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The
Arabic word ‘Jihad’ is derived from the verb ‘Jihada’ which means
‘he exerted’. Another derivative of the word is ‘Jahadun’ meaning
‘exertion’ or ‘striving’. So, literally Jihad means exertion,
striving or struggle. It means to exert one’s utmost or to make
effort or struggle for the achievement of one’s aim or objective.
In order to achieve an objective, Jihad is waged through different
means such as through the use of physical force or with the help
of one’s tongue or with the help of one’s wealth. The Holy Qur’an
has used word Jihad in various ways: “And whosoever striveth,
striveth only for himself, for lo! Allah is altogether independent
of (His) creature” _ (29:6): “And for those who strive in us, We
surely guide them to our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good” _
(29:69): “And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His
right…..” (22:78): “Fight in the way of Allah against those who
fight against you, but begin not hostilities …..” (2:190): “Go
forth, light armed and heavy armed, and strive with your wealth
and your lives in the way of Allah …..” (9:41) “Therefore listen
not to the unbelievers, but strive against them with the utmost
strenuousness, with the (Qur’an)__ (25:52). Thus the word Jihad
has been used by the Qur’an to signify different meanings in
different situations, right from earning of livelihood to fighting
against the enemy. But the keynote remains the same i.e. the
exertion or striving undertaken to achieve an objective. In this
way Jihad has a wider meaning than war because it includes every
sort of effort ─ physical or non-physical, mental or spiritual,
martial or non-martial ─ made in the way of Allah or for a just
cause.
Jihad
generally means, however, a war undertaken by the followers of
Islam for a just cause or for defence of Islam and Islamic State
or for cause of Allah. Al-Kasaniy, a Muslim jurist of middle ages
has defined jihad or the war of Muslims in these words: “Jihad in
the technology of law is used for expending ability and power in
fighting in the path of God by means of life, property, tongue and
other than these.”
Islam
does not allow aggressive wars to establish empires, to promote
imperialistic designs or to achieve economic and commercial
interests at the expense of others, or to subjugate other people
just to satisfy the ambitions of egotistic rulers and generals. It
permits war as a last resort, when there is no other peaceful way
left, for the defence of Islamic faith and Islamic state. War can
be waged by the Muslims simply for the cause of Allah so that the
Kingdom of God on earth is established and the word of God alone
prevails. The slightest desire for worldly gains mars the noble
cause of Jihad and deprives the Muslim soldier of the reward of
Paradise. Thus it will be seen that Jihad does not mean killing
and plundering others but offering one’s ownself to be killed. It
is a supreme sacrifice required of an idealist, sacrifice both of
property and life, for the sole purpose of obeying the command of
one’s Creator and Master, God Almighty.2
Jihad
is of various types. With reference to means through which it can
be waged, Jihad is of following types:
1)
Jihad with physical force i.e. through hand and
sword; 2) Jihad with use of tongue i.e. with speeches, with
propaganda, electronic media, etc; 3) Jihad through pen i.e. by
books, pamphlets, articles, press media. Number 2 and 3 can be
collectively called intellectual Jihad; 4) Jihad by use of wealth
like donations to war fund, contribution to organisations engaged
in Jihad, financial assistance to families of Mujahideen, weapons,
food, and clothes for Mujahideen, etc.
With
reference to enemy against whom Jihad is waged, it is of following
types:
1)
Jihad against one’s ownself or evil soul; 2) Jihad
against foreign enemy; 3) Jihad against rebels and terrorists; 4)
Jihad against social evils; 5) Jihad to help the oppressed Muslims
in non-Muslim lands; 6) Jihad against despotic rulers and tyrants;
7) Jihad against natural calamities like floods, earth quake,
cyclone, epidemics by helping their victims; and 8) Constructive
Jihad like nation-building activities.
The
Holy Qur’an motivates the followers of Islam to wage Jihad in many
of its verses, some of whom are:
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Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight
against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not
aggressors. And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them
out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is
worse than slaughter. And flight not with them at the Inviolable
Place of worship until they first attack you there, but if they
attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of
disbelievers. (2:190-191)
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Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful
unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for
you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you.
Allah knoweth, ye know not. (2:216)
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Relent not in pursuit of the enemy. If ye are
suffering, lo! they suffer even as ye suffer and ye hope from
Allah that for which they cannot hope. Allah is ever Knower,
Wise. (4:104)
-
O ye who believe! When ye meet those who disbelieve
in battle, turn not your backs to them. (8:15)
-
O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there
be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if
there be of you a hundred steadfast they shall overcome a thousand
of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are a
folk without intelligence. Now hath Allah lightened your burden,
for He knoweth that there is weakness in you. So if there be of
you a steadfast hundred they shall overcome two hundred, and if
there be of you a thousand (steadfast) they shall overcome two
thousand by permission of Allah. Allah is with the steadfast.
(8:65-66)
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The (true) believers are those only who believe in
Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with
their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the
sincere. (49:15)
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O ye who believe! Shall I show you a commerce that
will save you from a painful doom? Ye should believe in Allah and
His messenger, and should strive for the cause of Allah with your
wealth and your lives. That is better for you, if ye did but
know. (61: 10-11)
Following traditions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) bring in focus
Jihad, its types and its merits:
-
Anas reported from the Holy Prophet who said: Fight
against the polytheists with your properties, your lives and your
tongue. (Abu Daud, Nisai, Darimi)
-
Abdullah-b-Amr reported that the Holy Prophet said:
Fighting in the way of Allah atones for every thing except
debt. (Muslim)
-
Abdullah-b-Hubshi reported that the Prophet was
asked: Which of the action is best? He said: prolonged standing
(in prayer). He was questioned: Which charity is best? He said;
Strivings of a man of small means. He was questioned: Which
migration is best? He said: He who flees away from what Allah has
prohibited him. He was questioned: Which Jihad is best? He said:
He who fights with the polytheists with his property and his
life. (Abu Daud)
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Abu Musa reported that the Messenger of Allah said:
Verily the doors of Paradise are under the shades of swords. (Mishkat)
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Sahl-b-Sa’ad reported that the Messenger of Allah
said: Guarding for a day in the way of Allah is better than the
world and what is therein. (Bukhari, Muslim)
-
Ali, Abu Dard’a, Abu Hurairah, Abu Omamah,
Abdullah-b-Umar, Jaber-b-Abdullah, Imran-b-Hussain (Allah be
pleased with them all ) reported from the Messenger of Allah that
he said: Whoso sends contribution in the way of Allah and stays at
his house, he will get 700 dirhams for every dirham, and whoso
fights with his ownself in the way of Allah and spends for that
cause, he will get 70,000 dirhams for every dirham. Afterwards he
recited the verse: And Allah multiplies for whom he pleases. (Ibn
Majah)
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Zaid-b-Khalid repoted that the Messenger of Allah
said: Whose supplies a warrior with arms in the way of Allah
fights indeed a holy fight; and whoso keeps behind a warrior in
charge of his family fights indeed in a holy fight. (Bukhari,
Ahmad)
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Jaber-b-Samorah reported that the Messenger of
Allah said: This religion will never cease to exist. A party of
the Muslims shall always fight for it till the Hour comes to
pass. (Muslim)
-
Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah
said: Whoso dies without fighting (holy war) and without
consulting himself about it dies on a branch of hypocrisy.
(Muslim)
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Abu Musa reported that a man came to Messenger of
Allah and enquired: A man fights for booty, a man fights for fame,
and a man fights that his position may be known ─ who then
(fights) in the way of Allah? He said: Whoso fights to raise
highest thereby the word of Allah, is in the way of Allah.
(Bukhari, Muslim)
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Why is Jihad waged? Its justification
Why Jihad after all? Why does Islam permit Jihad? Why do the
Muslims wage Jihad? These and alike are some of the questions
which are generally raised by non-Muslim critics against Islamic
doctrine of Jihad. It is perhaps due to misunderstanding of the
concept of Jihad that Muslims are being labelled, in the world of
today, as terrorists, extremists, fundamentalists, militants and
harbingers of doom; while Islam is being perceived as threat to
international peace and security, because in the view of the
critics it preaches war and violence.
All
the propaganda against Islam and Jihad is, however false if
impartially examined in the light of justice and fairness. Islam
literally means ‘peace’ and submission to the will of Allah, Who
is Creator, the Sustainer and Sovereign of the universe. It is the
final religion and its message is perfect and complete. Islam came
to give peace and security to mankind and as a universal religion
for humanity it teaches its followers to live in peace and follow
the path of complete submission and obedience to the commands of
God.
Thus
peace is fundamental to Islam and Islam attaches great sanctity to
human life. Of all the things of the world, human life is no doubt
the most valuable one. The life in fact is a trust of Allah and it
is the foremost duty of the followers of Islam to preserve and
protect it under all circumstances. Al-Qur’an, the revealed book
of Islam, highlights the importance of human life when it condemns
the first human murder, by a son of Adam who killed his brother,
in the following words which have achieved fame of a proverb on
the sanctity of human life….. “Whosoever killeth a human being for
other than manslaughter or corruption in the land, it shall be as
if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it
shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind………” (5:32)
Despite glorifying sanctity of human life and holding life as a
sacred trust, Islam permits war in which very many human lives are
lost. Why? This is because Islam is a religion of peace and
security and it is also a religion of nature and humanity. None
understands human nature better than God Who has created the
mankind. Human society is not composed of Angels who cannot do any
wrong. Evil and good are ingrained in the instinct of man. There
are certain individuals and groups of people who are evil minded
and who do not let others live in peace. They transgress all
bounds of morality and laws of society and violate the rights of
others. They attack other individuals and nations and deprive them
of their homes, property and lives. They subjugate other people,
occupy their lands and impose their own laws and values on the
conquered people. Thus they create mischief in the earth (fesad
fil arz) and persecute the oppressed nations and, therefore,
disturb the peace and security of the world. Such mischief mongers
and corrupt have to be kept under restraint. This is how the
question of war against such anti-human elements comes in. That is
why Islam allows retaliation in the case of murder because in the
words of the Qur’an: “And there is life for you in retaliation, O
men of understanding! That ye may ward off (evil)” (2:179). And
that is why Islam permits war for repelling aggression. “Sanction
is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and
Allah is indeed Able to give them victory:” thus says the Qur’an
(22:39). The philosophy and rationale behind this permission has
been explained by the revealed book of Islam thus: “……And if Allah
had not repelled some men by others, the earth would have been
corrupted. But Allah is a Lord of Kindness to (His) creatures:
(2:251). At another place, the same underlying wisdom has been
elaborated further: “For had it not been for Allah’s repelling
some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories
and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would
assuredly have been pulled down” (22:40)
Islam
does not allow war for aggressive designs or with the motives of
killing or conquering other human beings. War has been permitted
in defence only. The Muslims are permitted to fight against those
who have invaded them or who have invaded their faith or their
country. In other words the Muslims are allowed to wage war in
defence against the aggressors but they are not permitted to
initiate aggression or hostilities against others. Al-Qur’an, the
revealed book of Islam, says: “Fight in the way of Allah against
those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah
loveth not aggressors.” (2:190).
Besides war in defence and against aggression, Islam also allows
war against persecution i.e. against those who oppress and torture
the Muslims and do not give them freedom of religion and worship
(Al-Qur’an 8:39). Jihad is also allowed in favour of the oppressed
Muslim minorities living in the non-Muslim lands provided such
Muslim minorities ask for help (Al-Qur’an 4:75). But help cannot
be given in violation of treaties, internationals obligations and
conventions governing relations between the Islamic state and
non-Muslim country against whom help is sought (Al-Qur’an 8:72).
Jihad is allowed against internal enemies, rebels, disruptionists
of peace, terrorists, robbers. It is also permitted against those
who break treaties and indulge in hostile activities against
Muslims.
Thus
Islam sanctions war only in exceptional circumstances and that too
in defence of Islamic faith, Islamic state, oppressed Muslims and
for any other just cause against aggressors, persecutors,
oppressors, terrorists and disturbers of peace and security. No
wars with material designs to establish empires, to subjugate
other notions, to occupy other countries, to expand Islamic state,
to promote trade or commercial interests are allowed by Islam. Nor
the use of sword or military power is permitted to forcibly
convert the non-Muslims to Islam. There is no compulsion in
religion, as stressed by the Holy Qur’an (2:256), and so no Jihad
can be undertaken by the Muslims to bring others into the fold of
Islam. In fact, Jihad is waged with very noble objectives, the
first and foremost of which is pleasing God and earning His
goodwill.
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Laws and rules of Jihad
Islam
as religion of humanity, and of peace and security does not lose
its cool even in war. Its law of war is very humane, chivalrous,
generous, kind and tolerant. In the light of the Qur’an and the
Sunnah and in view of the conventions set by the Prophet and his
successors, the jurists of Islam have formulated a long list of
the rules of warfare in Islam with comprehensive details regarding
acts allowed in war and acts forbidden in war. For knowing these
details one
may refer to books of Fiqh and Jihad.
Briefly the acts which
have been forbidden by the humanistic Islamic law of war are:
-
Killing of non-combatants such as
women, minors, sick, servants and slaves, monks, hermits, insane,
very old persons, etc is forbidden.
-
The prisoners of war cannot be put to
death except in very exceptional circumstances.
-
The cruel and torturous ways of
killing are not allowed even if some enemy has to be killed.
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Mutilation of men and animals is
strictly disallowed.
-
Destruction of crops, cutting of
trees unnecessarily, slaughtering of animals more than what is
necessary for food and burning of houses is prohibited.
-
Killing of enemy hostages is disallowed even in retaliation.
-
Severing the head of some fallen
enemy and presenting it to higher authority is highly disliked.
-
General massacre is prohibited when
the enemy is vanquished and his land is occupied.
-
Killing peasants, traders, merchants,
artisans, contractors is disallowed when they do not take part in
actual fighting.
-
Burning a captured man or animal to
death is strictly forbidden.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave following instructions to Abdul
Rahman-bin-Awf at one occasion when he was deputed to lead an
expedition: “O son of ‘Awf! take it. Fight ye all in the path of
God and combat those who do not believe in God. Yet never commit
breach of trust, nor treachery, nor mutilate anybody nor kill any
minor or woman. This is the pact of God and the conduct of His
Messenger for your guidance”.
Abu
Bakr, the first caliph of Islam and successor of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) as head of Islamic state, gave following instructions to
Osama when the latter was nominated as commander of Jihad against
Syrians: “I enjoin upon you the fear of God. Do not disobey, do
not cheat, do not show cowardice, do not destroy churches, do not
inundate palm-trees, do not burn cultivation, do not bleed
animals, do not cutdown fruit-trees, do not kill old men or boys
or children or women……”
Whenever Umar, the second caliph of Islam, dispatched armies, he
used to give following instructions to the commanders: “Do not
show cowardice in an encounter. Do not mutilate when you have
power to do so. Do not commit excess when you triumph. Do not kill
an old man or a woman or a minor, but try to avoid them at the
time of the encounter of the two armies, and at the time of the
heat of victory, and at the time of expected attacks. Do not cheat
over booty. Purify jihad from worldly gain. Rejoice in the bargain
of the contract that ye have made (with God), and that is the
great success”.
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Status of a warrior (Mujahid)
The
word ‘Jihad’ as we have already explained means struggle or
exertion undertaken for a noble cause. In Islam, Jihad stands for
a struggle or war undertaken by the Muslims in the path of God for
a just cause and for the defence of Islam. A Muslim who
participates in such struggle and wages jihad for the cause of
Allah is called ‘Mujahid’. A Mujahid fights in the way of Allah
for the defence of Islam or Islamic state. The sole objective of
all of his efforts is to ensure that the word of God shall alone
prevail. A Mujahid expends all of his abilities and powers in
fighting in the path of Allah by means of life, property, tongue,
pen and other than these. The slightest desire for worldly gains
pollutes the purity and mars the nobleness of the cause of Jihad
and thus deprives the Mujahid of reward of Paradise.
In
brief, Mujahid is one who spends all his efforts and resources for
Islam and fights against all those forces who try to harm the
cause of his faith, so much so that he does not hesitate to put
even his very life in danger.
The
Mujahid who survives in a battle field is called ‘Ghazi’. But if
he falls or dies is called ‘Shaheed’.
The
following verses of the Qur’an and traditions of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) highlight status of a Mujahid (warrior) and a Shaheed
(martyr) and the rewards due to them:
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And call not those who are slain in
the way of Allah “dead.” Nay, they are living, only ye perceive
not. (Al-Baqarah 2:154)
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Think not of those who are slain in
the way of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living. With their Lord
they have provision: Jubilant (are they) because of that which
Allah hath bestowed upon them of His bounty, rejoicing for the
sake of those who have not joined them but are left behind: that
there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve. They
rejoice because of favour from Allah and kindness, and that Allah
wasteth not the wage of the believers. (Al-Imran3:169-171)
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Let those fight in the way of Allah
who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in
the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall
bestow a vast reward. (An-Nisa 4:74)
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Lo! Allah loveth those who battle for
His cause in ranks, as if they were a solid structure. (As-Saff
61:4)
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Abu Hurairah reported that the
Messenger of Allah said: The likeness of a fighter in the way of
Allah is like the likeness of one who fasts, stands up (in prayer)
and obeys the verses of Allah without any break of fast and prayer
till the fighter returns to the way of Allah.
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Abu Hurairah reported that one of the
companions of the Holy Prophet passed through the valley of a hill
wherein there was a fountain of sweet water. It pleased him most
and he said: Would that I should have retired from men and settled
in the cave of the hill. It was mentioned to the Prophet. He said:
Do (it) not, because the rank of one of you in the way of Allah is
better than his prayer for 70 years in his house. Don’t you like
that Allah should forgive you and admit you in heaven? Fight in
the way of Allah. Whoso fights in the way of Allah even for an
interval between two milking of a she-camel, Paradise is sure for
him. (Tirmizi)
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Abu Hurairah reported that the Holy
prophet said: …. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, how much do I
Like that I should be martyred in the way of Allah and then be
brought back to life, and then be martyred and then be brought
back to life, and then be martyred and then be brought to life,
and then be martyred. (Bukhari, Muslim)
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Anas
reported that the Messenger of Allah said: There will be none
entering Paradise who will like to come back to this world and to
have that is in the earth except a martyr. He will wish to return
to the world and then be martyred ten times on account of the
honour he sees. (Bukhari, Muslim)
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Fuzalah-b-Obaid reported from the
Messenger of Allah who said: A seal is put over the actions of
every dead man except one who dies guarding in the way of Allah,
and verily his actions will increase for him up to the
Resurrection Day, and he is safe from the punishment of the
grave. (Tirmizi, Abu Daud)
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Hasna’a-Ibn-Muawayiah reported: My
uncle informed me. He said: I asked the Prophet: Who is in
Paradise? He replied: The Prophet is in Paradise, the martyr is in
Paradise, the new born babe is in Paradise, and the one buried
alive is in Paradise. (Abu Daud)
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Abu Hruairah reported that the
Messenger of Allah said: The first three persons entering Paradise
were presented to me: A martyr, and a self-denying man abstaining
from begging, and a slave who does good divine service and wishes
the welfare of his master. (Tirmizi)
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Maqdam-b-Ma’ad-i-Kareb reported the
messenger of Allah said: There are six virtues of a martyr near
Allah. At the first instance he is forgiven, he is shown his place
in Paradise, he is protected from punishment of the grave, he is
kept safe from the great catastrophe, a crown of glory is put upon
his head, one jewel of which is better than the world and what is
therein, he will be married to seventy two wives of black eyed
virgins, and he will be given permission to make intercession for
seventy of his relations. (Tirmizi, Ibn Majah)
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Spoils of War
“To
the victor belongs the spoils” was a popular slogan not only among
the heathen Arabs of the pre-Islamic period but also among many
other nations of the world. So the common practice before the
advent of Islam was that the entire booty obtained in a war was
either divided by the victorious army or was usurped by the tribal
chief or the king for his own benefit. Islam brought about a great
change in this outlook. It restricted the claim of the conquering
soldiers to four-fifth of the booty while one-fifth of it was
reserved for the Islamic state to be used for the common benefit
of the nation. During the reign of Caliph Umar this division of
the spoils between the Islamic state and the conquering army was
further restricted to chattels and movable assets. It was decided
by consensus that the lands conquered from the enemy should be
kept in the ownership of the state for the common benefit of the
existing and future generations instead of dividing the same among
the soldiers who took part in the fight.
Islam
divides spoils or booty into two categories, namely: ‘Ghanimah’
and ‘Fai’. If the spoils are obtained by actual fighting, the same
are called Ghanimah. But if they are obtained without fighting
i.e. the enemy surrenders or flees away, then they are called Fai.
In the case of Ghanimah, share of Islamic state is one-fifth which
is deducted first and the remaining four-fifth is divided among
the soldiers. In the case of Fai, the whole booty goes to the
Islamic state.
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Prisoners of war
Treatment given to the prisoners of war by Islam is unparalleled
in kindness, nobility and magnanimity in the history of mankind.
The Holy Book of Islam has laid down that the prisoners should be
taken in the actual battlefield after completely crushing the
fighting power of the enemy but before the war terminates. Once an
enemy solider surrenders and is taken as prisoner of war he should
not be put to sword save for exceptional reasons. The prisoners
should be accorded kind and human treatment. They should be
properly fed. The Qur’an considers it an act of great virtue and
goodness to feed prisoners for love of Allah without wishing any
reward or thanks. Regarding release of the prisoners of war, the
Qur’an prescribes two options, namely: they should be set free
either as a favour and grace, or they should be released for a
ransom. Release of prisoners for ransom includes: that they should
be set free after accepting ransom money; that they should be set
free after taking some service from them or that they can be
exchanged for the Muslim prisoners of war who are in the
possession of the enemy.
The
precedent set by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) about the treatment of
prisoners of war is very inspiring:
-
Seventy prisoners fell into the hands
of the Muslims in the battle of Badar. The question arose how to
treat these prisoners. The Prophet consulted his companions on
this vital issue. The opinion of Abu Bakr was that the prisoners
should be released on ransom while Umar suggested that the
prisoners should be put to sword. The prophet (PBUH) agreed with
the views of Abu Bakr and decided to release the prisoners on
receipt of ransom. Those prisoners who were poor were required to
teach ten Muslim children each and thus get their liberty. The
rich among the prisoners were obliged to pay ransom (generally
four thousand Dirhams per head) for securing their freedom. The
Prophet’s uncle Abbas and son-in-law Abu’al A’s had to pay ransom
for their release. Those prisoners who were poor and also
illiterate being unable to pay ransom or teach children were set
free without ransom. Out of seventy prisoners only two were put to
death but not for their participation in the war but for their
past crimes against Islam and the Muslims.
-
During their detention, the prisoners of Badr were distributed
among the companions by the Prophet (PBUH) as there were no state
prisons in Madinah in those days. Each companion got one or two
prisoners with the condition that they should be treated kindly
and food, clothing and lodging should be provided to them
according to means. The companions of the Prophet treated the
prisoners so kindly that one of the prisoners is reported to have
remarked: “Blessings be to the people of Madinah! They made us
ride while they themselves walked, they gave us bread to eat when
there was little of it contenting themselves with dates”.
Suhail-b-Amr, a prisoner of war, was a good orator who used to
deliver speeches against Islam. Umar suggested that two of his
teeth should be broken, but the suggestion was turned down by the
Prophet who said: “I have not been sent to mutilate men”.
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