By Ansar Al-'Adl (www.islamicboard.com) Jihaad. it has become a frequently heard term in the news and media. We hear it all the time and we may wonder at the meaning of the term. We see it connected with all sorts of activites on TV. What is Jihaad? Today, Jihaad is probably one of the most misunderstood terms. The incorrect usage of the term by the media only makes the matter worse. In an effort to understand the true concept of Jihaad we will examine the connotations of the term as provided in the Qur'an and Sunnah, which are the two supreme sources on Islam. First of all, it would be important to mention that Jihaad does not refer to 'Holy War'. The term Holy War is a term alien to Islamic teachings as it was coined by the Crusaders a thousand years ago when they massacred both Muslims and Jews in palestine. The term Jihaad literally means a struggle. Within an Islamic context it refers to a struggle for the sake of God. As we can see from examples in the Qur'an, this struggle may be of many sorts, and it does not necessarily refer to military Jihaad. Here is an example: 29:8 We have enjoined on man kindness to parents: but if either of them strive (JAHADAKA) to force thee to join with Me (in worship) anything of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not. Ye have (all) to return to me, and I will tell you (the truth) of all that ye did. As seen in the above verse, here the non-Muslim parents are striving to convert their child back to their religion. This is an example of the usage of the word Jihaad as provided in the Qur'an. So the understanding of Jihaad in Islam, is striving for the pleasure of the One God. There are many ways to strive for the pleasure of God as outlined in the Qur'an and Sunnah, as we shall see, insha'Allah. The first example is striving to live under the way of Islam. This includes restraining one's desires and sacrificng their personal wants for the sake of living in the path of the Creator. The Qur'an guides those Muslims with regards to making Jihad by sacrificing one's personal desires for the sake of God: 9:23 O ye who believe! take not for protectors your fathers and your brothers if they love infidelity above Faith: if any of you do so, they do wrong. 9:24 Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline: or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the STRIVING in His cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious. As we can clearly see form the above verse, Allah asks the believers to perform Jihaad by holding tight to the path of Islam. As we know, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), many of the companions were being persecuted solely for the reason that they were Muslim. Their families placed heavy pressure on them to leave Islam. It was even worse for the slaves. Khabab ibn al-Arat was a slave who worked as a blacksmith. After He accepted Islam, his master ordered for him to have burning hot coal from the furnace pressed against his head and back. Allah answered Khabab's prayers for help and allowed him to migrate with the other Muslims to Madinah. (Ironically, before Khabab left, his master got a disease, for which the only known cure was cauterization.) These early Muslims sacrificed everything for Islam. They gave up their wealth, their homes and their families, sall for the purpose of practicing the path of submission ordained by the one and only God. This was a Jihad. It was a Jihad of sacrifice, not a military expedition of any sort. Proof of this lies in the saying of another companion, Ali ibn Abi Talib. He said, " May Allah grant mercy to Khabab, for he entered Islam willingly, migrated obediently, and lived making Jihad". This saying shows us that the true nature of Jihad is one of a continuous struggle to uphold turth, justice, freedom and equality. A true Muslim "lives" making Jihad. Those who suffer such persecution are advised to make Jihad by through migration. 4:97 Lo! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they wronged themselves, (the angels) will ask: 'In what you were engaged?' They will way: 'We were oppressed in the land.' (The angels) will say: 'Was not Allah's earth spacious that you could have migrated therein?' 2:218 Lo! Those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape persecution) and STRIVE (JAHADU) in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's mercy... So we see a Jihad in bearing persecution, and in leaving behind one's wealth, family, and home through migration. This message is again emphasized in the Qur'an: 25:52 Therefore listen not to the Unbelievers, but STRIVE against them with the utmost strenuousness, with the (Qur'an). The word jihad is used again above, and from the story I have related, the context becomes clear that it is not a Holy War, but a struggle to uphold righteousness. Jihad may be as great as bearing persecution (as seen in the lives of the companions) or it may be simply restraining one's desires in an attempt to follow the laws of God. 22:78 And STRIVE (JADIHU) for Allah with the endeavor (JIHADIHI) which is His right. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you in the DEEN (religion) any hardship... 29:6 And whosoever STRIVES (JAHADA), STRIVES (YUJAHIDU) only for himself, for lo! Allah is altogether independent of the universe." A Muslim should be steadfast in following the laws of Islam and should not allow personal desires to get in his path. For example, a Muslim is encouraged to forgive others who have harmed them and to restrain their anger: 41:34 Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate! We also find in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him: "A man said to the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him): Counsel me. He (i.e. the Prophet) said: Do not become angry. The man repeated [his request] several times, and he (i.e. the Prophet) said: Do not become angry." (Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, number 137) So restraining one's anger and returning good for evil are both examples of a common Jihaad Muslims are asked to make. Besides only abstaining from doing wrong, Muslims also do Jihad by striving to do good. 29:69 As for those who STRIVE (JAHADU) in Us (the cause of Allah), We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good doers. Here Allah is encouraging believers to do good deeds by informing them that He will surely guide them and be with them as they serve humanity through compassion and love. Perfoming righteous acts has always been considered a Jihad in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him has described righteous deeds as a jihad in many narrations. Aisha, wife of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, we see jihad as the best of deeds, so shouldn't we join it?' He replied, 'But the best of jihad is a perfect Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah).' (Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 26, Number 595) At another occasion, a man asked the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him): "'Should I join the jihad?' He asked, 'Do you have parents?' The man said, 'Yes!' The Prophet (S) said, 'Then strive by serving them!'" (Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 3) What better proof can we ask for from the Sunnah that performing righteousness, deeds of compassion and love are amongst the best forms of Jihaad? Islam encourages us to treat our parents, family and relatives, and neighbours with love. This is a Jihaad! As the Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him said: None of you truly believes until you love for your brother what you love for yourself (Nawawi #13) Yet another man asked the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him): "What kind of jihad is better?' He replied, 'A word of truth in front of an oppressive ruler!'" (Sunan Al-Nasa'i #4209) The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "...the MUJAHID (one who carries out jihad) is he who STRIVES against himself for the sake of Allah, and the MUHAJIR (one who emigrates) is he who abandons evil deeds and sin." - Ibn Hibban #4862) As we can clearly see, jihaad has never been considered as 'Holy War' in Islam. Jihaad is merely the continuous struggle to uphold good for the pleasure of God. Jihaad can take many forms as we have seen and it is all about sacrifice. Sacrificing what you have for the sake of God. This may mean the sacrifice of desires or wealth. But obviously the greatest sacrifice is when one risks their life for the sake of justice, peace and truth. This is where the concept of physical Jihaad comes in. Often we see that people become oppressed under tyrannical rule or they are being attacked by an invading force. Islam commands Muslims to deffend the rights of others. It is the duty of Muslims to establish justice and this may require the use of force to save lives. Every human being has the right to defend themselves, at it is obligatory to help another who is being attacked or oppressed. Force is often necessary to defend against evil. An important point to note in the struggle for peace and justice is that without one the other cannot exist. Without justice, peace is meaningless. We cannot sit back and watch as the rights of others are discarded. So a decisive use of force can often spare many lives and suffering. Islam recognizes that and gives human beings their right to defend themselves. There is no blame on a person who defends himself in the face of oppression and aggression. You do not have to allow yourselves to be persecuted and anihilated. As the Qur'an says: 42:41 And whoso defendeth himself after he hath suffered wrong - for such, there is no way (of blame) against them. 42:42 The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress mankind, and wrongfully rebel in the earth. For such there is a painful doom. 42:43 And verily whoso is patient and forgiveth - lo! that, verily, is (of) the steadfast heart of things. So the forgiving face of peace is favoured in Islam, but as we all know, peace cannot survive without justice. For example, during the reign of Hitler and the Nazis, the world could not stand by while millions of Jews were being massacred. It was imperative for humanity not to give in to the demands of evil and rush to liberate those people who were being oppressed by the Nazis. If a similar situation occurred today, it would be our duty to defend others from oppression. This is a duty upon every Muslim and an example of a practical application of physical Jihaad. We can also see a practical use of force to defend and implement justice in the life of Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him. After the Muslims were expelled from Makkah through the persecution, all the wealth they left behind was seized by the Makkans and sold. The Muslims were left with nothing but the brotherly love of the new Muslims of Madinah who took those who fled from persecution into their homes and took care of them. Now they were able to establish an Islamic state and defend themselves from the attacks of the Makkans. Here fighting was necessary because had the Muslims not stood up against the aggression they would have been completely eradicated. 2:190 Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God loveth not transgressors. As seen in the above verse, Muslims only fight in defense against those who initiate the aggression and oppression. Thus Islam allows the use of force only to defend humanity from oppression and to establish justice. Those Muslims who risk their lives seeking justice are rewarded with paradise, as this is the greatest manifestation of Jihaad- sacrificing one's life for the cause of truth, peace, and justice. We can see the practicality of the use of force in order to establish justice in law enforcement agencies. So while Islam commands peace as the rule, if a neighbor is being oppressed it is the duty of a Muslim to defend them. 4:75 And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!" As this verse illustrates, the only purpose of the Muslims engaging in physical Jihaad is to defend the rights of others and to protect humanity from injustice. Nevertheless, even when it comes to using force to establish justice, Islam has laid out specific laws and regulations to ensure that no injustice is done. Muslims are forbidden from attacking those who are not fighting: 5:32...if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people Jihad can only be declared when the people are being attacked or oppressed. And even in the event of war, Muslims should always be prepared to accept peace and cease fighting if the enemy offers peace: 8:61 But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in God: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things). And if any peace treaty has been made it must be honored: 4:90 Except those who join a group between whom and you there is a treaty (of peace), or those who approach you with hearts restraining them from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. If God had pleased, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you: Therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you (Guarantees of) peace, then God Hath opened no way for you (to war against them) 9:7 How can there be a league, before God and His Apostle, with the Pagans, except those with whom ye made a treaty near the sacred Mosque? As long as these stand true to you, stand ye true to them: for God doth love the righteous A Muslim can only perform physical jihaad for the establishment of justice and to liberate others from oppression. If there is an oppressed group or the threat of an attack, then the Muslims may use force to defend themselves and others. And in the event of a physical conflict, a Muslim must obey the laws of Islam and be prepared to offer peace. There are many specific regulations, which Muslims must follow during combat. These narrations from the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) outline some of them: "Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman" (Abu Dawud). "Do not kill the monks in monasteries" or "Do not kill the people who are sitting in places of worship" (Musnad of Ibn Hanbal). "Do not cut off ears and noses and other parts of the body. Do not kill women and children, the elderly, and men of religion in their places of worship. Do not cut down date and other trees, and do not tear down buildings."(Bukhari) Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was also known to have forbidden the killing of captives and those tied up. These points are reinforced by other sayings of Prophet Muhammad collected in The Book of Jihad and Expedition (Kitab Al-Jihad wa'l-Siyar). It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah said: Do not desire an encounter with the enemy; but when you encounter them, be firm. (Muslim Book 019, Number 4313) It is narrated by Ibn 'Umar that a woman was found killed in one of these battles; so the Messenger of Allah forbade the killing of women and children. (Muslim Book 019, Number 4320) Muslims also believe that non-combatants are not to be harmed during or after the war. One of the greatest companions of Prophet Muhammad, Abu Bakr, gave a detailed set of instructions to the Muslim army: Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone (Al-Muwatta, Volume 21, Hadith 10) Based on the above mentioned principles, Muslims Scholars have established a list of guidelines during war: 1. War is to be waged only with those who encourage and engage in it. 2. Priests in churches, children, women, and the elderly must never be harmed. 3. Sown fields must not be damaged. 4. Treaties and agreements must not be broken. 5. Animals must not be harmed. 6. There must be no cruelty and torture. 7. Towns must not be destroyed So as we can see, Islam allows the use of force as a last resort, and only to defend the rights of others from oppression. And even in battle, Islam has laid out clear regulations. Jihaad is the struggle to uphold good for the sake of God and as we have seen it can take many forms. Hopefully this article will help enlighten people about the truth of Islam and clarify the misconceptions being circulated about Jihaad. And Allah knows best!
so what is the real truth of islam? that jihaad doesnt necessarily mean holy war, but can be distorted by fundamentalist adherents to mean exactly that? islam as a religion isnt the problem and never was. religion itself is the problem. the fact that people believe in any supreme and unproveable truth and are then willing to back up those baseless claims with passion and force is the legacy and sad tragedy of islam and the worlds other religions. so its no worse than judaism or christianity, but also no better. the word jihaad means what you want it to mean. it means holy war if you are an american christian or a muslim suicide bomber. it means any form of struggle on gods behalf if you are a peaceful imam. the difference in reality is minimal.
Islamic apolegetics we have seen here before. Thanks anyway for trying to clear things up, however I have other friends who really cleared up things for me. They are former Islamics themselves they know their former religion well. This is what they had to say: Jihad, the Arab Conquests and the Position of Non-Muslim Subjects Apologists of Islam still insist on perpetuating the myth of an Islam which accorded equality to her non-Muslim subjects, they talk of a time when all the various religious communities lived in perfect harmony in the Islamic lands. The same apologists minimize, or even excuse, the persecution, the discrimination, the forced conversions, the massacres, the destruction of the churches, synagogues, fire temples and other places of worship. This rosy but totally false picture of Islam is also built up by (1) ignoring the destruction and the massacres during the actual process of the Arab conquests; (2) by concentrating almost exclusively on the fate of Jews and Christians, and consequently dismissing the fate of idolaters (are they not human?), Zoroastrians, Hindus and Buddhists (3) by relying on Muslim sources, as though they are bound to be less biased! (4) by ignoring, or excusing the appalling behaviour of the Prophet towards the Jews; (5) by ignoring the intolerant, hostile, anti- Jewish, anti-Christian, and above all, anti-pagan sentiments expressed in the Koran which were the source of much intolerant, fanatical and violent behaviour throughout the history of Islam against all non-Muslims. click Thaks anyhow!. Godless
People who try to condone Islamic violence often say that it is not the religion which is at fault, it is the people who misinterpret it. But nothing can be farther than the truth. There are good and bad people everywhere. In fact there is good and bad in everyone of us. It is the system that we live under that brings out the worst or the best in us. The very principles of Islam are based upon violence and upon forcing every human's allegiance to Islam. From the day one. Ever since Islam came into being that it has indulged in violence in order to force people to convert. It's a battle that's still continuing, now that it is not so easy to force conversions......now their frustration is showing in terms of terrorism.
So as we can see, Islam allows the use of force as a last resort, and only to defend the rights of others from oppression. And even in battle, Islam has laid out clear regulations. Why would a religion require rules and regulations for doing battle? Why would a god need to pass on these rules of warfare? Is it expected that Muslims will go to war?
