Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Chapter on Striving". We have previously discussed the meaning of this term and mentioned that striving (mujahadah) is directed toward the self and toward others. We have also discussed striving against the self, which revolves around two things: striving the self to perform the commands and striving it to abandon the prohibitions. As for striving against others, it is divided into two categories: one by knowledge and explanation, and one by weapons.
As for the one whose striving is by knowledge and explanation, it is the one who claims to be a Muslim but is not among the Muslims, such as the hypocrites and the people of major religious innovation, and the like of them. We cannot strive against these people with weapons because they display Islam and claim to be with us, but we strive against them with knowledge and explanation. Allah the Exalted said: . Therefore, the striving against disbelievers is with weapons, and the striving against hypocrites is with knowledge and explanation. For this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) knew that there were hypocrites among his Companions and informed them of their identities, but he did not kill them. He was asked for permission to kill them, and he said, "No." Similarly, those who are under the banner of Islam from among the people of innovation are not to be fought with weapons, but we strive against them with knowledge and explanation. For this reason, it is obligatory for the youth of the Muslim community to learn knowledge in a firm and stable manner, not in a superficial manner as is found in many houses of knowledge, where they learn knowledge that is superficial and does not settle in the mind, with the aim of merely obtaining a certificate. But true knowledge is knowledge that settles in the heart and becomes a natural disposition for the person, such that the one who is granted this type of knowledge is found to be able to handle almost any issue by deriving its ruling from the evidence of the Book, the Sunnah, and correct analogical reasoning. Therefore, firm knowledge is necessary.
People today, in our era, are in need of this type of knowledge because the darkness of religious innovations has begun to spread in our country after it was previously free of them. However, due to our opening up to people and people opening up to us, and some of us going to other countries and others coming to our country who are not on a sound creed, innovations have begun to appear and their darkness to spread. These innovations need the light of knowledge, the light of knowledge that illuminates the path, so that our country is not afflicted with the great, blameworthy innovations that have afflicted others, which may reach the level of disbelief, may Allah protect us from that. Therefore, it is necessary to strive against these people of innovation and people of hypocrisy with knowledge and explanation, and to demonstrate the invalidity of what they are upon with convincing evidence from the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the statements of the righteous predecessors, the Companions, the generation following them with excellence, and the imams of guidance after them. This is necessary.
As for the second type of striving against others, the second type, it is striving with weapons. This is the striving against enemies who display enmity toward Islam and declare it openly, such as the Jews and the Christians, who are called Christians, and Jesus (peace be upon him) is innocent of them. If Jesus had come out to fight them while they claim to follow him, Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: . So what was the response of Jesus? . So Jesus, son of Mary, told them what Allah commanded him: "Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." But they used to worship Jesus, and they used to worship Mary, and they used to worship Allah, saying that Allah is the third of three. So how is it valid for these people to claim to follow Jesus when he disavows them before Allah the Mighty and Majestic? So the Jews, the Christians, the polytheists from the Buddhists and others, and the communists, all these are enemies of the Muslims. All these are enemies of the Muslims. It is obligatory for the Muslims to fight these people until the word of Allah is the highest. But unfortunately, the Muslims today are in extreme weakness, in humiliation, in degradation. Some of them fight each other more than they fight their enemies. They fight among themselves more than they fight their enemies. For this reason, the enemies have been empowered over us, and we have become like a ball in their hands, tossing it wherever they wish. Therefore, it is obligatory for the Muslims to wake up to this matter and to prepare the means, for Allah the Exalted said: . And Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: . They pay the jizyah. They offer the jizyah to us by hand. There are two opinions among the scholars regarding "by hand." It means by our strength over them, or it means by one of their hands, such that he extends it himself, the Jew or the Christian. For this reason, the scholars said that if he sent his servant with it, we would not accept it until he comes himself and hands it to the responsible Muslim official. Imagine, people, how Islam is, how Allah wants Islam to be in this honor. The jizyah is imposed on them, and they bring it themselves, even if the greatest among them brings it, until he hands it to the official in the Islamic state by hand, and he is also in a state of humility. He does not come with pomp and soldiers and people and attendants. He comes in a state of humility.
Now, if someone says, "How can the teachings of Islam be like this? How can it be like this? Is this not tribalism?" We say, tribalism for whom? Do the Muslims want tribalism for themselves to be arrogant over people forever? The Muslims are the best of people in character, but they want the word of the Creator, the word of the Creator who created them and created these people, to be the highest. It is to be the highest. And it cannot be the highest unless the Muslims are the highest. But when will the Muslims be the highest? They will be when they hold fast to the religion of Allah truly, outwardly and inwardly, and know that honor is for Allah, His Messenger, and the believers. As for them being humiliated for the religion of Allah, then being humiliated before the enemies of Allah, then becoming the tails of the enemies of Allah, where is the honor? It is impossible for there to be honor ever. It is impossible. Islam is a true religion, a religion of elevation. Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: . What do you want? You are the highest, and Allah is with you. How do you call for peace? How do you humiliate yourselves? But due to our lagging in our religion, we lagged and were the opposite of that. People in the era of the righteous predecessors would walk as a Muslim seeing that he is the one entitled to the land of Allah, for Allah said in His Book: . So he sees that he is the owner of the land. But now, unfortunately, it is the opposite. For this reason, we urge our sons and youth to understand the religion truly and hold fast to it truly, and to beware of the enemies of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and to know that it is impossible for an enemy of Allah and their enemy to strive for their benefit at all. Rather, he strives only for his own benefit and the destruction of the Muslims, and behind them, Islam. So we ask Allah the Exalted to honor us with His religion, and to honor His religion with us, and to make us among the callers to truth and its supporters, and to prepare for the Muslim community leaders of good who will lead them to what is in their well-being and happiness in their religion and their worldly life.
The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.