Voices of Islam (113 page)

In Arabic, this word is used in terms of defending against an attacker or an oppressor; it is not used to mean attack or assail.

In light of this, Dr. Buti shows that this hadith connotes:

I have been ordered by God to fulfi the task of calling people [peacefully] to believe that God is One and to defend any aggression against this divine task, even though this defense requires fighting aggressors or enemies.
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Dr. Buti explains that this hadith is reminiscent of a saying by the Prophet on the occasion of the Treaty of Hudaybiyya:

where he told his mediator, Badil ibn Waraqa, ‘‘But if they do not accept this truce, by God in whose Hands my life is, I will fight with them, defending my Cause till I get killed.’’
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By these words, Badil ibn Waraqa was tasked with inviting the Quraysh to peace, and simultaneously, warning of the ongoing war which had already exhausted them. Dr. Buti remarks:

The Prophet’s words ‘‘I will fi with them defending my Cause,’’ in this context certainly means that he, while inclining to peace with the enemy, would react to their combative aggression in the same way, if they had insisted on their aggression.
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Note also that in the years after the Treaty was signed, it was the Quraysh who violated the treaty. Near the end of the seventh year after the migration to Medina, the Quraysh along with the allied Banu Bakr tribe attacked the Banu Khuza’a tribe, who were allies of the Muslims. The Banu Khuza’a appealed to the Prophet for help and protection.

The Banu Khuza’a sent a delegation to the Prophet requesting his support. Despite the Meccan provocation and clear violation of the treaty, the Prophet avoided acting in haste to renew hostilities. Instead he sent a letter to the Quraysh demanding payment of blood money for those killed and the disbanding of their alliance with the Banu Bakr. Otherwise, the Prophet said, the treaty would be declared null and void.

Quraysh then sent an envoy to Medina to announce that they considered the Treaty of Hudaybiyya null and void. However, they immediately regret- ted this step—and therefore, the leader of Quraysh Abu Sufyan himself traveled to Medina to renew the contract. Despite having been the greatest enemy of the Muslims, and despite the Quraysh already being in violation of the pact they had solemnly entered into, no hand was laid on this Qurayshi chief—someone who is infamous for his persecution and harm to Muslims in Mecca. He was even permitted to enter the Prophet’s mosque and announce his desire to reinstate the treaty.

From this, one can argue that if a state of unbelief were suffi t pretext for war, then the Prophet would have been warranted in seizing Abu Sufyan and initiating hostilities against the Quraysh then and there. However, on the contrary, Abu Sufyan came and went from Medina freely and only after some time were the hostilities renewed based on the Meccans’ aggressive violation of the pact.

God says:

...
and fight the
mushrikun,
[polytheists Pagans] all together as they fi you all together. But know that God is with those who restrain themselves.

(Qur’an 9:36)

Here, we understand ‘‘fi the unbelievers collectively as they fi

you collectively’’ means ‘‘treat them in the same way as they treat you.’’ Commenting on this, Dr. Buti says, ‘‘You should deal with the unbe- lievers kindly and equitably, unless they are rampant and out to destroy us and our faith. Hence the motive for [combative] Jihad becomes self-defense.’’
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Finally God says:

So, if they hold aloof from you and wage not war against you and offer you peace, God alloweth you no way against them.

(Qur’an 4:90)

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This verse refers to the people who were not among those involved in fighting the Muslims and who stayed away from the battle between the two groups, and this is what Islam calls for. The above is an explicit statement from God, that it is not permitted to fight with those who are not engaged in belligerency, despite their being nonbelievers in Islam.

WHO IS INVOLVED IN COMBAT?

Communal Obligation

Let us begin with the most prevailing common understanding held by both Muslims and non-Muslims, who are not Islamic scholars, that Jihad means war against unbelievers.

Combative Jihad is not an obligation on every Muslim, rather it is a com- munal obligation (
fard kifaya
) fulfilled when someone takes on the duty to repel the enemy. God says:

And the believers should not all go out to fight. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may gain sound knowledge in religion, and that they may warn their folk when they return to them, so that they may beware.

(Qur’an 9:122)

Here, God shows that combative Jihad is not for everyone. If a group of people have been assigned to go for combative Jihad by their leader, the rest must not go. Rather their duty is to stay behind and study, in order to educate themselves and to educate others.

So from this verse, God splits the people who participate in Jihad into two categories: one group goes to battle and the other stays behind to develop the understanding of religion in order to teach others. So even when combat- ive Jihad has been called for, both those who go forth to combat and those who stay behind to develop the understanding of religion are participants in Jihad. This verse makes those who stay behind and study the religion equal to those who go forth to battle, by saying: ‘‘their duty is to stay behind and study, in order to educate themselves and to educate others.’’

In this verse God emphasizes that not all believers should go out to fight. This indicates that there is a decision to be made: who will go to fi and who will not? This implies the existence of a leadership that must first decide if it is necessary to fight or not. It is not the case that people from here and there may issue a call to go for fi ting, which will result in nothing but anarchy.

Mu‘adh ibn Jabal related:

Acquire knowledge because doing so is goodness, seeking it is worship, reviewing it is glorifying God and researching it is Jihad
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From this we can see that to learn the religion becomes more important than participation in battle, for it will elaborate for you all the beliefs and the rulings that Muslims must follow in their lives. Understanding the rulings of the religion, including those related to Jihad, is essential and can only be accomplished by study and education. If someone has not studied compre- hensively the rulings of Jihad, he will easily come to the conclusion that every issue that is raised entails combative Jihad, whereas this is indeed not the case.

Conscription

Participation in combative Jihad becomes assigned to an individual when he is ordered by the leader to be present in the line of fire:

The Messenger of God said: ‘‘There is no migration (after the conquest of Mecca), but Jihad and good intention. So when you are called to go forth in stopping aggression, then do so.’’
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This means that when you are called forth by your leader (I have explained before who has the right to issue a declaration of war), the Imam, you must obey, as that is part of obedience to God, the Prophet, and those in authority. And the condition for such a declaration of war is when the enemy suddenly attacks a land. In that case combative Jihad is incumbent on its inhabitants and they must go forth to defend their nation from aggression.

Along with this it is incumbent on any group, who seek to fight as soldiers in the way of God against aggression by unbelievers, to fi pledge themselves to their leader—someone who fits the profi of an Imam from knowledge, piety, and effectiveness—who organizes the army. Thereafter they organize their ranks and prepare to fight.

Setting forth when called is
mandatory
on the Muslim when he is: male, possesses sound reason, has attained the age of maturity, is healthy, and whose family possesses sufficient funds for what they need until he completes the duty assigned to him by the leader.

God said, setting the rules for Jihad, ‘‘the believers should not all go out to fight’’ (Qur’an 9:122).

The verse begins with this statement to emphasize that not every person goes forth to battle, and it goes on to explain ‘‘from every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that those who are left behind may gain some knowledge in religion and that they may warn their folk when they return to them that they may beware.’’

God is showing that from every group, only a part of them goes forth. That means the army is to be formed from different citizens from various parts of the country, ‘‘from every group of them,’’ which today means that volunteers or recruits who have been assigned to fi and who have been

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trained go forth to fight, while the rest of the citizens remain behind to train and educate themselves.

Not unto the weak nor unto the sick nor unto those who can fi naught to spend is any fault (to be imputed though they stay at home) if they are true to God and His messenger.

(Qur’an 9:91)

This verse means that there is no obligation on those who have a weak per- sonality, or a radical mentality, nor on those who have no talent, to go forth, for war will not be good for them. This indicates that only those persons selected by the Ruler or his appointed leaders should go forth; not those who might commit rash actions because of excessive emotional zeal nor those who are mentally ill and might commit crimes like throwing bombs, suicide attacks, and so forth.

As Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya said in
Zad al-Ma‘ad:

The Prophet said:

The fighter is the one who fi himself in obedience to God and the one who emigrates is the one who emigrates from iniquities.
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The Jihad of the self is a prerequisite over the Jihad against the enemy in the open and initial basis for it.

Without a doubt, the one who does not fight his self (or someone who does not do what he is commanded and does not leave what has been forbidden and goes to battle in the way of God) it should not make combative Jihad against the external enemy. How is it possible for him to fi his [external] enemy, when his own enemy which is right beside him, dominates him and commands him? Since he did not wage war on the [internal] enemy of God, it is even more impossible for him to set out against the enemy until he fights himself.
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‘‘There is no blame for the blind, nor is there blame for the lame, nor is there blame for the sick (that they go not forth to war)’’ (Qur’an 29:17).

Surprise Attack

When the enemy suddenly arrives at a place where the Muslims reside, the inhabitants are obliged to go out and fight them and it is not allowed for anyone to be exempt from this obligation.

Age Requirement

Ibn ‘Umar said, ‘‘I was presented to the Messenger of God at the time of the battle of Uhud when I was fourteen years of age, and he did not give me permission to fight.’’

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This is because Jihad is not obligatory except on the one who has reached the appropriate age.

Jihad of Women

‘A’isha asked, ‘‘O Messenger of God, is Jihad necessary for women?’’ He said, ‘‘Jihad without fighting. Hajj and ‘Umra [are their Jihad].’’
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God says:

And covet not the thing in which God hath made some of you excel others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a for- tune from that which they have earned. (Envy not one another) but ask God of His bounty. Lo! God is ever Knower of all things.

(Qur’an 4:32)

It is reported by ‘Ikrima that some women inquired about Jihad and other women said, ‘‘We wish that God would grant us a portion of what the mili- tary expeditions receive from the reward of what the men share.’’

This does not prevent women from going out to treat the wounded.

It is reported that the Prophet was out on a military expedition and Umm Salim was with him and other women from the Helpers. They were giving water to the fighters and treating the wounded.
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Parents’ Permission

In the case of a major, obligatory combative Jihad, parents’ permission is not required, but as far as the voluntary combative Jihad is concerned, their permission is required.

Ibn Mas‘ud related:

I asked the Messenger of God which action is most loved by God and he said, ‘‘Prayer in its time.’’ Then I said, ‘‘Then what?’’ and he said, ‘‘Being good to your parents.’’ Then I said, ‘‘What after that?’’ He said, ‘‘Jihad in the way of God.’’
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Ibn ‘Umar said:

A man came to the Prophet and asked permission for combative Jihad and he said, ‘‘Are not your parents alive?’’ He said, ‘‘Yes.’’ Then he said, ‘‘Then ask them first, then fight.’’
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One does not go out in Jihad except if he has completed providing for the needs of his family and the service of his parents. For this is the prerequisite of Jihad; even more it is the best Jihad.

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JIHAD BETWEEN MUSLIMS

Properly speaking Jihad, in the case of internal dissension, occurs only when two conditions are met: (1) the presence of a just leader (
Imam
);

(2) an unjustifiable insurrection. In Islam, allegiance and obedience to a
just

authority is obligatory.

It must be noted also that rebellions against authority and especially political authority have no place in the concept of Jihad. In this age of relativ- ism, the spirit of rebellion seems to have penetrated every layer of society. However, Islam and its principles cannot be made subservient to these cultural trends.

In some of the contemporary ‘‘Islamic’’ groups, Jihad has been adapted to a virtually Marxist or Socialist concept of class revolt aimed at overthrowing the authority of the state. In the often fervently materialistic milieu of con- temporary political and revolutionary ideologies, Islam is inevitably reduced to nothing more than a social philosophy. This reductionism amounts to an abysmal misunderstanding of the essential function of Islam, which is to turn the face of the human being away from the world of disharmony and illusion toward the tranquility and silence of Divine awareness and vision. Inward Jihad, as we alluded to at the beginning of this chapter, has a key role to play in this respect.