By
Luqman Sadiq, New Age Islam
2 June 2022
Islam Is
Not a Pacifist Religion; It Recognizes That Weaponry Must Be Used In A Fair
Battle From Time To Time And As A Last Resort
Main
Points:
1. Islam is a
religion of peace.
2. Fighting is
only permitted in self-defence and only against those who actively fight
against you, according to Quranic principles.
3. Quran does
not have an inherent or built-in goal for hostility or dominance.
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The Quran
was "given" to Muhammad in a dialogue with the Divine, according to
Islamic theology, and certain passages of the Quran allude to specific
situations while others offer universal spiritual concepts.
This is
addressed to Muslims and non-Muslims who hold the incorrect assumption that the
persecution of non-Muslims is allowed in Islam, allowing for the murder of
non-Muslims or the wide brush painting of Muslims.
True, the Qur'an requires Muslims to defend
themselves in a defensive battle — in other words, if an enemy army attacks,
Muslims must fight that army until the aggression is stopped. This is the
context of all Quranic verses that mention combat or war.
Some verses
are frequently "snipped" out of context, either by detractors of
Islam discussing "Jihadism" or by confused Muslims seeking to defend
their aggressive actions.
If They
Attack you First, Attack them Back
The context
clearly indicates that the Quranic verses are discussing a defensive struggle
in which a Muslim community is attacked without cause, repressed, and barred
from practicing their faith. Quran says;
وَإِن طَآئِفَتَانِ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱقْتَتَلُوا۟
فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ فَإِنۢ بَغَتْ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا عَلَى ٱلْأُخْرَىٰ
فَقَـٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلَّتِى تَبْغِى حَتَّىٰ تَفِىٓءَ إِلَىٰٓ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن
فَآءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمَا بِٱلْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوٓا۟ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ
يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُقْسِطِينَ
“If two parties of the believers happen to
fight, make peace between them. But then, if one of them transgresses against the
other, fight the one that transgresses until it reverts to Allah's command. And
if it does revert, make peace between them with justice, and be equitable for
Allah loves the equitable.” Qur'an (49:9)
Permission
to fight back is granted in these circumstances, but Muslims are warned not to
overstep their bounds and to stop fighting as soon as the attacker surrenders.
Even in
these situations, Muslims are only to fight those who are striking them
directly, not innocent bystanders or non-combatants.
If Pagans
Break Treaties, Fight with Them
During a
historical period when the little Muslim community had entered into treaties
with adjacent Jewish, Christian, and pagan tribes, the relevant verse was
revealed.
Several
pagan tribes had broken their treaty obligations by secretly assisting an enemy
attack on the Muslim settlement.
The passage
immediately before this one tells Muslims to keep honouring treaties with
everyone who hasn't betrayed them yet because keeping promises is a good thing
to do. The passage goes on to say that those who have broken the treaty's
provisions have declared war, so battle them.
Those
Meccan "pagans" who waged war on Muhammad and his congregation were
known as "idolaters." From the beginning, the Meccan oligarchs were
opposed to the Prophet's message.
They
resorted to harsh oppression and torture of the Prophet and his followers when
they saw the number of converts to Islam was increasing.
Muhammad
sent several of his companions who lacked tribe security to seek refuge in the
Christian kingdom of Abyssinia after surviving several murder attempts.
He was
forced to seek safety in Medina after 13 years of strife, and the Meccan did
not stop fighting.
Eventually,
numerous hostile Arab tribes joined the struggle against the Muslims, culminating
in the Battle of the Trench, when 10,000 men from various Arab tribes gathered
to exterminate the Muslim community for good.
The
Muslims, as we all know, overcame these obstacles and went on to build a
massive civilization.
Quran says:
فَإِن تَابُوا۟ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟
ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۗ وَنُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ
يَعْلَمُونَ ١١
"But
if they repent, and establish regular prayers, and perform regular charity,
then open the door for them. This is how We make the revelations clear for
people of knowledge." (Quran 9:11). The same verse continues after this permission to fight.
Following
that, the Muslims are instructed to offer asylum to any member of the pagan
tribe/army who requests it, and they are reminded that "as long as these
are faithful to you, stand true to them: for God loves the virtuous."
Important
to Remember
It's
important to remember that the Muslims were fighting imperial forces, not
civilians and that they were not allowed to kill non-combatants or destroy
property.
Islam
offered religious freedom to Christians, Jews, and other minority sects while
also requiring them to pay a nominal tax in exchange for being exempt from
military service.
After 14
centuries, it is time to acknowledge that the Quran does not have an inherent
or built-in goal for hostility or dominance. The vast majority of Muslims like
to live in peace. That is, in fact, a part of their religion. Acceptance and
encouragement to follow the finest of your own religion are the foundations of
relationships with other religious communities
Conclusion
Fighting is
only permitted in self-defence and only against those who actively fight
against you, according to Quranic principles. Indeed, Islam is a religion
dedicated to promoting peace and harmony. However, Islam is not a pacifist
religion; it recognizes that weaponry must be used in a fair battle from time
to time and as a last resort.
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Luqman
Sadiq has been writing on different Islamic topics including history and
teachings of Quran for the past four years. He contributed this article
exclusively to New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/quran-infidels-pacifist-religion/d/127153
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