What is the path to jihad in our present age, and is it obligatory to agree with one's parents in this matter?

The questioner : He saysThe questioner : We are required to perform jihad; so what is the path to jihad in the present time? And is it obligatory to take the opinion of the parents first regarding jihad?

The Shaykh : This is the problem of the Muslim world today. The path to jihad is that we fight ourselves and our many desires in the present age. Part of this is that we set before our eyes the goal of preparing sufficient material readiness to establish the Islamic society and set up the Muslim state. But the problem is: where do we begin? Many of the Islamic groups today all aspire to one thing; they all want to establish the Islamic society and set up the Muslim state. But what is the path to that?
There is no doubt that the path is applying the Islamic Shari'ah. This is presented in many verses of the Qur'an, even those that have become known to young children, such as His saying—Glorified and Exalted is He: . So what is the meaning of Allah's help? This meaning is also clear and obvious even to beginners in the pursuit of knowledge. Allah's help is doing what Allah—Mighty and Majestic—has made obligatory upon every Muslim. Are there, at least, any groups among the Muslims today? Is there a Muslim group that has united and cooperated on—before anything else—understanding Islam with a correct understanding, and then applying Islam with a practical application? There may be individuals of this type, but a group that has covenanted to understand Islam with a correct understanding and to apply it with a practical application—this, unfortunately, does not exist, and perhaps it will exist soon. In reality, this phrase, "understanding Islam with a correct understanding," requires a long explanation and clarification. Because I believe that the starting point for achieving the desired goal for all Muslims, individuals and groups, begins with understanding Islam with a correct understanding, and then applying it or combining that with action. Perhaps many of you have heard the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . In this hadith, which I understand, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described the ailment and the cure; he described the disease and the treatment. In the course of describing the disease, he gave some examples; he said—may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him: . This is one of those examples. Perhaps all those present know what the sale of 'inah is. It is a type of usurious sale, and it is something with which some of the Islamic countries have been afflicted today. The Messenger (peace be upon him) says explicitly in this hadith: ; that is, because of opposing Allah—Mighty and Majestic—in some of what He legislated, that is what makes it right for the opponents that Allah—Mighty and Majestic—inflicts humiliation upon them. He mentioned, by way of example, in what brings about the sickness of the Muslims, the sale of 'inah. I say that he mentioned it by way of example, not by way of specification. It is an example of many rulings that some people make permissible by way of figurative interpretation or by way of deception. The sale of 'inah is called a sale, and some of them may cite as evidence for it His saying—Glorified and Exalted is He: . They say, why do you prohibit the sale of 'inah? This is a sale that is covered by the text of the noble verse?
So we say: Allah—Mighty and Majestic—addressed His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a portion of what He addressed him with, and He said: . The sale mentioned in the previous verse must be taken from the explanation of the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and his sayings. Since he prohibited the sale of 'inah, it is not permissible for us to include this type of sale in the generality of His saying—Glorified and Exalted is He: . The sale of 'inah is a form of mutual selling that the one in need of borrowing a quantity of money resorts to, and he knows, because of the corruption of society, that the Muslims today do not have among them that strong bond of faith that would lead some of them to support their poor or needy brother. The good loan, the loan for the sake of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—has disappeared today among the Muslims. And because the affliction of being tested with the love of money and its accumulation has spread, even to the poor and even to those who are materially weak, they resort to borrowing money by an unlawful means. Among these is the sale of 'inah. The sale of 'inah is when the man in need of a loan comes to a large merchant, and let us suppose this merchant is a car dealer—for example—or a dealer in rice or sugar or the like. He asks the merchant to buy a car from him, and they agree on an installment price that is higher than the cash price. He buys the car—for example—for twenty thousand dinars, while its cash price is seventeen or eighteen thousand. Twenty thousand is recorded in the ledger in the account as the price of this car. The reality is that the one who came to buy the car has no need for the car; he wants to take money. So how does he get the money? After he buys the car for twenty thousand on installments, this buyer returns to sell this car to the same merchant. He sells it to him for less than what he bought it for, but he sells it for cash, whereas he bought it on credit—that is, on installments. They agree, for example, to give him eighteen thousand. He takes it and leaves with it, while twenty thousand has been recorded against him. This is the very essence of riba, but the sale was introduced as a means to make permissible what Allah—Blessed and Exalted is He—has forbidden. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) warned his ummah (the Muslim community) from this sale which involves deception regarding what Allah—Mighty and Majestic—has forbidden of riba.