Without Jihad, Islam Disappears

JAKARTA - Da'wah and Jihad can never be separated. Because Islam always make it compulsory for its adherents to practice amar ma’ruf (enjoin good) and nahi munkar (forbidding evil). Amar ma’ruf is da'wah, while nahi munkar is jihad. Thus was the assertion by Ustadz Sulaiman Zakaweruz, one of the speakers in the Tabligh Akbar event organized by Majelis Ilmu ar-Rayyan at Masjid Al-Munawwarah, Tangerang Selatan, Banten, last Saturday (3/4).

This event is routinely held on every first Saturday of the month. It is also in this masjid that open study circles are held after every Subuh prayer, Thursday night after 'Isha and Sunday morning at 07.30 AM.

In this tabligh event which took up the theme, “Treading The Da'wah and Jihad Journey Of The Salaf al-Solih”, Ustadz Sulaiman appeared as the speaker along with Ustadz Abu Muhammad Jibriel Abdurrahman.

In one of the hadiths, this leader of the Majelis Ta’lim al-Itqon said, Prophet Muhammad SAW asserted, “Lata’murunna bil ma’ruf, wa latanhawunna ‘anil munkar…” (This hadith was narrated by Tirmidzi from Hudzaifah, assessed as hasan gharib by Tirmidzi, and hasan lighairihi by al-Albani –ed.)

According to him, amongst the circles of the experts in lughat (Arabic language), that hadith shows that Rasulullah emphasized the injunction of practising the amar ma’ruf nahi munkar by giving two emphasises (ta’kiid) i.e. lam and nun ta’kiid. “Not enough with just one emphasis. But two! Meaning, the amar ma’ruf nahi munkar is explicitly emphasized,” he reminded firmly.

Because when we are not doing it, Ustadz Sulaiman continued, Rasulullah worried that Allah would punish the Islamic ummah with adzab (torments) in this dunya and their do'a would not be granted.

He also lamented that until now there are still a lot of ulama's and ustadzs who are doing da'wah in a “safe way”, to the extent of avoiding to clarify the true meaning of jihad, the way it should have been wanted by Rasulullah SAW. In fact, not a few of them cited false hadiths, which says that the greatest jihad is jihad against the carnal desires (nafs).

“When jihad in the sense of war against the kafir is a small jihad, and fighting the carnal desires is the greatest jihad, has the small jihad been accomplished?” he asked.

For information, according to DR. Abdullah ‘Azzam –one of the initiators of the Afghan jihad against Russia-- in his book, “Hukmul Jihad” wrote that when the statement is meant as a hadith, then it is a fake hadith. Because, the statement was the words of a tabi’in (second generation after Rasulullah SAW) named Ibrahim bin Abi ‘Ailah.

Meanwhile, according to the assessments by the ulama's of hadith, that statement was a dha’if (weak) hadith. For example, this can be seen in Takhrij Ahaadits al-Ihyaa’ by al’Iraqi. He said that, that hadith was narrated by Imam Baihaqi with a dhai’f sanad from Jabir. This was also recorded in Risalah Jihad by Hasan al-Banna, as was quoted by Abu Jibriel in his book Karakteristik Lelaki Shalih (Characteristics Of The Righteous Men) published by Ar-Rahmah Media edition I, October 2005, page 434.

There is also a hadith narrated by Baihaqi, i.e. narrated by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi from Jabir (Tarikh al-Baghdadi, 13/439). This hadith is also dhai’f because its sanad (hadith transmitter line –ed.) has the name Khalaf bin Muhammad bin Ismail al-Khiyam, who according to al-Hakim, caused the hadith to be aborted. In fact, Abu Ya’la al-Khalili said, Khalaf intermixed a lot, and he very weakly transmitted unrecognised hadiths (Mashaari’ul Ashwaaq ilaa Mashaari’il ‘Ushaaq, 1/31). Meanwhile, al-Hakim and Ibnu Abi Zur’ah said, Khalaf's statement was only for i’tibar (consideration), but they admitted that they did not dare to account for it (Miizaan al-I’tidaal, 1/662).

Ustadz Sulaiman continued that as most of today's ulama's and ustadzs do not have the courage to take the risks, eventually the ways of da'wah practised by them are intermixed with things that are never taught by Rasulullah SAW. Including, the elevation of certain organizations, and not the elevation of Islam. “This way, not only that da'wah stops, but in fact is astray. Despite them claiming to be following the way of the salafus solih,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abu Jibriel explained that the title salaf al-solih today has become an object of desire for different circles (firqoh). Whereas, according to him it is very easy to recognize, which circle is truly following the way of the salaf generation. Because the ulama's unanimously agreed to define the salaf as the generations from the generation of the sahabahs to the third generation after the generation of Rasulullah SAW. Not excluding the subsequent generations that came after them, as long as they hold on the two sources of Islam i.e. al-Qur’an and Sunnah which are saheeh.

Meaning, Abu Jibriel explained again, the circle that is not astray is the circle that follows the Sunnah, like what had always been followed by the sahabahs of Rasulullah SAW, and always follow the jama’ah of his sahabahs, that later it was also known as “ahlussunnah wal jama’ah”. “Each and every circle claims to be this ahlussunnah wal jama’ah. Though, in religious practices they are contrary to what had been taught by Rasulullah,” sighed Abu Jibriel, who in the 80's was in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet and now the leader of Majelis Mujahideen of Indonesia (MMI), as well as an imam at Masjid al-Munawwarah.

However, the formula is, according to him, not difficult to see, which circle is truly the ahlussunnah wal jama’ah. Because, they will always be holding to (iltizam) al-Qur’an, Sunnah that are saheeh, and the sahabahs, tabi’ins and ulama's who followed the saheeh sources before them.