Spiritual StruggleDr. Siddiqi then asked me, "Have you heard the word jihad in today’s media, especially newscasts, where the term is translated as ‘holy war?"’ "Yes, I’ve heard the term Islamic Jihad — ’holy war’ — many times and have wondered deeply about what Muslims mean by it," I answered. "Jihad," he explained, "means the struggle, which is basically the spiritual struggle, against the forces of evil." "That’s what I have understood, too," I replied. "I once listened to a Muslim who was starting a mosque in Philadelphia. He sat in his wheelchair and said to all gathered in the mosque that ‘If you see darkness in another, and if you are in darkness, then all there is is darkness.’ The Muslim leader had said it’s the duty of all persons — especially Muslims — to be light and to see light. ‘In this way,’ he said, ‘there will be light.’ He urged that people must look upon one another and other peoples in the world from a point of light." |
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