Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Jihad: Difference between revisions

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[[Jihad]] جهاد in Arabic is the masdar or verbal noun of the verb 'jaahada" جاهد. This verb means to "struggle" or to "strive" in Arabic. As such, the word jihad means literally "struggle" or "striving." Within Islamic religious discourse though, the word has a special meaning. جهاد في سبيل الله "jihaad fi sabil Allah" or "jihad on the path of Allah" most usually refers to armed, religious struggle by the Muslim, believing inhabitants of [[Dar_al-Harb_and_Dar_al-Islam_(the_Abodes_of_War_and_Peace)|Dar Al-Islam]] (the house or abode of Islam or the house of submission) against the unbelieving, infidel people of [[Dar_al-Harb_and_Dar_al-Islam_(the_Abodes_of_War_and_Peace)|Dar Al-Harb]] (The house or abode of war). The word can also be used to refer to the inner struggle of the Muslim believe to follow the laws of Allah, but this is the less common meaning. By far the most common meaning is armed warfare in the name of spreading and/or defending Islam. This understanding of jihad continues to be taught in Islamic religious schools, even mainstream ones, to the present day. According to Islamic modernists and some modern academic scholars, the interpretation of the Quranic concepts of fighting and Jihad underwent significant evolution during the early part of the Islamic era, reflecting the emerging imperial environment.
[[Jihad]] جهاد in Arabic is the masdar or verbal noun of the verb 'jaahada" جاهد. This verb means to "struggle" or to "strive" in Arabic. As such, the word jihad means literally "struggle" or "striving." Within Islamic religious discourse though, the word has a special meaning. جهاد في سبيل الله "jihaad fi sabil Allah" or "jihad on the path of Allah" most usually refers to armed, religious struggle by the Muslim, believing inhabitants of [[Dar_al-Harb_and_Dar_al-Islam_(the_Abodes_of_War_and_Peace)|Dar Al-Islam]] (the house or abode of Islam or the house of submission) against the unbelieving, infidel people of [[Dar_al-Harb_and_Dar_al-Islam_(the_Abodes_of_War_and_Peace)|Dar Al-Harb]] (The house or abode of war). The word can also be used to refer to the inner struggle of the Muslim believe to follow the laws of Allah, but this is the less common meaning. By far the most common meaning is armed warfare in the name of spreading and/or defending Islam. This understanding of jihad continues to be taught in Islamic religious schools, even mainstream ones, to the present day. According to Islamic modernists and some modern academic scholars, the interpretation of the Quranic concepts of fighting and Jihad underwent significant evolution during the early part of the Islamic era, reflecting the emerging imperial environment.
{{Main|Jihad in Islamic Law}}


==Jihad in the Qur'an==
==Jihad in the Qur'an==
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==Peace vs War==
==Peace vs War==
{{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Peaceful Coexistence}}
===Quran===


===Verse===
{{Quote|{{Quran|8|61}}|But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things).}}


{{Quote|{{Quran|8|61}}|But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things).}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|193}}|Fight them until there is no [more] fitnah and [until] worship is [acknowledged to be] for Allah. But if they cease, then there is to be no aggression except against the oppressors.}}


===Meaning===
===Scholars===


As mentioned above, some scholars of the abrogationist mindset considered defensive verses to have been abrogated, though others did not. Tafsir al-Jalalayn states that according to Ibn ‘Abbās (Muhammad's Cousin and a specialist of Quranic interpretation, as appointed by Muhammad) verse 8:61 has been replaced ([[Abrogation (Naskh)|abrogated]]) by another well known verse.  
As mentioned above, some scholars of the abrogationist mindset considered defensive verses to have been abrogated, though others did not. Tafsir al-Jalalayn states that according to Ibn ‘Abbās (Muhammad's Cousin and a specialist of Quranic interpretation, as appointed by Muhammad) verse 8:61 has been replaced ([[Abrogation (Naskh)|abrogated]]) by another well known verse.  
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{{Quote|[http://quran.com/8/61 Surat Al-'Anfāl (The Spoils of War) 8:61]<BR>Tafsir al-Jalalayn|‘This has been abrogated by the “sword verse” [Q. 9:5]’}}
{{Quote|[http://quran.com/8/61 Surat Al-'Anfāl (The Spoils of War) 8:61]<BR>Tafsir al-Jalalayn|‘This has been abrogated by the “sword verse” [Q. 9:5]’}}


And here is that verse in full.
And here is that verse in full, which in context refers to treaty-breakers among the mushrikeen.


{{Quote|{{Quran|9|5}}|But when the forbidden months are past, then '''fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)'''; but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|9|5}}|But when the forbidden months are past, then '''fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)'''; but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.}}


Notice that it says "if they '''repent, and establish regular prayers''' and practise regular charity, then open the way for them". The way in which a non-believer can repent and establish regular prayers, is by converting to Islam. Muhammad further said, fighting must go on even after fighting stops.
Notice that it says "if they '''repent, and establish regular prayers''' and practise regular charity, then open the way for them". The way in which they can repent and establish regular prayers, is by converting to Islam. The commentator Ibn Kathir, who was of the aggressive abrogationist view, cites a hadith in which Muhammad is supposed to have said that fighting must go on until Jesus returns.  


{{Quote|1=[http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2035&Itemid=103 The Command to strike the Enemies' Necks]<BR>Tafsir Ibn Kathir|2=(Until the war lays down its burden.) Mujahid said:''' "Until `Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) descends. It seems as if he derived this opinion from the Prophet's saying, There will always be a group of my Ummah victorious upon the truth, until the last of them fight against Ad-Dajjal'''.) Imam Ahmad recorded from Jubayr bin Nufayr who reported from Salamah bin Nufayl that he went to the Messenger of Allah and said, "'''I have let my horse go, and thrown down my weapon, for the war has ended. There is no more fighting. Then the Prophet said to him, Now the time of fighting has come.''' There will always be a group of my Ummah dominant over others.''' Allah will turn the hearts of some people away (from the truth), so they (that group) will fight against them'''}}
{{Quote|1=[http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2035&Itemid=103 The Command to strike the Enemies' Necks]<BR>Tafsir Ibn Kathir|2=(Until the war lays down its burden.) Mujahid said:''' "Until `Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) descends. It seems as if he derived this opinion from the Prophet's saying, There will always be a group of my Ummah victorious upon the truth, until the last of them fight against Ad-Dajjal'''.) Imam Ahmad recorded from Jubayr bin Nufayr who reported from Salamah bin Nufayl that he went to the Messenger of Allah and said, "'''I have let my horse go, and thrown down my weapon, for the war has ended. There is no more fighting. Then the Prophet said to him, Now the time of fighting has come.''' There will always be a group of my Ummah dominant over others.''' Allah will turn the hearts of some people away (from the truth), so they (that group) will fight against them'''}}


===Scholars===
As an ideological leader of the Afghan Jihad against the Soviets, Abdullah Yusuf Azzam wrote the following:
 
'''Abdullah Yusuf Azzam'''


{{Quote|[http://www.religioscope.com/info/doc/jihad/azzam_caravan_1_foreword.htm  Join The Caravan, p.9]<BR>Imam Abdullah Azzam|"Jihad and the rifle alone. NO negotiations, NO conferences and NO dialogue."}}
{{Quote|[http://www.religioscope.com/info/doc/jihad/azzam_caravan_1_foreword.htm  Join The Caravan, p.9]<BR>Imam Abdullah Azzam|"Jihad and the rifle alone. NO negotiations, NO conferences and NO dialogue."}}
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{{Quote|[http://www.religioscope.com/info/doc/jihad/azzam_caravan_1_foreword.htm  Join The Caravan, p.20]<BR>Imam Abdullah Azzam|"So, if the fighting stops, the disbelievers will dominate, and fitnah, which is Shirk (polytheism), will spread."}}  
{{Quote|[http://www.religioscope.com/info/doc/jihad/azzam_caravan_1_foreword.htm  Join The Caravan, p.20]<BR>Imam Abdullah Azzam|"So, if the fighting stops, the disbelievers will dominate, and fitnah, which is Shirk (polytheism), will spread."}}  


'''Ibn Taymiyyah'''
Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328 CE) was a scholar who inspired the modern Salafi movement.


{{Quote|Ibn Taymiyyah, ‘Governance According to Allaah’s Law in Reforming the Ruler and his Flock’|"It is the consensus of the scholars of this Ummah that if part of the religion is Allah's and other part is not, '''fighting must go on''' until the entire religion is Allah's".<ref name="ibn Taymiyyah"></ref>}}
{{Quote|Ibn Taymiyyah, ‘Governance According to Allaah’s Law in Reforming the Ruler and his Flock’|"It is the consensus of the scholars of this Ummah that if part of the religion is Allah's and other part is not, '''fighting must go on''' until the entire religion is Allah's".<ref name="ibn Taymiyyah"></ref>}}
==Peace Treaties==
===Quran===
{{Quote|{{Quran|8|61}}|And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|8|72}}|Indeed, those who have believed and emigrated and fought with their wealth and lives in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aided - they are allies of one another. But those who believed and did not emigrate - for you there is no guardianship of them until they emigrate. And if they seek help of you for the religion, then you must help, except against a people between yourselves and whom is a treaty. And Allah is Seeing of what you do.}}
===Scholars===
As an ideological leader of the Afghan Jihad against the Soviets, 'Abdallah Yusuf 'Azzam (d. 1989) argued the importance of not relinquishing the right to Muslim lands as part of a peace treaty:
{{Quote|1=Abdallah Yusuf 'Azzam (1979) [https://islam.worldofislam.info/index.php/online-books/118-defense-of-muslim-lands/490-chapter-4-important-questions Defence of the Muslim Land, Chapter 4]|2=The scholars of Fiqh are divided as to whether or not it is permitted to make peace treaties with the Kuffar. Among them are some who permit it based on the pact of Hudaybia. Others permit it if the Muslims are extremely weak. Others still, say that we are no longer permitted to make peace treaties with the Kuffar because they say that all pacts with the Kuffar are cancelled by the Verse of the Sword. We say, it is permitted to make peace treaties, if in the treaty there is good for the Muslims, but under the condition that there is no clause within the treaty that nullifies or corrupts it.
Such as:
1) It is not permitted to include a condition in the treaty that relinquishes even a hand span of Muslim land to the Kuffar. Because, the land of Islam belongs to no one, therefore none can make negotiations over it. Such a condition nullifies the treaty because the land belongs to Allah and to Islam. It is not permitted for anyone to misuse anything in a domain not his own. Or to barter the Son of Adam that does not belong to him. With reference to the Russians, it is not permitted to negotiate with them until they retreat from every hand span of Afghani territory .With the Jews in Palestine, likewise.}}
In contrast, the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty represented official Egyptian recognition of Israel and was endorsed by al-Azhar. Precedent for treaties in which Muslims accept unfavourable terms for the sake of a longer term benefit is often cited in the [[Treaty of Hudaybiyyah]] between Muhammad's Medinan state and the Quraysh in 628 CE, which affirmed a ten-year peace and granted Muhammad and the believers a pilgrimage to Mecca the following year, in 629 CE.
The Shafi'i jurist al-Nawawi stated in his commentary on Sahih Muslim:
{{Quote|al-Nawawi, ''al minhaj bin sharh sahih muslim'', vol. 6, part 12, p. 355|In this [Treaty of Hudaibiyya] there is evidence for the permissibility of making treaties with non-Muslims if there is an interest or benefit (maslaha) in doing so. There is a consensus on this (majma‘‘alayhi) when there is a need (haja) [...] In our opinion, this should not exceed ten years, but there is a sound view (qawl) that it is allowed without a time restriction. And Malik said there is no limit at all and it is allowed for a short time or protracted period according to the opinion of the ruler.}}
One of the most influential modern jurists, Yusuf al-Qaradawi (d. 2022) stated in his book, ''fiqh al-Jihad'', that the United Nations is a treaty that renders the world an abode of peace, and peace as the basic norm is established. The exception was Israel, which he argued is still part of Dar al-Harb (the abode of war), disagreeing with leading al-Azhar scholars Muhammad Abu Zahrah (d. 1979) and Jad al-Haqq ‘Ali Jad al-Haqq (d. 1996) who justified the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty. Similarly, the Saudi Salafist Sheikh ‘Abd al- ‘Aziz bin Baz (d. 1999) disagreed to some extent with al-Qaradawi regarding Israel, citing {{Quran|8|61}} and {{Quran|8|72}} quoted above to argue that the Quran approves of treaties when faced with oppression.<ref>Rashad Ali and Hannah Stuart, [https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Refuting-Jihadism.pdf A Guide to Refuting Jihadism: Critiquing radical Islamist claims to theological authenticity] p. 36-37</ref>
Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328) said regarding peace with disbelievers:
{{Quote|Ibn Taymiyya, ‘qa’ida fı qital al-kuffar’, from majmu’at rasail, (Cairo: Sunni Mohammadi, 1949), p. 125|The Prophet’s biography shows that he did not fight whoever made peace with him among the unbelievers; and the books of biography, prophetic traditions, exegesis, jurisprudence, and history are full of such acts and this is widely narrated in his biography. Thus, the Prophet did not initiate fighting with anyone, and had Allah commanded him to fight every disbeliever, then he would have initiated fighting with them.}}


==Jihad As Obligation==
==Jihad As Obligation==
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'''Al-Ghazali'''
'''Al-Ghazali'''


{{Quote|Al-Ghazali, Kitab al-Wagiz fi fiqh madhab al-imam al-Safi'i|...[O]ne must go on jihad (i.e. razzias or raids) at least once a year ... one may use a catapult against them when they are in a fortress, even if among them are women and children. One may set fire to them and/or drown them. ... If a person of the ''ahl al-kitab'' [i.e. People of the Book] is enslaved, his marriage is revoked. ... '''One may cut down their trees.''' ... One must destroy their useless books. Jihadists may take as booty whatever they decide ... they may steal as much food as they need...<ref name="Al-Ghazali"></ref>}}
{{Quote|Al-Ghazali, Kitab al-Wagiz fi fiqh madhab al-imam al-Safi'i|...[O]ne must go on jihad (i.e. razzias or raids) at least once a year ... one may use a catapult against them when they are in a fortress, even if among them are women and children. One may set fire to them and/or drown them. ... If a person of the ''ahl al-kitab'' [i.e. People of the Book] is enslaved, his marriage is revoked. ... '''One may cut down their trees.''' ... One must destroy their useless books. Jihadists may take as booty whatever they decide ... they may steal as much food as they need...}}


==Prisoners of War==
==Prisoners of War==
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==See Also==
==See Also==


{{Hub4|Jihad (Primary Sources)|Jihad (Primary Sources)}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}


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