الرئيسية
المنتديات
الانتساب : 
العمر : 
المساهمات : 
نقاط التميز
In
the linguistic sense, the Arabic word "jihad" means struggling or
striving and applies to any effort exerted by anyone. In this
sense, a
student struggles and strives to get an education
and pass course work; an
employee strives to fulfill
his/her job and maintain good relations with
his/her
employer; a politician strives to maintain or increase his
popularity with his constituents and so on. The term strive or struggle
may be used for/by Muslims as well as non-Muslims; for
example, Allah, the
One and Only True God says in the
Qur'an:
"We have enjoined on people kindness
to parents; but if they STRIVE (JAHADAKA)
to make you
ascribe partners with Me that of which you have no knowledge,
then obey them not..." (29:8; also see 31:15)
In the above two verses of the Qur'an , it is
non-Muslim parents who
strive (jahadaka) to convert their
Muslim child back to their religion. In
the West, "jihad"
is generally translated as "holy war," a usage the media
has popularized. According to Islamic teachings, it is UNHOLY to
instigate
or start war; however, some wars are inevitable
and justifiable. If we
translate the words "holy war" back
into Arabic, we find "harbun
muqaddasatu," or for "the
holy war," "al-harbu al-muqaddasatu." WE
CHALLENGE any
researcher or scholar to find the meaning of "jihad" as holy
war in the Qur'an or authentic Hadith collections or in early Islamic
literature. Unfortunately, some Muslim writers and
translators of the
Qur'an, the Hadith and other Islamic
literature translate the term "jihad"
as "holy war," due
to the influence of centuries-old Western propaganda.
This
could be a reflection of the Christian use of the term "Holy War" to
refer to the Crusades of a thousand years ago. However, the Arabic
words
for "war" are "harb" or "qital," which are found in
the Qur'an and Hadith.
For Muslims the term
JIHAD is applied to all forms of STRIVING and has
developed some special meanings over time. The sources of this
development
are the Qur'an (the Word of God revealed to
Prophet Muhammad (S) [(S)
denotes Sall-Allahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, meaning peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him].
The Qur'an and the Hadith use the word "jihad" in
several
different contexts which are given below:
1.
RECOGNIZING THE CREATOR AND LOVING HIM MOST:
It
is human nature to love what is seen with the eyes and felt with the
senses more than the UNSEEN REALITY. The Creator of the Universe
and the
One God is Allah. He is the Unseen Reality which
we tend to ignore and not
recognize. The Qur'an addresses
those who claim to be believers:
"O you who
believe! Choose not your fathers nor your brethren for
protectors if they love disbelief over belief; whoever of you takes them
for protectors, such are wrong-doers. Say: if your
fathers, and your
children, and your brethren, and your
spouses, and your tribe, and the
wealth you have acquired,
and business for which you fear shrinkage, and
houses you
are pleased with are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger
and STRIVING in His way: then wait till Allah brings His command
to pass.
Allah does not guide disobedient folk." (9:23,
24)
It is indeed a struggle to
put Allah ahead of our loved ones, our
wealth, our
worldly ambitions and our own lives. Especially for a
non-Muslim who embraces Islam, it may be a tough struggle due to the
opposition of his family, peers and society.
2. RESISTING PRESSURE OF PARENTS, PEERS, AND SOCIETY:
Once a person has made up his mind to put the Creator of
the Universe
above all else, he often comes under intense
pressures. It is not easy to
resist such pressures and
STRIVE to maintain dedication and love of Allah
over all
else. A person who has turned to Islam from another religion may
be subjected to pressures designed to turn him back to the
religion of the
family. We read in the Qur'an:
"So obey not the rejecters of faith, but
strive (jahidhum) against them
by it (the Qur'an) with a
great endeavor." (25:52)
3.
STAYING ON THE STRAIGHT PATH STEADFASTLY:
Allah says in the Qur'an: "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..."
(22:78) "And whosoever
STRIVES (JAHADA), STRIVES
(YUJAHIDU) only for himself, for lo! Allah is
altogether
independent of the universe." (29:6)
As for
those who strive and struggle to live as true Muslims whose
lives are made difficult due to persecution by their opponents, they
are
advised to migrate to a more peaceful and tolerant
land and continue with
their struggle in the cause of
Allah. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"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?'" (4:97) "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..."
(2:218)
Allah tests the believers in
their faith and their steadfastness:
"Or did
you think that you would enter Paradise while yet Allah knows
not those of you who really STRIVE (JAHADU), nor knows those (of
you) who
are steadfast." (3:142) "And surely We shall try
you with something of
fear and hunger, and loss of wealth
and lives and fruits; but give tidings
to the steadfast."
(2:155)
We find that the Prophet Muhammad
(S) and his clan were boycotted
socially and economically
for three years to force him to stop his message
and
compromise with the pagans but he resisted and realized a moral
victory (2).
4. STRIVING FOR
RIGHTEOUS DEEDS:
Allah declares in the Qur'an:
"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." (29:69)
When we are faced with two competing interests, it becomes jihad
to
choose the right one, as the following Hadith
exemplify: "Aisha, wife of
the Prophet (S) 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).'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari #2784) At
another
occasion, a man asked the Prophet Muhammad (S):
"'Should I join the
jihad?' He asked, 'Do you have
parents?' The man said, 'Yes!' The Prophet
(S) said, 'Then
strive by serving them!'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari #5972) Yet
another man asked the Messenger of Allah (S): "'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
(S) 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." (Sahih Ibn Hibban #4862)
5.
HAVING COURAGE AND STEADFASTNESS TO CONVEY THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM:
The Qur'an narrates the experiences of a
large number of Prophets and
good people who suffered a
great deal trying to convey the message of
Allah to
mankind. For examples, see the Qur'an 26:1-190, 36:13-32. In the
Qur'an, Allah specifically praises those who strive to convey His
message:
"Who is better in speech than one who calls
(other people) to Allah, works
righteous, and declares
that he is from the Muslims." (41:33) Under
adverse
conditions it takes great courage to remain a Muslim, declare
oneself to be a Muslim and call others to Islam. We read in the
Qur'an:
"The (true) believers
are only those who believe in Allah and his
messenger and
afterward doubt not, but STRIVE with their wealth and their
selves for the cause of Allah. Such are the truthful." (49:15)
6. DEFENDING ISLAM AND THE
COMMUNITY:
Allah declares in the Qur'an:
"To those against whom war is made, permission is
given (to defend
themselves), because they are wronged -
and verily, Allah is Most Powerful
to give them victory -
(they are) those who have been expelled from their
homes
in defiance of right - (for no cause) except that they say, 'Our
Lord is Allah'..." (22:39-40)
The
Qur'an permits fighting to defend the religion of Islam and the
Muslims. This permission includes fighting in self-defense and for
the
protection of family and property. The early Muslims
fought many battles
against their enemies under the
leadership of the Prophet Muhammad (S) or
his
representatives. For example, when the pagans of Quraysh brought
armies against Prophet Muhammad (S), the Muslims fought to defend
their
faith and community (3). The Qur'an adds:
"Fight in the cause of Allah against
those who fight against you, but
do not transgress limits.
Lo! Allah loves not aggressors. ...And fight
them until
persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they
desist, then let there be no hostility except against
transgressors."
(2:190, 193)
7. HELPING ALLIED PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT BE
MUSLIM:
In the late period of the Prophet
Muhammad's (S) life, the tribe of
Banu Khuza'ah became his
ally. They were living near Makkah which was
under the
rule of the pagan Quraysh, Prophet Muhammad's (S) own tribe. The
tribe of Banu Bakr, an ally of Quraysh, with the help of some
elements of
Quraysh, attacked Banu Khuza'ah invoked the
treaty and demanded Prophet
Muhammad (S) to come to their
help and punish Quraysh. The Prophet
Muhammad (S)
organized a campaign against Quraysh of Makkah which resulted
in the conquest of Makkah which occurred without any battle (4).
8. REMOVING TREACHEROUS PEOPLE FROM POWER:
Allah orders the Muslims in the Qur'an: "If you fear
treachery from any
group, throw back (their treaty) to
them, (so as to be) on equal terms.
Lo! Allah loves not
the treacherous." (8:58) Prophet Muhammad (S)
undertook a
number of armed campaigns to remove treacherous people from
power and their lodgings. He had entered into pacts with several
tribes,
however, some of them proved themselves
treacherous. Prophet Muhammad (S)
launched armed campaigns
against these tribes, defeated and exiled them
from
Medina and its surroundings (5).
9.
DEFENDING THROUGH PREEMPTIVE STRIKES:
Indeed, it
is difficult to mobilize people to fight when they see no
invaders in their territory; however, those who are charged with
responsibility see dangers ahead of time and must provide
leadership. The
Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (S), had the
responsibility to protect his
people and the religion he
established in Arabia. Whenever he received
intelligence
reports about enemies gathering near his borders he carried
out preemptive strikes, broke their power and dispersed them (6).
Allah
ordered Muslims in the Qur'an: "Fighting is
prescribed upon you, and you
dislike it. But it may happen
that you dislike a thing which is good for
you, and it
may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. And
Allah knows and you know not." (2:216)
10.
GAINING FREEDOM TO INFORM, EDUCATE AND CONVEY THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM
IN AN OPEN AND FREE ENVIRONMENT:
Allah
declares in the Qur'an:
"They ask you
(Muhammad) concerning fighting in the Sacred Month. Say,
'Fighting therein is a grave (offense) but graver is it in the sight of
Allah to prevent access to the path of Allah, to deny Him, to
prevent
access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its
inhabitants. Persecution is
worse than killing. Nor will
they cease fighting you until they turn you
back from your
faith, if they can..." (2:217) "And those who, when an
oppressive wrong is inflicted on them, (are not cowed but) fight back."
(42:39)
To gain this freedom, Prophet
Muhammad (S) said: "STRIVE (JAHIDU)
against the
disbelievers with your hands and tongues." (Sahih Ibn Hibban
#4708) The life of the Prophet Muhammad (S) was full of STRIVING to
gain
the freedom to inform and convey the message of
Islam. During his stay in
Makkah he used non-violent
methods and after the establishment of his
government in
Madinah, by the permission of Allah, he used armed struggle
against his enemies whenever he found it inevitable.
11. FREEING PEOPLE FROM TYRANNY:
Allah admonishes Muslims in the Qur'an:
"And
why should you 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
You, one who will protect; and raise for
us from You, one
who will help.'" (4:75)
The mission of the
Prophet Muhammad (S) was to free people from tyranny
and
exploitation by oppressive systems. Once free, individuals in the
society were then free to chose Islam or not. Prophet Muhammad's
(S)
successors continued in his footsteps and went to help
oppressed people.
For example, after the repeated call by
the oppressed people of Spain to
the Muslims for help,
Spain was liberated by Muslim forces and the tyrant
rulers
removed. After the conquest of Syria and Iraq by the Muslims, the
Christian population of Hims reportedly said to the Muslims: "We
like your
rule and justice far better than the state of
oppression and tyranny under
which we have been living."
(7) The defeated rulers of Syria were Roman
Christians,
and Iraq was ruled by Zoarastrian Persians.
WHAT SHOULD MUSLIMS DO WHEN THEY ARE VICTORIOUS?
Muslims should remove tyranny, treachery, bigotry, and
ignorance and
replace them with justice and equity. We
should provide truthful knowledge
and free people from the
bondage of 'associationism' (SHIRK, or multiple
gods),
prejudice, superstition and mythology. Muslims remove immorality,
fear, crime, exploitation and replace them with divine morality,
peace and
education. The Qur'an declares:
"Lo! Allah commands you that you restore deposits to
their owners, and
if you judge between mankind that you
judge justly. Lo! It is proper that
Allah admonishes you.
Lo! Allah is ever Hearer, Seer." (4:58)
"O you who
believe! Stand out firmly for Allah's witnesses to fair
dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to
wrong
and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to
Piety and fear Allah.
And Allah is well acquainted with
all that you do." (5:
"And of those whom We have created there is a
nation who guides with
the Truth and establishes justice
with it." (7:181)
"Lo! Allah enjoins justice and kindness,
and giving to kinsfolk, and
forbids lewdness and
abomination and wickedness. He exhorts you in order
that
you may take heed." (16:90)
"Those who, if We give them
power in the land, establish prescribed
prayers (SALAH)
and pay the poor-due (ZAKAH) and enjoin right conduct and
forbid evil. And with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all)
affairs." (22:41)
DID
ISLAM SPREAD BY FORCE, SWORDS OR GUNS?
The
unequivocal and emphatic answer is NO! The Qur'an declares:
"Let there be no compulsion (or coercion) in the
religion (Islam). The
right direction is distinctly clear
from error." (2:256)
Here is a good study of
the question of the spread of Islam by a
Christian
missionary, T. W. Arnold: "...of any organized attempt to force
the acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any
systematic
persecution intended to stamp out the Christian
religion, we hear nothing.
Had the caliphs chosen to
adopt either course of action, they might have
swept away
Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam
out of Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestantism penal in France, or the
Jews
were kept out of England for 350 years. The Eastern
Churches in Asia were
entirely cut off from communion with
the rest of Christiandom throughout
which no one would
have been found to lift a finger on their behalf, as
heretical communions. So that the very survival of these Churches to the
present day is a strong proof of the generally tolerant
attitude of
Mohammedan [sic] governments towards them" (
. Islam does not teach, nor do Muslims
desire, conversion of any people for fear, greed, marriage or
any other form of coercion. In conclusion, jihad in Islam is
STRIVING IN
THE WAY OF ALLAH by pen, tongue, hand, media
and, if inevitable, with
arms. However, jihad in Islam
does not include striving for individual or
national
power, dominance, glory, wealth, prestige or pride.
-- M. Amir Ali, Ph.D.
REFERENCES:
1. For the sake of simplicity and easy reading,
masculine pronouns have
been used throughout this
brochure. No exclusion of females is intended.
2. Haykal, M. H., THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD, Tr. Ismail R. Faruqi, American
Trust Publications, 1976, p. 132.
3.
Haykal, pp. 216, 242, 299 and 414 for the Battles of Badr, Uhud,
Al-Khandaq
and Hunayn, respectively.
4.
Haykal, p. 395 for the conquest of Makkah.
5. Haykal, pp.
245, 277, 311 and 326 for campaigns against the tribes
of
Banu Qaynuqa', Banu Al-Nadir, Banu Qurayzah and Banu Lihyan,
respectively. Also, see p. 283 for the Battle of Dhat Al-Riqa'.
6. Haykal, pp. 284, 327, 366, 387, 393, 443 and 515 for the
Battles of
Dawmat Al-Jandal, Banu Al-Mustaliq, Khayber,
Mu'tah, Dhat Al-Salasil,
Tabuk and the Campaign of Usama
Ibn Zayd, respectively.
7. Hitti, Philip K., HISTORY OF
THE ARABS, St. Martin's Press, New
York, 1970, p. 153.
8. Arnold, Sir Thomas W. THE PREACHING OF ISLAM, A HISTORY OF THE
PROPAGATION OF THE MUSLIM FAITH, Westminister A. Constable &
Co., London,
1896, p. 80.
For more
information, please contact: The Institute of Islamic
Information and Education 4390 North Elston Avenue Chicago, Illinois,
60641-2146 Tel. (312) 777-7443 Fax (312) 777-7199
