The Book of Stations
المواقف
Context: The Emir reads fighting verses (Q 2:190, 9:5, 9:29) as the inner struggle against the soul, without denying outward rulings: he cites the jizya rule and himself led armed jihad against France (1832–47). Some take such readings as spiritualising military jihad; others insist they sit beside the legal doctrine and do not replace it.AI
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَقَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ⁽¹⁾» الْآيَةَ.
He (exalted is He) said: "And fight in the way of God those who fight you" (Q 2:190), to the end of the verse.
In briefAI
The Emir reads Q 2:190 as an inspiration about the struggle against the soul (jihād al-nafs). That struggle must be only for God, not for standing, wealth or a following. It is fought only while the soul resists, and it must stop once the soul submits, as fighting a belligerent unbeliever becomes forbidden once he pays the jizya. Knowers therefore release their settled souls and do good to them first. Excess, such as monasticism or pointless mortification, is the forbidden transgression. Following the Sunna is itself the hardest struggle.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 141 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 142 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 146 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 147 ↗ (archive.org)
وَرَدَ الْوَارِدُ بِهَٰذِهِ الْآيَةِ، بَعْدَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهَا، فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّ الْأَمْرَ بِجِهَادِ النَّفْسِ وَقِتَالِهَا؛ هُوَ عَلَى وَجْهٍ مَخْصُوصٍ، وَحَدٍّ مَحْدُودٍ، وَوَقْتٍ مُعَيَّنٍ،
The inspiration came with this verse, after the one before it, and I knew that the command to struggle against the soul and to fight it is in a specific manner, within a defined limit, and at an appointed time,
وَهُوَ أَنْ لَايَكُونَ اِلَاّ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، أَيْ لِأَجْلِ مَعْرِفَةِ اللَّهِ وَاِدْخَالِ النَّفْسِ تَحْتَ الْأَوَامِرِ الْاِلَٰهِيَّةِ، وَالِاطْمِئْنَانِ وَالْاِذْعَانِ لِأَحْكَامِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ،
namely, that it be only in the way of God, that is, for the sake of knowing God, bringing the soul under the divine commands, and being at rest in and submitting to the rulings of Lordship,
لَا لِشَيْءٍ آخَرَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، كَمَنْ يُجَاهِدُ نَفْسَهُ بِالرِّيَاضَاتِ الشَّاقَّةِ لِأَجْلِ طَلَبِ جَاهٍ عِنْدَ الْمُلُوكِ، أَوْ لِصَرْفِ وُجُوهِ الْعَامَّةِ اِلَيْهِ، أَوْ حُصُولِ غِنًى، أَوْ نَحْوِ ذَٰلِكَ مِنَ الْحُظُوظِ النَّفْسِيَّةِ.
not for anything else outside the way of God, like someone who struggles against his soul with arduous ascetic exercises in order to seek standing with kings, or to turn the faces of the common people towards himself, or to obtain wealth, or other such shares of the soul.
وَقَوْلُهُ: «الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ» أَيْ: قَاتِلُوا النُّفُوسَ الَّتِي مَا اطْمَأَنَّتْ وَلَا أَذْعَنَتْ، وَلَا سَكَنَتْ تَحْتَ الْأَوَامِرِ الْاِلَٰهِيَّةِ، مَادَامَتْ عَلَى حَالَتِهَا مِنْ عَدَمِ الْاِذْعَانِ وَاِظْهَارِ الْعِصْيَانِ.
And His words "those who fight you" (Q 2:190), that is: fight the souls that have not come to rest, nor submitted, nor settled under the divine commands, so long as they remain in their state of not submitting and of displaying disobedience.
فَاِذَا تَرَكَتِ الْعِصْيَانَ وَأَلْقَتِ السِّلَاحَ، وَصَارَتْ تُبَادِرُ لِامْتِثَالِ الْأَمْرِ وَالنَّهْيِ؛ فَاتْرُكُوهَا.
Then, when they abandon disobedience and lay down their arms, and come to hasten to comply with the command and the prohibition, leave them alone.
وَلَا يَجُوزُ- حِينَئِذٍ- جِهَادُهَا.
And at that point it is not permitted to struggle against them.
كَالْكَافِرِ الْحَرْبِيِّ اِذَا أَذْعَنَ لِأَدَاءِ الْجِزْيَةِ؛ يَحْرُمُ قِتَالُهُ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ.
It is like the belligerent unbeliever: when he submits to paying the jizya, fighting him is forbidden after that.
كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: «حَتَّى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ⁽²⁾».
As He (exalted is He) said: "until they pay the jizya out of hand, while they are humbled" (Q 9:29).
وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: «فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ⁽³⁾».
And He (exalted is He) said: "But if they repent, establish the prayer and give the alms, then let them go their way" (Q 9:5).
وَلِهَٰذَا تَرَى الْعَارِفِينَ– رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ– لَمَّا اطْمَأَنَّتْ نُفُوسُهُمْ، وَسَكَنَتْ تَحْتَ الْأَمْرِ وَالنَّهْيِ، وَأَذْعَنَتْ لِأَدَاءِ مَا عَلَيْهَا مِنْ حَقِّ الْحَقِّ وَالْخَلْقِ؛ تَرَكُوهَا مِنْ غَيْرِ جِهَادٍ، وَوَضَعُوا عَنْهَا اِصْرَهَا وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانُوا يُحَمِّلُونَهَا اِيَّاهَا، فِي وَقْتِ جِهَادِهِمْ وَبِدَايَتِهِمْ،
For this reason you see the knowers (God's good pleasure be upon them): when their souls had come to rest, settled under the command and the prohibition, and submitted to rendering what is due from them of the right of the Real and of creation, they left them without struggle, and lifted from them their burden and the shackles they used to make them carry in the time of their struggle and their beginning,
حَتَّى قَالَ سَيِّدُ الطَّائِفَةِ الْجُنَيْدُ: «مَنْ رَآنِي فِي بِدَايَتِي قَالَ صِدِّيقٌ، وَمَنْ رَآنِي فِي نِهَايَتِي، قَالَ زِنْدِيقٌ».
so much so that the master of the Folk, al-Junayd, said: "Whoever saw me in my beginning said: a man of truth; and whoever saw me in my end said: a heretic."
وَصَارُوا أَوَّلُ خَيْرٍ وَاِحْسَانٍ يَفْعَلُونَهُ؛ مَعَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ، فَاِنَّهَا أَقْرَبُ اِلَيْهِمْ، وَالْأَقْرَبُونَ أَوْلَى بِالْمَعْرُوفِ،
And they came to be such that the first good and kindness they do is towards their own souls, for these are nearest to them, and the nearest have the first claim to kindness;
ثُمَّ يَتَعَدَّوْنَ بِالْاِحْسَانِ اِلَى الْأَقْرَبِ فَالْأَقْرَبِ، أِبْدَأْ بِنَفْسِكَ ثُمَّ بِمَنْ تَمُولُ، كَمَا هِيَ سِيرَةُ كُمَّلِ الْبَشَـرِ، وَهُمُ الرُّسُلُ وَالْأَنْبِيَاءُ– عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ––
Quotes a hadith: Muslim 997a, part of it · in a Ṣaḥīḥ, no separate grade · sunnah.com ↗
then they extend kindness to the nearest and then to the next nearest: "Begin with yourself, then with those you provide for", as is the conduct of the most perfect of humankind, namely the messengers and the prophets, peace be upon them.
وَقَوْلُهُ: «وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا» نَهَى عَنْ قِتَالِ النَّفْسِ عَلَى غَيْرِ الْحَدِّ الْمَشْرُوعِ، وَعَنِ التَّجَاوُزِ وَالتَّفَانِي فِي ذَٰلِكَ، كَمَنْ يُجَاهِدُ نَفْسَهُ بِالرَّهْبَانِيَّةِ، وَبِأُمُورٍ نَهَى الشَّارِعُ عَنْهَا،
And His words "and do not transgress" (Q 2:190) forbade fighting the soul beyond the limit set by the Law, and going too far and wearing oneself away in it, as with someone who struggles against his soul by monasticism and by things the Lawgiver forbade.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ:
And in the report:
«لَا رَهْبَانِيَّةَ فِي الْاِسْلَامِ» وَ «مَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي».
Quotes a hadith: not found in the Six Books or the Muwaṭṭaʾ (sunnah.com data, 11 Nov 2026) · grade not yet checked by a person
Quotes a hadith: Muslim 1401, part of it · in a Ṣaḥīḥ, no separate grade · sunnah.com ↗
“There is no monasticism in Islam,” and “Whoever turns away from my Sunna is not of me.”
وَكَمَا يَفْعَلُ بَعْضُ الْمَشَايِخِ الْجُهَّالِ بِالطَّرِيقَةِ وَالشَّرِيعَةِ، يَأْمُرُونَ الْمُرِيدَ بِالصِّيَامِ، فَاِذَا كَانَ قُرْبُ الْغُرُوبِ؛ أَمَرُوهُ بِالْفِطْرِ حَتَّى لَايَكُونَ لَهُ حَظٌّ فِي الْأَكْلِ وَلَا فِي الْأَجْرِ،
And as some shaykhs who are ignorant of the Path and the Law do: they command the aspirant to fast, then when it is near sunset they command him to break the fast, so that he has no share either in the eating or in the reward.
فَفِي اتِّبَاعِ السُّنَّةِ قَوْلاً وَعَمَلاً وَحَالاً؛ أَعْظَمُ جِهَـــادٍ لِلنَّفْسِ،
For in following the Sunna in word, deed and state lies the greatest struggle against the soul,
فَلَا أَشَقَّ عَلَى النَّفْسِ وَأَتْعَبَ لَهَا مِنِ امْتِثَالِ الْأَوَامِرِ ظَاهِراً وَبَاطِناً، وَاجْتِنَابِ النَّوَاهِي كَذَلِكَ، وَمُخَالَفَتِهَا عِنْدَ طَلَبِ الشَّهَوَاتِ غَيْرِ الضَّرُورِيَّةِ.
for nothing is harder on the soul or more wearying to it than complying with the commands outwardly and inwardly, avoiding the prohibitions likewise, and opposing it when it seeks passions that are not necessary.
Translations, word glosses and term notes are AI-generated (Claude) and marked as such; no published translation is reproduced.Word analysis is automatic (CAMeL Tools), guided by the text's vowelling. How this text was established.