Subdue the Satanic Band: The Inner Jihad and Divine Reliance
We are called to overpower and subdue the satanic band in this great war, converting the spheres of our minds into a divine realm. This is achieved by driving out the satanic legions and inviting the divine hosts, so that God may succour and protect us from the dangers threatening to befall us in this battle.
As the Quran reminds us in Surah Al-Ankabut, 'Whoever strives, strives only for his own sake. Indeed Allah has no need of the creatures.
' This verse underscores that our spiritual exertion is for our own salvation, not for the benefit of the Almighty, who is entirely self-sufficient.
The battlefield, which is more immense than any external conflict, is the scene of the jihad against one’s own self. This constitutes the invisible world within and represents the second stage of this sacred struggle.
While we shall deal with this profound subject in greater detail afterwards, it is crucial to remember that this internal war requires total reliance on the Divine.
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اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي أَصُولُ بِكَ عِنْدَ الضَّرُورَةِ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ عِنْدَ الْحَاجَةِ، وَأَتَضَرَّعُ إِلَيْكَ عِنْدَ الْمَسْكَنَةِ، وَلَا تَفْتِنِّي بِالِاسْتِعَانَةِ بِغَيْرِكَ إِذَا اضْطُرِرْتُ، وَلَا بِالْخُضُوعِ لِسُؤَالِ غَيْرِكَ إِذَا افْتَقَرْتُ، وَلَا بِالتَّضَرُّعِ إِلَى مَنْ دُونَكَ إِذَا رَهِبْتُ، فَأَسْتَحِقَّ بِذَلِكَ خِذْلَانَكَ وَمَنْعَكَ وَإِعْرَاضَكَ، يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
O God, make me leap to You in times of distress, ask from You in needs, and plead to You in misery! Tempt me not to seek help from other than You when I am distressed, to humble myself in asking from someone else when I am poor, or to plead with someone less than You when I fear, for then I would deserve Your abandonment, Your withholding, and Your turning away, O Most Merciful of the merciful!
— Sahifa Sajjadiyyah, Prayer 20: His Supplication on Noble Moral Traits and Acts Pleasing to God, Verse 13