There’s something beautiful about the idea of renouncing the world and dedicating your life to worship. Indeed, monasticism seems to be the pinnacle of religions like Christianity or Buddhism, or Hinduism, in the case of ashrams.

If you look at what life is like in these monasteries, you will find a lot of similarities with Islam; no alcohol allowed, no musical instruments, no touching or mixing with women, and a schedule of multiple prayers each day, starting in the early morning.

There are at least three serious problems with the concept of monasticism, however.

  • It can mean isolating yourself when the world is in crisis and you have the power to do something about it.
  • It often means going to extremes of asceticism and self-denial which can lead to a backlash. The societies that had many strict monasteries in the past today live in decadence and excess.
  • If there is some genetic component to piety and righteousness, celibacy would lead to good people not having children, and the society gradually becoming less religious.

Islam has all of the benefits of monasticism while resolving all of these problems. Monks aimed to establish an ideal environment for worship inside the walls of the monastery, while Islam was designed to establish an environment of piety and righteousness across the entire world. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

لكلِّ نبيٍّ رهبانيةٌ ورهبانيةُ هذه الأمةِ الجهادُ في سبيلِ اللهِ

“Every Prophet has Rahbaniyyah (monasticism); Jihad in the cause of Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, is the Rahbaniyyah of this Ummah.”

Musnad Ahmad, 13396

This makes a lot of sense— indeed, jihad is the pinnacle of Islam. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also said:

 رَأْسُ الْأَمْرِ الْإِسْلَامُ وَعَمُودُهُ الصَّلَاةُ وَذِرْوَةُ سَنَامِهِ الْجِهَادُ

“The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is prayer, and jihad is its peak.”

Sunan at-Tirmidhi, 2616

Jihad requires renouncing the world, enduring hunger, cold, and hardship. The simple rooms in monasteries in which monks live and pray, in English, are called “cells.” And it seems that many of those who embark on the path of jihad also spend much time in a different kind of “cell.”

In some cases, prison, like war, does fortify people spiritually, though it is no doubt a heavy test which some fail. There are many stories of religious transformations happening in prison. Some people have an inclination or wish to worship Allah deeply, without distraction, but are distracted by the worldly life. Prison removes these distractions, and leaves you with little else to do, opening an opportunity to immerse oneself in the remembrance of Allah. It closes the door to many sins that could otherwise distract us from our true purpose.

Prison is not easy, but neither is the harsh life of monasticism. For some, though, it can certainly increase their faith, and in the modern struggles against evil, faith is directly linked to the will to fight. Prisons can benefit jihad in other ways than just potential purification of the soul— they can also directly contribute to the formation of insurgencies, as seen in Iraq. The social networks that form inside of prisons can contribute greatly to forming underground networks. Being in prison with someone is one of the most intense forms of social contact possible. All day, every day, you look at the same people. You notice their every move and mannerism. You get to know them, very, very well.

This can help to understand who you can trust and who you can’t. It can also help to understand what someone is capable of, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and the disposition of their character. Trust is the most important element of an insurgency— the biggest threat to an underground movement is infiltration and informants, and the key to its success is trustworthy participants.

The amount of free time available in prisons is also not present almost anywhere else. It’s sometimes joked that prisons are universities for criminals, because criminals have little to do all day but contemplate the mistakes that landed them in prison and share their observations with others. This applies to underground armed movements as well. This does not necessarily apply to all movements— only someone with sincere faith is guaranteed to benefit from the hardship of imprisonment.

عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ

Suhayb reported that the Prophet of Allahصلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Wondrous is the affair of a believer, as there is good for him in
every matter; this is not the case for anyone but a believer. If he experiences pleasure, he thanks Allah and it is good for him. If he experiences harm, he shows patience and it is good for him.”

Sahih Muslim, 2999

It’s impossible to defeat an enemy with sincere faith based upon the truth, because the truth is enduring, while falsehood is temporary. Prison will only fortify those with sincere faith, and trying to deal with them by killing them will only rally popular support against the attackers.

There is truly no way for a people who fight for falsehood to defeat a people who fight for the truth.