Courtesy: depaceminterris.org

– a poem by Yahya

I hear some brothers talking, saying we should join the fight,

Their talk keeps me thinking, ’cause I want to do what’s right.

They say that all true believers should help the Taliban,

They say that we should fight a war with them in Afghanistan.

Everywhere I look and hear, there’s that word jihad,

The way it’s tossed around would make the Prophet sad. 

When are we all going to learn what God really meant,

It’s not about other people, it’s destroying your own evil bent.

The greater jihad, it’s not killing people.

The greater jihad, it’s about fighting evil.

The greater jihad, it’s a battle that’s inside you.

Now that you know, what are you gonna do?

Muhammad said that the struggle in battle – that’s the lesser fight,

So he fought the greater one first, so his words could be a light.

Take the plank out of your own eye, before your brother’s speck,

Maybe you would stop to think – wouldn’t be so quick to correct.

The war against the Soviet Union, now that was a real jihad,

But the way the “students” treat the Afghans must make God real mad.

Why did we leave the freedom fighters once they won the war,

We got what we wanted, and now we’re coming back for more.

The greater jihad, it’s not killing people.

The greater jihad, it’s about fighting evil.

The greater jihad, it’s a battle that’s inside you.

Now that you know, what are you gonna do?

I know that I’m fighting my own jihad every single day,

Satan’s whispering in my ear for me to come out and play.

But it’s my choice, my free will, the gift that God gave me,

Choosing the harder right over the easier wrong, that will surely save me.

Man’s been asking the question all along, does God create evil,

He didn’t have to create it – he just created people.

Everything that’s good in life comes from God’s merciful hand,

And everything that’s evil is done by the hand of man.

The greater jihad, it’s not killing people.

The greater jihad, it’s about fighting evil.

The greater jihad, it’s a battle that’s inside you.

Now that you know, what are you gonna do?

It’s time to get up, stand up, stand up for your rights,

And sometimes that means that you have to join the fight.

But God taught man by the pen what he knew not,

It’s time to speak up and write down without firing a shot.

We’re living in the times where killing is the easy solution,

But I say killing the evil inside each of us is the real revolution.

So let’s all come together and join in our Creator’s perfect plan,

Working hard to love one another and spreading peace throughout the land.

The greater jihad, it’s not killing people.

The greater jihad, it’s about fighting evil.

The greater jihad, it’s a battle that’s inside you.

Now that you heard, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Courtesy: Islam for Today; www.islamfortoday.com

Archived from Communalism Combat, May 2010 Year 16    No.151, Voices