Surah 22. Al-Hajj, Ayah 78
| وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ ۚ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ ۚ مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۚ هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَفِي هَٰذَا لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ ۚ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللَّهِ هُوَ مَوْلَاكُمْ ۖ فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- jaahido fe 'allaah h.aqq jihaad -hi huwa ijtabaa -kum wa- maa jacala calay -kum fe ad- den min h.araj millah 'abe -kum 'ibraahem huwa sammaa -kum al- muslimen min qablu wa- fe haadhaa li- yakon ar- rasol shahed(an) calay -kum wa- takono shuhadaa' calaa an- naas fa- aqemo as.- s.alaah wa- 'aato az- zakaah wa- ictas.imo bi- 'allaah huwa mawlaa -kum fa- nicma al- mawlaa wa- nicma an- nas.er |
| Pickthall | : | And strive for Allah with the endeavor which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting Friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper! |
| Asad | : | And strive hard in God's cause with all the striving that is due to Him: it is He who has elected you [to carry His message], and has laid no hardship on you in [anything that pertains to] religion,92 [and made you follow] the creed of your forefather Abraham.93 It is He who has named you - in bygone times as well as in this [divine writ] - "those who have surrendered themselves to God",94 so that the Apostle might bear witness to the truth before you, and that you might bear witness to it before all mankind. Thus, be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, and hold fast unto God. He is your Lord Supreme: and how excellent is this Lord Supreme, and how excellent this Giver of Succour! |
| Malik | : | Strive in the Way of Allah as you ought to strive with sincerity and discipline; He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in the observance of your faith - the faith of your father Ibrahim (Abraham). He named you Muslims before in prior scriptures and in this (The Qur'an), so that His Rasool may testify against you and you yourselves may testify against rest of the mankind. Therefore, establish Salah, pay Zakah and hold fast to Allah; Who is your Protector - so what an excellent Protector and what a splendid Supporter! |
| Yusuf Ali | : | And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive (with sincerity and under discipline): He has chosen you and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the cult of your father Abraham. It is He Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (Revelation); that the Apostle may be a witness for you and ye be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular Prayer give regular Charity and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector the Best to protect and the Best to help! 2861 2862 2863 2864 |
Note - 92The absence of any "hardship" in the religion of Islam is
due to several factors: (1) it is free of any dogma or
mystical proposition which might make the Qur'anic
doctrine difficult to understand or might even conflict
with man's innate reason; (2) it avoids all complicated
ritual or system of taboos which would impose undue
restrictions on man's everyday life; (3) it rejects all
self-mortification and exaggerated asceticism, which must
unavoidably conflict with man's true nature (cf. in this
connection note [118] on the first sentence of 2:143);
and (4) it takes fully into account the fact that "man
has been created weak" (4:28).
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Note - 93Abraham is designated here as "your forefather" not only
because he was, in fact, an ancestor of the Prophet
Muhammad - to whose followers this passage is addressed -
but also because he is the prototype (and thus, the
spiritual "forefather") of all who consciously "surrender
themselves to God" (see next note).
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Note - 94The term muslim signifies "one who surrenders himself to
God"; correspondingly, islam denotes "self-surrender to
God". Both these terms are applied in the Qur'an to all
who believe in the One God and affirm this belief by an
unequivocal acceptance of His revealed messages. Since
the Qur'an represents the final and most universal of
these divine revelations, the believers are called upon,
in the sequence, to follow the guidance of its Apostle
and thus to become an example for all mankind (cf.
2:143 and the corresponding note [119]).
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Note - 2861As far as the striving is concerned with Jihad in the
narrow sense, see the limitations in n. 204 to ii. 190
and n. 205 to ii. 191. But the words are perfectly
general and apply to all true and unselfish striving for
spiritual good.
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Note - 2862The Jews were hampered by many restrictions, and their
religion was racial. Christianity, as originally
preached, was a hermit religion: "sell whatsoever thou
hast" (Mark x. 21); "take no thought for the morrow"
(Matt. vi. 34). Islam, as originally preached, gives
freedom and full play to man's faculties of every kind.
It is universal, and claims to date from Adam: father
Abraham is mentioned as the great Ancestor of those among
whom Islam was first preached (Jews, Christians, and
Arabs).
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Note - 2863Before: see Abraham's prayer in ii. 128. In this
revelation: in this very verse, as well as in other
places.
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Note - 2864See ii. 143, and notes 143 and 144. As the Prophet is a
guide and exemplar among us, so Muslims ought to be
exemplars amongst mankind. The best witness to Allah's
Truth are those who show its light in their lives.
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The absence of any "hardship" in the religion of Islam is due to several factors: (1) it is free of any dogma or mystical proposition which might make the Qur'anic doctrine difficult to understand or might even conflict with man's innate reason; (2) it avoids all complicated ritual or system of taboos which would impose undue restrictions on man's everyday life; (3) it rejects all self-mortification and exaggerated asceticism, which must unavoidably conflict with man's true nature (cf. in this connection note [118] on the first sentence of 2:143); and (4) it takes fully into account the fact that "man has been created weak" (4:28). |
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Abraham is designated here as "your forefather" not only because he was, in fact, an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad - to whose followers this passage is addressed - but also because he is the prototype (and thus, the spiritual "forefather") of all who consciously "surrender themselves to God" (see next note). |
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The term muslim signifies "one who surrenders himself to God"; correspondingly, islam denotes "self-surrender to God". Both these terms are applied in the Qur'an to all who believe in the One God and affirm this belief by an unequivocal acceptance of His revealed messages. Since the Qur'an represents the final and most universal of these divine revelations, the believers are called upon, in the sequence, to follow the guidance of its Apostle and thus to become an example for all mankind (cf. 2:143 and the corresponding note [119]). |
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As far as the striving is concerned with Jihad in the narrow sense, see the limitations in n. 204 to ii. 190 and n. 205 to ii. 191. But the words are perfectly general and apply to all true and unselfish striving for spiritual good. |
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The Jews were hampered by many restrictions, and their religion was racial. Christianity, as originally preached, was a hermit religion: "sell whatsoever thou hast" (Mark x. 21); "take no thought for the morrow" (Matt. vi. 34). Islam, as originally preached, gives freedom and full play to man's faculties of every kind. It is universal, and claims to date from Adam: father Abraham is mentioned as the great Ancestor of those among whom Islam was first preached (Jews, Christians, and Arabs). |
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Before: see Abraham's prayer in ii. 128. In this revelation: in this very verse, as well as in other places. |
