War & fighting in Islam
Common Misconceptions
Does Islam command its followers to wage war against unbelievers
or kill them with out provocation? Absolutely not! Unfortunately,
this is a popular misconception among people living in the
United States and the west in general, and the statements
of a few radicals in the Muslim world don't help in ending
this false idea in people' minds. In fact, Islam forbids the
taking of any human life except for a just cause under the
law (i.e. the Qur'an & Sunnah), that is: capital punishment
for convicted murderers, fighting in wartime, or self-defense.
What do they believe? VS. What does the religion
teach?
- Does every "Muslim's" action = Islam?
- Does every "Christian's" action = Christianity?
Obviously not!
What defines an *Islamic Act (i.e. an authentic act
of submitting to God)?
- Conform to the Qur'an
- Conform to authentic Hadeeth-(Prophet's Sayings)
- Conform to the objectives of Islamic law
(Obtaining the safety of the body, the soul, and the mind)
A true Muslim (submitter to God) is by definition
one that acts in accordance with the teachings of ISLAM; freely
and willingly accepts the supreme power of God and strives
to organize his or her life in total accord with God's teachings.
Value of Life in Islam
The Qur'an is the ultimate authority of the value Islam places
on Life.
THE HOLY QUR'AN (6:151)
And Thou shalt not kill, and do not
take any life, which God has made sacred, except by way of
[Haq]-justice and law (due process/just cause); thus does
He command you, that you may learn wisdom.
The above verse is a general statement that declares all
forms of life as sacred to God, and that murder is forbidden
- as it is listed as one of the Seven Greatest Sins in Islam.
The Qur'an also has this to say about taking a SINGLE life:
THE HOLY QUR'AN (5:32)
…Whoever took a single life (one soul), except if it
be for murder or spreading mischief and corruption in the
land - It would be as if He killed the whole of Humanity;
And (likewise) if any one saved one life, it would be as if
he saved the life of all people.
In the above verse, the Qur'an states that in God's eyes if
someone was to kill just one innocent person it is considered
just as great as killing all people on earth. Murder is Murder.
Since the life of each unique soul is God's creation and possession,
to have no respect for the sanctity of the life of just one
of His creatures is to disrespect life and the one who gave
it.
Human Rights in Islam
- The life & property of all people in Islam are considered
sacred whether a person is Muslim or not.
- No supremacy: All people are equal. ( Piety not racism
)
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
"No Arab has any superiority over a non Arab, nor
does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab. Nor does
a white man have any superiority over a black man, or the
black man any superiority over the white man. You are all
the children of Adam, & Adam was created from clay"
THE HOLY QUR'AN (49:13)
Oh Mankind! I created you from a single
soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes
(races), so that you may come to know one another (not that
you may despise one another). Truly, the most honorable of
you with God is he who is the most God-conscious and pious.
Indeed, God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.
What is Jihad? What is Not Jihad?
- Linguistic meaning of Jihad in Arabic:
- Striving - Struggling (or to exert oneself in order
to be "right with God")
- Islamic meaning:
- A. Non-violent struggling within oneself for a life
of virtue.
- B. Fighting to establish justice, which is a supreme
goal.
- Rules of Fighting In Islam as Commanded by Prophet Mohamed
(PBUH):
- - Never Kill Innocent People
- - Never Injure Prisoners of War
- - Never Kill Animals
- - Never Destroy Crops or Infrastructures
- - Never Mutilate Bodies of Enemies dead or
alive
- - All Prisoners Should be Given Fair Treatment
- - Women & Children Should be Protected From Harm
- - Always Bury the Dead With Respect
(Note: 1,400 Years BEFORE Geneva Convention)
According to the explanation of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
there is a greater struggle (Jihad) and a lesser.
- Major Jihad: the struggle to control one's own
desires/lusts
- Minor Jihad: God allowed the Muslims to fight in
their own defense to repel military aggression, and to fight
oppression, brutality, and injustice against themselves
or on behalf of any group with whom there exists a treaty
of mutual defense.
When is Fighting allowed in the Qur'an?
In the teaching of the Qur'an, fighting is allowed in the
following circumstances:
- In Self-defense
- Against Persecution & Oppression
For example, the below verse was revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) after over 13 years of persecution and oppression
by the Idol Worshipers form Mecca who for years tortured and
even killed Muslims only because of their faith. They had
even attempted to kill the Prophet and drove him and his followers
and their families from their homes and for some stole all
that they own. During these years Muslims had to (turn the
other cheek) so to speak and were not allowed to fight back
in the face of so much injustice. Then finally, after fleeing
from persecution and finding help and refuge in the city of
Medina, the verse below was revealed. This was the first verse
in the Qur'an revealed allowing Muslims to fight.
THE HOLY QUR'AN (22:39-40)
Permission is given (to fight) to those
who have been fought against, because they are wronged and
oppressed; and indeed, God is most able to give them victory;
(they are) those who have been unjustly expelled from their
homes without right, for no reason except that they say, "Our
Lord is God."
Why Fight?
What is the justification that the Qur'an gives for fighting?
One of the reasons the Qur'an allows physical struggling and/or
fighting is to defend the defenseless. Again, the below verse
falls the 2 circumstances:
- In Self-defense
- Against Persecution & Oppression
THE HOLY QUR'AN (4:75)
And why should you not fight in the
way of God for those who are week, ill-treated, and oppressed?
Men, Women, and Children, whose only cry is, "Oh our
Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are tyrants, and
raise for us from you one who will protect us; and raise for
us from you one who will help!"
Note, that the above verse does not say "…fight
in the way of God for those MUSLIMS who are
week... "etc. This verse is a general call to stand up
for justice and the rights of all people whose God-given rights
are being violated.
When is Fighting not allowed in the Qur'an?
THE HOLY QUR'AN (4:90)
…If they (the enemy) withdraws from you and do not fight
you, and instead send you (guarantees of) Peace, then God
has opened no way for you (to fight against them).
THE HOLY QUR'AN (4:90)
…But if they cease, God is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And fight them on only until there is no more persecution
and justice prevails and for God is Faith; But if they cease
(fighting you) let there be no hostility towards them, except
to those who are oppressors.
Who are the Muslims to consider as Enemies and who as Friends
according to the Qur'an?
THE HOLY QUR'AN (4:8-9)
God does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing
justly with those who have not fought you on the count of
your faith, and have not driven you out of your homes, for
surely God loves those who deal justly.
God only forbids you as regards to
those who have attacked and fought you because of your faith,
and those who have driven you out of your homes, and supported
others in driving you out; For whoever makes friends and allies
with them, they are the oppressors, the wrongdoers.
In War: Who can be fought & who can't be harmed?
Combatants (Aggressors) & Non-combatants (Innocents)
Hadith of the Holy Prophet:
"Do not kill any old person"
"Do not kill any women"
"Do not kill any children"
"Do not kill any people in places of worship"
War according to the Qur'an & Sunnah
Coming Soon...
Islam vs. Terrorism
Coming Soon...
Did Islam spread by the Sword?
Coming Soon...
Does Islam force Conversion?
THE HOLY QUR'AN (10:99)
If it had been the Lord's will, all
those who are on earth would have believed; will you (Oh Prophet)
then compel mankind, against their will, to believe?
THE HOLY QUR'AN (2:256)
Let there be no compulsion in religion:
Truth stands out clear from error.
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