[Buddha-l] Buddhists taking a stand against Islamaphobia

[Franz Metcalf]

Dear Denizens,

The notion of jihad as inner struggle, which Richard and then Donna alluded to, comes from a hadith and is thus early and important in the history of Islam. In that hadith, the prophet returns from battling foes for the very survival of Islam and announces to the faithful, "I have returned from the lesser jihad to the greater." Someone gets up the courage to ask what the latter could be, and Muhammed answers by tapping on his chest over his heart and saying "Here is the greater jihad." Moderate and liberal Muslim, well-wishers and interfaith types, and Sufis, love this hadith. So do I.

The trouble is, most Muslims and nearly all Muslim authorities reject this hadith along with all the others its transmitter relates. It is weak or false according to the traditional accounting, and thus neglible in the formation of proper Muslim social order (shariah). Too bad, too. I still love to tell the story in class, though!

Franz