The Peace FAQ:
Jihad
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is Jihad according to reference material?
- What is Jihad according to Muslim and Islamic Scholars and Authors?
- What are some recent examples of Jihad
- I have heard some Arabs and Muslims say that Jihad a personal struggle against one's own evil side. Is this the commonly accepted definition of the word?
- If the aim of Jihad is to spread Islam to the whole world, does this have any relevance to the Jewish state existing in the middle of the many Arab Muslim states in the Middle East?
- Why do Muslims perform Jihad? Why do they risk their lives and subvert any hesitancy toward violence?
What is Jihad according to reference material?
-
I. The Dictionaries
Webster's Third New International Dictionary, p. 1216
A holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty; a bitter strife or crusade undertaken in the spirit of a holy war.
Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary, p. 985.
A Moslem holy war; campaign against unbelievers or enemies of Islam.
Webster's New International Dictionary, p. 1336.
A religious war against infidels or Muhammedan heretics.
The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, p. 1029.
The Universal Dictionary of the English Language, p. 631.
"Contest, war". A Mohammedan war against unbelievers, campaign against the enemies of Islam.
The American College Dictionary, p. 657.
A war of Muhammedans upon others, with a religious object.
Britannica World Language Dictionary, p. 686.
A religious war of Moslems against the enemies of their faith.
The Oxford Dictionary, vol. V, p. 583.
[struggle, contest, spec. one for the propagation of Islam.] A religious war of Mohammedans against unbelievers in Islam, inculcated as a duty by the Koran and traditions.
Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary, p. 781.
A jihad is a holy war which Islam allows merely to fight against those who reject its teachings.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, p. 704.
Longman Dictionary of the English Language, p. 849.
The Harper Dictionary of Modern Thought, p. 327.
II. The EncyclopediasJihad ('Holy War'). A fundamental tenet of traditional ISLAM obliging the believer to fight the unbeliever until the latter embraces either Islam or the protected status accorded only to those whose religions are based on written scriptures (i.e., Jews, Christians, Sabaeans), the 'peoples of the Book'. A Jihad must be officially proclaimed, by a recognized spiritual leader.
The New Encyclopedia Britannica, vol 6
jihad, also spelled jehad, Arabic jiohad ("fight," or "battle") a religious duty imposed on Muslims to spread Islam by waging war; jihad has come to denote any conflict waged for principle or belief and is often translated to mean "holy war."
Islam distinguishes four ways by which the duty of jihad can be fulfilled: by the heart, the tongue, the hand, and the sword. The first consists in a spiritual purification of one's own heart by doing battle with the devil and overcoming his inducements to evil.
The propagation of Islam through the tongue and hand is accomplished in large measure by supporting which is right and correcting what is wrong. The fourth way to fulfill one's duty is to wage war physically against unbelievers and enemies of the Islamic faith. Those who professed belief in a divine revelation--Christians and Jews in particular--were given special consideration. They could either embrace Islam or at least submit themselves to Islamic rule and pay a poll and land tax. If both options were rejected, jihad was declared.
Collier's Encyclopedia, vol. 13, p. 587
Jihad, from an Arabic verb meaning to struggle and persevere, denotes, in the history of Islamic civilization, religious war waged against heretics, unbelievers, and the enemies of the state or the community of Muslims. In early Islamic history "jihad" meant holy war, and, as a strictly Islamic phenomenon, it bears a strict relation to the spread of the faith by Muslims arms...among the descendants of the Kharijits...it was ranked as a sixth pillar of religion.
The Encyclopedia Americana International Edition, vol 16, pgs. 91-92
Jihad, an Arabic word meaning "struggle." As a religious duty theoretically laid upon all followers of Mohammed, jihad is based on the concept that the Islamic faith, since it is of universal validity, must be spread to all mankind, by force of arms if necessary. In classical Islam, jihad was to be directed against "people of the Book" (that is, possessors of authoritative sacred writings, above all Jews and Christians) until they submitted to the political authority of Islam, and against idolaters until they became Muslims. Sufi mystics, however, often considered jihad as a spiritual struggle against the evil within the self.
The Cambridge Encyclopedia, p. 637
jihad - The term used in Islam for 'holy war'. According to the Koran, Muslims have a duty to oppose those who reject Islam, by armed struggled if necessary, and jihad has been invoked to justify both the expansion and defense of Islam. Islamic states pledged a jihad against Israel in the Mecca declaration of 1981, though not necessarily by military attack.
Academic American Encyclopedia, p. 418
In Islam, the duty of each Muslim to spread his religious beliefs is termed "jihad". Although the word is widely understood to mean a "holy war" against nonbelievers, jihad may also be fulfilled by a personal battle against evil inclinations, the righting of wrongs, and the supporting of what is good.
The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, p, 209
Jihad "Holy war", a Divine institution of warfare to extend Islam into the dar al-harb (the non-Islamic territories which are described as the "abode of struggle", or of disbelief) or to defend Islam from danger. Adult males must participate if the need arises, but not all of them, provided that "a sufficient number" (fard al-kifayah) take it up.
An important precondition of jihad is a reasonable prospect of success, failing which a jihad should not be undertaken. According to the Sunnah, a jihad is not lawful unless it involves the summoning of unbelievers to belief, and the jihad must end when order is restored, that is, when the unbelievers have accepted either Islam or a protected status within Islam, or when Islam is no longer under threat.
The Cyclopedia Of Biblical, Theological, And Ecclesiastical Literature, by McClintock and Strong, vol. VI, p. 417
War on Infidels.--The Koran abounds in contradictions respecting the right and duty of the faithful to make war on infidels; for Mohammed, while he was the weaker party, showed himself very tolerant, and commanded to convert only by the power of the word; but later, when he became more potent, he issued severer ordinances against those who would not submit to his faith. His successors, therefore, have established the following doctrines, and declared null and void the passages of the Koran adverse to them. Every major Moslem fit for military service is in duty bound to participate in holy wars against infidels who will not submit to the dominion of Moslems, and against the faithful who refuse obedience to the legitimate prince, or adhere to dogmas contrary to the faith. In a war against Moslemite rebels or heretics it is not allowed to kill prisoners of war, nor to attack the wounded or pillage property. As for infidel prisoners of war, who do not adopt the Islam before their capture, women and children are made slaves; men can, according to the pleasure of the prince or political exigency, either be killed, ransomed, or exchanged for Moslem prisoners; or even, as circumstances may dictate, be released or be made slaves. Children of infidels will be educated as Moslems, if their father or mother have been converted to Islam, if they have been captured without parents, or if they are found on Islamic territory.
What is Jihad according to Muslim and Islamic Scholars and Authors?
- "Islam wishes to destroy all States and
Governments anywhere on the face of the earth which are opposed to the
ideology and program of Islam. Islam requires the earth - not just a
portion, but the whole planet." And that God's Law
(Shariah) should be enforced in the world "by
force of arms." Truth cannot be confined within
geographical borders. "The allegiance of a Muslim does not rest on
his domicile in the country which is his, but on the faith to which he
belongs ... wherever there is the rule of Islam, there is his own
country."
- S.A.A. Maududi "Jihad in Islam", Lahore, 1991
- "Jihad has been decreed to repel aggression and to remove obstructions
impeding the propagation of Islam in non-Islamic countries." As
Lt.Col. M.M. Qureshi points out in his "Landmarks of Jihad", "only a
war which has an ultimate religious purpose can be termed as jihad."
- Shayk Muhammad Abu Zahra, Egyptian member of the Academy of Islamic Research
- Hasan al Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, called Jihad
the sixth pillar of Islam. Its invitation is "to join a movement of
social revolution to enforce its own program of reform which it deems
best for the well-being of mankind." (Beware of an elite which
thinks it knows best the needs of a class, a nation or mankind.) This
movement which, the Qur'an calls "Hizb Allah", the Party of God, is
left with no other choice except to capture State Authority. Thus
Jihad will include Qital (fighting). But "war in Islam is not a casual
phenomenon of violence; it is one of the phases of man's striving
(Jihad) against all that is evil ... The raising of the sword is only
one aspect of the all-round struggle to establish Islam in the
world." "Wage war for the sake of Allah. Kill whoever denies Him."
(Muhammad) "Jihad has been made obligatory (against pagans and people
of the Book) on every Muslim by ....... and in His eyes avoidance of
Jihad is the greatest sin."
Each Muslim should have an ambition for martyrdom, be a lover of death. (Every martyr shall have seventy deer-eyed houris as his consorts. ) "Jihad shall continue until the Day of Judgment." (Muhammad)
- S.A.A. Maududi & A.H. Siddiqi "Jihad in Islam", Lahore, 1991
- The great expansion of Islam in the short time after
its inception was largely due to the militant spirit of the new
faith. A great many verses of the Qur'an enjoin on Moslems to take up
arms against polytheists, unbelievers and hypocrites. The words used
in expressing this commandment are 'Qital' (slaying, warfare) and
'Jihad" (going forth to fight in the holy war). This latter word is
more typical as its original meaning is striving with might and main;
and, as will be seen, the dedication of maximum effort to the holy
undertaking characterizes the commandment. Although the wording of
one verse (II.186) implies that fighting is justified when the enemy
has attacked first, this is by no means the general rule. Nor is
there any substance in the argument which is sometimes advanced to
the effect that Jihad should be understood primarily in the sense of
moral endeavor and self-discipline in the cause of service to Islam,
and only secondarily in that of holy war. The verses quoted below
will show that the emphasis is distinctly on warring against
non-believers with the object of propagating Islam, this being, by
the express injunction of the Qur'an, one of the primary duties of
Moslems.
'O Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and hypocrites and deal rigorously with them; their home shall be Hell...' (IX.73). 'O believers, fight the infidels who dwell around you, and deal rigorously with them' )IX.124). 'Do not yield to unbelievers, but strive against them in a strenuous Jihad' (XXV.54). 'Fight for the cause of Allah with the devotion due to Him' (XXII.77). 'Fight valiantly for His cause so that you may triumph' (V.39). 'Whether unarmed or well-equipped, march on and fight for the cause of Allah with your wealth and your person's (IX.41). 'Fight in God's cause; you are accountable for none but yourself. Rouse the faithful...' (IV.86). 'Fight against the (the idolaters) until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme' (II.189 and VIII.40). 'Fighting is obligatory for you, and you dislike it. But you may dislike a thing although it is good for you, and love a thing although it is bad for you' (II.212). 'Allah loves those who fight for His cause in ranks as firm as a mighty edifice' (I.XI.4). 'The true believers are those...who fight for His cause with their wealth and their persons' (XLIX.15). 'O Apostle, rouse the believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred; if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the unbelievers' (VIIIl.67). 'When you meet the unbelievers, smite at their necks; at length when you have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them), thereafter is the time either for generosity or for ransom until the war lays down its burdens' (XLVII.4).
In a number of verses the command to fight is supported by promise of rewards. 'Who is he that will loan to God a beautiful loan which God will double to their credit and multiply many times?' (II.245-246). 'Allah has given those that fight with their goods and their persons a higher rank than those who stay at home. He has promised all a good reward, but far richer is the recompense of those who fight for Him; rank of His own bestowal, forgiveness and mercy' (IV. 97). 'Those who believe, suffer exile and strive with might and main in God's cause with their goods and their persons have the highest rank in the sight of God' (IX.20). 'Those who...fought in the path of God have the hope of the mercy of God...' (II.215). Those who fall on the battlefield in the course of holy war become martyrs. 'Those that...fought and died for My cause shall be forgiven their sins and admitted to gardens watered by running streams...' (III.194). 'Think not of those who are slain in God's way as dead; they are alive and well provided for by their Lord' (III.163 and II.149). 'As for those who are slain in the cause of Allah, He will not allow their works to perish...He will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to them' (XLVII.5).
Other verses show God's displeasure with those who shirk their duty of fighting. 'And how should you not fight in the cause of Allah and for the helpless...?' (IV.77). 'Those who were left behind [in the Tobouk expedition] rejoiced in their inaction behind the back of the Apostle of God; they hated to strive and fight with their goods and their persons in the cause of God. They said, "do not go forth in the heat;' say, "the fire of Hell is fiercer in heat"' (IX.81).
The above quotations are by no means exhaustive. Clearly the Qur'an makes it the inescapable duty of every Moslem to take part in fighting for the cause of God; only the blind, the lame and the sick are exempt (XLVIII.17).
Whoever disobeys this commandment or tries to compromise with the enemy is a 'hypocrite' and must be treated as an infidel. On the other hand whoever takes part in the fighting is not only promised the rewards of the Hereafter, but in addition receives here below a share of the booty taken.
Except for a few verses which are revealed with reference to particular events such as the battles of Badr and Uhud, all the texts concerning Qital and Jihad have a general import. The obligation to engage in holy warfare is meant to persist, in the words of the Qur'an cited above, until God's religion reigns supreme. Therefore if by God's religion is meant Islam in the specific sense, and if it is maintained that the commandments of the Qur'an go beyond the special circumstances and needs of the time of revelation, then it follows that the prescriptions concerning holy war place the Islamic community in a situation of potential hostility towards the non-Moslem world.
- from A GUIDE TO THE CONTENTS OF THE QUR'AN by Faruq Sherif, pgs 166-168
- "Exert your utmost" does not fully convey the meaning
of Jahidu. It implies that the Believers should struggle against all
the forces that stand in the way of Allah, as if to say, "You can
please Allah and win His favor only if you exert your utmost in the
way of Allah: struggle hard against all the persons, parties and
forces which stand in Allah's way, which hinder you from Allah's way
to turn you away from it, which do not let you follow Allah's way as
His servants and force you to become their servants or servants of
others. Such exertion and struggle will lead you to true success and
become the means of obtaining the nearness of Allah."
Thus it must have become clear that this verse exhorts the Believer to fight his enemies on all fronts. On one side, he confronts Satan and a host of his followers, and on the second, his own self and its alluring temptations. On the third side, he has to fight many people who have swerved from the way of God, and with whom he is bound by close social, cultural and economic relations. On the fourth side, he is required to oppose all those religious, cultural and political systems that are founded on rebellion against God and force people to submit to falsehood instead of the Truth. Though these enemies employ different weapons, they all have one and the same object in view, that is, to subdue their victims and bring them under their own subjection. It is obvious that true success can only be achieved if one becomes wholly and solely a servant of God and obeys Him openly and also secretly, to the exclusion of obedience to all others. Thus there is bound to be a conflict with all the four enemies. Therefore the Believer cannot achieve his object unless he engages himself with all these hostile and opposing forces at one and the same time and at all events, and removing all these hindrances marches onwards on the way of Allah.
- from The Meaning of the Qur'an, by S. Abul A'La Maududi, vol. III, pgs. 40-41
- The Arabic words Jihad-i-Kabir imply three
meanings:
(1) To exert one's utmost for the cause of Islam,
(2) To dedicate all one's resources to this cause, and
(3) To fight against the enemies of Islam on all possible fronts with all one's resources in order to raise high the "Word of Allah". This will include Jihad with one's tongue, pen, wealth, life and every other available weapon.
- from The Meaning of the Qur'an by S. Abul a'La Maududi, vol. VIII, p. 198
- ...the normal Arab practice of the razzia was taken
over by the Islamic community. In being taken over, however, it was
transformed. It became an activity of believers against unbelievers,
and therefore took place within a religious context. The Emigrants
were described as "striving with goods and person in the way of God.'
They were promoting one of the purposes of the Islamic community in
trying to establish a region in which God was truly worshipped.
This transformation of the nomadic razzia has wider implications than are apparent from the English translations used. The words translated 'strive' is jahada, and the corresponding verbal noun is jihad or 'striving' which came in the course of time to have the technical meaning of 'holy war'. The change from the razzia to the jihad may seem to be no more than a change of name, the giving of an aura of religion to what was essentially the same activity. Yet this is not so. There was a change in the activity which came to be of the utmost importance as time went on. A razzia was the action of a tribe against another tribe. Even if two tribes were very friendly, their friendship might cool, and in a few years a razzia might be possible. Jihad, however, was the action of a religious community against non-members of the community, and the community was expanding. If members of the pagan tribes raided by the Muslims professed Islam, they at once became exempt from further Muslim raids. Consequently, as the Islamic community grew, the raiding propensities of the Muslims had to be directed even further outwards. It was this 'religious' character of the jihad which channeled the energies of the Arabs in such a way that in less than a century they had created an empire which stretched from the Atlantic and the Pyrenees in the West to the Oxus and the Punjab in the East. It seems certain that without the conception of the jihad that expansion would not have happened.
- from Muhammad by W. Montgomery Watt, pgs 108-109, Oxford University Press
- The seventeenth book is the "Book of Religious Wars
and Expeditions" (Kiotab al-Jihad Wa'l-Siyar).
Jihad is a divinely ordained institution in Islam. By many authorities it is counted as one of the pillars of Islam. Theologically, it is intolerant idea: a tribal god, Allah, trying to be universal through conquest. Historically, it was an imperialist urge masked in religious phraseology.
- from Understanding Islam through Hadis by Ram Swarup, p. 99
- To everyone acquainted with Islamic law it is no
secret that according to Islam the punishment for a Muslim who turns
to kufr (infidelity, blasphemy) is execution. Doubt about this
matter first arose among Muslims during the final portion of the
nineteenth century as a result of speculation. Otherwise, for the
full twelve centuries prior to that time the total Muslim community
remained unanimous about it. The whole of our religious literature
clearly testifies that ambiguity about the matter of the apostate's
execution never existed among Muslims. The expositions of the
Prophet, the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (Khulafa'-i Rashidun), the
great Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet, their Followers
(Tabi'un), the leaders among the mujtahids and,
following them, the doctors of the shari'ah of every century
are available on record. Al these collectively will assure you that
from the time of the Prophet to the present day one injunction only
has been continuously and uninterruptedly operative and that no room
whatever remains to suggest that perhaps the punishment of the
apostate is not execution.
A. The Proof from the Qur'an for the Commandment to Execute the Apostate
Here I wish briefly to offer proof that will quiet the doubt in the hearts of those who, for lack of sources of information, may think that perhaps the punishment of death did not exist in Islam but was added at a later time by the mawlawis (religious leaders) on their own,.
God Most High declares in the Qur'an:
But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren in religion. We detail our revelations for a people who have knowledge. And if they break their pledges after their treaty (hath been made with you) and assail your religion, then fight the heads of disbelief--Lo! they have no binding oaths in order that they may desist. (9:11,12)
B. Proof from the Hadith (Canonical Tradition) for the Commandment to Execute the Apostate
After the Qur'an we turn to the Hadith. This is the command of the Prophet:
1. Any person (i.e., Muslim) who has changed his religion, kill him. This tradition has been narrated by Abu Bakr, Uthman, Ali, Muadh ibn Jabal, Abu Musa Ashari, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Khalid ibn Walid and a number of other Companions, and is found in all the authentic Hadith collections.
2. Abdullah ibn Masud reports:
The Messenger of God stated: In no way is it permitted to shed the blood of a Muslim who testifies that "there is no god except God" and "I am the Apostle of God" except for three crimes: a. he has killed someone and his act merits retaliation; b. he is married and commits adultery; c. he abandons his religion and is separated from the community.
- from The Punishment Of The Apostate According To Islamic Law by Abul Ala Mawdudi, pgs. 17-19
- To the cry of JIHAD, the Arabs began their conquest of
the world in the seventh century. This was the beginning of an
extraordinary epic which brought vast regions of the Orient, Africa,
and Europe under the rule of Islam. Jews and Christians who refused
conversion became dhimmis: "protected peoples." Separating
fact from myth in a vast study of their history, Bat Ye'or offers
authentic documents from many periods and regions. A fully knowledge
of the Jihad-War, its aims and regulations will provide an
indispensable key to contemporary conflicts in the Muslim world, as
well as to the wave of current Islamist extremism. The fourth
reprinting of this essential book facilitates the study of their
ideological roots, often obfuscated.
- from The Dhimmi by Bat Ye'or
What are some recent examples of Jihad
- "When the Christians in Syria in the first century of Islam were
forced to submit, they had to sign a long list of
promises... including "not to teach our children the Qur'an."... The
contradictions and unethical injunctions in the Qur'an [would have
provided ammunition for] future anti-Islamic polemicists."
The "distinction between religious conflict as an accident or aberration [something temporary, a misunderstanding perhaps] and religious conflict as the direct outcome of fanatical doctrines inherent in a religion, is fundamental to an understanding of the problem." In the first case, acts of fanaticism may be in spite of the religion, in the second case they are because of the ideology, and are bound to happen. For example, the persecution of the Copts in Egypt, the Bahai in Iran and of the Hindus in East Pakistan (Bangladesh) were religiously motivated and inspired by verses in the Qur'an.
The genocide of the Armenians, the invasion of Cyprus and the invasion of East Timor may still have happened if the perpetrators had not been Muslim, but I believe that Islam's ideology and lack of respect for human life played a major role. No amount of goodwill [on our part] is capable of changing Islamic theology and its inherent political ambition of world conquest."
- K. Elst, "Negationism in India: Concealing the Record of Islam", New Delhi, 1993
-
...all the
wars against Israel were Jihads. All the recent terrorist acts from
the blowing up that airplane over Scotland, the bombing of the World
Trade Center, the suicide bombings in Jerusalem, the killing of
American soldiers in Arabia and Germany, etc., were done in the name
of Jihad. The Desert Storm War was itself proclaimed a Jihad.
[At the library if one goes] to the computer to check out the newspapers and magazines that used the word "Jihad" in its report of recent terrorist activities. The computer comes up with thousands of references in newspapers and magazines where Muslims in the name of Jihad have caused death and carnage around the world.
[One may find] a recent example that is crystal clear in revealing the violent nature of Islam: the Salman Rushdie affair! He is the author of a book entitled The Satanic Verses who was sentenced to death in the name of Jihad. Several of the translators of his book were hunted down and butchered in cold blood by Muslim fanatics. A price was put on Rushdie's head by the leader of Iran. He was forced into hiding for the rest of his life. His book is burned and banned in Muslim countries. Even the Muslims in the West called for his death and the banning of his book. If there was ever an example of the violent meaning of Jihad in modern times, this is it.
[Why Jihad?]
First, Jihad is clearly a major doctrine of the religion of Islam. It is sometimes called the "sixth pillar of Islam." Its founder, Muhammad, stated that Jihad was the second most important thing in Islam (Bukhari, vol. 1, no. 25).
Second, Jihad is commanded in the Qur'an and in the Hadith. There are so many references to this fact that this is beyond all doubt.
Third, it is the moral duty of all Muslims to participate in Jihad. Any Muslims who says otherwise is voicing his personal opinion and not the official teaching of the religion of Islam.
Fourth, in its non-violent form, Jihad means to strive with all your might against such temptations as alcohol, and for the conversion of non-Muslims to Islam. In non-violent forms of Jihad, people are encouraged to convert to Islam or to return to Islam by gifts of money, the promise of a job or university education, sexual favors, intimidation, the distribution of tracts, books, tapes and videos promoting Islam, the promise of protection from rape in prison, etc.
Fifth, in its violent form, Jihad has been invoked to justify every act of terrorism imaginable. Waging war on a nation such as Israel or the United States is Jihad. The blowing up school buses filled with children, bombing public transportation such as buses, trains, and planes, the killing of clergymen of other faiths, the murder of authors who speak out against Islam, the kidnapping and rape of women, the enslavement of non-Muslims, the assassination of political and religious figures, bombing buildings such as apartment houses and churches, gang rape, the looting of homes, businesses, cities and nations, the burning down of neighborhoods and cities, the use of chemical and biological warfare against civilian populations, putting people in jail for criticizing Islam, torturing them and mutilating their bodies, etc.
But what if you run across a Muslim who says that Islam is a religion of peace and that Islam does not teach or practice violent forms of Jihad? They are either ignorant of what Islam officially teaches or they are trying to deceive you. Either way, they are "apostates" because they have rejected the teaching of the Qur'an and the Hadith on Jihad.
- by Dr. Robert Morey in The Islamic Doctrine of Jihad
I have heard some Arabs and Muslims say that Jihad a personal struggle against one's own evil side. Is this the commonly accepted definition of the word?
- "Those who
emphasize the personal meaning of Jihad as `the struggle against one's
evil inclination' rather than its political definition as `the Holy War
against infidels', are simply perverting history by minimizing the
primary significance of the concept".
- by Professor Walid Phares, Miami University
- Although the wording of
one verse (II.186) implies that fighting is justified when the enemy
has attacked first, this is by no means the general rule. Nor is
there any substance in the argument which is sometimes advanced to
the effect that Jihad should be understood primarily in the sense of
moral endeavor and self-discipline in the cause of service to Islam,
and only secondarily in that of holy war. The verses quoted below
will show that the emphasis is distinctly on warring against
non-believers with the object of propagating Islam, this being, by
the express injunction of the Qur'an, one of the primary duties of
Moslems.
'O Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and hypocrites and deal rigorously with them; their home shall be Hell...' (IX.73). 'O believers, fight the infidels who dwell around you, and deal rigorously with them' )IX.124). 'Do not yield to unbelievers, but strive against them in a strenuous Jihad' (XXV.54). 'Fight for the cause of Allah with the devotion due to Him' (XXII.77). 'Fight valiantly for His cause so that you may triumph' (V.39). 'Whether unarmed or well-equipped, march on and fight for the cause of Allah with your wealth and your person's (IX.41). 'Fight in God's cause; you are accountable for none but yourself. Rouse the faithful...' (IV.86). 'Fight against the (the idolaters) until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme' (II.189 and VIII.40). 'Fighting is obligatory for you, and you dislike it. But you may dislike a thing although it is good for you, and love a thing although it is bad for you' (II.212). 'Allah loves those who fight for His cause in ranks as firm as a mighty edifice' (I.XI.4). 'The true believers are those...who fight for His cause with their wealth and their persons' (XLIX.15). 'O Apostle, rouse the believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred; if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the unbelievers' (VIIIl.67). 'When you meet the unbelievers, smite at their necks; at length when you have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them), thereafter is the time either for generosity or for ransom until the war lays down its burdens' (XLVII.4).
- from A GUIDE TO THE CONTENTS OF THE QUR'AN by Faruq Sherif, pgs 166-168
- The only way to find out if it [Islam] teaches Jihad and what that word means
is to examine reference works and official statements made by its
representatives.
But what if you meet a Muslim who denies that Islam teaches Jihad or who gives a novel interpretation of it? His personal opinion has no logical or legal bearing on what the religion of Islam officially teaches concerning Jihad. He may disagree with what Islam teaches but this cannot alter the fact that Islam teaches it.
- by Dr. Robert Morey in The Islamic Doctrine of Jihad
- By appealing to animalistic instincts of human beings, Mohammad was able to put together a
political philosophy, which compelled sane men to loot, rape, plunder and murder millions upon millions of fellow
men. By projecting himself as the sole and final messenger of God, Mohammad was able to command the obedience of
ignorant and hapless mass of men and force them to undertake a worldwide and a millennium long genocidal jihad
against fellow humanity.
- from Rape of a Civilization, by Kuldeep Razdan, Sword of Truth, September 4th, 1999
If the aim of Jihad is to spread Islam to the whole world, does this have any relevance to the Jewish state existing in the middle of the many Arab Muslim states in the Middle East?
- According to the Koran, Muslims have a duty to oppose those who reject
Islam, by armed struggled if necessary, and jihad has been invoked to
justify both the expansion and defense of Islam. Islamic states
pledged a jihad against Israel in the Mecca declaration of 1981,
though not necessarily by military attack.
- The Cambridge Encyclopedia, p. 637
- During my youth like my father I was always tuned to Islam
and what our Muslim teachers taught. Believing in Muhammad's
prophecy I offered my life to 'Jihad' or 'Holy War' as the
only means to obtain either victory or martyrdom. In Islam
martyrdom is the only way you can ensure salvation and entry
to heaven especially since Allah and his prophet Mohammed
promised it...
...The simplest way to describe myself is that I was one of those whom one would view on CNN throwing rocks and molotov cocktails in the days of the Intifada or 'The Uprising', I was one of these who Jews would call a terrorist, the interesting thing is that I was not only terrorizing but I was terrorized by my beliefs, since I had to gain enough merit and good deeds to go to heaven but never was sure if my good deeds would outweigh my bad deeds in the scale when I get judged by God, of course to die fighting the Jews will ease Allah's anger towards my sin and I will be secured in a good spot in heaven with beautiful wide eyed women to fulfill my most intimate desires, either way I will win, and terror was the only way.
...I'll be honest; All my life I was terrified every time I read the Koran, as after every other verse is always the threats of hell fire for this sin and that, when all I wanted is to reach out to my maker to say I am sorry, forgive me, give me another chance, but I failed to keep count of all my sins and my good deeds, and I was sure that at the end, my sins will outweigh my good deeds, so I lived my sinful life depending on the love and mercy of my maker. I always wondered about my destiny, lost in my fears and doubts, I really hated the idea of killing for my salvation, and in reality I never had the heart to kill a rat!, how then can I kill a Jew !!!.
- Walid, a Palestinian Arab defector
quoted from "Answering Islam" -
The sheer number of jihad speeches given by Arafat since the signing of Oslo I in September 1993 is nothing short
of astonishing. One of the most notorious occurred at a mosque in South Africa in 1994. During an event closed to
the media, the chairman proclaimed:
The jihad will continue. . . . You have to understand our main battle is Jerusalem. . . . You have to come and fight a jihad to liberate Jerusalem, your precious shrine. . . . No, it is not their capital. It is our capital.
Arafat echoed the South Africa speech literally dozens of times in 1995 and 1996. On June 19, 1995, he was filmed at Al-Azhar University in Gaza:
We are all seekers of martyrdom in the path of truth and right toward Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Palestine. The commitment stands and the oath is firm to continue this long and arduous jihad in the path of martyrdom and sacrifices. . . . The commitment still stands and the oath is still firm to continue this difficult jihad, this long jihad, this arduous jihad in the path of martyrs, the path of sacrifices, but this is a path of victory and glory.
Shortly after the violence committed by PA police in September 1996, Arafat announced again:
We will be willing to die as martyrs until our flag flies over Jerusalem. No one should believe they can frighten us with weapons. We have much stronger weapons, the weapon of belief, the weapon of sacrifice, the weapon of jihad. . . . We shall continue the jihad, the long jihad, a complex jihad, a jihad of attrition, of holy death. Warfare is our only way to victory. The path of glory, the path of jihad.
On October 21, 1996, at a refugee camp in the West Bank:
We will be willing to die as martyrs until our flag flies over Jerusalem. No one should believe they can frighten us with weapons. We have much stronger weapons, the weapon of belief, the weapon of sacrifice, the weapon of jihad. . . . We shall continue the jihad, the long jihad, a complex jihad, a jihad of attrition, of holy death. Warfare is our only way to victory. The path of glory, the path of jihad.
On October 21, 1996, at a refugee camp in the West Bank:
We know only one word: jihad, jihad, jihad. When we stopped the intifada, we did not stop the jihad for the establishment of a Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem. He who doesn't like it--let him drink some water from the Dead Sea or the Sea of Gaza. . . . We are now entering the phase of the great jihad prior to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem. . . . We are in a conflict with the Zionist movement and the Balfour Declaration [recognizing a Jewish homeland in Palestine] and all imperialist activities. . . . We have a long struggle ahead of us. I call upon each and every one of you to bring into this world at least twelve children and to give me ten of them in order to continue the struggle.
What does it say about a leader formally committed to peace that he loses no opportunity to advocate holy war? And what does it say about the prospects for peace that overwhelming numbers of his constituents appear to support this aim, and a significant number have been prepared to act on it?
- by Jonathan Torop, in Arafat and the Uses of Terror, Commentary Magazine -- May 1997
- "Whomever has occupied part of Palestine or Jerusalem faces jihad until Judgment Day. Our destiny is
jihad."
- Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, preaching at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque (Voice of Palestine, May 15, 1998)
- "Our choice is the military option. We must put an end to the despicable negotiations. The time has
come for jihad..."
- Shiekh Hamed Bitawi, head of the PA's Sharia Court of Appeals in Nablus. (Al-Jazira Television, May 14, 1998)
Why do Muslims perform Jihad? Why do they risk their lives and subvert any hesitancy toward violence?
- In a number of verses the command to fight is supported by promise of
rewards. 'Who is he that will loan to God a beautiful loan which God
will double to their credit and multiply many times?' (II.245-246).
'Allah has given those that fight with their goods and their persons
a higher rank than those who stay at home. He has promised all a good
reward, but far richer is the recompense of those who fight for Him;
rank of His own bestowal, forgiveness and mercy' (IV. 97). 'Those who
believe, suffer exile and strive with might and main in God's cause
with their goods and their persons have the highest rank in the sight
of God' (IX.20). 'Those who...fought in the path of God have the hope
of the mercy of God...' (II.215). Those who fall on the battlefield
in the course of holy war become martyrs. 'Those that...fought and
died for My cause shall be forgiven their sins and admitted to
gardens watered by running streams...' (III.194). 'Think not of those
who are slain in God's way as dead; they are alive and well provided
for by their Lord' (III.163 and II.149). 'As for those who are slain
in the cause of Allah, He will not allow their works to perish...He
will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to them'
(XLVII.5).
Other verses show God's displeasure with those who shirk their duty of fighting. 'And how should you not fight in the cause of Allah and for the helpless...?' (IV.77). 'Those who were left behind [in the Tobouk expedition] rejoiced in their inaction behind the back of the Apostle of God; they hated to strive and fight with their goods and their persons in the cause of God. They said, "do not go forth in the heat;' say, "the fire of Hell is fiercer in heat"' (IX.81).
The above quotations are by no means exhaustive. Clearly the Qur'an makes it the inescapable duty of every Moslem to take part in fighting for the cause of God; only the blind, the lame and the sick are exempt (XLVIII.17).
Whoever disobeys this commandment or tries to compromise with the enemy is a 'hypocrite' and must be treated as an infidel. On the other hand whoever takes part in the fighting is not only promised the rewards of the Hereafter, but in addition receives here below a share of the booty taken.
- from A GUIDE TO THE CONTENTS OF THE QUR'AN by Faruq Sherif, pgs 166-168
- Jihad, to struggle for a holy cause. According to
Muslim belief, all healthy men, and occasionally women, must bear
arms in the event of a holy cause that may or may not lead to war.
Death in jihad is martyrdom. A warrior who gives his or her
life for a holy cause will secure a beautiful place in paradise with
special heavenly privileges. This is a good reason for foreign powers
not to provoke the Muslims to wrath. Islam owes much of its
popularity as a major world religion to this tenet.
- from Understanding the Arab World by Louis Bahjat Hamada, p. 164
-
So when you meet (in fight... Jihad in Allah's Cause) those who
disbelieve smite at their necks till when you have killed and wounded
many of them, then bind a bond firmly (on them, i.e. take them as
captives). Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free
them without ransom) or ransom (according to what benefits Islam),
until the war lays down its burden. Thus [you are ordered by Allah to
continue in carrying out Jihad against the disbelievers till they
embrace Islam (i.e. are saved from the punishment in the Hellfire) or
at least come under your protection] but if it had been Allah's Will,
He Himself could certainly have punished them (without you). But (He
lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who
are killed in the Way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost.
He will guide them and set right their state. And admit them to
Paradise which He has made known to them (i.e. they will know their
places in Paradise more than they used to know their houses in this
world). (V.47:4, 5,6).
Jihad (holy fighting in Allah's Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know. (V.2:216)
"The fighting", even though by its nature is disliked by the human soul because of the liability, of being killed, or being taken as a captive, or being injured, with the wasting of the wealth, the damaging of the industries, the destruction of the country, the spreading of fear and awe in the souls and the (possibility) of being exiled from one's homeland, Allah had made ready an immensely good reward that cannot be imagined by a human soul.
'Ikrima (a religious scholar) said: At first Muslims disliked it (Jihad), but later they loved it and said: "We listen and obey." And that is because the submission to the order to fight means hardship, but if the reward is made known it becomes to compare the hardship involved and its reward.
"Whoever believes in Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), performs Iqamat?as?Salat and observes Saum (fasts in the month of Ramadan), then it will be a promise binding upon Allah to admit him to Paradise no matter whether he fights in Allah's Cause or remains in the lane where he is born." The people said, "O Allah" Messenger! Shall we inform the people of this good news?" He (pbuh) said, "Paradise has one hundred grades which Allah has reserved for the Mujahidin who fight in His Cause, and the distance between each of the two grades is like the distance between the heaven and the earth. So, when you ask Allah (for something), ask for Al?Firdaus which is the middle (best) and highest part of Paradise." [The sub narrator added, "I think the Prophet (pbuh) also said, 'Above it (i.e. Al?Firdaus) is the Throne of the Beneficent (i.e. Allah), and from it originate the rivers of Paradise."'] (Hadlth No. 48, Vol. 4).
Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah's Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed. It Is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded. That is the supreme success. (V.9:111).
So Allah (swt) has put Paradise as the price of the believers and their properties, so if they sacrifice their lives and properties for His Cause, then they deserve the prize (Paradise) and the bargain which they concluded with Him.
from "Jihad in the Qur'an and Sunnah" By SHEIKH ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD BIN HUMAID
- Though jihad may be a part of the answer to the problems of the
ummah, it is an extremely important part. Jihad is to offer ourselves
to Allah for His Cause. Indeed, every person should according to Islam
prepare himself/herself for jihad and every person should eagerly and
patiently wait for the day when Allah will call them to show their
willingness to sacrifice their lives. We should all ask ourselves if
there is a quicker way to heaven?
...only Islam can save mankind from itself. And jihad on the individual and international scale will be a necessary part of this process of change.- Dr A. M. A. Fahmy, International Islamic Forum
-
`Let those (believers) who sell the life of this world
for the Hereafter fight in the cause of Allah., and
whosoever fights in the Cause of Allah, and is killed or
is victorious, We shall bestow on him a great reward.'
(Surat-an-Nisaa' (4), ayah 74)
- On the authority of 'Abdullah bin Abi Awfa, may Allah be pleased with
him,: `The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
`Let it be known that Paradise lies in the shadows of the swords.' (reported by the Al Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud)
- The Battle of Uhud
They ransomed one prisoner for the sum of 1600 dirhams but the other elected to remain and became a Muslim.
God did not make this order retrospective and great was the ransom that the Muslims obtained. In addition they scored one hundred and fifty camels, ten horses and a quantity of arms and armour. In the meantime the prisoners were secured with their wrists tied to their necks.
Allah, however, was not pleased that many of Muhammad's men fought with the spoils of war mainly in their minds and He said: "You have sought ransoms and worldly goods, but Allah wants the next world." meaning that they should kill rather to spread his religion, which is the path to the next world."
The Bani Qaynuka
The women, children and property were divided amongst those who had taken part in the siege. The Bani Nadir ransomed many of their kin but Muhammad kept for himself, as concubine, a beautiful Jewess named Rayhanah.
- Ibn Ishaq "The Life of Muhammad"
-
Jihad is an obligation from Allah on every Muslim and cannot be
ignored nor evaded. Allah has ascribed great importance to jihad and
has made the reward of the martyrs and the fighters in His way a
splendid one. Only those who have acted similarly and who have
modelled themselves upon the martyrs in their performance of jihad can
join them in this reward.
...Notice how Allah associates warfare with prayer and fasting, establishing it as one of the pillars of Islam. And how He refutes the false arguments of the waverers, and encourages those who are scared to the utmost degree to plunge into battle and to face death unflinchingly and bravely, showing them that they will welcome death, and that if they die in jihad, they will receive the most magnificent recompense for their lives, and that they will not lose any of their contribution or sacrifice however small.
The author of the "Majma' al-Anhar fi Sharh Multaqal-Abhar", in describing the rules of jihad according to the Hanafi School, said: "Jihad linguistically means to exert one's utmost effort in word and action; in the Sharee'ah it is the fighting of the unbelievers, and involves all possible efforts that are necessary to dismantle the power of the enemies of Islam including beating them, plundering their wealth, destroying their places of worship and smashing their idols. This means that jihad is to strive to the utmost to ensure the strength of Islam by such means as fighting those who fight you and the dhimmies (if they violate any of the terms of the treaty) and the apostates (who are the worst of unbelievers, for they disbelieved after they have affirmed their belief).
- IMAM SHAHEED HASAN AL-BANNA
- Islam divides the whole of humanity into two parties, the Hizbe Allah
(Muslims) and the Hizbul Satan (non-Muslims). The former should feel a
hatred, a revulsion, an abhorrence of everything un-Islamic. To quote
the Ayatollah Khomeini again, "Eleven things are unclean: urine,
excrement, sperm, blood, a dog, a pig, bones, a non-Muslim man and
woman, wine, beer, and the perspiration of a camel that eats filth."
- "The Dhimmi" Bat Ye'or, NJ, 1985, quoting Ayatollah Khomeini
- RELATED SECTIONS:
Islam, Mohammad, Terrorism, Expansionism, The Stockholm Syndrome, Edenism, Dhimma, Peace, Ethical Relativism, The Frog and the Scorpion, Automorphism, Fear, Intifada, Yassir Arafat
- WWW RESOURCES:
KITAB AL-JIHAD WA'L-SIYAR (The Book of Jihad And Expedition)
- BOOKS & PRINTED MATERIAL:
- Jihad in the West: Muslim Conquests from the 7th to the 21st Centuries, by Paul Fregosi
[VIEW BOOK HERE] - Defeating Jihad: How the War on Terrorism Can Be Won - in Spite of Ourselves, by Serge Trifkovic, Srdja Trifkovic
[VIEW BOOK HERE] - The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims, by Andrew G Bostom
[VIEW BOOK HERE] - Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West, by Robert Spencer
[VIEW BOOK HERE] - Confronting Jihad: Israel's Struggle & The World After 9/11, by Saul Singer
[VIEW BOOK HERE] - Warrant for Terror: The Fatwas of Radical Islam, and the Duty of Jihad, by Shmuel Bar
[VIEW BOOK HERE] - The Wolves of Islam: Russia and the Faces of Chechen Terror, by Paul J. Murphy
[VIEW BOOK HERE]
- Jihad in the West: Muslim Conquests from the 7th to the 21st Centuries, by Paul Fregosi
© 2002 Copyright Yahoodi Communications
