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The Qur’ân makes it clear
that it is permissible for people to fight back against those who attack
them. Allah says: “Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do
not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.” [Sûrah
al-Baqarah:190]
Allah says: “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’.” [Sûrah al-Nisâ':75]
The Qur’ân also makes it
clear that when the other party refrains from aggression, then it is not
permissible to attack them. Allah says: “But if they cease, Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more
tumult or oppression and there prevail justice and faith in Allah. But if
they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice
oppression.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah:192-193]
It is permissible to fight
against oppression and persecution. This does not only apply to Islam and
Muslims, because everyone has the right to worship Allah. Allah says: “To
those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because
they are wronged – and verily Allah is Most Powerful for their aid – (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’. Did not Allah
check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been
pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the
name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure.” [Sûrah al-Hajj:39-40]
This clearly means that
Muslims must fight to protect and defend people of other faiths, if they
are in areas where the Muslims have effective power. All people must be
free to worship Allah according to their own beliefs. They must be free to
make their own choices. Allah says: “Let there be no compulsion in
religion.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah:: 256]
This brings us to the
concept of jihâd. There is no such thing as “holy war” in Islam. This is a
mistranslation of the word. Holy war is carried out to forcibly subject
others to one’s religious beliefs. As we have seen, this is expressly
forbidden in Islam. The word jihâd literally means struggle and applies to
any colossal effort, not just to warfare. Jihâd may be against one’s own
desires or evil inclinations.
Fighting in war can be
jihâd, but under what conditions? Muslims fight in defense, but so do
others. What makes such fighting a jihâd? The answer is that fighting only
becomes jihâd if it is for the pleasure of Allah alone and according to the
Law of Allah. Even fighting against people who attacked first will not be
jihâd if the Muslims strike back in revenge. Jihâd has a self-restraint
that has never been seen in any other form of warfare.
In the life of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him), we have a practical example of how Islamic
warfare – or jihâd – is to be carried out. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) began calling the people of Mecca to Islam, he was met with stiff
resistance. He was severely persecuted along with his followers. Some of
them were tortured on account of their faith and even killed. The situation
grew progressively worse until the Muslims were forced to flee. They
emigrated to Madinah, a city to the north whose inhabitants had accepted
Islam. In Madinah, the first Islamic community was established, and from
there Prophet Muhammad continued his mission of calling the people to
Islam.
The Meccans still wanted to
stop Muhammad (peace be upon him) and put an end to Islam. On many
occasions they attacked Madinah and the Muslims had to fight back. During
these battles we can see how fighting in Islam was conducted.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) forbade the killing of non-combatants. Ibn `Umar, a Companion
of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), said: “I saw the body of a slain
woman during one of the battles of the Prophet (peace be upon him), so he
forbade the killing of women and children.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh
Muslim]
Rabâh b. Rabî` was another
companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He gave the
following account of an incident that occurred during one of the battles:
“We were with Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) during a battle and we
saw people gathered together. He dispatched a man to find out why they were
gathered. The man returned and said: ‘They are gathered around a slain woman.’
So Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: ‘She should not have been
attacked!’ Khâlid b. al-Walîd was leading the forces, so he dispatched a
man to him saying: ‘Tell Khâlid not to kill women or laborers’.” [Sunan Abî
Dâwûd]
Allah’s Messenger (peace be
upon him) used to say the following words to his troops before sending them
to war: “Go forward in the name of Allah. Do not kill an elderly person,
nor a child, nor a woman, and do not exceed the bounds.” [ al-Muwatta’]
From all this, it is easy
to see Islam’s position on terrorism. Terrorism is a form of warfare
whereby innocent people are specifically targeted to instill fear in a
population. Therefore, Islam’s view on terrorism comes from the Islamic
position on warfare. It is clear from what preceded that even during war,
when the Muslims are fighting an aggressive enemy, they are never allowed
to target civilians. This is strictly prohibited by Islamic Law. The
killing of innocents is murder, even during times of war. The one who
intentionally kills these innocent people is a murderer who deserves the
punishment for murder. Terrorism is categorically prohibited in Islam.
Throughout Islamic history,
the Muslim’s treatment of others in times of war was exemplary. Abû Bakr, a
Companion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the first Caliph that
came after him, sent an army to Syria to fight the aggressive Roman legions
and went out to give them words of encouragement. He said: “You are going
to find a group of people who have devoted themselves to the worship of
Allah (i.e. monks), so leave them to what they are doing.”
When `Umar, a companion of
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the second Caliph, drove the
Roman legions out of Jerusalem, the Muslims were welcomed as liberators.
Even though the Muslims had conquered the land, they were not allowed to
look upon the inhabitants of the land as their enemies. Their enemies were
only the Romans who had aggressed against them. When `Umar entered
Jerusalem as a conqueror, he came humbly and instead of dictating harsh
terms to the people, brought a treaty that guaranteed the people of
Jerusalem, who were predominantly Christian, their safety and freedom from
all persecution. The following is from the treaty that he drafted for them:
“This is what `Umar, the Commander of the Faithful, grants
to the people in peace. He grants them the safety of their persons, their
churches, and their crosses… their churches will not be shut down nor
destroyed. Nothing will be taken from them or from their crosses. They will
not be compelled to abandon their faith nor shall any one of them be
abused.”
Jihâd can never be fought
for worldly gain, for conquest, or even for revenge.
Muslims must only fight to
protect the lives, property, and freedoms of people, especially their
freedom to worship Allah when that freedom is forcibly attacked. They are
never allowed to attack innocent people, even when they are themselves
attacked by the countrymen of those innocents. Any people that go against
this established principle of Islamic Law and murder civillians are
fighting against Islam and everything that it stands for. It is ludicrous
for them to call this fighting a jihâd, a word that means striving in the
cause of Islam. They are in fact murderers in the light of Islamic Law and
should be treated as such.
Location: Islamtoday
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