The Greatest Jihād Is Against Your Ego

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla has bestowed these blessed months as a gift for Muslims. This month of Muḥarram is the last month of the three forbidden (sacred) months; Dhul Qa’dah, Dhul Ḥijjah and Muḥarram. Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla has made these three months forbidden for ḥajj.

“You mustn’t make war in them,” He ﷻ says. If they have waged war upon you, you can defend yourselves, says Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. But they mustn’t wage war in these months. Because these months are the months of ḥajj. People go to ḥajj and come back. So that they can go and come back safely.

And the month of Rajab is one of the forbidden months, but it is separate. These are forbidden since the day Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla created the heavens and the earth. In dunyā and in what we live, these four months are forbidden months. So everything has a wisdom in the sight of Allāh ﷻ. So that people are not in a constant state of war, Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla has bestowed it as a gift.

Jihād is necessary. Jihād is needed. But of course, not everyone can make jihād according to their own minds. A person who will make jihād must be under a commander, under an order. If he acts under those and makes jihād, that’s how it’s done.

But if you act according to your own mind, “I will make Jihād”, follow some people, and do something that is not clear, then you are not obeying the order, you are disobeying the order. You must obey Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. But you mustn’t act upon His ﷻ orders alone. You must have a commander above you and you must act according to his order.

Of course, it’s not clear what’s happening now in dunyā. Nothing is as it seems. People think some people are sincere. They follow them. But they use them to destroy them, to perish them, so that they can earn a few pennies. That’s why, it’s not good to act alone or with people you don’t know. You must act with the known way, with clear people.

That’s why, our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says, the jihād of our time is with our ego. The greatest jihād is against our ego. Especially since we are in the end of times, we must make jihād against our egos. You must go against whatever your ego says. But of course, can you go against it one percent, two percent or ten percent?

What’s important is that the war you must wage, the greatest war is with your ego. Because other wars are not under your command. You will be under their command. Shukr to Allāh ﷻ. The state of dunyā now is in an uncertain state. What you think is good turns out bad. What you think is bad turns out good. That’s why, we must be careful. There’s no need to endanger oneself.

It is the month of Muḥarram. It is the month of ‘Āshūrā’. This month, in shā’a Llāh, is a means of goodness. Most of the prophets and awliyā’ have reached and attained their ranks on this day, the day of ‘Āshūrā’.

Therefore, we must be careful about this. We should not go after every person. Because there is a lot of treachery. There are few sincere people. There are very few sincere people. There is no trust in anyone’s word. A woman’s word cannot be trusted. And a man’s word cannot be trusted. “I will do this and that.” Be careful.

Be careful with everything; your wealth, your property. Be careful especially with your religion. These people who came out in the last century and spread everywhere like cancer, the so-called Salafi group make you a kāfir. Whereas, they have no sincerity or anything. They can deceive people. Let’s see how much they’ll be deceived. Let’s see when will disaster befall them.

May Allāh ﷻ protect us. May Allāh ﷻ improve them. May Allāh ﷻ protect us all, in shā’a Llāh for the sake of these blessed months, in shā’a Llāh. Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

• Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

01 July 2025/ 06 Muharram 1447

Lefke, Cyprus

English starts from [07:26]:

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