The True Meaning Of Jihad: Refutation Of Extremist Islamist Ideology By Ulema And Sufis
By Ghulam Ghaus, New Age Islam
30 March 2013
Jihad is waged with the objectives of eradicating persecution, mischief from the land of Allah, protecting the innocent slaves, human beings against dangers, repelling hostilities and violence perpetrated on human beings, restoring peace and brotherhood, and providing human beings with liberty, equality and justice.
Various Islamic scholars have defined Jihad for promoting peace and eradicating violence. Islamic scholars of various sects unanimously have considered jihad as a means of upholding peace and preserving natural rights and privileges of people.
According to Ibne-Kamal’s definition, Jihad is divided into various types such as Physical Jihad, Monetary Jihad, Jihad through expert counselling, Jihad with tongue, Jihad with pen, Jihad by increasing the strength of actual army, Jihad by patrolling on the borders of Islamic states, Jihad for the protection of ideological frontiers: all these divisions are intended to restore peace and suppress the evil.
The true essence of Jihad is totally antithetical to what is propagated by Wahhabi extremists and religious fanatics. The fatwa of Wahhabi cleric Sheikh Yousuf Al-Abeeri published in “Nawa-e- Afghan Jihad” has already been incontrovertibly refuted by the Islamic scholars of eminence like Mr. Muhammad Yunus, Sultan Shahin and Suhail Arshad posted on New Age Islam. I am going to reproduce here the refutations made by various leading Islamic scholars (Ulema) regarding the organizations actively participating in war in the name of jihad in various countries.
One of the leading Sufi Islamic scholars Maulana Yaseen Akhtar Misbahi says: “one can neither blindly approve of every act of the Muslim organizations active in different countries. Similarly, it is not morally correct to brand every act of the Muslim organizations as unlawful.
He further says “The merciless and indiscriminate killings cannot be blindly termed as Qital, a terminological word for Jihad which occurs in the Quran which involves actual fighting. Various measures taken by the Muslim organizations in the different parts of the world, against their adversaries or the attacks launched by them for that matter can be appropriately termed as self-defence mechanism or steps towards taking revenge. They cannot be termed as Jihad.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan says: “The measures taken by non-governmental Muslim organizations in the name of Jihad, which actually amounts to Qital, involving actual fighting are no doubt un-Islamic. It is nothing but mischief-making in the name of Jihad. It is the duty of the government or state to wage Jihad which is referred to as Qital in the Quran. Non-governmental organizations can carry out Jihad with the objective of extending peaceful invitation. It is not their duty to wage armed Jihad.
Maulana Shafee Monis says: “We do agree with those organizations which strive in the way of Allah for depressing mischief and persecution in a peaceful way with the dissemination of the divine message. As regards those organizations which have taken up arms for waging Jihad, one needs to be well aware of their ways and objectives, so that one can decide whether or not they fulfil the conditions of jihad with observance of the prescribed conduct.
Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji says: “The voice, raised against the persecution and oppression everywhere in the world, echoes the feelings of every believer. Every just and fair person must approve the noble endeavours to remove the obstructions in the way of propagating Islam and establishing the sovereignty of Allah’s word.”
One of the most prominent Sufi Islamic scholars, Dr Tahirul Qadri, in his book “Fatwa on terrorism and suicide bombings”, writes: “The emphasis Islam lays on the sanctity and dignity of human life can be gauged from the fact that Islam does not allow massacre by even Muslim armies that are engaged in war against enemy troops. The killing of children, women, the old, patients, religious leaders and traders is strictly prohibited. Nor can those who surrender their arms, confine themselves to their homes and seek shelter of anyone be killed. The masses cannot be massacred. Likewise, worship places, buildings, crops, and even trees cannot be destroyed.
“On the one hand there is a clear set of Islamic laws based on extreme discretion, and on the other hand, there are people who invoke the name of Islam to justify the indiscriminate killing of people, children and women everywhere, without any distinction of religion and identity. It is a pity that such barbaric people still refer to their activities as Jihad. There can be no bigger discrepancy than that is seen around on earth. This can in no way be permissible to keep the foreign delegates under unlawful custody and murder them and other peaceful non-Muslim citizens in retaliation against their interference, unjust activities and aggressive advances. The one who does it has no relation to Islam and the holy Prophet (blessing be upon him)”
The Sufi scholar further elaborates: “The in-depth study of the Quran and Hadith makes one dauntlessly declare that Islam makes it conditional to realize the lawful objectives only through lawful means, to achieve noble targets only through permissible resources and reach the sacred destinations by treading only the righteous ways. A holy goal can never be attained through an evil and criminal path. Constructing a mosque is a pious act, but it cannot be done by looting a bank. The objectives of mercy cannot be achieved through cruel and oppressive ways. The designs of an exalted pious person cannot be materialized by adopting blasphemous methodology. In sum, good cannot be earned by evil means. Fair is fair and foul is foul. This is Satan who says, ‘fair is foul and foul is fair.’ This is the majesty and purity of Din that it has purified and reformed both the destination and its path. It has made both objective and means pure and upright.”
“The people who base their argument on the Hadith, ‘actions are judged according to intentions,’ in order to justify their brutal ways and cursed means, make false and heretic implications. They cannot set a wrong thing right. This Hadith signifies only those actions that are proved pious, permissible and lawful. Their acceptability has been based on purity of intention. If the intention is pure, they will be accepted, or they will be rejected. If the intention is not good, or the coveted intention does not exist, the actions will not be considered acts of worship, despite their apparent righteous value. They will be rejected or discredited. But the actions that are forbidden, unjust, unlawful and blasphemous cannot be made permissible, lawful, just and creditable by even extremely good intentions joined together. This is such an Islamic principle and legal formula as no one of the Companions, pious predecessors, Imams, and authorities of Hadith and exegeses has departed from to date. Some scholars have also interpreted this Hadith, ‘actions are judged according to intentions,’ as pointing to manifestation of deeds according to intentions. The actions take shape according to the intentions. So a terrorist’s actions speak of his intentions. His killings and destructive activities refer to his foul intention and condemnable ideas and beliefs. His heinous actions cannot stem from pious intentions and beliefs. The bloodshed he causes refers only to a cruel man inside him and not any kind and merciful soul. It is, therefore, evident that whatever false implications and foul justifications these rebels, criminals, evil-mongers, tyrannous brutes may put forth to prove their atrocities as act of Jihad, they have nothing to do with the teachings of Islam”.
Now it is clear from the writings of Ulema mentioned above that the extremists and self-proclaimed Jihadis are completely against the true essence of Jihad as mentioned in the holy Quran.
The Holy Quran has vividly described such extremists and evil-mongers in this verse:
“It is those whose entire struggle is wasted in worldly life, but they presume they are doing very good works.” (Al-Quran, 18: 104)
Allah almighty says “Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and drove you not out of your homes, Allah loves those who are just.” (Surah: Mumtahanah verse: 8)
URL: https://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/the-true-meaning-jihad-refutation/d/10955