The true concept of Jihad

Submitted by Muhammed Qureshi MD (United States), Jan 1, 2003 at 17:03

JIHAD THE TRUE CONCEPT
MUHAMMED QURESHI MD MSC.

I have to agree with Mr. Pipes that misinterpretation of Jihad has caused more trouble and problems to the Muslim world in the second half of the twentieth century. The continued association of the word Jihad synonymously with fighting and war has led many people astray and of course the fault lies with those sects of Muslims who use this word in that context without going back to the source i.e. Quran and seeing for themselves the perspective in which Jihad is mentioned.

In this article I have tried to look at the concept of Jihad and war as described in the Holy Quran. Quran being the undisputed single source of guidance for all sects of Muslims. In the second half of this article I have made an attempt to look at the reasons why majority of Muslims are using the word Jihad against the actual Quranic teachings.

Interestingly enough Quran does mention war and the Arabic word used for it is "Qital", but, never has the word "Jihad" and "Qital" been used in the same verse and I can illustrate with examples.

The following four set of verses mention the concept of Jihad I am also including some of the verses just preceding the word mentioning Jihad to understand the context better. The English word that best translates the word Jihad is "strive."
The exact Arabic word used is "Wa Jahadu Fillah"
22: 78. O ye who believe! bow you down and prostrate yourselves in Prayer, and worship your Lord, and do good deeds that you may prosper.
22: 79. And strive in the cause of Allah as it behoves you to strive for it. HE has chosen you and has laid no hardship upon you in the matter of religion; so follow the faith of your father Abraham; HE has named you Muslims both before and in this Book, so that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and you may be witnesses over mankind. Therefore observe Prayer and pay the Zakaat, and hold fast to Allah. HE is your Protector and an Excellent Protector and an Excellent Helper ! ( Hajj)
Clearly the verse 22:78 describes what the way of Allah is and how to achieve it. Please note the complete absence of the word Qital. The absence of the word fighting, war, killing etc. that some of the Muslims today are using for Jihad.
Another verse where Jihad is mentioned is the following the exact Arabic word is "wal azeen a jahadu":
29: 70. And as for those who strive to meet US - WE will, surely, guide them in OUR ways. And, verily, Allah is with those who do good. (al ankaboot)
Please note again the absence of the word "fight"(Arabic =Qital)
The following set of verses further clarifies Jihad and how it should be done
25: 53. So obey not the disbelievers and strive against them by means of the Qur'an with a mighty striving. (Furqan)
The four verses just before this verse are also listed below
25: 49. And HE it is Who sends the winds as glad tidings before HIS mercy, and WE send down pure water from the clouds, (Furqan)
25: 50. That WE may thereby give life to a dead land, and give it for drink to Our creation - cattle and men in large numbers.
25: 51. And WE have expounded the Qur'an to them in diverse ways that they make take heed, but most men would reject everything but disbelief.
25: 52. If WE had pleased, WE could have surely raised a Warner in every city;
Again note the complete absence of the word fighting, killing or murdering people instead it talks about giving life to a "dead land" Not only that but the Muslims are instructed to do Jihad with Quran. I wonder how one can use a small book like Quran as a weapon!!! It surely contains points of wisdom and logic which if read by an unbiased person would make sense and bring their heart nearer to God.

Surely, the activities of present day Terrorists who use the word Jihad falsely for achieving their own goals and in doing so go against all the teachings of the Quran.
The next verse also elaborates on how jihad is done. (Arabic:=Wa Jahadu be Amwalahim)
8: 73. Surely, those who believed and left their homes and strove with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah, and those who gave them shelter and help - these are friends one of another. But as for those who believed but did not leave their homes, you are not at all responsible for their protection until they leave their homes. But if they seek your help in the matter of religion, then it is your duty to help them, except against a people between whom and yourselves there is a treaty. And Allah sees what you do. (Al-Anfal)
This verse mentions people who left their homes in the cause of Allah i.e. to freely practice their religion and migrated away from persecution in the cause of Allah and the ones who protected them. In the process endured great dangers and loss of wealth. In this verse there is a hint to the Muslims of Mecca who left their homes in Mecca and went to Ethiopia and Medina at the time of Holy Prophet( SAW). Clearly no mention of fighting with the ones persecuting them.
All of these verses clearly demonstrate what the exact meaning of Jihad is and how far it is from the behavior of the various terrorist organizations that are misusing it at the present day.

Now Quran does mention fighting or war and the Arabic used is "Qital." Please note that "Jihad" is not the word used in Quran for fighting or war. Wars in Islam fall under three categories: (1) defensive wars, i.e. war by way of self-protection; (2) punitive wars, i.e. blood for blood; (3) war to secure freedom, i.e. with a view to break the power of those who kill those who accept Islam. Quran has allowed Muslims to fight in certain circumstances and these instances are enumerated below
22: 40. Permission to take up arms is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged and Allah, indeed, has power to help them. -
22: 41. Those who have been driven out from their homes unjustly, only because they said, `Our Lord is Allah.' And if Allah had not repelled some people by means of others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft remembered, would surely have been destroyed. And Allah will, surely, help him who helps HIM. Allah is, indeed, Powerful, Mighty –
Islam being a comprehensive religion permits the Muslim to take up arms against an aggressor who has prohibited freedom of religion. It talks about protection of Churches!! Synagogues mosques and other places of worship. Now if any Muslim that destroys a church or a Synagogue is in fact going against the word of Allah.
In the next set of verses God has granted permission to the Muslims to fight against those who attack Muslims and are persecutors. An example in present context would be the recent aggression of Serbians against Bosnians.
2: 191. And fight in the way of ALLAH against those who fight against you, but do not transgress. Surely, ALLAH loves not the transgressors.
2: 192. And slay these transgressors wherever you meet them and drive them out from where they have driven you out; for persecution is worst than slaying. And fight them not in and near the Sacred Mosque until they fight you therein. But if they fight you, then fight them. Such is the requital for the disbelievers.
2: 194. And fight them until there is no persecution, and religion is professed only for ALLAH. But if they desist, then remember that no hostility is allowed except against the wrongdoers.
2: 217. Fighting is ordained for you, though it is repugnant to you; but it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you like a thing while it is bad for you. ALLAH knows and you know not.
4: 76. And why should you not fight in the cause of ALLAH and for the rescue of the weak men, women and children - who say, `Our Lord, take us out of this town whose people are oppressors, and give us a friend from Thyself and give us from Thyself a helper.'
The Muslims are allowed to fight people who break their oaths example from the Life of Holy Prophet is the Jews of Medina and Khyber who broke their oath which resulted in harm and suffering coming to the Muslims of Medina and the Muslims had to take up arms against them.
9: 12. And if they break their oaths after their covenant, and attack your religion, then fight these leaders of disbelief --surely, they have no regard for their oaths, - that they may desist.
9: 13. Will you not fight a people who have broken their oaths, and who plotted to turn out the Messenger, and they were the first to commence hostilities against you ? Do you fear them ? Nay, ALLAH is most worthy that you should fear HIM, if you are believers.
9: 14. Fight them, that ALLAH may punish them at your hands, and humiliate then, and help you to victory over them, and relieve the minds of a people who believe;
And finally Muslims are allowed to fight other Muslims if one of them is a transgressor. The recent example is the aggression of Iraq against Iran and Kuwait.
49: 10. And if two parties of believers fight each other, make peace between them; then if after that, one of them transgresses against the other, fight the party that transgress until it returns to the command of ALLAH. Then if it returns, make peace between them with equity, and act justly. Verily, ALLAH loves the just.
If the concept of Jihad is stated so clearly in the Quran why is that a large number of Muslims have a different view which results in blood shed around the world.
This issue was explained very clearly by Hazarat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed (AS) almost a 100 years ago who identified the emerging problems that could arise from a misunderstanding of the concept of Jihad, in His book titled "Jesus in India" He states:

"Spiritual maladies, i.e., want of good morals, evil thoughts, callousness, want of sympathy, are spreading among most Islamic sects, being the result of beliefs in unfounded stories and anecdotes --------. Human sympathy, pity and love of justice, humility and humble-mindedness - all good qualities - are disappearing day by day, as if they will soon bid a last farewell to this community. This callousness and this immorality make many a Muslim appear no better than the beasts of the jungle. A Jain or a Buddhist is afraid of and avoids killing even a mosquito or a flea, but, alas! there are many among us Muslims who, while they kill an innocent man or commit wanton murder, are not afraid of the powerful God, who rates human life higher than that of all the animals. What is this callousness and cruelty and want of sympathy due to? It is due to this - that from their very childhood, stories and anecdotes and wrong views of the doctrine of Jihad are dinned into their ears and inculcated into their hearts, the result being that gradually they become morally dead and cease to feel the heinousness of their hateful actions; nay, rather, the man who murders another man unawares and thus brings ruin to the murdered man's family thinks that he has done a meritorious deed; or rather, that he has made the most of an opportunity to win favor with his community. As no lectures or sermons are delivered in our country to stop such evils - and if there are any such lectures they have an element of hypocrisy in them - the common people think approvingly of such misdeeds."

So it is the presence of these false stories and anecdotes that have led to false belief and a misconception of Jihad. The basic rule for Muslims is to evaluate each story anecdote or hadith in the light of Quran and if it goes against the teaching of Quran, it has to be false. For example any story or quotation, even if it is labeled to the Holy Prophet (SAW) that suggests force can be achieved to convert somebody to Islam has to be wrong because it goes against the Quranic verse
2: 257. There is no compulsion in religion. Surely the right has become distinct from error; so whosoever refuses to be led by those who transgress and believes in ALLAH, has surely grasped a strong handle which knows no breaking. And ALLAH is All-Hearing. All-Knowing.
It is this failure of ordinary Muslims to examine each statement in the light of Quran which has resulted in so much misconception and has led them to a path of destruction. The priests (Ulema) are also to blame for misguiding the public and using religion to achieve gains for themselves and to score points against the opposite sect and totally distorting the beautiful teachings of Quran. In this light if people like Mr. Pipe do make allegations against Islam they cannot be blamed because majority of Muslims are following this distorted version of Islam.

Explaining this point Mirza Ghulam Ahmed AS has said

"Jihad prevalent among Muslims, that is, the expectation of a bloody Imam, full of spite and hostility for other people, is a texture of false beliefs inculcated by shortsighted Ulema; otherwise, Islam does not allow the use of the sword for the Faith; except in the case of defensive wars, or in the case of wars waged to punish a tyrant or to uphold freedom. The need of a defensive war arises when the aggression of an adversary threatens one's own life."
"the beliefs of some of the followers of Islam, among whom is the sect called Ahl-i-Hadith also known as Wahabis, regarding a bloody Mahdi and a bloody Messiah, are affecting their morals very badly, so much so, that on account of their bad influence their dealings with other people are not based on honesty and good will, nor can they be truly and completely loyal to a non-Muslim Government. All reasonable men will realize that such a belief, namely, that non-Muslims should be subjected to coercion, that they should either forthwith become Muslims or be put to death, is open to the most serious objections. Every conscientious person will readily admit that before a man adequately realizes the truth of a Faith, and before he has comprehended its beauties and its wholesome teachings, it is extremely undesirable to coerce him, on pain of death, to adopt that Faith. Far from contributing to the growth of that Faith, this would furnish the opponents with an opportunity to find fault with it. The ultimate result of a principle like this is that hearts become devoid of the quality of human sympathy and that mercy and justice, which are great human moral qualities, take leave of men, and instead, spitefulness and enmity tend to grow; there remain behind only the animal passions, wiping out all high moral qualities. But it would be noticed that such a teaching could not have proceeded from God, Who sends His punishment only after He has completed His argument."

The argument that force was used to convert people in early Islam is unfounded as explained by the same author

"It is worth noting also that, as at that time all the people were prejudiced against Islam, and as the opposing people were scheming to destroy Islam, which they thought was a new religion and the followers of which were only a small community, and as everyone was anxious to see the Muslims destroyed early or disrupted so as not to leave any chance of their further growth and development, the Muslims at that time were obstructed in the smallest matters, and anyone from any tribe who accepted Islam and became a Muslim was either killed at once by his tribe or lived in perpetual danger. At a time like this, God Almighty, taking pity on Muslim converts, had imposed on the bigoted rulers a penalty, namely, that they should become subservient to Islam, and thus open the door of freedom for Islam. This was meant to remove the obstructions in the way of those who wished to accept the Faith; it was God's compassion for the world, and it harmed no one. It is evident, however, that non-Muslim rulers of to-day do not interfere with Islam; they do not ban the essential Islamic practices. They do not kill new Muslims, they do not put them into prison or torture them; why then should Islam raise its sword against them? It is obvious that Islam has never advocated compulsion: if the Holy Quran, the books of Hadith and historical records are carefully examined and, as far as possible, studied or listened to thoughtfully, it will be realized with certainty that the charge that Islam wielded the sword to propagate the Faith with force is an utterly unfounded and shameful charge against Islam. Such a charge against Islam is made by people who have not read the Quran, the Hadith and the reliable histories of Islam in a spirit of detachment, but have made free use of falsehood and have brought wrong charges against it."

Interestingly enough the largest Muslim country in the world at this time is Indonesia which was never attacked by Arabs and there is no history of war which would make us think that they were converted by force. On the other hand countries like Spain and India which were ruled by Muslims for over 700 years were never fully converted to Islam and still have majority of Christians and Hindus. In fact Muslims were totally wiped out of Spain by force and were converted to Christianity or massacred. That being the worst human tragedy of all times.

Based on these facts I hope the reader will achieve a better understanding of the true concept of Jihad and hopefully Muslims will also see the light and re examine the way they look at Jihad and return back to the true teachings of Quran.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".