka’ba, as as his second Khalifa, Hadhrat ‘Umar Farooq (ra), destroyed each and every influence of Satan that stood there, he (saw) recited, “Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Verily, falsehood is bound to vanish.”
The battles Muhammad Rasulullah (saw) fought were both physical and spiritual. For us, he left a glad tiding. In the age of the Messiah, Jihad of the sword will not be required. Today the battle we face is spiritual but that battle is extremely difficult. The anti-christ is the sound of a television that rings in your ears when the Adhan is calling you for prayer. The anti-christ is the soft bed that leaves your body paralyzed when it’s time for Fajr. The anti-christ is the scene of a football game at a bar where alcohol is being served openly and you decide to take a sip. The anti-christ is the screen of computer which instills Satanic images in the mind of a Muslim as he wastes his time watching filthy movies. The anti-christ is the whisper of Satan when he tells a man to raise his gaze instead of lowering it. The anti-christ is not listening to Khalifatul Masih’s sermon. It is not listening to your elders, your parents, those in authority above you. It is disrespecting your spouses, your friends or those younger than you. It is the worship of money. Miserliness, anger, jealousy, lust, envy, cruelty, depression, despair, selfishness, scorn, deceit, falsehood, backbiting, maliciousness, slander, vulgarity and rebellion. The anti-christ is all evil. The anti-christ are the 360 idols that stand in our heart. We must conquer them. We must not let up. We must fight. We must win, remembering that falsehood is bound to vanish.
(Special Thanks to Naveed Malik Sb of DC for editing this article.)
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