Why Peace Is Impossible: Allah's Imperatives: Jihad

The Series:

• Allah's Imperatives
• Jihad
• Terrorism
• Allah's  Threat
• Allah's Promise
• Allah's Prophecy
• Moe's Prophecy
• Moe's Example
• Muslims

Why Peace Is Impossible: Allah's Imperatives

    Allah's commandments are contained in 'clear verses', exemplified in authentic ahadith, explained in exegesis and codified in shari'ah.   Jihad & terrorism are the result of Believers obeying Allah and emulating Moe. [Emphasis added.]

Jihad: 

Ordained For Muslims

2:216. Jihâd (holy fighting in Allâh's Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allâh knows but you do not know.

Fight Them Until

Resistance ceases

2.193, 8.39

Only Allah Is Worshiped

   2.193, 8.39

subjugation & Extortion

9.29

2:193. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allâh) and (all and every kind of) worship is for Allâh (Alone). But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zâlimûn (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)

8:39. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and polytheism: i.e. worshipping others besides Allâh) and the religion (worship) will all be for Allâh Alone [in the whole of the world ]. But if they cease (worshipping others besides Allâh), then certainly, Allâh is All-Seer of what they do.

9:29. Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allâh, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allâh and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islâm) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

9:123. O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are close to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allâh is with those who are the Al-Muttaqûn (the pious - see V.2:2).

    Computer programmers will recognize those as do ...until... loops. The verb is fight, the subjects are  Quraysh, Quraysh and "People of the Book", respectively. The  compound terminal conditions are h2 headers above these three verses.  The links  between headers go to the Hilali/Khan translation for context. The links in the verse numbers go to Islam Awakened for 50 parallel translations.

    Note that Jihad is not defined in the Qur'an. Recall the  verse of ordinance: 2:216. Jihâd (holy fighting in Allâh's Cause)
The parenthetical expression was inserted by the translators for clarity. Take a close look at the Arabic word  translated as Jihad.

(2:216:3) l-qitālu [the] fighting

Click it and examine the dictionary & concordance; mote the numerous variants! The translators defined Jihad in their footnote to 2.190.

(V. 2:190) Al-Jihad (holy fighting) in Allah's Cause (with full force of numbers
and weaponry) is given the utmost importance in Islam and is one of its pillars (on
which it stands). By Jihad Islam is established, Allah's Word is made superior, (His
Word being La ilaha illallah which means none has the right to be worshipped but
Allah), and His Religion (Islam) is propagated. By abandoning Jihad (may Allah
protect us from that) Islam is destroyed and the Muslims fall into an inferior
position; their honour is lost, their lands are stolen, their rule and authority vanish.
Jihad is an obligatory duty in Islam on every Muslim, and he who tries to escape
from this duty, or does not in his innermost heart wish to fulfil this duty, dies with
one of the qualities of a hypocrite.
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud I asked Allah's Messenger
" O Allah's Messenger! What is the best deed?" He replied, "To offer the Salit
(prayers) at their early fixed stated times." I asked, "What is next in goodness?" He
replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents." I further asked, "What is next in
goodness?" He replied, "To participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause." I did not ask
Allah's Messenger anymore and if I had asked him more, he would
have told me more. (Sahih Al-Bukhiri, Vol.4, Hadith No.41).

Note the cost / benefit analysis in the footnote:

• establishment
• supremacy
• propagation
• .destruction
• inferiority
• dishonor
• loss of rule & authority
• hypocrisy

Of course, Jihad is not officially recognized as one of the five pillars of Islam, but Moe declared it to be Islam's highest peak.  I quote out of context from Sunan Ibn Majah, volume 5, page 193.

Then he
said: 'Shall I not tell you of the
head of the matter, and its pilar
and pinnacle? (It is) Jihad'

    What makes a Jihad holy?  I have not found an explicit answer, but intention plays an important role.  Holy war is undertaken for Allah's good pleasure, to earn his approbation, not for fame, reputation or fortune.

Sunan Abu DawudBook 14, Number 2513:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As:

Apostle of Allah, tell me about jihad and fighting. He replied: Abdullah ibn Amr, if you fight with endurance seeking from Allah your reward, Allah will resurrect you showing endurance and seeking your reward from Him, but, if you fight for vain show seeking to acquire much, Allah will resurrect you making a vain show and seeking to acquire much. In whatever you fight or are killed, Abdullah ibn Amr, in that state Allah will resurrect you.

[No reward for the one seeking worldly advantage: Book 14, Number 2510]

    Moe told us what would profane a holy war in  Sahih Muslim  19.4294:

• Holy war
• fear Allah
• be good to the Muslims with you
• fight
• in the name of Allah
• in the way of Allah
• against disbelievers
• make a holy war.
• Profanations
• embezzle spoils
• flee the battle
• mutilate bodies
• kill children.

Jihad An-Nafs

    But Jihad is struggle, extreme striving against the rigors of life; ego & temptation. Yeah, right. Search the six canonical hadith collections, each one has a 'book'  of Jihad. Sahih Bukhari adds 'books' of Khumus & Expedition. Show me one hadith therein  pertaining to Jihad An-Nafs!

Exemptions

    Moe exempted the blind and lame from Jihad.

4:95. Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at home), except those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or lame, etc.), and those who strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allâh with their wealth and their lives. Allâh has preferred in grades those who strive hard and fight with their wealth and their lives above those who sit (at home). Unto each, Allâh has promised good (Paradise), but Allâh has preferred those who strive hard and fight, above those who sit (at home) by a huge reward;

Must a Muslim go out from his home to do Jihad An-Nafs?  Would he risk his life & wealth in the  struggle?

Legal definition

    The legal definition of Jihad is found in  Reliance Of The Traveller, Book o, Chapter 9.0 from which I quote.

Jihad means to war against non-Muslims, and is etymologically derived from the word mujahada signifying warfare to establish the religion.

Obligation

    Offensive Jihad is a communal obligation, fard al-Kifaya which binds the entire Ummah until a sufficient number have  responded.  Refer to Reliance, o9.1 and suffer confusion. "The Book Of Jihad", page 19  is clear and includes a straight forward quote of the infamous fatwa of Imam Al-Shafi'i.

Defensive

    Camel feces!  Will you spend three days proselytizing  an attacking enemy force before defending yourself? I quote from Reliance o9.8

The caliph (o25) makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians (N: provided he has first invited them to enter Islam in faith and practice, and if they will not, then invited them to enter the social order of Islam by paying the non-Muslim poll tax (jizya, def: o11.4) -which is the significance of their paying it, not the money itself-

If you need more detail, go to http://www.crusadersarmory.blogspot.com/ and read the two pdf files embedded in the landing page.

Confirmation

    Moe is on record confirming the orders to fight.

Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 8, Number 387:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Allah's Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah." Narrated Maimun ibn Siyah that he asked Anas bin Malik, "O Abu Hamza! What makes the life and property of a person sacred?" He replied, "Whoever says, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah', faces our Qibla during the prayers, prays like us and eats our slaughtered animal, then he is a Muslim, and has got the same rights and obligations as other Muslims have."

Sunan Abu Dawud 14.2635
    Narrated Anas ibn Malik:

    The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: I am commanded to fight with men till they testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Apostle, face our qiblah (direction of prayer), eat what we slaughter, and pray like us. When they do that, their life and property are unlawful for us except what is due to them. They will have the same rights as the Muslims have, and have the same responsibilities as the Muslims have.

Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 196:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah 's Apostle said, " I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' and whoever says, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' his life and property will be saved by me except for Islamic law, and his accounts will be with Allah, (either to punish him or to forgive him.)"

See also: Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 92, Number 388