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ISLAM AND
HINDUISM
Part 3: The concept of
jihad
By Sultan Shahin
TIRUPATI, South India - A concept that has
caused enormous misgivings in the minds of Hindus and
other non-Muslims is the concept of jihad in Islam. Yet
understanding jihad is a sine qua non for a
fruitful dialogue between Islam and Hinduism.
Let me start with the beginning of the Islamic
history of defensive wars. One of the early Muslims,
Umayr ibn al-Humam, was quietly eating a handful of
dates as war was raging around him at the battlefield of
Badr, the very first battle that the Muslims fought. He
then heard the Prophet promise immediate access to
Paradise for anyone martyred in the battle raging at the
time. "Fine! fine!", shouted out al-Humam, "Have I only
to get myself killed by these men to enter into
paradise?" He threw away his dates and, grasping his
sword, plunged into the thick of the battle and was very
soon killed.
Many Muslims have since then
thought that any war characterized as jihad by some of
the ulema (clerics) is a potential passport to
Heaven. If you fight with enough fury and get yourself
killed, you will be instantaneously in Heaven. And what
could be more alluring than Paradise, with its rivers of
milk and honey and wine and unlimited supply of
beautiful houris (virgins)? This misunderstanding
is so widespread that fundamentalists have been able to
convince some people from various parts of the world
that even the massacre of innocent civilians, including
women and children, is an Islamic jihad comparable to
the battle of Badr. It is imperative that Muslims the
world over look at the issue from a purely religious
point of view, study their scriptures, and take a clear
stand against the mindless massacres that do not have
even the remotest connection with jihad.
For all
we know, the anecdote related above may very well be
apocryphal. In any case, the Prophet used the words "one
who fights this day". God, too, had permitted Muslims
for the first time to fight in self-defense, 14 years
after the advent of Islam (AD 571). Why?
Having
faced relentless persecution for 13 years at Mecca, the
handful of people the Prophet had been able to convert
had migrated to neighboring Medina, both of which are in
modern-day Saudi Arabia. The Meccans had attacked them
there with a formidable army. The first Koranic verse
that permits war is very significant. It specifically
mentions the word "permission", and then uses the
passive voice permitting to fight only those people
against whom war is made. It talks about the special
circumstances of Meccan Muslims. It reads: "To those
against whom war is made, permission is given [to
fight], because they are wronged ... They are those who
have been expelled from their homes in defiance of
right, for no cause except that they say 'Our Lord is
Allah'."(22:39-40)
Thus fighting is permitted in
this particular situation, that, too, only in
self-defense and at a time when not only the life of
those handful of Muslims in Medina but the existence of
Islam itself was truly in danger of extinction. For
those few hundred Muslims represented the fruit of all
of the Prophet's exertion in the cause of Islam since he
had become the Prophet 14 years ago. That such a
religion that is so reluctant to allow its followers to
fight, even in self-defense, would permit senseless
killings of innocent civilians in the name of jihad is
nothing short of blasphemy. It is imperative, therefore,
that we try to understand the true meaning of the word
jihad that is being so misused today.
According
to Maulana Mohammad Ali in his book The Religion of
Islam, jihad, in Islamic terminology, means to
strive to one's utmost for what is the noblest object on
earth. There can be nothing nobler for a Muslim than the
earning of God's pleasure through making a complete
submission to His will. The maulana explains: "A very
great misconception prevails with regard to the duty of
jihad in Islam, and that is that the word jihad is
supposed to be synonymous with war; and even the
greatest research scholars of Europe have not taken the
pains to consult any dictionary of the Arabic language
or to refer to the Holy Koran, to find out the true
meaning of the word. The word jihad is derived from
jahd or juhd meaning ability, exertion or
power, and jihad and mujahida mean the
exerting of one's power in repelling the enemy." The
same authority then goes on to say: "Jihad is of three
kinds; viz, the carrying on of a struggle: 1 Against a
visible enemy, 2 Against the devil, and 3 Against one's
lower self [nafs]."
According to another
authority, jihad means fighting with unbelievers, and
that is an intensive form (mubalagha) and
exerting one's self to the extent of one's ability and
power, whether it is by word (qaul) or deed
(fi'l). A third authority gives the following
significance: "Jihad, from jahada, properly
signifies the using or exerting of one's utmost power,
efforts, endeavors or ability, in contending with an
object of disapprobation; and this is of three kinds,
namely, a visible enemy, the devil, and one's self; all
of which are included in the term as used in the Holy
Koran.
"Jihad is therefore far from being
synonymous with war, while the popular meaning of 'war
undertaken for the propagation of Islam', which is
supposed by European writers to be the real significance
of jihad, is unknown equally to the Arabic language and
the teachings of the Holy Koran. Equally, or even more
important, is the consideration of the sense in which
the word is used in the Holy Koran. Permission to fight
was given to the Muslims when they had moved to Medina.
But the injunction relating to mujahideen is contained
in the earlier as well as in the later Mecca
revelations. Thus, the Ankabut, the 29th chapter of the
Holy Koran, is one of a group which was undoubtedly
revealed in the fifth and sixth years of the Call of the
Prophet, yet there the word jihad is freely used in the
sense of exerting one's power and ability, without
implying any war. In one place, it is said, 'And those
who strive hard [jahadu] for us, we will
certainly guide them in our ways, and Allah is surely
with the doers of good'. (29:69)
"The Arabic
word jahadu is derived from jihad or
mujahida, and the addition of fina [for
us] shows, if anything further is needed to show it,
that the jihad, in this case, is the spiritual striving
to attain nearness to God, and the result of this jihad
is stated to be God's guiding those striving in His
ways. The word is used precisely in the same sense twice
in a previous verse in the same chapter: 'And whoever
strives hard [jahadu], he strives
[yujahidu] only for his own soul', that is, for
his own benefit, 'for Allah is self-sufficient, above
need of the worlds' (29:6). In the same chapter the word
is used in the sense of a contention carried on in
words: 'And we have enjoined on man goodness to his
parents, and if they contend [jahada] with thee
that thou shouldst associate others with Me, of which
thou hast no knowledge, do not obey them'." (29:8)
According to Maulana Sadruddin Islahi, a revered
ideologue of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, jihad
fi Sabilillah (striving in the way of Allah)
literally means to strive every nerve for the
achievement of an object, to exhaust all of one's
energies for the attainment of an ideal. Therefore, to
strive in the way of Allah; for obedience of the divine
injunctions and for bearing witness of the truth is
jihad. Islam, according to Maulana Islahi, has laid down
the following three principal forms of jihad, which can
be adopted according to the exigencies of the
circumstances: Internal jihad; jihad through knowledge
and invitation; jihad through war.
Internal
jihad, according to him, enjoins war against such evils
as may crop up within Muslim society. Such evils should
be nipped in the bud because they pose a big threat to
Islam. In fact they are a serious danger for Islam and
the Holy Prophet has warned against them. To strive for
the truth, therefore, is nothing but jihad fi
Sabilillah, in the view of the Jamaat leader.
The second form of jihad in the view of Maulana
Islahi is "jihad through intelligence and invitation".
This form of jihad enjoins that the doubts expressed
about Islam are so completely answered that no doubt,
objection or argument leaves any ambiguity about any
aspect of Islam. The Meccan period of the Holy Prophet's
life was entirely one of jihad, though, of course,
Muslims had not yet been allowed to fight even in
self-defense. Allah ordained the Holy Prophet: "So obey
not the disbelievers, but strive against them here with
the Koran with a great endeavor." (25:22) In a jihad of
this type, one is armed with the weapon of reason and
intelligence provided to us by the Holy Koran. The Koran
has laid down a basic principle for fighting this type
of war. It enjoins: "And reason with them in a better
way." (16:125)
The quality of a method can be
determined by the success it attains. The right course
and the Koranic way of discussion for disseminating
Islam can only be such as would bring the listener close
to the preacher, convince him of the veracity of his
contention and open his heart for accepting the truth.
This can only happen when the words spoken are fully of
rational appeal and have full regard for the level of
understanding of the audience. Equally important is the
spirit of the language he uses. It must be infused with
true passion and sincerity. According to the maulana,
another requisite of this jihad is patience and
perseverance. Though apparently, supplementary in
character, it has great importance and is indispensable
for the success of this endeavor.
Maulana Islahi
explains physical jihad or qitalin the following
words: "The third form of jihad, ie jihad with physical
force, is enjoined against those who obstruct the way of
Islam. This has to continue until the way is cleared. It
is the final aspect of jihad and its other name is
qital [fighting]. Practically this is the most
difficult and crucial form of jihad, but it has great
importance for the perpetuation of the religion ... The
order for fighting has been given to bring the state of
mischief to an end and to clear the way for a life that
is governed by divine injunctions and steeped in the
remembrance of Allah. Fitna is a technical term
of the Koran and signifies a situation wherein people
are denied the right to follow Islam and stopped for
worshipping their real master. It is a crime that has no
parallel. So much so that even the crime of murdering an
innocent person pales into insignificance before it. The
reason being that if a person is murdered, he is
deprived of the short course of worldly life, whereas if
a person is stopped from the worship of Allah and he is
prevented from becoming a true slave of his Lord, his
life is brought to ruin and he is deprived of the
eternal blessings in the after-life."
The
obstructions which the believers have been ordained to
remove by means of force are not always similar in
nature. Naturally, the measures to tackle them cannot be
similar either. A survey of these obstructions has shown
that in principle they are of two kinds:
1.
Obstructions concerning those who have already embraced
Islam. Those who have come to the fold of Islam are
teased and tortured for their "offence" of accepting the
religion. They are compelled to abandon their new faith
and physical force is used against them for this
purpose.
2. Obstructions concerning non-Muslims.
Muslims are not permitted to present Islam to
non-Muslims, or such a system is imposed on them wherein
the non-Muslims do not get an opportunity to see Islam
closely.
As these obstructions are of two kinds,
the jihad to tackle them is also of two types. As far as
the first kind of obstruction is concerned, it is not
only very hard and unpleasant but extremely aggressive
also. The step taken for fighting it would be,
therefore, appropriate to call it a defensive war. At
first Allah ordained the Muslims for the defensive war
because the obstructions, for the removal of which they
were ordered to wage a war, had already manifested
themselves. The divine order stated: "Sanction is given
unto those who fight because they have been wronged: and
Allah is indeed able to give them victory; those who
have been driven from their homes unjustly because they
said: 'Our Lord is Allah'." (22:39-40)
This
verse was revealed to the Holy Prophet during the
Medinan period. It contains the justification of the
divine order as well. Muslims were permitted to raise
arms against the Quraish of Mecca because they were
subjected to aggression by them. They were permitted to
wage a war as they were attacked. This contention was
persistently repeated as long as the state of war with
Quraish continued. All the battles which were fought
during that period were of a defensive nature.
In respect of the second type of jihad, two
things should be borne clearly in mind. First: It
is not the intention of this jihad to compel people to
accept Islam. Acceptance of Islam is something which
relates to the heart, and the heart of a man cannot be
forced on anyone. It has been frequently repeated in the
Koran that had Allah desired, He would have created all
mankind as Muslims, or would have compulsorily made them
Muslims after their creation. "Had Allah willed, He
could have guided all mankind." (13:31) He would not
have left it to His Prophet or his followers to make
them Muslims perforce. Allah has openly declared that in
the matter of religion, man has been created free. He is
not to be forced for it: "There is no compulsion in
religion." (2:56) In such a situation, how could He
regard it fair that in the case of Islam the compulsion,
not exercised by Him, was permitted to His Prophets and
His worthy slaves? This divine injunction makes it
abundantly clear that no person will ever be compelled
to accept Islam. Everyone enjoys complete freedom in
this respect. He may accept Islam if he likes or reject
it if he so desires.
Secondly: jihad is
by no means a campaign to elevate a community to the
position of the ruling class and to reduce the other to
slavery. It has not even the remotest concern with what
is now called imperialism or capitalism.
Pre-conditions for jihad
Of utmost
importance in this discussion are the pre-conditions for
what Maulana Islahi calls physical jihad or
qital. Jihad, he says, cannot be made at whim. It
is permissible under certain specific conditions. It
will not be valid unless the conditions laid down for it
are present. Such a war which is waged regardless of the
prescribed pre-conditions will have no value. It will
not be a jihad at all. Nor would it be entitled to any
reward. It will be instead a cause for the displeasure
of Allah.
The pre-conditions for physical jihad
are as follows:
1. Those who go for jihad should be
free and independent Muslims and must have a collective
social system of their own and must be led by a caliph
or amir (chief). In the absence of such a system, any
act of war (jihad) is forbidden. An act of war, even of
a defensive nature, can only be taken in a free
atmosphere under the leadership of an authorized leader.
This is the reason why the Holy Prophet was not
permitted to raise arms in self-defense during the
period of his stay in Mecca, when he was not free to
carry out his missionary activities, although the
aggression of the Quraish had reached a climax.
Permission for jihad was granted after his migration to
Medina when he was living in a free atmosphere and
where, under his leadership, an organized Islamic state
had emerged. Similar was the case of other prophets
whose invitation to divine religion had entered the
phase of physical jihad. As long as this condition is
not fulfilled, to undergo trials and tribulations for
the sake of religion, without raising arms, constitute
real jihad.
2. Sufficient force to combat with
the enemy is available because the divine Injunction
repeatedly emphasises: "No one should be charged beyond
his capacity." (2:235) On the basis of this principle it
has been ordained in the Koran: "So keep your duty to
Allah as best as you can." (4:16)
3. Jihad
should be exclusively for the sake of Allah and the sole
aim of those engaged in jihad should be no other than
the service of the religion and the glorification of
Allah. The singular aim of those who participate in
jihad should be eradication of evil and advancement of
goodness and justice. All this struggle should be done
with the one and only objective of winning the pleasure
of Allah. They would have absolutely no other motive in
that noble war. When the Holy Prophet was asked that
different people fight for different motives: one fights
for the booty, another for fame and the third one for
the honor of his country, nation or tribe or some
similar cause, out of them whose fighting is for the
sake of Allah? He replied: "He who fights for the
glorification of Allah's name, his fighting alone is for
the sake of Allah."
A struggle for national
existence was forced on the Muslims when they reached
Medina, and they had to take up the sword in
self-defense. This struggle went also, and rightly,
under the name of jihad; but even in Medina the word is
used in the wider sense of a struggle carried on by
words or deeds of any kind.
Muslims must
remember that they have to consult the Holy Koran for
guidance in their day-to-day affairs. The model they are
supposed to follow is that of the Prophet Mohammed and
not destroyers of mosques like Mast Gul. As we have
noted earlier, Islam did not allow its followers to pick
up a weapon, even in their defense, for the first 13
years, even though they were facing the worst possible
persecution in Mecca. They were "permitted" to defend
themselves for the first time in Medina when they were
facing aggression. Had they not defended themselves,
even then they would have been surely wiped out from the
face of the earth, thus sounding the death-knell for the
religion of Islam as well.
But only a few years
later, when the Prophet had become powerful enough to
wage a war with Meccans, he chose peace, even on terms
that were considered humiliating by most of his
followers. He signed a peace agreement known as the
Treaty of Hudaibiya. And then when he entered Mecca
victorious, a year later, facing no resistance, he chose
to grant a general amnesty for all, even for those who
had mutilated the dead bodies of his close relatives,
like his maternal uncle Hazrat Hamza.
Compassion is the core of Islam
The
revelation of divinity in Islam is specifically
described as compassion: Allah is Rahman-ir-Rahim
- the very acme of kindness and compassion. Although
Allah has 99 names, depicting all his varied attributes,
He is known in the Holy Koran mostly as Rahman and
Rahim.
Some Koranic statistics would probably
help at this point. The word merciful, most merciful,
most gracious (Rahman-ir-Rahim) is used 124 times
in the Koran. The word mercy is used 173 times. Contrast
this with the usage of the words wrath and wrathful. The
word wrath or anger appears thrice in the entire Koran -
( Sura al-Fatiha 1.07, al-Baqra 2.90, and al-Imran 3.11)
The word wrathful or angry occurs four times in the
entire Koran - Surah al-Mada, al-Fatah, al-Mujadila and
al-Mumtahina.
It is clear that God is conceived
in Islam as the personification of compassion, though,
of course, in the course of His work, helping the
spiritual growth of humanity, He may occasionally need
to present Himself as wrathful. Any parent or teacher
who has tried to help his children or students would
testify to the occasional need for doing this. But that
doesn't make Allah as an embodiment of wrath, an entity
to be feared, as some Islamic theologians are prone to
do.
Fundamentalists are killing people and
oppressing humanity under the garb of preaching Islam
and enforcing Islamic Sharia for which they really have
no authority. If they were to look at the conduct of the
Prophet Mohammed in this regard, they would have a
completely different picture. According to Maulana
Mohammad Ali, when the Prophet grew worried that people
did not pay attention to his words and did not try to
understand them, they were admonished in this way: "If
Allah willed, all who are on the earth would have
believed [in Him]. Would thou [Mohammed] compel men
until they are believers?" (10:99)
The Prophet
Mohammed often came across people who were completely
unresponsive to his words, while others were stirred,
believed and were prepared to listen. In dealing with
the former, he occasionally grew impatient and felt
frustrated. The Koran counsels him to be patient,
forgiving and tolerant. It warns him against the
temptation to impose his views on them: "Haply you will
kill yourself with grief - if they believe not in this
message." (18:6)
The Prophet is assured that if
he has placed the true view, in simple terms, before the
people, he has fulfilled his mission. More than this is
not expected of him. It is not his duty to see that the
view is accepted by the people. His duty is only to tell
them which is the right path and which the wrong one and
to acquaint them with the consequences of following the
one or the other. They are free to choose for
themselves. God does not want to force people to accept
His guidance. He has endowed man with the powers of
understanding, judgment and free choice. If man makes
use of these powers he can understand the revelation and
can profit by the guidance offered therein. He must bear
the consequences of his choice, whether they are
pleasant or unpleasant.
So if the Prophet did
not have the power to compel people to accept Islam,
even after he had acquired temporal power over most of
Arabia, who are the present-day fundamentalists to try
to impose their view of Islam even on a Muslim
population? Obviously, they have no business behaving
the way they are doing and need to be condemned by all,
particularly Muslims, because they are giving such a bad
name to Islam, apart from oppressing humanity in the
name of a religion that came to the world as a blessing
of Allah. Let us try and keep Islam as a blessing and
not allow it to be turned into a tool for oppression.
Later Koranic verses set down rules and
regulations of war with a view to preserving human
rights of the civilian populations, as well as prisoners
of war. If Islam spread like wild fire in its initial
years, it was largely because it had truly civilized the
Bedouin population of Arabia, converting them into fine
specimens of humanity. Muslims of today are, of course,
not comparable to the Prophet's companions. But we, too,
owe it to ourselves and to our faith that we do not
allow fundamentalists to denigrate the concept of jihad
in Islam. Characterizing the mindless massacres of
innocent people as jihad is nothing short of blasphemy.
NEXT: Part 4: Similarity of two divine
messages
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