Globally, the word “jihad” may be one of the scariest words associated with Islam in people’s view. Terrorism and Islam are almost intertwined when people talk about this religion. When you talk about Islam, many people may think of ISIS, Al-Qaida, Taliban, and the like which have portrayed an internationally terrifying picture of Muslims. On the other hand, most Muslims believe that the real Islam and the original meaning of “jihad” have been defamed by these terrorist groups. 

What does jihad mean?

The word “jihad” denotes an attempt and trying. In Islam, this word means doing as Allah commands in a special way that mostly requires hard work and sacrifice for his sake. It would be quite wrong merely assume fighting and killing enemies as the meaning of “jihad.” As a matter of fact, this word has a lot of meanings and “fighting” is only one of them. 

According to the Holy Quran, jihad can be waged even without fighting enemies, but by spending your wealth on the needy.

The faithful are only those who have attained faith in Allah and His Apostle and then have never doubted, and who wage jihad with their possessions and their lives in the way of Allah. It is they who are truthful.  (49:15)

The Holy Quran says that the Meccan early Muslims who left all they had in Mecca and moved to Yathrib (today called Medina) had done “jihad,”

Indeed, those who are faithful and those who have migrated and waged jihad in the way of Allah—it is they who expect Allah’s mercy, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful. (2:218)

Sometimes the word jihad means fighting not with the enemies but with yourself. In Islamic insight, controlling your evil and harmful desires is actually considered to be an example of jihad. Surprisingly, this kind of jihad is actually more important and nobler than the other types. In this regard, Imam Sadiq (AS) says,

Once, the Holy Prophet (PBUH & HP) sent a group of soldiers to the battlefield, and when they came back, the Prophet (PUBH & HP) told them, ‘welcome to the people who accomplished their little jihad and still have to do the greater jihad.’

 People asked, ‘Oh, Messenger of Allah! What is the greater jihad?’ 

He replied, ‘fighting with yourselves.’ (1) 

Was the Prophet eager to wage wars?

In Islam’s view, fighting is originally only for defending ourselves against invaders not for attacking innocent people. 

The first fight of the Prophet (PUBH & HP) named “Badr”, was with the Quraysh (the people of Mecca who were mostly the Prophet’s relatives). After Muslims moved to Medina from Mecca, the polytheists seized all of their belongings and were planning to sell them. A large number of soldiers escorted the caravan that was moving the belongings of Muslims from Mecca. Muslims decided to fight with them and take their belongings back. 

There was a polytheist named Utbah ibn Rabi’ah who wasn’t sure whether to fight with the Prophet. He talked to his army, riding a red camel, Oh, my people! Hear me out and do not fight this man and his followers. [if you worry about being called chicken hearts for not fighting] consider this shame on me and tell others that I was scared. You have so many close relatives among them and if you fight, so many of them will be killed and you, afterward, will have to live with the ones who have killed your fathers and brothers and it will leave animosity and a grudge among you. Note that if you kill them, they will kill as many of us as we have killed them. Furthermore, it is possible that you lose… Oh, my people! If Muhammad is a liar, the wolves of the desert will remove him and if he is a king, you will have a good life in his territory and if he is a real prophet, he will make you the happiest people in the world. (2)
The Prophet was so hopeful that they will listen to Utbah and that he won’t be forced to fight with his relatives. About Utbah the Prophet said, If there was only one good person among them, it would be this person on the red camel and they will do their best if they listen to him. (3)

Then, the Prophet wrote a letter to the Quraysh and encouraged them to go back to Mecca (4) but they didn’t accept and fought against the Prophet. The Muslims won this battle. 

The Arabs before the Prophet (PBUH & HP), were always fighting with each other. But, the message of Islam made them all like brothers. The Holy Quran says,

Hold fast, all together, to Allah’s cord, and do not be divided [into sects]. Remember Allah’s blessing upon you when you were enemies, then He brought your hearts together, so you became brothers with His blessing. (3:103)

Does jihad mean invading?

If you carefully read the verses of the Quran about fighting and jihad, you would understand that in the Islamic view, Muslims only fight for defending or against the ones who betray Muslims; for example, those who put the Muslim lives in jeopardy by helping their enemies.

In this regard, the Holy Quran says,

Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors. (2:190)

About some polytheists who betrayed the Prophet (PBUH & HP) by violating the items of a treaty between the Prophet (PBUH & HP) and them, the Holy Quran says,

How can such polytheists have a treaty with Allah and His Messenger, except those you have made a treaty with at the Sacred Mosque? So, as long as they are true to you, be true to them. Indeed, Allah loves those who are mindful ˹of Him˺. How? For if they get the better of you, they will observe toward you neither kinship nor covenant. They please you with their mouths while their hearts spurn you, and most of them are transgressors. (9:7&8)

Therefore, the holy Quran ordered the Prophet (PBUH & HP) to forget about the treaty and fight with those polytheists because they betrayed the Muslims. 

 Muslims are eager to have peace with others but yet they can’t stand to be oppressed, invaded, bullied, etc. Fight them until persecution is no more, and religion becomes [exclusively] for Allah. Then if they desist, there shall be no reprisal except against the wrongdoers. (2:193)

Muslims believe that instead of fighting, people must be united in worshipping Allah which is the common belief of Muslims, Jews, and Christians. So, Muslims do not want to fight with the Jews or Christians except if they invade first. The Holy Quran says,

Say, ‘O People of the Book (Christians and Jews)! Come to a common word between us and you: that we will worship no one but Allah, that we will not ascribe any partner to Him, and that some of us will not take some others as lords besides Allah.’ But if they turn away, say, ‘Be witnesses that we have submitted [to Allah].’ (3:64)

The Holy Quran says that we should always be fair, even with our enemies,

O believers! Stand firm for Allah and bear true testimony. Do not let the hatred of a people lead you to injustice. Be just! That is closer to righteousness. And be mindful of Allah. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what you do.  (5:8)
And, If any of those idolaters seek your protection, protect him so that he will be able to hear the words of God. Take him to a place where he is safe because they are people who do not know the truth. (9:6)
About the wars of the Prophet (PBUH & HP), Imam Sadiq (AS) said,

The Prophet (PBUH & HP) told his soldiers, “…do not over-kill and do not cheat them and do not cut their bodies into parts and do not kill the elders, kids, or women and do not cut the trees except if you had no choice. And if any of the Muslims saw one of the polytheists, that polytheist shouldn’t be harmed until he hears the words of Allah. If he obeyed you then he is your brother and if he didn’t, then take him to a safe place [and let him go]. (5) 

Resources

1.  Al-Kafi, Shiekh Koleini, vol.5, pg.12
2.   Maghazi, al-Vaghedi, vol.1, pg.63
3.   Maghazi, al-Vaghedi, vol.1, pg.60
4.   Maghazi, al-Vaghedi, vol.1, pg.61
5.  Vasa’il ash-Shia, Sheikh Hurr al-Ameli, vol.15, pg.58

If you feel you are not doing enough in your life and need to be a more productive Muslim, here we suggest some tips on planning a more productive lifestyle based on Islamic teachings. But before starting to review the tips on how to be a more productive Muslim, we should answer a "WHY" question? "Why do we want to or have to be more productive?" 

Merging into life routines can be hugely devastating for human beings. At the same time, many may not even recognize the fact that they are gradually being merged into their habits, and one day, they look back and look over their life, finding it all wasted. To avoid experiencing such hard and disappointing moments in life, Allah Almighty guides us through the Quran and the Islamic lifestyle provided in it. 

Islam's View on Life

Allah (SWT) introduces the ultimate goal of human creation as worshipping Him; "I did not create the jinn and the humans except that they may worship Me." (51: 56)

However, it is essential for human beings to understand the meaning of worshipping Allah (SWT). If, by glorifying Him, Allah (SWT) meant that people should spend all their time praying and fasting, then there was no need for all the other rulings and laws that the Quran describes regarding human beings' daily life including social, economic, political, etc. issues. 

The meaning of worshipping Allah (SWT) lies in the believers' understanding of the reason behind their behaviors and every single act and thought that they have; that is Allah Almighty's acceptance and satisfaction. It is crucial to keep in mind that worshipping Allah is not limited to praying and fasting, but every act of believers that is done in the way of gaining Allah's satisfaction is counted as worship.  That is why He recommends that all our deeds and actions should have a divine tint; "The coloring of Allah, and who colors better than Allah? And Him do we worship." (2: 138) 

Therefore, one can easily conclude that living an idle life is far from what Allah has expected from us. Allah (SWT) in the Quran encourages people not to waste even a single moment in their life when He says, "So when you are done, appoint, and supplicate your Lord." (94: 7 – 8)

The above verses show that for a more productive life, people should always have plans for their days, weeks, and years, so when they finish one task, they know what they should do next. Imam Musa al-Kazim (AS) says: "try that your daily time is divided into segments. One part for worshipping your Lord. One part for earning allowed (Halal) livelihood, a part for socializing with trustworthy friends, and another exclusively devoted to Lawful (Halal) pleasure with the family. [1]
We should still keep in mind that everything may not go exactly as we plan and not get disappointed if our plans do not go very well. Allah (SWT) says:

"Yet it may be that you dislike something, which is good for you, and it may be that you love something, which is bad for you, and Allah knows, and you do not know." (2: 216)

Therefore, keep a "to-do list" of your goals and plans for your years, months, weeks, and days. That will help you find less time in front of the TV, thinking that there is nothing else left to be done.

In the Quran, Allah counts some habits of those prosperous people. If we pay special attention to them, they help us have a more productive life. 

1- Those Who "Avoid vain talk" (23: 3) 

Vain talk does not necessarily apply to speaking to others. But any type of futile habit will take away one's prosperity, among which we can name unproductive use of social networks, useless friendships, ineffective discussions, etc.

 2- Those Who are Humble; "The servants of the All-beneficent are those who walk humbly on the earth" (25: 63)

Being humble and putting effort into reaching a humble character helps us be free from all useless social conflicts. Many people in human history wasted their lives looking abnormally beautiful or earning huge wealth. While the real prosperity belongs to those who beautify their soul, "Felicitous is he who purifies himself, celebrates the Name of his Lord, and prays. But you prefer the life of this world, while the Hereafter is better and more lasting." (87: 14- 17)

3- Those who ", and when the ignorant address them, they say, 'Peace!'" (25: 63)

Many people pay a lot of attention to their conversations with other people. So much that after each party or gathering, their mind is so busy analyzing what others told them and find out if they meant to humiliate or disrespect them. This habit takes a lot of energy from a person and prevents him/her from being a productive person. Therefore, Allah (SWT) suggests that if one wants to be a real servant of Him, he/ she should ignore all the things that may take away his concentration in serving Allah (SWT). 

4- Those who strive hard: "that nothing belongs to man except what he strives for" (53: 39)

There is nothing that people can not reach by their imagination and creativity. However, without effort and hard work, nothing is attainable. Through hard work, practice, and persistence human beings can gain what they plan for. Therefore, after planning for your life, and setting your goals that have a tint of God, you have to work hard and "… and once you are resolved, put your trust in Allah…" (3: 159) 

5. Eating and Sleeping Habits of a Productive Muslim

Allah also orders people to be careful about the health of their body and soul at the same time when He provides them with sleeping habits: "Stand vigil through the night, except for a little [of it], a half, or reduce a little from that, or add to it, and recite the Quran in a measured tone." (73: 2- 4) 

One may say that the above verses apply only to the Prophet (PBUH&HP), but whoever follows these habits will achieve high spiritual levels; "And keep vigil for a part of the night, as a supererogatory [devotion] for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station." (17: 79) Studying the biography of great believers, one can realize that the night watch was one of the most explicit parts of their daily routine.

 Allah (SWT) also orders people to watch what they eat, as eating habits have a significant effect on the human body and soul: "Let man consider his food" (80: 24) Having a healthy body and soul will help people to be more productive. 

6. Reciting the Quran

One great habit that can help people have a more productive life, as recommended by Allah (SWT), is reciting the Quran: "…So recite as much of the Quran as is feasible. …" (73: 20)

Reading the Quran and contemplating over its stories, examples and even rulings can help us have a more creative and analytic mind, and this is aside from the miraculous impact that reciting the Quran has on human soul and body "We send down in the Quran that which is a cure and mercy for the faithful…" (17: 82) 

7. A Productive Muslim Takes Practical steps

In the Quran, Allah (SWT) has always put faith beside practice, which shows the importance of taking action instead of being passive human beings: "By time! Man is indeed in loss, except those who have faith and do righteous deeds, and enjoin one another to [follow] the truth, and enjoin one another to patience." (103: 1- 3) 

8. Remembering Death and Thinking of Hereafter

Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to his son, Imam Hasan (AS), says: "My son! Know that you were created for the Hereafter, not for this world, for extinction (in this world), not for permanence, and death, not for life. You are in an abode from which you must depart, in a place from which you acquire your provisions, and on a path to the Hereafter." [2]

It is vital to keep in mind that we are not going to live in this world forever. We are here for a short time, and we need to prepare for the real life as mentioned in the Quran: "The life of this world is nothing but diversion and play, but the abode of the Hereafter is indeed Life (itself), had they known!" (29:64). Therefore, if we live every moment of our life knowing that we are traveling to the real world any moment, then we will try our best to make the best out of our time, energy, and talents.

 In sum, having a more productive life is a necessity for all Muslims, and to improve one's productivity, planning a life based on the Quran and Islamic teachings can be a great guideline. 

References: 

1. Ibn Shu’bah ,Tuhaf al-Uqul, P. 409-410. 
2.  Allamah Sharif Razi,Nahj al-Balaghah, letter 31.