Jihad Is Not Holy War: Allah Asked the Prophet to Perform Jihad through Preaching Quran - Part 2
By
Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam
16
September 2022
Jihad in
Islam Is Not Related To Jihad in the Superlative Word, It Can Be Understood
From This That the Term Jihad Does Not Mean Armed Struggle
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Jihad' is a
much discussed, debated and misunderstood term in the world. When we hear the
word Jihad, fear-filled thoughts enter the minds of many people. Some frown.
Many see it as a synonym for bombings and acts of terrorism. Many people use
Jihad and Jihadi as a term to slander others.
'Jihad' is
an Arabic word. The reason why this term is so misunderstood is because of
trying to give meaning to Jihad only based on the propaganda that has been
spread among the people without checking how it is described in the Arabic
language. Even the world famous dictionaries have got this error. Although not
judged to be deliberate errors, there is no doubt that they have become the
tools of an organized misinterpretation.
Jihad
and the Qur'an
The Makkah
period and the Madinah period are two critical stages in the Prophet's life. He
lived in Makkah for thirteen years and Madinah for ten years after attaining Prophethood.
In Makkah, he lived austerely without public preaching or any other freedom.
The 53rd verse of Surat al-Furqan is the verse presented in Makkah relating to
Jihad. 'So do not obey the disbelievers, and wage a great Jihad against them
with this (Qur'an).' This verse exhorts the Prophet to go to the people with
the essence of the Holy Qur'an without giving in to the pressures and threats
of those who do not accept the Qur'an and face the obstacles that will be faced
with patience.
This is
also the concept of Jihad mentioned in verse 78 of Suratul Hajj. 'Do
Jihad in the way of Allah. He has chosen you as noble. He has not imposed any
hardship on you in matters of religion. It is the way of your father Ibrahim.'
This verse exhorts the believers to live a life focused on ideals and to teach
ideals by facing difficulties and opposition as Prophet Ibrahim and other
prophets had to experience. Accepting the said ideal and leading the noblest
exemplary life in life, imparting goodness and mercy to the generations to come
and live as an example, in this verse, 'Rasul should be witnesses (martyrs) to
you and your people. It is applied. Then this verse teaches that the true
purpose of Jihad is to hold on to ideals and pour out goodness to the society
through self-sacrificing actions.
The word
'Jahada' itself is used to refer to the hard work of parents in the verse which
teaches that parents should not obey their children even if they try hard to
join the Creator. 'Do not obey them if they (parents) strive with you to
associate with me something of which you have no knowledge (Qur'an 29:8).
Anyone can easily understand that Jihad in this word does not mean armed
struggle or war. Although Jihad in Islam is not related to Jihad in the
superlative word, it can be understood from this that the term Jihad does not
mean armed struggle. Along with this, this verse also indicates that hard work
done by anyone, not only Muslims, can be called Jihad in the language.
Jihad in
the Sayings of the Prophet
In one of
the sayings of the Prophet quoted by Imam Muslim, it can be seen as follows:
'The Prophet said: In any community before me, when Allah appointed a Prophet,
he did not have good disciples and companions. They will hold fast to his
command and follow his command. Later they will be replaced by some
descendants. They will say what they do not do and do what they are not
commanded to do. If any of them does Jihad with his hands, he becomes a
believer. If any of them does Jihad with his tongue, he also becomes a
believer. Whoever among them does jihad with his heart, he also becomes a
believer. Beyond that, there is no faith even to the weight of a mustard seed'
(Muslim 50).
In this
Hadees, it is clear that jihad with hand, tongue and heart is not fighting with
weapons.
Prophet
Muhammad said, 'The true Mujahid is the one who fights against his own body'
(Turmudi 1621). He did not say this to mutilate his own body. Jihad here means
a hard effort to protect one's own body from evil and organize it according to
divine instructions. The expressions in the Hadees about Hajj and speaking the
truth openly in the face of an oppressive ruler are 'Aflul Jihad' (the best
Jihad). (Bukhari 1520, Abu Dawud 4344). All the hardships experienced during
Hajj and the hard work done for it in return come under the scope of Jihad.
Similarly, Prophet Muhammad has taught that Jihad is also speaking the truth
without thinking about the sufferings that will be caused by the punishment
given by the ruler. No armed terrorism or war is intended here. Rather, it is
only sacrificial actions to make one's body free from sin without resigning to
evil.
Jihad
and Scholarly Criticism
Competent
scholars who are able to dissect and understand what is known in the Muslim
world have described the true meaning of the term Jihad. Imam Raghib (RA)
narrates: 'Jihad' is of three kinds: against the visible enemy, against the
devil, and against one's own body' (Al Mufradaat 132). Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) says:
'Jihad in the way of Allah is derived from the word ‘Jahda’. It is hard work
with full skill and energy. There are two things in it. One, to fully utilize
talent and energy; Second, seek the favour of Allah and keep away His
displeasure' (Jami-ur-Rasa'il 2/281).
Resistance
to Satanism
The epicentre of evil is the devil. It is also
the devil who misleads the human mind and shows the evils to the people. It is
very difficult to restrain the mind and the body because the desires of the
flesh are often subject to the evil teachings of the devil. The Prophet said
that 'the strong man is not the one who wins in wrestling, but the one who can
control his anger.' Therefore, the most important aspect of Jihad is to fight
the enemy. The greatest enemy of man is the devil. In Imam Raghib's
explanation, the interest of Jihad is to resist the devil and the lust of the
flesh and to strengthen oneself to face the troubles created by those who are
clearly hostile to Islam. Scholars are correcting the misconception that Jihad
is only sporting fights that may occur in unavoidable situations.
Jihad Is
Good; Not Destruction
Jihad is also taking on the vulnerable sections
of society like the needy, widows and orphans and making sacrifices for them.
Jihad is also done by those who sacrifice their own will and sacrifice their
wealth and body for others. When one wakes up at night and prays for a long time
that is also a Jihad. All this indicates that Jihad is necessary if many good
things are to exist in society. A true Mujahid will not attack anyone. No one
will be killed. There will be no bomb blasts and terrorist activities that kill
innocent people. He won't be suicide squads and belt bombs. He will not want
war. He would not be an enemy to meet, but he would like to see the supposed
enemy be guided, and thus end enmity between men.
Analysing the word Jihad, Muhammad Amani Maulvi
(RA) says: "Jahada is a verb from the roots Jihad and Mujahadah."
It means that he has tried his best, he has worked hard, he has tried hard.
Jihad is not a synonym for war, except that it includes many things, including
war'' (Commentary 2:218).
Jihad Is Not Synonymous With War
It is because Jihad has been interpreted as a
synonym for the war that Jihad has been popularized as a terror and violence.
'War' is never good for human well-being. It has caused much suffering to
mankind. Therefore, Jihad has nothing to do with the war that we have seen and
heard about. War exploits the basest of human emotions. Hatred, grudge, envy,
pride, etc. are the basic elements of war. Jihad is antithetical to all these
elements. Jihad is the positive negation of all of them. Man invented war to
attack and conquer. Jihad is actually a reaction against war created by satanic
misguidance. In short, Jihad is a sacrifice and effort to save society and
one's own body from the evil teachings of the devil. Therefore, anyone who uses
Jihad in the sense of war must recognize the fact that Jihad does not include
the historical and man-made concept of war. The word used in the Qur'an to mean
battle or armed conflict is 'Quital'.
Jihad and the Prophet's Meccan Period
If the basic interest of Jihad was the
destruction of non-Islamic societies, then the Prophet and his followers should
have been striving for it in the Meccan period. Secret wars and atrocities
under the cover of darkness had to be done. But at that time he did not make
any preparations for an attack and a defence. But don't forget that he and his
followers also waged Jihad during Makkah. Living as a believer was very
difficult and challenging. It was not even possible to think of preaching the
truth publicly. Those were such tough days. They had to suffer a lot to
maintain their lives and worship only one God. They had to do Jihad.
The Makkah life of the Prophet gives many
messages. That time teaches what position weak Muslims living in a stateless
region should adopt. Although the Quraysh had not declared an organized war of
ethnic cleansing against the Muslims of Mecca, direct and indirect acts of
malice against them were intense. Allah instructed Muslims to forgive, tolerate
and exercise restraint. Makajeevtham convinced us that we should live patiently
in our own country, but if violence gets stronger, we can flee to another area
where we can live. Abu Talib also said that if any of those who had taken a
secular stance offered protection, they would accept it. The histories of Ibn
Duganna and others are convincing. They took the decision to kill the Prophet
at the end of the Makkah period. It is only after that that Muslims as a
community perform 'Apostasy' (Hijrah). The attitude of patience, tolerance and
peace adopted by the Prophet and his companions in Makkah is the reason for the
rise of the prestige of Islam in later times.
Jihad and Medina
The Prophet and his followers who arrived in
Madinah had freedom of life. There was no interruption in worship and
preaching. They were able to live as a community. The Prophet decided to live
in harmony with all the sects including the Jews in Madinah. Religion was not
imposed. But as the Meccans decided to annoy Madinah, who was living a life of
cynicism, ensuring security became a liability. Therefore, the Prophet made
arrangements to monitor the secret plans of those who aimed to exterminate
Muslims. Teams of persons with special duties have been constituted in case of
threats. It was known as 'Sariyyah'. The interpretation that these were war
bands is not at all correct. The primary mission of the Sariyas was to keep an
eye on the enemies who wanted to destroy Madinah.
The Prophet
was very careful to avoid wars. But Allah was giving permission to face those
who thought that it would be enough to fight against Madinah. "Those who
are victims of war are permitted (to fight back) because they are oppressed.
Indeed, Allah is Able to help them. They are those who were driven out of their
homes for saying, ``Allah is our Lord,'' without any justification.” (Qur'an
22:39-40). Indeed, Allah is Able to help them. They are those who were driven
out of their homes for saying, ``Allah is our Lord,'' without any
justification.” (Qur'an 22:39-40). Indeed, Allah is Able to help them. They are
those who were driven out of their homes for saying, ``Allah is our Lord,''
without any justification.” (Qur'an 22:39-40).
Madinah teaches that an Islamic-led society
has the freedom and right to resist violence and fight wars.
A Lesson Given By the Companions
Neither Islam nor Muslims have the
responsibility to justify the conflicts and acts of terrorism that are going on
in the name of Islam in the world. Famous Sahabis have taken this stand
even in the case of some civil strife during the time of Companions. Ibn Umar's
reply to the person who asked Ibn Umar (RA) a question by quoting the saying,
'Fight until there is no Fitnah' is very relevant. He said: 'Yes, we
have fought during the time of the Messenger. Muslims were few then. Therefore,
man would be subject to Fitna (trial) in his religious affairs. He will
either be killed or beaten. So the Muslims increased and then the Fitnah ceased.
We have fought until the Fitna ceases and the religion is for Allah. You
intend to fight until there is Fitnah and the religion is not for Allah'
(Bukhari 4513). Another report says: 'The Prophet fought not as you fight for
power. Even accepting Islam was a big test for one then. That is what the
Prophet fought for' (Bukhari 7095).
Democracy and Jihad
Democracy is only a physical means of
governance. Even the countries that accept democracy and rule have different
views. Modern democracies are diverse, such as those that accept secularism in
principle and practice, those that are constitutionally secular but are
sympathetic to Islam and Muslims, and those that give secularism the meaning
and guise of secularism. It is wrong for Muslim citizens to take up an armed
struggle in a democratic state where Muslims are not discriminated against in
the name of religion, and where there is secularism in principle and in
practice. The Qur'an (4:90) states that no action should be taken against
Muslims who live peacefully without fighting.
If a country adopts the policy or program of
persecuting Muslims in the name of religion, it is up to the Muslim leadership
to consider and decide what position to take against that country. If Muslims
are a very weak minority, instead of taking suicidal stances like war, they
should look for a way to lead a safe Islamic life.
Obligation of Preachers
Instead of going along with the increasing
false propaganda about Jihad, what is needed is an effort to convince people
what Jihad is as taught by Islam. At a time when communalism and terrorism are
increasing, it is necessary to create opportunities to convince the real facts
of each subject. Instead of running away from the issues, we need to speak
honestly. True Islamic scholars need to show the courage to expose the
misguided interpretations of matters such as Jihad by the foolish among
Muslims.
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A regular
columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P is a PhD scholar in Islamic Studies
at Jamia Millia Islamia and freelance journalist.
Part One
of the Article: What
is Jihad? How has it got conflated with the Christian concept of Crusade or
Holy War? - Part 1
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