The assigned reading is dedicated to Muhammad Abd al-Salam Faraj, an Egyptian radical Islamist, and his renowned pamphlet The Neglected Duty. His writing played a role in the uplifting of the importance of Jihad in radical Islam. The central idea of Faraj’s writing is the commitment “to fight infidels by force of arms” (Euben & Zaman, 2009, p. 325). From the extracts of The Neglected Duty cited in the chapter, it could be inferred that Faraj sees Jihad not only as a collective duty but as an individual obligation as well. However, according to the classical interpretation of Muslim law, Jihad should become individual responsibility in case of a threat to an individual on the religious ground. Nevertheless, Faraj emphasizes that collective Jihad under no circumstances should be forgotten, because fighting for sake of religion is the only way to save the soul and to follow the wish of God.
In the classmate’s response to the reading, the question of the connection between the refusal from Jihad and abstention from fasting and prayers was raised. In my opinion, these rituals bring the soul of a believer closer to God who wants him to commit Jihad. Therefore, if one abstains from Jihad, then he does not deserve the ability to make other sacred rituals like fasting and praying. Besides, if a person deliberately puts himself in a Meccan society in which there is no necessity for Jihad, then he has no rights for other duties since they were proclaimed only in the society of Medina. Additionally, I share the response’s idea that Jihad is associated with intensions, and their pureness is a guarantee of victory since God helps those who have pure belief and sincere purposes.
Talking about the lecture, it was interesting to discover that the term “terrorism” has a broader meaning than just Muslims’ violence. Thus, terrorism is a tactic that was used not only by Muslims but also by Ku Klux Klan, the Irish Republican Army, Zionist paramilitary groups, to name but a few. From the lecture, it became apparent that Jihad is not only about fighting with infidels. The struggle for the sake of God also implies the aspiration to cognize religion and live in harmony with society. Generally, the lecture assisted in a better understanding of the topic of terrorism, Jihad, and the critical assumptions of Faraj’s The Neglected Duty.
References
Euben, R.L, & Zaman, M.Q. (2009). Princeton readings in Islamist thought. Princeton University Press.