Jihad: Difference between revisions
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==Usage of the term == |
==Usage of the term == |
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⚫ | In [[Literary Arabic|Modern Standard Arabic]], ''jihad'' is one of the correct terms for a struggle for any cause, violent or not, religious or [[secularism|secular]] (though كفاح ''kifāḥ'' is also used).{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} For instance, [[Mahatma Gandhi]]'s [[satyagraha]] struggle for [[Indian independence]] is called a "jihad" in [[Arabic language|Modern Standard Arabic]] (as well as many other dialects of Arabic); the terminology is also applied to the fight for [[feminism|women's liberation]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Al-Batal | first = Mahmoud | coauthors = Kristen Brustad, and Abbas Al-Tonsi | title = Al-Kitaab fii Ta<sup>c</sup>llum al-<sup>c</sup>Arabiyya, Part II | edition = 2 | year = 2006 | month = | publisher = Georgetown University Press | location = Washington, DC | language = Arabic, English | isbn = 978-1-58901-096-3 | chapter = 6-"من رائدات الحركة النسائية العربية" (One of the Pioneers of the Arabic Feminist Movement) | quote= To struggle or exert oneself for a cause........جاهََدَ، يجاهِد، الجهاد | ref = }}</ref> |
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⚫ | The term 'jihad' has accrued both violent and non-violent meanings. It can simply mean striving to live a moral and virtuous life, spreading and defending Islam as well as fighting injustice and oppression, among other things.<ref>Esposito (2002a), p.26</ref> The relative importance of these two forms of jihad is a matter of controversy. A poll by [[Gallup]] showed that a "significant majority" of Muslim [[Indonesians]] define the term to mean "sacrificing one's life for the sake of Islam/God/a just cause" or "fighting against the opponents of Islam". In Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, and Morocco, the majority used the term to mean "duty toward God", a "divine duty", or a "worship of God", with no militaristic connotations. Other responses referenced, in descending order of prevalence: |
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* "a commitment to hard work" and "achieving one's goals in life" |
* "a commitment to hard work" and "achieving one's goals in life" |
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* "struggling to achieve a noble cause" |
* "struggling to achieve a noble cause" |
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* "living the principles of Islam"<ref>John L. Esposito, Dalia Mogahed, ''Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think'' (Gallup, 2007) p. 20 f.</ref> |
* "living the principles of Islam"<ref>John L. Esposito, Dalia Mogahed, ''Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think'' (Gallup, 2007) p. 20 f.</ref> |
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===Distinction of "greater" and "lesser" jihad=== |
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⚫ | <!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Taheri-azar letter.jpg|thumb|right|A part of Meditation II from [[Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar]]'s justification for his [[terrorist]] attack at the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]. Meditation II has appeared on numerous websites critical of Islam.]] --> |
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⚫ | Within classical [[fiqh|Islamic jurisprudence]] |
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In his work, ''The History of Baghdad'', [[Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi]], an 11th-century Islamic scholar, referenced a statement by the [[Sahaba|companion of Muhammad]] [[Jabir ibn Abd-Allah]]. The reference stated that Jabir said, "The Prophet... returned from one of his battles, and thereupon told us, 'You have arrived with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad—the striving of a servant (of Allah) against his desires."<ref>[[Fayd al-Qadir]] vol.4 pg. 511</ref> This reference gave rise to the distinguishing of two forms of jihad: "greater" and "lesser". |
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⚫ | In the classical manuals of Islamic jurisprudence, the [[Rules of war in Islam|rules associated with armed warfare]] are covered at great length. Such rules include not killing women, children and non-combatants, as well as not damaging cultivated or residential areas.<ref>Muhammad Hamidullah, ''The Muslim Conduct of State'' (Ashraf Printing Press 1987, pp. 205-208</ref> More recently, modern Muslims have tried to re-interpret the Islamic sources, stressing that Jihad is essentially defensive warfare aimed at protecting Muslims and Islam.<ref name="JPeters"/> Although [[Opinion of Islamic scholars on Jihad|some Islamic scholars have differed on the implementation of Jihad]], there is consensus amongst them that the concept of jihad will always include armed struggle against persecution and oppression.<ref name="jihad">{{cite book | last = Ghamidi | first = Javed | authorlink = Javed Ahmed Ghamidi | title = [[Mizan]] | publisher = [[Al-Mawrid|Dar ul-Ishraq]] |chapter=[http://www.studying-islam.org/articletext.aspx?id=771 The Islamic Law of Jihad] | year = 2001 | doi = | {{OCLC|52901690}} }}</ref> |
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The authenticity of the reference is debated.<!-- Expand!-->{{citation needed}} |
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In modern discussions of the term ''Jihad'', the distinction of a "greater jihad" of spiritual development, opposed to the "lesser jihad" of physical fighting in defense of the [[Ummah]], is often cited. |
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===Spiritual struggle=== |
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This distinction is due to a [[hadith]] of dubious authenticity, preserved in sources of the late 10th to the 11th century, in ''Tarikh Baghdad'' by [[Khatib al-Baghdadi]], by [[Hafiz al-Daylami]] and by [[Al-Bayhaqi]] in ''al-Zuhd''.<ref>[[Fayd al-Qadir]] vol.4 pg. 511 [http://attalib.blogspot.com/2009/11/grading-of-hadith-on-greater-jihad.html]</ref> |
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In this tradition, the prophet is quoted as saying, when returning from battle, "we have returned from the lesser jihad (''jihad al-asghar'') to the greater jihad (''jihad al-akbar'')." |
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Muslim scholar Mahmoud Ayoub states that "The goal of true ''jihad'' is to attain a harmony between ''islam'' (submission), ''[[Iman (concept)|iman]]'' (faith), and ''[[ihsan]]'' (righteous living)."<ref>Mahmoud M. Ayoub, ''Islam: Faith and History'', pp. 68-69)</ref> |
Muslim scholar Mahmoud Ayoub states that "The goal of true ''jihad'' is to attain a harmony between ''islam'' (submission), ''[[Iman (concept)|iman]]'' (faith), and ''[[ihsan]]'' (righteous living)."<ref>Mahmoud M. Ayoub, ''Islam: Faith and History'', pp. 68-69)</ref> |
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⚫ | In modern times, [[Pakistani]] scholar and professor [[Fazlur Rahman Malik]] has used the term to describe the struggle to establish "just moral-social order",<ref>Fazlur Rahman, ''Major Themes of the Qur'an'', (Minneapolis: Bibliotheca Islamica, 1980), pp. 63-64.</ref> while President [[Habib Bourguiba]] of [[Tunisia]] has used it to describe the struggle for economic development in that country.<ref>Rudolph Peters, ''Jihad in Classical and Modern Islam'' (Princeton, N.J.: Markus Weiner, 1996), pp. 116-17</ref> |
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⚫ | In [[Literary Arabic|Modern Standard Arabic]], ''jihad'' is one of the correct terms for a struggle for any cause, violent or not, religious or [[secularism|secular]] (though كفاح ''kifāḥ'' is also used).{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} For instance, [[Mahatma Gandhi]]'s [[satyagraha]] struggle for [[Indian independence]] is called a "jihad" in [[Arabic language|Modern Standard Arabic]] (as well as many other dialects of Arabic); the terminology is also applied to the fight for [[feminism|women's liberation]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Al-Batal | first = Mahmoud | coauthors = Kristen Brustad, and Abbas Al-Tonsi | title = Al-Kitaab fii Ta<sup>c</sup>llum al-<sup>c</sup>Arabiyya, Part II | edition = 2 | year = 2006 | month = | publisher = Georgetown University Press | location = Washington, DC | language = Arabic, English | isbn = 978-1-58901-096-3 | chapter = 6-"من رائدات الحركة النسائية العربية" (One of the Pioneers of the Arabic Feminist Movement) | quote= To struggle or exert oneself for a cause........جاهََدَ، يجاهِد، الجهاد | ref = }}</ref> |
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⚫ | In modern times, [[ |
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⚫ | <!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Taheri-azar letter.jpg|thumb|right|A part of Meditation II from [[Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar]]'s justification for his [[terrorist]] attack at the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]. Meditation II has appeared on numerous websites critical of Islam.]] --> |
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⚫ | Within classical [[fiqh|Islamic jurisprudence]]—the development of which is to be dated into the first few centuries after the prophets death<ref>Albrecht Noth, ''Der Dschihad: sich mühen für Gott''. In: Gernot Rotter, ''Die Welten des Islam: neunundzwanzig Vorschläge, das Unvertraute zu verstehen'' (Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 1993), p. 27</ref>—jihad is the only form of warfare permissible under [[Sharia|Islamic law]], and may consist in wars against unbelievers, [[Apostasy|apostates]], rebels, highway robbers and dissenters renouncing the authority of Islam.<ref>Majid Khadduri, ''War and Peace in the Law of Islam'' (The Johns Hopkinns Press, 1955), pp. 74-80</ref> The primary aim of jihad as warfare is not the conversion of non-Muslims to Islam by force, but rather the expansion and defense of the [[Islamic state]].<ref name="autogenerated5"/><ref name="JPeters">R. Peters (1977), p.3</ref> |
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⚫ | In the classical manuals of Islamic jurisprudence, the [[Rules of war in Islam|rules associated with armed warfare]] are covered at great length. Such rules include not killing women, children and non-combatants, as well as not damaging cultivated or residential areas.<ref>Muhammad Hamidullah, ''The Muslim Conduct of State'' (Ashraf Printing Press 1987, pp. 205-208</ref> More recently, modern Muslims have tried to re-interpret the Islamic sources, stressing that Jihad is essentially defensive warfare aimed at protecting Muslims and Islam.<ref name="JPeters"/> Although [[Opinion of Islamic scholars on Jihad|some Islamic scholars have differed on the implementation of Jihad]], there is consensus amongst them that the concept of jihad will always include armed struggle against persecution and oppression.<ref name="jihad">{{cite book | last = Ghamidi | first = Javed | authorlink = Javed Ahmed Ghamidi | title = [[Mizan]] | publisher = [[Al-Mawrid|Dar ul-Ishraq]] |chapter=[http://www.studying-islam.org/articletext.aspx?id=771 The Islamic Law of Jihad] | year = 2001 | doi = | {{OCLC|52901690}} }}</ref> |
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===Debate=== |
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Controversy has arisen over whether the usage of the term ''jihad'' without further explanation refers to military combat, and whether some have used confusion over the definition of the term to their advantage.<ref>[http://www.meforum.org/article/357 What Does Jihad Mean?] "For example, [[Yasir Arafat]]'s May 1994 call in [[Johannesburg]] for a "jihad to liberate [[Jerusalem]]" was a turning point in the peace process; [[Israel]]is heard him speak about using violence to gain political ends and questioned his peaceable intentions. Both Arafat himself and his aides then clarified that he was speaking about a "peaceful jihad" for Jerusalem."</ref> |
Controversy has arisen over whether the usage of the term ''jihad'' without further explanation refers to military combat, and whether some have used confusion over the definition of the term to their advantage.<ref>[http://www.meforum.org/article/357 What Does Jihad Mean?] "For example, [[Yasir Arafat]]'s May 1994 call in [[Johannesburg]] for a "jihad to liberate [[Jerusalem]]" was a turning point in the peace process; [[Israel]]is heard him speak about using violence to gain political ends and questioned his peaceable intentions. Both Arafat himself and his aides then clarified that he was speaking about a "peaceful jihad" for Jerusalem."</ref> |
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Middle East historian [[Bernard Lewis]] argues that "the overwhelming majority of classical theologians, jurists, and traditionalists (specialists in the hadith) understood the obligation of jihad in a military sense."<ref>Bernard Lewis, ''The Political Language of Islam'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988), p. 72.</ref> Furthermore, Lewis maintains that for most of the recorded history of Islam, from the lifetime of the Prophet [[Muhammad]] onward, the word jihad was used in a primarily military sense.<ref>Lewis, Bernard, ''[[The Crisis of Islam]]'', 2001 Chapter 2</ref> |
Middle East historian [[Bernard Lewis]] argues that "the overwhelming majority of classical theologians, jurists, and traditionalists (specialists in the hadith) understood the obligation of jihad in a military sense."<ref>Bernard Lewis, ''The Political Language of Islam'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988), p. 72.</ref> Furthermore, Lewis maintains that for most of the recorded history of Islam, from the lifetime of the Prophet [[Muhammad]] onward, the word jihad was used in a primarily military sense.<ref>Lewis, Bernard, ''[[The Crisis of Islam]]'', 2001 Chapter 2</ref> |
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Scholar David Cook writes: |
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<blockquote>In reading Muslim literature -- both contemporary and classical -- one can see that the evidence for the primacy of spiritual jihad is negligible. Today it is certain that no Muslim, writing in a non-Western language (such as [[Arabic]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Urdu]]), would ever make claims that jihad is primarily nonviolent or has been superseded by the spiritual jihad. Such claims are made solely by Western scholars, primarily those who study [[Sufism]] and/or work in interfaith dialogue, and by Muslim apologists who are trying to present Islam in the most innocuous manner possible.<ref>Cook, David, ''Understanding Jihad,'' University of California Press, 2005, p.165-6</ref></blockquote> |
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⚫ | [[Gibril Haddad]] has analyzed the basis for the belief that internal jihad is the "greater jihad", ''Jihad al-akbar''. Haddad identifies the primary historical basis for this belief in a pair of similarly worded [[hadith|hadeeth]], in which Mohammed is reported to have told warriors returning home that they had returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust. Although Haddad notes that the authenticity of both hadeeth is questionable, he nevertheless concludes that the underlying principle of superiority internal jihad does have a reliable basis in the Qur'an and other writings.<ref name="Haddad-LivingIslam">{{cite web|url=http://www.livingislam.org/n/dgjh_e.html |title=Documentation of "Greater Jihad" hadith |dateformat= mdy |accessdate= August 16, 2006 |author= |last=Haddad |first=Gibril |authorlink=Gibril Haddad |coauthors= |date=2005-02-28 |year= |month= |work= |publisher=living Islam |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}</ref><ref name="Haddad-SunniPath">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00002862.aspx |title=RE: Accusations on Shaykh Hamza Yusuf |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=August 16, 2006 |author= |last=Haddad |first=Gibril |authorlink=Gibril Haddad |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |work= |publisher=sunnipath.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}]</ref><!--Note: In my opinion, Gibril meets reliable source standards because he's a published Islamic translator and scholar, writing within the area of his expertise-TheronJ--> |
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And according to Douglas Streusand, "in hadith collections, jihad means armed action; for example, the 199 references to jihad in the most standard collection of hadith, Sahih al-Bukhari, all assume that jihad means warfare."<ref>Muhammad ibn Isma'il Bukhari, ''The Translation of the Meaning of Sahih al-Bukhari'', trans. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, 8 vols. (Medina: Dar al-Fikr: 1981), 4:34-204. Quoted in |
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[http://www.meforum.org/article/357 Douglas Streusand, `What Does Jihad Mean?`] ''Middle East Quarterly'', September 1997.</ref> |
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⚫ | On the other hand, the [[Hanbali]] scholar [[Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya]] did believe that "internal Jihad" is important<ref>[http://www.abc.se/~m9783/n/dgjh_e.html Documentation of "Greater Jihad" hadith<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> but he suggests those [[hadith]] as weak which consider "Jihad of the heart/soul" to be more important than "Jihad by the sword".<ref>[http://www.peacewithrealism.org/jihad/jihad03.htm ''Jihad'' in the ''Hadith''], ''Peace with Realism'', April 16, 2006</ref> Contemporary Islamic scholar [[Abdullah Yusuf Azzam]] has argued the hadith is not just weak but "is in fact a false, fabricated hadith which has no basis. It is only a saying of Ibrahim Ibn Abi `Abalah, one of the Successors, and it contradicts textual evidence and reality."<ref>[http://www.religioscope.com/info/doc/jihad/azzam_caravan_6_conclusion.htm JOIN THE CARAVAN]</ref> |
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⚫ | Some contemporary Islamists have succeeded in replacing the greater jihad, the fight against desires, with the lesser jihad, the holy war to establish, defend and extend the Islamic state.<ref>[http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/3431076.html ''Understanding Jihad'', February, 2005]</ref> |
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⚫ | The Sufic view classifies "Jihad" into two; the "[[Greater Jihad]]" and the "[[Lesser Jihad]]". Muhammad put the emphasis on the "greater Jihad" by saying that "Holy is the warrior who is at war with himself". {{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} In this sense external wars and strife are seen but a satanic counterfeit of the true "jihad" which can only be fought and won within; no other Salvation existing can save man without the efforts of the man himself being added to the work involved of self-refinement. In this sense it is the western view of the [[Holy Grail]] which comes closest to the Sufic ideal; for to the Sufis Perfection is the Grail; and the Holy Grail is for those who after they become perfect by giving all they have to the poor then go on to become "[[Abdals|Abdal]]" or "changed ones" like Enoch who was "taken" by God because he "walked with God". ([[Book of Genesis|Genesis]]:5:24) here the "Holy Ones" gain the surname "Hadrat" or "The Presence". |
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== History of Jihad == |
== History of Jihad == |
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{{cquote|And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!|4=Abdullah Yusuf Ali}} |
{{cquote|And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!|4=Abdullah Yusuf Ali}} |
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The Meccans also refused to let the Muslims enter Mecca and by that denied them access to the[[Ka'aba]]. Surah 8, verse 34: |
The Meccans also refused to let the Muslims enter Mecca and by that denied them access to the[[Ka'aba]]. Surah 8, verse 34: |
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{{cquote|But what plea have they that Allah should not punish them, when they keep out (men) from the sacred |
{{cquote|But what plea have they that Allah should not punish them, when they keep out (men) from the sacred Mosque—and they are not its guardians? No men can be its guardians except the righteous; but most of them do not understand.|4=Abdullah Yusuf Ali}} |
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However hadith from Sahih Bukhari formalized the rules for warfare, which legitimized warfare based on disbelief. |
However hadith from Sahih Bukhari formalized the rules for warfare, which legitimized warfare based on disbelief. |
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===Mahdists in Sudan=== |
===Mahdists in Sudan=== |
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During the 1870s, European initiatives against the [[slave trade]] caused an economic crisis in northern [[Sudan]], precipitating the rise of [[Mahdist]] forces.<ref>[http://www.american.edu/ted/ice/sudan.htm Civil War in the Sudan: Resources or Religion?]</ref><ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-20649477.html Slave trade in the Sudan in the nineteenth century and its suppression in the years 1877-80.]</ref> [[Muhammad Ahmad|Muhammad Ahmed Al Mahdi]] was a religious leader, who proclaimed himself the [[Mahdi]] |
During the 1870s, European initiatives against the [[slave trade]] caused an economic crisis in northern [[Sudan]], precipitating the rise of [[Mahdist]] forces.<ref>[http://www.american.edu/ted/ice/sudan.htm Civil War in the Sudan: Resources or Religion?]</ref><ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-20649477.html Slave trade in the Sudan in the nineteenth century and its suppression in the years 1877-80.]</ref> [[Muhammad Ahmad|Muhammad Ahmed Al Mahdi]] was a religious leader, who proclaimed himself the [[Mahdi]]—the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will appear at [[end times]]—in 1881, and declared a Jihad against [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rulers. He declared all "[[Turkish people|Turks]]" infidels and called for their [[execution]].<ref>Holt, P.M., ''The Mahdist State in Sudan,'' Clarendon Press, Oxford 1958, p.51</ref> The Mahdi raised an army and led a successful religious war to topple the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]-[[Egypt]]ian occupation of Sudan. Victory created an Islamic state, one that quickly reinstituted slavery. In the West he is most famous for defeating and later killing [[Great Britain|British]] general [[Charles George Gordon]], in the [[battle of Khartoum|fall of Khartoum]].<ref>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sdtoc.html US Library of Congress, A Country Study: Sudan]</ref> |
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===Wahabbists=== |
===Wahabbists=== |
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The [[First Saudi State|Saudi]] [[Salafi]] sheiks were convinced that it was their religious mission to wage Jihad against all other forms of Islam. In 1801 and 1802, the Saudi Wahhabists under [[Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud]] attacked and captured the holy [[Shia]] cities of [[Karbala]] and [[Najaf]] in [[Iraq]], massacred the Shiites and destroyed the tombs of the Shiite [[Husayn ibn Ali|Imam Husayn]] and [[Ali bin Abu Talib]]. In 1802 they overtook [[Taif]]. In 1803 and 1804 the Wahhabis overtook Mecca and Medina.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/saudi-arabia/7.htm Saudi |
The [[First Saudi State|Saudi]] [[Salafi]] sheiks were convinced that it was their religious mission to wage Jihad against all other forms of Islam. In 1801 and 1802, the Saudi Wahhabists under [[Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud]] attacked and captured the holy [[Shia]] cities of [[Karbala]] and [[Najaf]] in [[Iraq]], massacred the Shiites and destroyed the tombs of the Shiite [[Husayn ibn Ali|Imam Husayn]] and [[Ali bin Abu Talib]]. In 1802 they overtook [[Taif]]. In 1803 and 1804 the Wahhabis overtook Mecca and Medina.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/saudi-arabia/7.htm Saudi Arabia—THE SAUD FAMILY AND WAHHABI ISLAM]</ref><ref>Nibras Kazimi, [http://www.nysun.com/article/65662?page_no=3 A Paladin Gears Up for War], [[The New York Sun]], November 1, 2007</ref><ref>John R Bradley, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GC17Ak01.html Saudi's Shi'ites walk tightrope], [[Asia Times]], March 17, 2005</ref><ref>Amir Taheri, [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1072-1236007,00.html Death is big business in Najaf, but Iraq's future depends on who controls it], [[The Times]], August 28, 2004</ref> |
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===Ottoman Empire=== |
===Ottoman Empire=== |
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Upon succeeding his father, [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] began a series of [[Ottoman wars in Europe|military conquests in Europe]].<ref>[http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sarhaus/larimore02/suleiman.html Life Span of Suleiman The Magnificent, 1494-1566]</ref> On August 29, 1526, he defeated [[Louis II of Hungary]] (1516–26) at the [[battle of Mohács]]. In its wake, Hungarian resistance collapsed and the [[Ottoman Empire]] became the preeminent power in Central and Eastern Europe.<ref>Kinross, 187.</ref> In July 1683 Sultan [[Mehmet IV]] proclaimed a Jihad and the Turkish grand vizier, [[Kara Mustafa Pasha]], laid [[Battle of Vienna|siege to the Vienna]] with an army of 138,000 men.<ref>[http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/10/ottoman_dhimmitude.html Ottoman Dhimmitude]</ref><ref>[http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~fisher/hst373/readings/inalcik6.html Supply of Slaves]</ref><ref>[http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/04/the_living_legacy_of_jihad_sla.html The living legacy of jihad slavery]</ref> |
Upon succeeding his father, [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] began a series of [[Ottoman wars in Europe|military conquests in Europe]].<ref>[http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sarhaus/larimore02/suleiman.html Life Span of Suleiman The Magnificent, 1494-1566]</ref> On August 29, 1526, he defeated [[Louis II of Hungary]] (1516–26) at the [[battle of Mohács]]. In its wake, Hungarian resistance collapsed and the [[Ottoman Empire]] became the preeminent power in Central and Eastern Europe.<ref>Kinross, 187.</ref> In July 1683 Sultan [[Mehmet IV]] proclaimed a Jihad and the Turkish grand vizier, [[Kara Mustafa Pasha]], laid [[Battle of Vienna|siege to the Vienna]] with an army of 138,000 men.<ref>[http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/10/ottoman_dhimmitude.html Ottoman Dhimmitude]</ref><ref>[http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~fisher/hst373/readings/inalcik6.html Supply of Slaves]</ref><ref>[http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/04/the_living_legacy_of_jihad_sla.html The living legacy of jihad slavery]</ref> |
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On November 14, 1914, in [[Constantinople]], capital of the [[Ottoman Empire]], the religious leader [[Sheikh-ul-Islam]] declares Jihad on behalf of the Ottoman government, urging Muslims all over the |
On November 14, 1914, in [[Constantinople]], capital of the [[Ottoman Empire]], the religious leader [[Sheikh-ul-Islam]] declares Jihad on behalf of the Ottoman government, urging Muslims all over the world—including in the [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] countries—to take up arms against Britain, Russia, [[France]] and [[Serbia and Montenegro]] in [[World War I]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/middle_east_01.shtml The Middle East during World War One]</ref> On the other hand, [[Sheikh]] [[Hussein ibn Ali]], the [[Emir]] of [[Mecca]], refused to accommodate Ottoman requests that he endorse this jihad, a requirement that was necessary were a jihad to become popular, on the grounds that:<blockquote>'the Holy War was doctrinally incompatible with an aggressive war, and absurd with a Christian ally: [[Germany]]'<ref>[[T. E. Lawrence]], ''The Seven Pillars of Wisdom'', Jonathan Cape, London (1926) 1954 p. 49.</ref></blockquote> |
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===Afghanistan=== |
===Afghanistan=== |
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The [[Algerian Civil War]] (1991–2002) was an armed conflict between the [[Algeria]]n government and various [[Islamist]] rebel groups which began in 1991. By 1997, the organized jihad in Algeria had disintegrated into criminal thuggery and Algeria was wracked by [[List of Algerian massacres of the 1990s|massacres]] of intense brutality and unprecedented size.<ref>[http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/algeria.php Algeria]</ref><ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2501/is_3_23/ai_78804226/pg_1 Centrifugal Tendencies In The Algerian Civil War], Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ)</ref> |
The [[Algerian Civil War]] (1991–2002) was an armed conflict between the [[Algeria]]n government and various [[Islamist]] rebel groups which began in 1991. By 1997, the organized jihad in Algeria had disintegrated into criminal thuggery and Algeria was wracked by [[List of Algerian massacres of the 1990s|massacres]] of intense brutality and unprecedented size.<ref>[http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/algeria.php Algeria]</ref><ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2501/is_3_23/ai_78804226/pg_1 Centrifugal Tendencies In The Algerian Civil War], Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ)</ref> |
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===Sunni view of Jihad=== |
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⚫ | [[Gibril Haddad]] has analyzed the basis for the belief that internal jihad is the "greater jihad", ''Jihad al-akbar''. Haddad identifies the primary historical basis for this belief in a pair of similarly worded [[hadith|hadeeth]], in which Mohammed is reported to have told warriors returning home that they had returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust. Although Haddad notes that the authenticity of both hadeeth is questionable, he nevertheless concludes that the underlying principle of superiority internal jihad does have a reliable basis in the Qur'an and other writings.<ref name="Haddad-LivingIslam">{{cite web|url=http://www.livingislam.org/n/dgjh_e.html |title=Documentation of "Greater Jihad" hadith |dateformat= mdy |accessdate= August 16, 2006 |author= |last=Haddad |first=Gibril |authorlink=Gibril Haddad |coauthors= |date=2005-02-28 |year= |month= |work= |publisher=living Islam |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}</ref><ref name="Haddad-SunniPath">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00002862.aspx |title=RE: Accusations on Shaykh Hamza Yusuf |dateformat=mdy |accessdate=August 16, 2006 |author= |last=Haddad |first=Gibril |authorlink=Gibril Haddad |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |work= |publisher=sunnipath.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}]</ref><!--Note: In my opinion, Gibril meets reliable source standards because he's a published Islamic translator and scholar, writing within the area of his expertise-TheronJ--> |
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⚫ | On the other hand, the [[Hanbali]] scholar [[Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya]] did believe that "internal Jihad" is important<ref>[http://www.abc.se/~m9783/n/dgjh_e.html Documentation of "Greater Jihad" hadith<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> but he suggests those [[hadith]] as weak which consider "Jihad of the heart/soul" to be more important than "Jihad by the sword".<ref>[http://www.peacewithrealism.org/jihad/jihad03.htm ''Jihad'' in the ''Hadith''], ''Peace with Realism'', April 16, 2006</ref> Contemporary Islamic scholar [[Abdullah Yusuf Azzam]] has argued the hadith is not just weak but "is in fact a false, fabricated hadith which has no basis. It is only a saying of Ibrahim Ibn Abi `Abalah, one of the Successors, and it contradicts textual evidence and reality."<ref>[http://www.religioscope.com/info/doc/jihad/azzam_caravan_6_conclusion.htm JOIN THE CARAVAN]</ref> |
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⚫ | Some contemporary Islamists have succeeded in replacing the greater jihad, the fight against desires, with the lesser jihad, the holy war to establish, defend and extend the Islamic state.<ref>[http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/3431076.html ''Understanding Jihad'', February, 2005]</ref> |
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⚫ | The Sufic view classifies "Jihad" into two; the "[[Greater Jihad]]" and the "[[Lesser Jihad]]". Muhammad put the emphasis on the "greater Jihad" by saying that "Holy is the warrior who is at war with himself". {{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} In this sense external wars and strife are seen but a satanic counterfeit of the true "jihad" which can only be fought and won within; no other Salvation existing can save man without the efforts of the man himself being added to the work involved of self-refinement. In this sense it is the western view of the [[Holy Grail]] which comes closest to the Sufic ideal; for to the Sufis Perfection is the Grail; and the Holy Grail is for those who after they become perfect by giving all they have to the poor then go on to become "[[Abdals|Abdal]]" or "changed ones" like Enoch who was "taken" by God because he "walked with God". ([[Book of Genesis|Genesis]]:5:24) here the "Holy Ones" gain the surname "Hadrat" or "The Presence". |
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==Jihad as warfare==<!-- This section is linked from [[True Lies]] --> |
==Jihad as warfare==<!-- This section is linked from [[True Lies]] --> |
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Jihad (Template:Pron-en; Arabic: جهاد [dʒiˈhæːd]), an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād is a noun meaning "struggle." Jihad appears frequently in the Qur'an and common usage as the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of Allah (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)".[1][2] A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is mujahideen.
A minority among the Sunni scholars sometimes refer to this duty as the sixth pillar of Islam, though it occupies no such official status.[3] In Twelver Shi'a Islam, however, Jihad is one of the 10 Practices of the Religion.
The scholar John Esposito states that Jihad requires Muslims to "struggle in the way of God" or "to struggle to improve one's self and/or society."[3][4] Jihad is directed against Satan's inducements, aspects of one's own self, or against a visible enemy.[1][5] The four major categories of jihad that are recognized are Jihad against one's self (Jihad al-Nafs), Jihad of the tongue (Jihad al-lisan), Jihad of the hand (Jihad al-yad), and Jihad of the sword (Jihad as-sayf).[5] Islamic military jurisprudence focuses on regulating the conditions and practice of Jihad as-sayf, the only form of warfare permissible under Islamic law, and thus the term Jihad is usually used in fiqh manuals in reference to military combat.[5][6]
The Orientalist Bernard Lewis argues that, in the Qur'an (the Holy Book of Islam) and the Sunnah (supplemental works that record Muhammad's practices), the word jihad usually implies warfare.[7] Whether the Qur'an sanctions defensive warfare only or commands an all out war against non-Muslims is not clear and depends on the interpretation of the proper passages,[8] since it does not explicitly state the aims of the war Muslims are obliged to wage: the passages concerning jihad rather aim at promoting fighters for the Islamic cause and do not deal with military ethics.[9]
In classical Islamic jurisprudence jihad consists of warfare with the aim of expansion and defence of Islamic territory.[10] In later centuries, especially in the course of the colonization of large parts of the Muslim world, emphasis has been put on non-militant aspects of the jihad-concept. Today, Muslim authors only recognize wars with the aim of territorial defence as well as the defence of religious freedom as legitimate.[11]
In western societies the term jihad is often translated as "holy war".[12] Muslim authors tend to reject such an approach stressing non-militant connotations of the word.[13] In technical literature regarding the concept of jihad the term "holy war" is often used to describe it.[14] However, scholars of islamic studies often stress that both words are not synonymous.[15]
Usage of the term
In Modern Standard Arabic, jihad is one of the correct terms for a struggle for any cause, violent or not, religious or secular (though كفاح kifāḥ is also used).[citation needed] For instance, Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha struggle for Indian independence is called a "jihad" in Modern Standard Arabic (as well as many other dialects of Arabic); the terminology is also applied to the fight for women's liberation.[16]
The term 'jihad' has accrued both violent and non-violent meanings. It can simply mean striving to live a moral and virtuous life, spreading and defending Islam as well as fighting injustice and oppression, among other things.[17] The relative importance of these two forms of jihad is a matter of controversy. A poll by Gallup showed that a "significant majority" of Muslim Indonesians define the term to mean "sacrificing one's life for the sake of Islam/God/a just cause" or "fighting against the opponents of Islam". In Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, and Morocco, the majority used the term to mean "duty toward God", a "divine duty", or a "worship of God", with no militaristic connotations. Other responses referenced, in descending order of prevalence:
- "a commitment to hard work" and "achieving one's goals in life"
- "struggling to achieve a noble cause"
- "promoting peace, harmony or cooperation, and assisting others"
- "living the principles of Islam"[18]
Distinction of "greater" and "lesser" jihad
In his work, The History of Baghdad, Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, an 11th-century Islamic scholar, referenced a statement by the companion of Muhammad Jabir ibn Abd-Allah. The reference stated that Jabir said, "The Prophet... returned from one of his battles, and thereupon told us, 'You have arrived with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad—the striving of a servant (of Allah) against his desires."[19] This reference gave rise to the distinguishing of two forms of jihad: "greater" and "lesser".
The authenticity of the reference is debated.[citation needed]
Spiritual struggle
Muslim scholar Mahmoud Ayoub states that "The goal of true jihad is to attain a harmony between islam (submission), iman (faith), and ihsan (righteous living)."[20]
In modern times, Pakistani scholar and professor Fazlur Rahman Malik has used the term to describe the struggle to establish "just moral-social order",[21] while President Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia has used it to describe the struggle for economic development in that country.[22]
Warfare (Jihad bil Saif)
Within classical Islamic jurisprudence—the development of which is to be dated into the first few centuries after the prophets death[23]—jihad is the only form of warfare permissible under Islamic law, and may consist in wars against unbelievers, apostates, rebels, highway robbers and dissenters renouncing the authority of Islam.[24] The primary aim of jihad as warfare is not the conversion of non-Muslims to Islam by force, but rather the expansion and defense of the Islamic state.[6][25]
In the classical manuals of Islamic jurisprudence, the rules associated with armed warfare are covered at great length. Such rules include not killing women, children and non-combatants, as well as not damaging cultivated or residential areas.[26] More recently, modern Muslims have tried to re-interpret the Islamic sources, stressing that Jihad is essentially defensive warfare aimed at protecting Muslims and Islam.[25] Although some Islamic scholars have differed on the implementation of Jihad, there is consensus amongst them that the concept of jihad will always include armed struggle against persecution and oppression.[27]
Debate
Controversy has arisen over whether the usage of the term jihad without further explanation refers to military combat, and whether some have used confusion over the definition of the term to their advantage.[28]
Middle East historian Bernard Lewis argues that "the overwhelming majority of classical theologians, jurists, and traditionalists (specialists in the hadith) understood the obligation of jihad in a military sense."[29] Furthermore, Lewis maintains that for most of the recorded history of Islam, from the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad onward, the word jihad was used in a primarily military sense.[30]
Views of Jihad of different Muslim groups
Sunni view of Jihad
Jihad has been classified either as al-jihād al-akbar (the greater jihad), the struggle against one's soul (nafs), or al-jihād al-asghar (the lesser jihad), the external, physical effort, often implying fighting (this is similar to the shiite view of jihad as well).
Gibril Haddad has analyzed the basis for the belief that internal jihad is the "greater jihad", Jihad al-akbar. Haddad identifies the primary historical basis for this belief in a pair of similarly worded hadeeth, in which Mohammed is reported to have told warriors returning home that they had returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust. Although Haddad notes that the authenticity of both hadeeth is questionable, he nevertheless concludes that the underlying principle of superiority internal jihad does have a reliable basis in the Qur'an and other writings.[31][32]
On the other hand, the Hanbali scholar Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya did believe that "internal Jihad" is important[33] but he suggests those hadith as weak which consider "Jihad of the heart/soul" to be more important than "Jihad by the sword".[34] Contemporary Islamic scholar Abdullah Yusuf Azzam has argued the hadith is not just weak but "is in fact a false, fabricated hadith which has no basis. It is only a saying of Ibrahim Ibn Abi `Abalah, one of the Successors, and it contradicts textual evidence and reality."[35]
Muslim jurists explained there are four kinds of jihad fi sabilillah (struggle in the cause of God):[36]
- Jihad of the heart (jihad bil qalb/nafs) is concerned with combatting the devil and in the attempt to escape his persuasion to evil. This type of Jihad was regarded as the greater jihad (al-jihad al-akbar).
- Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is concerned with speaking the truth and spreading the word of Islam with one's tongue.
- Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to choosing to do what is right and to combat injustice and what is wrong with action.
- Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed fighting in the way of God, or holy war), the most common usage by Salafi Muslims and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Some contemporary Islamists have succeeded in replacing the greater jihad, the fight against desires, with the lesser jihad, the holy war to establish, defend and extend the Islamic state.[37]
Sufic view of Jihad
The Sufic view classifies "Jihad" into two; the "Greater Jihad" and the "Lesser Jihad". Muhammad put the emphasis on the "greater Jihad" by saying that "Holy is the warrior who is at war with himself". [citation needed] In this sense external wars and strife are seen but a satanic counterfeit of the true "jihad" which can only be fought and won within; no other Salvation existing can save man without the efforts of the man himself being added to the work involved of self-refinement. In this sense it is the western view of the Holy Grail which comes closest to the Sufic ideal; for to the Sufis Perfection is the Grail; and the Holy Grail is for those who after they become perfect by giving all they have to the poor then go on to become "Abdal" or "changed ones" like Enoch who was "taken" by God because he "walked with God". (Genesis:5:24) here the "Holy Ones" gain the surname "Hadrat" or "The Presence".
History of Jihad
Origins
The beginnings of Jihad are traced back to the words and actions of Muhammad and the Qu’ran.[38] This word of Allah explicitly encourages the use of Jihad against non-Muslims.[39] Sura 25, verse 52 states: “Therefore, do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with this, a great striving.”[40] It was, therefore, the duty of all Muslims to strive against those who did not believe in Allah and took offensive action against Muslims. The Qu’ran, however, never uses the term Jihad for fighting and combat in the name of Allah; qital is used to mean “fighting.” The struggle for Jihad in the Qu’ran was originally intended for the nearby neighbors of the Muslims, but as time passed and more enemies arose, the Qu’ranic statements supporting Jihad were updated for the new adversaries[39]. The first documentation of the law of Jihad was written by ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Awza’i and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani. The document grew out of debates that had surfaced ever since Muhammad's death.[38]
Early Instances of Jihad
The first forms of military Jihad occurred after the migration (hijra) of Muhammad and his small group of followers to Medina from Mecca and the conversion of several inhabitants of the city to Islam. The first revelation concerning the struggle against the Meccans was surah 22, verses 39-40:[41]
To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged;- and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid. (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". Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid his (cause);- for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will).
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali
At this time, Muslims had been persecuted and oppressed by the Meccans.[42] There were still Muslims who couldn't flee from Mecca and were still oppressed because of their faith. Surah 4, verse 75 is referring to this fact:
And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali
The Meccans also refused to let the Muslims enter Mecca and by that denied them access to theKa'aba. Surah 8, verse 34:
But what plea have they that Allah should not punish them, when they keep out (men) from the sacred Mosque—and they are not its guardians? No men can be its guardians except the righteous; but most of them do not understand.
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali
However hadith from Sahih Bukhari formalized the rules for warfare, which legitimized warfare based on disbelief.
It has been reported from Sulaiman b. Buraid through his father that when the Messenger of Allah appointed anyone as leader of an army or detachment he would especially exhort him to fear Allah and to be good to the Muslims who were with him. He would say: Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war..."[43]
Which takes as its basis the quranic verse 9:29
Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued..
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali
The main focus of Muhammad’s later years was increasing the number of allies as well as the amount of territory under Muslim control.[44] The Qu’ran is unclear as to whether Jihad is acceptable only in defense of the faith from wrong-doings or in all cases.[38]
Major battles in the history of Islam arose between the Meccans and the Muslims; one of the most important to the latter was the Battle of Badr in 624 AD.[44] This Muslim victory over polytheists showed “demonstration of divine guidance and intervention on behalf of Muslims, even when outnumbered.”[45] Other early battles included battles in Uhud (625), Khandaq (627), Mecca (630) and Hunayn (630). These battles, especially Uhud and Khandaq, were unsuccessful in comparison to the Battle of Badr.[44]. In relating this battle, the Qu’ran states that Allah sent an “unseen army of angels” that helped the Muslims defeat the Meccans.[46]
Jihad and the Crusades
The European crusaders conquered much of the territory held within the Islamic state, dividing it into four kingdoms, the most important being the state of Jerusalem. The Crusades originally had the goal of recapturing Jerusalem and the Holy Land (former Christian territory) from Muslim rule and were originally launched in response to a call from the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire for help against the expansion of the Muslim Seljuk Turks into Anatolia. There was little drive to retake the lands from the crusaders, save the few attacks made by the Egyptian Fatimids. This changed, however, with the coming of Zangi, ruler of what is today northern Iraq. He took Edessa, which triggered the Second Crusade, which was little more than a 47-year stalemate. The stalemate was ended with the victory of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (known in the west as Saladin) over the forces of Jerusalem at the Horns of Hattin in 1187. It was during the course of the stalemate that a great deal of literature regarding Jihad was written.[44] While amassing his armies in Syria, Saladin had to create a doctrine which would unite his forces and make them fight until the bitter end, which would be the only way they could re-conquer the lands taken in the First Crusade. He did this through the creation of Jihad propaganda. It stated that any one who would abandon the Jihad would be committing a sin that could not be washed away by any means. It also put his amirs at the center of power, just under his rule. While this propaganda was successful in uniting his forces for a time, the fervor burned out quickly. Much of Saladin's teachings were rejected after his death.[47]
Islamic Spain and Portugal
Medieval Spain was the scene of almost constant warfare between Muslims and Christians. Periodic raiding expeditions were sent from Al-Andalus to ravage the Christian Iberian kingdoms, bringing back treasure and slaves. In raid against Lisbon in 1189, for example, the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur took 3,000 female and child captives, while his governor of Córdoba, in a subsequent attack upon Silves in 1191, took 3,000 Christian slaves.[48]
The Almohad Dynasty (From Arabic الموحدون al-Muwahhidun ("the monotheists") or "the Unitarians"), was a Berber, Muslim dynasty that was founded in the 12th century, and conquered all Northern Africa as far as Libya, together with Al-Andalus (Moorish Spain). The Almohads, who declared an everlasting Jihad against the Christians, far surpassed the Almoravides in fundamentalist outlook, and they treated the dhimmis harshly.[49] Faced with the choice of either death or conversion, many Jews and Christians emigrated.[50][51] Some, such as the family of Maimonides, fled east to more tolerant Muslim lands,[50] while others went northward to settle in the growing Christian kingdoms.[52][53]
Indian subcontinent
Sir Jadunath Sarkar contends that several Muslim invaders were waging a systematic Jihad against Hindus in India to the effect that "Every device short of massacre in cold blood was resorted to in order to convert heathen subjects."[54] In particular the records kept by al-Utbi, Mahmud al-Ghazni's secretary, in the Tarikh-i-Yamini document several episodes of bloody military campaigns. In the late tenth century, a story spread that before Muhammad destroyed the idols at the Kaaba, that of Manāt was secretly sent to a Hindu temple in India; and the place was renamed as So-Manāt or Somnath. Acting on this, the Shiva idol at the Somnath temple was destroyed in a raid by Mahmud Ghazni in CE 1024; which is considered the first act of Jihad in India.[55] In 1527, Babur ordered a Jihad against Rajputs at the battle of Khanwa. Publicly addressing his men, he declared the forthcoming battle a Jihad. His soldiers were facing a non-Muslim army for the first time ever. This, he said, was their chance to become either a Ghazi (soldier of Islam) or a Shaheed (Martyr of Islam). The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb waged a Jihad against those identified as heterodox within India's Islamic community, such as Shi'a Muslims.[56][57]
Tamerlane
Timur Lenk, a 14th century Turco-Mongol conqueror of much of western and central Asia, thought of himself as a ghazi, although his wars were also against Muslim states.[58]
Fulani jihads
The Fula or Fulani jihads, were a series of independent but loosely connected events across West Africa between the late 17th century and European colonization, in which Muslim Fulas took control of various parts of the region.[59] Between 1750 and 1900, between one- to two-thirds of the entire population of the Fulani jihad states consisted of slaves.[60]
Caucasus
In 1784, Imam Sheikh Mansur, a Chechen warrior and Muslim mystic, led a coalition of Muslim Caucasian tribes from throughout the Caucasus in a ghazavat, or holy war, against the Russian invaders.[61] Sheikh Mansur was captured in 1791 and died in the Schlusselburg Fortress. Avarian Islamic scholar Ghazi Muhammad preached that Jihad would not occur until the Caucasians followed Sharia completely rather than following a mixture of Islamic laws and adat (customary traditions). By 1829, Mullah began proselytizing and claiming that obeying Sharia, giving zakat, prayer, and hajj would not be accepted by Allah if the Russians were still present in the area. He even went on to claim that marriages would become void and children bastards if any Russians were still in the Caucasus. In 1829 he was proclaimed imam in Ghimry, where he formally made the call for a holy war. In 1834, Ghazi Muhammad died at the battle of Ghimri, and Imam Shamil took his place as the premier leader of the Caucasian resistance. Imam Shamil succeeded in accomplishing what Sheik Mansur had started: to unite North Caucasian highlanders in their struggle against the Russian Empire. He was a leader of anti-Russian resistance in the Caucasian War and was the third Imam of Dagestan and Chechnya (1834–1859).[62][63]
Mahdists in Sudan
During the 1870s, European initiatives against the slave trade caused an economic crisis in northern Sudan, precipitating the rise of Mahdist forces.[64][65] Muhammad Ahmed Al Mahdi was a religious leader, who proclaimed himself the Mahdi—the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will appear at end times—in 1881, and declared a Jihad against Ottoman rulers. He declared all "Turks" infidels and called for their execution.[66] The Mahdi raised an army and led a successful religious war to topple the Ottoman-Egyptian occupation of Sudan. Victory created an Islamic state, one that quickly reinstituted slavery. In the West he is most famous for defeating and later killing British general Charles George Gordon, in the fall of Khartoum.[67]
Wahabbists
The Saudi Salafi sheiks were convinced that it was their religious mission to wage Jihad against all other forms of Islam. In 1801 and 1802, the Saudi Wahhabists under Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud attacked and captured the holy Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf in Iraq, massacred the Shiites and destroyed the tombs of the Shiite Imam Husayn and Ali bin Abu Talib. In 1802 they overtook Taif. In 1803 and 1804 the Wahhabis overtook Mecca and Medina.[68][69][70][71]
Ottoman Empire
Upon succeeding his father, Suleiman the Magnificent began a series of military conquests in Europe.[72] On August 29, 1526, he defeated Louis II of Hungary (1516–26) at the battle of Mohács. In its wake, Hungarian resistance collapsed and the Ottoman Empire became the preeminent power in Central and Eastern Europe.[73] In July 1683 Sultan Mehmet IV proclaimed a Jihad and the Turkish grand vizier, Kara Mustafa Pasha, laid siege to the Vienna with an army of 138,000 men.[74][75][76]
On November 14, 1914, in Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire, the religious leader Sheikh-ul-Islam declares Jihad on behalf of the Ottoman government, urging Muslims all over the world—including in the Allied countries—to take up arms against Britain, Russia, France and Serbia and Montenegro in World War I.[77] On the other hand, Sheikh Hussein ibn Ali, the Emir of Mecca, refused to accommodate Ottoman requests that he endorse this jihad, a requirement that was necessary were a jihad to become popular, on the grounds that:
'the Holy War was doctrinally incompatible with an aggressive war, and absurd with a Christian ally: Germany'[78]
Afghanistan
Ahmad Shah, founder of the Durrani Empire, declared a jihad against the Marathas, and warriors from various Pashtun tribes, as well as other tribes answered his call. The Third battle of Panipat (January 1761), fought between largely Muslim and largely Hindu armies who numbered as many as 100,000 troops each, was waged along a twelve-kilometre front, and resulted in a decisive victory for Ahmad Shah.[79]
In response to the Hazara uprising of 1892, the Afghan Emir Abdur Rahman Khan declared a "Jihad" against the Shiites. The large army defeated the rebellion at its center, in Oruzgan, by 1892 and the local population was severely massacred. According to S. A. Mousavi, "thousands of Hazara men, women, and children were sold as slaves in the markets of Kabul and Qandahar, while numerous towers of human heads were made from the defeated rebels as a warning to others who might challenge the rule of the Amir". Until the 20th century, some Hazaras were still kept as slaves by the Pashtuns; although Amanullah Khan banned slavery in Afghanistan during his reign,[80] the tradition carried on unofficially for many more years.[81]
The First Anglo-Afghan War (1838–42) was one of Britain’s most ill-advised and disastrous wars. William Brydon was the sole survivor of the invading British army of 16,500 soldiers and civilians.[82] As in the earlier wars against the British and Soviets, Afghan resistance to the American invaders took the traditional form of a Muslim holy war against the infidels.[83]
During September 2002, the remnants of the Taliban forces began a recruitment drive in Pashtun areas in both Afghanistan and Pakistan to launch a renewed "jihad" or holy war against the pro-Western Afghan government and the U.S-led coalition. Pamphlets distributed in secret during the night also began to appear in many villages in the former Taliban heartland in southeastern Afghanistan that called for jihad.[84] Small mobile training camps were established along the border with Pakistan by al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives to train new recruits in guerrilla warfare and terrorist tactics, according to Afghan sources and a United Nations report.[85]
Most of the new recruits were drawn from the madrassas or religious schools of the tribal areas of Pakistan, from which the Taliban had originally arisen. As of 2008, the insurgency, in the form of a Taliban guerrilla war, continues.
Alhough there is no evidence that the CIA directly supported the Taliban or Al Qaeda, some basis for military support of the Taliban was provided when, in the early 1980s, the CIA and the ISI (Pakistan's Interservices Intelligence Agency) provided arms to Afghan mujahideens resisting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan,[86] and the ISI assisted the process of gathering radical Muslims from around the world to fight against the Soviets. Osama Bin Laden was one of the key players in organizing training camps for the foreign Muslim volunteers. The U.S. poured funds and arms into Afghanistan, and "by 1987, 65,000 tons of U.S.-made weapons and ammunition a year were entering the war."[87]
Algeria
In 1830, Algeria was invaded by France; French colonial domination over Algeria supplanted what had been domination in name only by the Ottoman Empire. Within two years, `Abd al-Qādir was made an amir and with the loyalty of a number of tribes began a jihad against the French. He was effective at using guerrilla warfare and for a decade, up until 1842, scored many victories. He was noted for his chivalry. On December 21, 1847, Abd al-Qādir was forced to surrender.[88]
Abd al-Qadir is recognized and venerated as the first hero of Algerian independence. Not without cause, his green and white standard was adopted by the Algerian liberation movement during the War of Independence and became the national flag of independent Algeria.
The Algerian Civil War (1991–2002) was an armed conflict between the Algerian government and various Islamist rebel groups which began in 1991. By 1997, the organized jihad in Algeria had disintegrated into criminal thuggery and Algeria was wracked by massacres of intense brutality and unprecedented size.[89][90]
Jihad as warfare
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The Qur’an asserts that if the use of force would not have been allowed in curbing the evils by nations, the disruption and disorder caused by insurgent nations could have reached the extent that the places of worship would have become deserted and forsaken. As it states:
And had it not been that Allah checks one set of people with another, the monasteries and churches, the synagogues and the mosques, in which His praise is abundantly celebrated would have been utterly destroyed.
— Qur'an
Javed Ahmed Ghamidi divides just warfare into two types:
- Against injustice and oppression
- Against the rejecters of truth after it has become evident to them
The first type of Jihad is generally considered eternal, but Ghamidi holds that the second is specific to people who were selected by God for delivering the truth as an obligation. They are called witnesses of the truth (Arabic:شهادة, see also Itmam al-hujjah); the implication being that they bear witness to the truth before other people in such a complete and ultimate manner that no one is left with an excuse to deny the truth.[27] There is a dispute among Islamic jurists as to whether the act of being "witness" was only for the Companions of Muhammad or whether this responsibility is still being held by modern Muslims, which may entitle them to take actions to subdue other Non-Muslim nations. Proponents of Companions of Muhammad as being "the witness" translate the following verse only for the Companions[27] while others translate it for the whole Muslim nation.[91] As in Qur'an:
And similarly [O Companions of the Prophet!] We have made you an intermediate group[92] so that you be witnesses [to this religion] before the nations, and the Messenger be such a witness before you.
Similarly, proponents of Companions of Muhammad as being "the witness" present following verse to argue that the Companions were chosen people as witnesses just as God chooses Messengers from mankind. As in Qur'an:[27]
He has chosen you, and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the religion of your father Abraham. It is He Who has named you Muslims, both before and in this [Qur’an]: [He chose you so that] the Messenger may be a witness [of this religion] to you, and you be witnesses of this religion to non-Muslims [of your times].
Following is the first verse of the Qur’an in which the Companions of Muhammad, who had migrated from Mecca, were given permission to fight back if they were attacked:[27]
Permission to take up arms is hereby given to those who are attacked because they have been oppressed – Allah indeed has power to grant them victory – those who have been unjustly driven from their homes, only because they said: “Our Lord is Allah”.
The reason for this directive in Medina instead of Mecca considered by most Muslim scholars is that without political authority armed offensives become tantamount to spreading disorder and anarchy in the society. As one of Islamic jurist writes:
Among Kafayah obligations, the third category is that for which the existence of a ruler is necessary e.g., Jihad and execution of punishments. Therefore, only a ruler has this prerogative. Because, indeed, no one else has the right to punish another person.
— Sayyid Sabiq, Fiqhu’l-Sunnah, 2nd ed., vol. 3, (Beirut: Daru’l-Fikr, 1980), p. 30
Directive of warfare
The directive of the Jihad given to Muslims in Qur'an is:[27]
These verses told Muslims that they should not merely fight the Banu Quraish if they resist them in offering Hajj, but the Qur’an goes on to say that they should continue to fight them until persecution is uprooted and Islam prevails in the whole of Arabia. Initially Muslims were required to fulfill this responsibility even if the enemy was 10 times stronger. Afterwards, the Qur'an reduced the burden of this responsibility.[27] As in Qur'an:
Prophet! Rouse the believers to wage war. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will subdue two hundred: if a hundred, they will subdue a thousand of the disbelievers: for these are a people without understanding.
[From] now, God has lightened your [task] for He knows that there is now weakness amongst you: But [ever so], if there are a hundred of you, patient and persevering, they will subdue two hundred, and if a thousand, they will subdue two thousand, with the leave of God: for God is with those who patiently persevere.
Some interpret above verses that Jihad never becomes obligatory unless the military might of the Muslims is up to a certain level. In the times of Muhammad, when large scale conversions took place in the later phase, the Qur'an reduced the Muslim to enemy ratio to 1:2. It seems that Muslims should not only consolidate their moral character, but it is also imperative for them to build their military might if they want to wage Jihad when the need arises. The Qur’an gave a similar directive to Muslims of Muhammad times in the following words:[27]
Muster against them all the men and cavalry at your disposal so that you can strike terror into the enemies of Allah and of the believers and others beside them who may be unknown to you, though Allah knows them. And remember whatever you spend for the cause of Allah shall be repaid to you. You shall not be wronged.
While other scholars consider the later command of ratio 1:2 only for a particular time.[93]
A policy was adopted regarding the extent of requirement that arose in wars that the Muslims had to fight. In the battles of Badr, Uhud and Tabuk, the responsibility was much more and each Muslim was required to present his services as a combatant.[27] As in Qur'an:
Not equal are those of the believers who sit [at home] without any [genuine] excuse and those who strive hard and fight in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has given preference by a degree to those who strive hard and fight with their wealth and their lives above those who sit [at home]. [In reality], for each, Allah has made a good promise and [in reality] Allah has preferred those who strive hard and fight above those who sit [at home] by a huge reward. Degrees of [higher] grades from Him and forgiveness and mercy. And Allah is Ever Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Qur'an also states that turning backs in the battle field, except for tactical purposes, is a big sin and will bring wrath of God.[94] As in Qur'an:
O you who believe! when you meet those who disbelieve marching for war, then turn not your backs to them. And whoever shall turn his back to them on that day-- unless he turn aside for the sake of fighting or withdraws to a company-- then he, indeed, becomes deserving of Allah's wrath, and his abode is hell; and an evil destination shall it be.
The driving force
Islamic scholars agree that Jihad should not be undertaken to gratify one’s whims nor to obtain wealth and riches. Many also consider that it must also not be undertaken to conquer territories and rule them or to acquire fame or to appease the emotions of communal support, partisanship and animosity. On the contrary, it should be undertaken only and only for the cause of Allah as is evident from the words.[27] As in Qur'an:
Those who believe, fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve, fight in the cause of Satan. So fight you against the friends of Satan. Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Satan.
Prophet Muhammad, at various instances, also explained very forcefully this purport of the Qur’an:
- Abu Musa Ash‘ari (rta) narrates that once a person came to the Prophet and said that some people fight for the spoils of war, some for fame and some to show off their valor; he then asked the Prophet: “Which one of them fights in the way of Allah”. The Prophet replied: “Only that person fights in the way of Allah who sets foot in the battlefield to raise high the name of Allah”. Sahih Bukhari 2810
- Abu Hurayrah (rta) narrates from the Prophet: “I swear by the Almighty that a person who is wounded in the way of Allah – and Allah knows full well who is actually wounded in His way – he would be raised on the Day of Judgement such that his colour be the colour of blood with the fragrance of musk around him”. Sahih Bukhari 2803
- Ibn Jabr narrates from the Prophet: “A person whose feet become dust ridden because of [striving] in the way of Allah will never be touched by the flames of Hell”. Sahih Bukhari 2811
- Sahal Ibn Sa‘ad says that the Prophet once said: “To reside in a border area for a day to protect [people] against an enemy [invasion] is better than this world and everything it has”. Sahih Bukhari 2892.
Similarly as a reward for participation in such a strive, the Qur'an states:
Consider not those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive with their Lord, and they will be provided for. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty and rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind [not yet martyred] that on them too no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in a grace and a bounty from Allah, and that Allah will not waste the reward of the believers..
Ethical limits
Islamic Law, based upon the Quran and practices of Muhammad has set down a set of laws to be observed during the lesser Jihad.
Qur'an forbids fighting in sacred month and similarly within the boundaries of Haram. But if non-Muslims disregard these sanctities, Muslims are asked to retaliate in equal measure.[95] It is stated in Qur'an:
A sacred month for a sacred month; [similarly] other sacred things too are subject to retaliation. So if any one transgresses against you, you should also pay back in equal coins. Have fear of Allah and [keep in mind that] Allah is with those who remain within the bounds [stipulated by religion].
Observance of treaties and pacts is stressed in Qur'an. When some Muslims were still in Mecca, and they couldn't migrate to Medina, the Qur'an stated:
And to those who accepted faith but did not migrate [to Madinah], you owe no duty of protection to them until they migrate; but if they seek your help in religion, it is your duty to help them except against a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance; and Allah is the All-Seer of what you do.
Similar reports are attributed to Muhammad:
- Abu Sa‘id (rta) narrates from the Prophet: “On the Day of Judgment, to proclaim the traitorship of a traitor and the betrayal of a person who betrayed his words, a flag shall be hoisted which would be as high as [the extent of his] traitorship”, and [the Prophet also said]: “Remember that no traitor and betrayer of promises is greater than the one who is the leader and ruler of people”. Sahih Muslim 1738
The basic principle in fighting in the Quran is that other communities should be treated as one's own. Fighting is justified for legitimate self-defense, to aid other Muslims and after a violation in the terms of a treaty, but should be stopped if these circumstances cease to exist.[96][97][98][99] The principle of forgiveness is reiterated in between the assertions of the right to self-defence.[96]
During his life, Muhammad gave various injunctions to his forces and adopted practices toward the conduct of war. The most important of these were summarized by Muhammad's companion, Abu Bakr, in the form of ten rules for the Muslim army:[100]
Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone.
These injunctions were honored by the second Caliph, Umar, during whose reign (634–644) important Muslim conquests took place.[101] These principles were also honoured during the Crusades, as exemplified by sultans such as Saladin and al-Kamil. For example, after al-Kamil defeated the Franks during the Crusades, Oliverus Scholasticus praised the Islamic laws of war, commenting on how al-Kamil supplied the defeated Frankish army with food:[102]
"Who could doubt that such goodness, friendship and charity come from God? Men whose parents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, had died in agony at our hands, whose lands we took, whom we drove naked from their homes, revived us with their own food when we were dying of hunger and showered us with kindness even when we were in their power."[103]
During the Battle of Siffin, the Caliph Ali stated that Islam does not permit Muslims to stop the supply of water to their enemy.[104] In addition to the Rashidun Caliphs, hadiths attributed to Muhammad himself suggest that he stated the following regarding the Muslim conquest of Egypt:[105]
"You are going to enter Egypt a land where qirat (money unit) is used. Be extremely good to them as they have with us close ties and marriage relationships. When you enter Egypt after my death, recruit many soldiers from among the Egyptians because they are the best soldiers on earth, as they and their wives are permanently on duty until the Day of Resurrection. Be good to the Copts of Egypt; you shall take them over, but they shall be your instrument and help. Be Righteous to God about the Copts."
The early Islamic treatises on international law from the 9th century onwards covered the application of Islamic economic jurisprudence, ethics and military jurisprudence to international law,[106] and were concerned with a number of modern international law topics, including the law of treaties; the treatment of diplomats, hostages, refugees and prisoners of war; the right of asylum; conduct on the battlefield; protection of women, children and non-combatant civilians; contracts across the lines of battle; the use of poisonous weapons; and devastation of enemy territory.[102]
Objectives of warfare
According to verses [Quran 8:39], the Qur'an implies two objectives:[27]
- Uproot fitnah (فتنة) or persecution
- Establish supremacy of God, through Islam, in the Arabian Peninsula
Against persecution
Directives for action against persecution and unbelief:
And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah doth see all that they do.
Also:
And what has come over you that you fight not in the cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is: ‘Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors, and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help. [You should know that] those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve, fight in the cause of Satan. So fight you against the friends of Satan. Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Satan.
Most Muslim scholars consider it an eternal directive and believe that all types of oppression should be considered under this directive.[27][107] Similarly, if a group of Muslims commit unwarranted aggression against some of their brothers and does not desist from it even after all attempts of reconciliation, such a group according to the Qur’an should be fought with:
And if two parties or groups among the believers start fighting, then make peace between them both. But if one of them outrages against the other, then fight you against the one which outrages till it complies with the command of Allah. Then if it complies, make reconciliation between them justly, and be equitable. Verily! Allah loves those who are the equitable. The believers are brothers to one another. So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allah that you may receive mercy.
When asked what to do in the event that Muslims did not have a state, Muhammad directed Muslims to dissociate themselves from all other groups:
- I asked: If there is no state or ruler of the Muslims? He replied: In this situation, dissociate yourself from all groups, even if you have to chew the roots of a tree at the time of your death. Sahih Bukhari 7084
Supremacy of Islam in the Arabian peninsula
It is stated in Qur'an:
Indeed those who are opposing Allah and His Messenger are bound to be humiliated. The Almighty has ordained: ‘‘I and My Messengers shall always prevail’’. Indeed Allah is Mighty and Powerful.
After Itmam al-hujjah (clarification of religion to the addressees in its ultimate form), Jews were subdued first, and had been granted amnesty because of various pacts. Those among them who violated these pacts were given the punishment of denying a Messenger of God.[27] Muhammad exiled the tribe of Banu Qaynuqa to Khyber and that of Banu Nadir to Syria.[108] The power they wielded at Khyber was crushed by an attack at their strongholds.[109] Prior to this, Abu al-Rafi and Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf were put to death in their houses.[110] The tribe of Banu Qurayza was guilty of treachery and disloyalty in the battle of the Ahzab.[111] When the clouds of war dispersed and the chances of an external attack no longer remained, Muhammad laid siege around them. When no hope remained, they asked Muhammad to appoint Sa'd ibn Mua'dh as an arbitrator to decide their fate. Their request was accepted. Since, at that time, no specific punishment had been revealed in the Qur’an about the fate of the Jews, Sa'd ibn Mua'dh announced his verdict in accordance with the Torah. As per the Torah, the punishment in such situations was that all men should be put to death; the women and children should be made slaves and the wealth of the whole nation should be distributed among the conquerors.[112][113] In accordance with this verdict pronounced, all men were executed.[114] John Esposito writes that Muhammad's use of warfare in general was alien neither to Arab custom nor to that of the Hebrew prophets, as both believed that God had sanctioned battle with the enemies of the Lord.[115]
No other incident of note took place regarding the Jews until the revelation of At-Tawba, the final judgement, was declared against them:[27]
Fight those who believe not in Allah or the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission and are subdued.
This directive related to both the Jews and the Christians. The punishment mentioned in these verses is a show of lenience to them because they were originally adherents to monotheism. The story holds that they did not benefit from this lenience because, after Muhammad's death, they once again resorted to fraud and treachery.[116][117][118][119] Consequently, the Jews of Khyber and the Christians of Najran were exiled once and for all from the Arabian peninsula by Umar. This exile actually fulfilled the following declaration of the Qur’an about them:[27]
And had it not been that Allah had decreed exile for them, He would certainly have punished them in this world; and in the Hereafter theirs shall be the torment of the Fire.
When the polytheists of Arabia had been similarly subdued, it was proclaimed in At-Tawba that in future no pact would be made with them. They would be given a final respite of four months and then they would be humiliated in retribution of their deeds and would in no way be able to escape from this punishment. After this time limit, the declaration is made in the Qur’an:[27]
And a declaration should be made from Allah and His Messenger to these people on the day of the great Hajj that Allah is free from [all] obligations to these Idolaters and so is His Messenger. So if you [O Idolaters!] repent, it is better for you, but if you turn away, then know that you cannot escape from the grasp of Allah. And give tidings [O Muhammad] of a painful torment to these disbelievers. Except those of these Idolaters with whom you have a treaty, and who have not shown treachery in it nor have supported anyone against you. So fulfill their treaty to the end of their term. Indeed, Allah loves those who abide by the limits. Then when the sacred months [after the Hajj] have passed, kill these Idolaters wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush. But if they repent and establish the prayer, and give Zakah, then leave them alone. Indeed, Allah is Ever Forgiving, Most Merciful.
After the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Muhammad himself singled out nations by writing letters to them. In all, they were written to the heads of eight countries.[120] Consequently, after consolidating their rule in the Arabian peninsula, the Companions launched attacks against these countries giving them two options if they wanted to remain alive: to accept faith or to accept a life of subjugation by paying Jizya. None of these nations were considered to be adherents to polytheism, otherwise they would have been treated in the same way as the Idolaters of Arabia.[27]
Warfare in Muslim societies
History records instances of the "call for jihad" being invoked by Islamic leaders to legitimate wars of conquest. The major imperial Muslim dynasties of Ottoman Turkey (Sunni) and Persia (Shia) each established systems of authority around traditional Islamic institutions. In the Ottoman empire, the concept of ghaza was promulgated as a sister obligation to jihad. The Ottoman ruler Mehmed II is said to have insisted on the conquest of Constantinople (Christian Byzantium) by justifying ghaza as a basic duty. Later Ottoman rulers would apply ghaza to justify military campaigns against the Persian Safavid dynasty. Thus both rival empires established a tradition that a ruler was only considered truly in charge when his armies had been sent into the field in the name of the true faith, usually against giaurs or heretics — often meaning each other. The 'missionary' vocation of the Muslim dynasties was prestigious enough to be officially reflected in a formal title as part of a full ruler style: the Ottoman (many also had Ghazi as part of their name) Sultan Murad Khan II Khoja-Ghazi, 6th Sovereign of the House of Osman (1421–1451), literally used Sultan ul-Mujahidin[citation needed].
The so-called Fulbe jihad states and a few other jihad states in western Africa were established by a series of offensive wars.[121]
The commands inculcated in the Quran (in five suras from the period after Muhammad had established his power) on Muslims to put to the sword those who will neither embrace Islam nor pay a poll-tax (Jizya) were not interpreted as a general injunction on all Muslims constantly to make war on the infidels (originally only polytheists who claimed to be monotheists, not "People of the Book", Jesus is seen as the last of the precursors of the Prophet Muhammed; the word infidel had different historical uses, notably used by the Crusaders to refer to the Muslims they were fighting against). It was generally supposed that the order for a general war can only be given by the Caliph (an office that was claimed by the Ottoman sultans), but Muslims who did not acknowledge the spiritual authority of the Caliphate (which is vacant), such as non-Sunnis and non-Ottoman Muslim states, always looked to their own rulers for the proclamation of a jihad; there has been in fact no universal warfare by Muslims on non-believers since the early caliphate. Some proclaimed Jihad by claiming themselves as mahdi, e.g. the Sudanese Mahommed Ahmad in 1882.
Non-Muslim opinions
Modern views
The United States Department of Justice has used its own ad hoc definitions of jihad in indictments of individuals involved in terrorist activities:
- "As used in this First Superseding Indictment, 'Jihad' is the Arabic word meaning 'holy war'. In this context, jihad refers to the use of violence, including paramilitary action against persons, governments deemed to be enemies of the fundamentalist version of Islam."[122]
- "As used in this Superseding Indictment, 'violent jihad' or 'jihad' include planning, preparing for, and engaging in, acts of physical violence, including murder, maiming, kidnapping, and hostage-taking."[123] in the indictment against several individuals including José Padilla.
In her book Muhammad: a Biography of the Prophet, B.A. Robinson writes:
- "Fighting and warfare might sometimes be necessary, but it was only a minor part of the whole jihad or struggle."[124]
Maxime Rodinson, an Orientalist, wrote that "Jihad is a propagandistic device which, as need be, resorts to armed struggle – two ingredients common to many ideological movements."[125]
In English-speaking countries, especially the United States, the term jihadist, technically a derogatory term for mujahid, is frequently used to describe militant Islamic groups, including but not restricted to Islamic terrorism.
See also
- Jihad in Hadith
- Fasad
- Islamic military jurisprudence
- Itmam al-hujjah
- Mujahidin, cognate
- Opinion of Islamic scholars on Jihad
- Aslim Taslam
- Hirabah
- A Jihad for Love
- Love Jihad
Political and military aspects
Related concepts
- Church Militant
- Crusade
- Crusade (modern)
- Holy war
- Inquisition
- Just war
- Martial arts
- Mortification
- Proselytism
- Religious wars
- Zealot
Philosophers of Jihad doctrine
- Ibn Taymiyyah
- Ibn Abdul Wahhab Najdi
- Syed Ahmed Barelwi and Maulvi Ismail
- Hasan al-Banna
- Sayyid Qutb
- Abdul Ala Maudoodi
- Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami
- Abdullah Yusuf Azzam
- Osama bin Laden
- Fazlur Rahman Malik
- Javed Ahmed Ghamidi
References
![]() | Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (May 2010) |
- ^ a b Wendy Doniger, ed. (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster. ISBN 087-7790442.
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help), Jihad, p.571 - ^ Josef W. Meri, ed. (2005). Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 041-5966906.
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help), Jihad, p.419 - ^ a b John Esposito(2005), Islam: The Straight Path, pp.93 Cite error: The named reference "jih" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Humphreys, Stephen (2005). Between Memory and Desire. University of California Press. ISBN 052-0246918. pg 174-176
- ^ a b c Firestone, Rueven (1999). Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam. Oxford University Press. ISBN 019-5125800. pg. 17
- ^ a b "Djihād". Encyclopedia of Islam Online.
{{cite encyclopedia}}
:|access-date=
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(help) - ^ Bernard Lewis, The Political Language of Islam (University of Chicago Press, 1988), p. 72
- ^ Fred M. Donner, The Sources of Islamic Conceptions of War, in: James Turner Johnson, Just War and Jihad (Greenwood Press, 1991), p. 47
- ^ Albrecht Noth, Heiliger Krieg und Heiliger Kampf in Islam und Christentum (Röhrscheid, 1966), p. 13
- ^ The Encyclopaedia of Islam. New Edition (Brill, Leiden), Vol. 2, p. 538
- ^ Rudolph Peters, Jihad in Classical and Modern Islam (Markus Wiener Publishers, 2005), p. 125
- ^ cf. e.g. BBC news article Libya's Gaddafi urges 'holy war' against Switzerland
- ^ Rudolph Peters, Islam and Colonialism. The doctrine of Jihad in Modern History (Mouton Publishers, 1979), p. 118
- ^ Rudolph Peters, Jihad in Medieval and Modern Islam (Brill, 1977), p. 3
- ^ Patricia Crone, Medieval Islamic Political Thought (Edinburgh University Press, 2005), p. 363
- ^ Al-Batal, Mahmoud (2006). "6-"من رائدات الحركة النسائية العربية" (One of the Pioneers of the Arabic Feminist Movement)". Al-Kitaab fii Tacllum al-cArabiyya, Part II (in Arabic and English) (2 ed.). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. ISBN 978-1-58901-096-3.
To struggle or exert oneself for a cause........جاهََدَ، يجاهِد، الجهاد
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suggested) (help) - ^ Esposito (2002a), p.26
- ^ John L. Esposito, Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (Gallup, 2007) p. 20 f.
- ^ Fayd al-Qadir vol.4 pg. 511
- ^ Mahmoud M. Ayoub, Islam: Faith and History, pp. 68-69)
- ^ Fazlur Rahman, Major Themes of the Qur'an, (Minneapolis: Bibliotheca Islamica, 1980), pp. 63-64.
- ^ Rudolph Peters, Jihad in Classical and Modern Islam (Princeton, N.J.: Markus Weiner, 1996), pp. 116-17
- ^ Albrecht Noth, Der Dschihad: sich mühen für Gott. In: Gernot Rotter, Die Welten des Islam: neunundzwanzig Vorschläge, das Unvertraute zu verstehen (Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 1993), p. 27
- ^ Majid Khadduri, War and Peace in the Law of Islam (The Johns Hopkinns Press, 1955), pp. 74-80
- ^ a b R. Peters (1977), p.3
- ^ Muhammad Hamidullah, The Muslim Conduct of State (Ashraf Printing Press 1987, pp. 205-208
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Ghamidi, Javed (2001). "The Islamic Law of Jihad". Mizan. Dar ul-Ishraq.
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- ^ What Does Jihad Mean? "For example, Yasir Arafat's May 1994 call in Johannesburg for a "jihad to liberate Jerusalem" was a turning point in the peace process; Israelis heard him speak about using violence to gain political ends and questioned his peaceable intentions. Both Arafat himself and his aides then clarified that he was speaking about a "peaceful jihad" for Jerusalem."
- ^ Bernard Lewis, The Political Language of Islam (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988), p. 72.
- ^ Lewis, Bernard, The Crisis of Islam, 2001 Chapter 2
- ^ Haddad, Gibril (2005-02-28). "Documentation of "Greater Jihad" hadith". living Islam. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
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ignored (help)] - ^ Documentation of "Greater Jihad" hadith
- ^ Jihad in the Hadith, Peace with Realism, April 16, 2006
- ^ JOIN THE CARAVAN
- ^ Majid Khadduri: War and Peace in the Law of Islam, p.56
- ^ Understanding Jihad, February, 2005
- ^ a b c Rudolph Peters, Jihād (The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World); http://www.oxfordislamicstudies/MainSearch.html (accessed February 17, 2008)
- ^ a b Jonathon P. Berkey, The Formation of Islam; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2003
- ^ http://www.submission.org/suras/sura25.html
- ^ William M. Watt: Muhammad at Medina, p.4; q.v. the Tafsir regarding these verses
- ^ Adel Th. Khoury: Was sagt der Koran zum Heiligen Krieg?, p.91
- ^ http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/muslim/019.smt.html#019.4294
- ^ a b c d David Cook, Understanding Jihad; University of California Press: CA, 2005
- ^ The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, Badr, Battle of; http://oxfordislamicstudies.com/MainSearch.html (accessed February 17, 2008)
- ^ John L. Esposito, Islam, the Straight Path; Oxford University Press: New York,2005
- ^ Richard P. Bonney, Jihad: From Qu'ran to Bin Laden; Palgrave Macmillan: Hampshire, 2004
- ^ Ransoming Captives in Crusader Spain: The Order of Merced on the Christian-Islamic Frontier
- ^ The Almohads
- ^ a b Frank and Leaman, 2003, p. 137-138.
- ^ The Forgotten Refugees
- ^ Sephardim
- ^ Kraemer, 2005, pp. 16-17.
- ^ Sarkar, Jadunath. How the Muslims forcibly converted the Hindus of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to Islam.
- ^ Akbar, Mobashar (2002). The shade of swords: Jihad and the conflict between Islam and Christianity. Routledge. p. 100. ISBN 9780415284707.
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specified (help) - ^ The Shade of Swords Jihad and the Conflict between Islam and Christianity M. J. Akbar
- ^ K. S. Lal: Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, 1973
- ^ Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World, by Justin Marozzi
- ^ Usman dan Fodio (Fulani leader)
- ^ Welcome to Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Black History
- ^ Sufism in the Caucasus
- ^ Imam Shamil of Dagestan
- ^ Tough lessons in defiant Dagestan
- ^ Civil War in the Sudan: Resources or Religion?
- ^ Slave trade in the Sudan in the nineteenth century and its suppression in the years 1877-80.
- ^ Holt, P.M., The Mahdist State in Sudan, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1958, p.51
- ^ US Library of Congress, A Country Study: Sudan
- ^ Saudi Arabia—THE SAUD FAMILY AND WAHHABI ISLAM
- ^ Nibras Kazimi, A Paladin Gears Up for War, The New York Sun, November 1, 2007
- ^ John R Bradley, Saudi's Shi'ites walk tightrope, Asia Times, March 17, 2005
- ^ Amir Taheri, Death is big business in Najaf, but Iraq's future depends on who controls it, The Times, August 28, 2004
- ^ Life Span of Suleiman The Magnificent, 1494-1566
- ^ Kinross, 187.
- ^ Ottoman Dhimmitude
- ^ Supply of Slaves
- ^ The living legacy of jihad slavery
- ^ The Middle East during World War One
- ^ T. E. Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Jonathan Cape, London (1926) 1954 p. 49.
- ^ for a detailed account of the battle fought see Chapter VI of The Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan by H.G. Keene. Available online at [1]
- ^ Afghan Constitution: 1923
- ^ Afghan History: kite flying, kite running and kite banning By Mir Hekmatullah Sadat
- ^ First Afghan War - Battle of Kabul and Retreat to Gandamak
- ^ Reason to hope Canadians don't repeat history in Afghanistan, Alan G. Jamieson, The Edmonton Journal, July 31, 2006
- ^ "Leaflet War Rages in Afghan Countryside". Associated Press. 2003-02-14. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
- ^ Tohid, Owias (2003-06-27). "Taliban regroups - on the road". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
- ^ Turning Out Guerrillas and Terrorists to Wage a Holy War, New York Times, March 18, 2002
- ^ Rashid, Taliban (2000)
- ^ Abd al Qadir, Library of Congress
- ^ Algeria
- ^ Centrifugal Tendencies In The Algerian Civil War, Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ)
- ^ Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, The Meaning of the Qur'an (tafsir), commentary on verse 2:143.[2]
- ^ This means that this group stands between Muhammad and the rest of the world who were able to observe the whole process of witnessing
- ^ Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. Tafhim al-Qur'an. Verse 8:66
- ^ Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i-Qur'an, 2nd ed., vol. 3, (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), pp. 450-1
- ^ Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i-Qur'an, 2nd ed., vol. 3, (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), pp. 479-80
- ^ a b Patricia Crone, Encyclopedia of the Qur'an, War article, p.456. Brill Publishers
- ^ Micheline R. Ishay, The History of Human Rights: From Ancient Times to the Globalization Era, University of California Press, p.45
- ^ Sohail H. Hashmi, David Miller, Boundaries and Justice: diverse ethical perspectives, Princeton University Press, p.197
- ^ Douglas M. Johnston, Faith-Based Diplomacy: Trumping Realpolitik, Oxford University Press, p.48
- ^ Aboul-Enein and Zuhur, p. 22
- ^ Nadvi(2000), pg. 519
- ^ a b Judge Weeramantry, Christopher G. (1997), Justice Without Frontiers, Brill Publishers, p. 136, ISBN 9041102418
- ^ Judge Weeramantry, Christopher G. (1997), Justice Without Frontiers, Brill Publishers, pp. 136–7, ISBN 9041102418
- ^ Encyclopaedia of Islam (2005), p.204
- ^ El Daly, Okasha (2004), Egyptology: The Missing Millennium : Ancient Egypt in Medieval Arabic Writings, Routledge, p. 18, ISBN 1844720632
- ^ Kelsay, J. (March 2003), "Al-Shaybani and the Islamic Law of War", Journal of Military Ethics, 2 (1), Routledge: 63–75, doi:10.1080/15027570310000027
- ^ Concept of Dar Al-Islam and Dar Al-Harb, Islamonline.net.[3]
- ^ Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, 2nd ed., vol. 3, (Beirut: Daru’l-Khayr, 1995), pp. 40-2 / Ibid. vol. 3, pp. 151-160
- ^ Ibid., pp. 40-2 / Ibid., pp. 151-160
- ^ Ibid., pp. 43-8 / Ibn Sa‘ad, al-Tabaqatu’l-Kubra, vol. 2, (Beirut: Dar Sadir, 1960), p. 28
- ^ Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, 2nd ed., vol. 3, (Beirut: Daru’l-Khayr, 1995), pp. 180-2
- ^ Deuteronomy, 20:10-14
- ^ Caesar E. Farah. Islam: Beliefs and Observances, pp.52
- ^ Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, 2nd ed., vol. 3, (Beirut: Daru’l-Khayr, 1995), pp. 188-9
- ^ John Esposito(2005), Islam: The Straight Path, p.15
- ^ Sahih Bukhari, 2730
- ^ Abu Yusuf, Kitab al-kharaj, Fasl fi’l-Fay wa al-Khiraj, (1302 AH), p. 42
- ^ Ahmad Ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri, Futuhu’l-Buldan, (Qumm: Manshurat al-Arummiyyah, 1404 AH), p. 73
- ^ Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil fi’l-Tarikh, 1st ed., vol. 2, (Beirut: Dar Beirut, 1965), p. 112
- ^ The names of these heads of state are: 1. Negus of Abyssinia, 2. Maqawqas of Egypt, 3. Khusro Parvez of Persia, 4. Qaysar of Rome, 5. Mundhar Ibn Sawi of Bahrain, 6. Hudhah Ibn ‘Ali of Yamamah, 7. Harith Ibn Abi Shamr of Damascus, 8. Jayfar of Amman, see Muhammad as a diplomat
- ^ http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/uniform/usman1804.htm
- ^ http://www.milnet.com/2nd-indictment-hayat-dist-court.pdf
- ^ http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/padilla/uspad111705ind.pdf
- ^ B.A. Robinson (2003-03-28). "The Concept of Jihad "Struggle" in Islam". Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
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Further reading
- Djihad in: The Encyclopaedia of Islam.
- Alfred Morabia, Le Ğihâd dans l’Islâm médiéval. “Le combat sacré” des origines au XIIe siècle, Albin Michel, Paris 1993
- Rudolph Peters: Jihad in Classical and Modern Islam
- Nicola Melis, “A Hanafi treatise on rebellion and ğihād in the Ottoman age (XVII c.)”, in Eurasian Studies, Istituto per l’Oriente/Newham College, Roma-Napoli-Cambridge, Volume II; Number 2 (December 2003), pp. 215–226.
- Rudolph Peters, Islam and Colonialism: The Doctrine of Jihad in Modern History, “Religion and Society”, Mouton, The Hague 1979.
- Andrew G. Bostom, ed.: "The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims"
- Muhammad Hamidullah: Muslim Conduct of State
- Muhammad Hamidullah: Battlefields of the Prophet Muhammad
- John Kelsay: Just War and Jihad
- Reuven Firestone: Jihad. The Origin of Holy War in Islam
- Hadia Dajani-Shakeel and Ronald Messier: The Jihad and Its Times
- Majid Khadduri: War And Peace in the Law of Islam
- Bernard Lewis: The Political Language of Islam
- Abul Ala Maududi: Jihad Fil Islam
- Javed Ahmad Ghamidi: Mizan
- Biancamaria Scarcia Amoretti, Tolleranza e guerra santa nell’Islam, “Scuola aperta”, Sansoni, Firenze 1974
- J. Turner Johnson, The Holy War Idea in Western and Islamic Traditions, Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, Pa. 1997
- Spencer, Robert (2003). Onward Muslim Soldiers. Regnery Publishing, USA. ISBN 0-89526-100-6.
- Spencer, Robert (2005). The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades). Regnery Publishing, USA. ISBN 0-89526-013-1.
- Spencer, Robert (2006). The Truth About Muhammad. Regnery Publishing, USA. ISBN 978-1596980280.
- Malik, S. K. (1986). The Quranic Concept of War. Himalayan Books. ISBN 8170020204.
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- Swarup, Ram (1982). Understanding Islam through Hadis. Voice of Dharma. ISBN 0-682-49948-X.
- Trifkovic, Serge (2006). Defeating Jihad. Regina Orthodox Press, USA. ISBN 192865326X.
- Phillips, Melanie (2006). Londonistan: How Britain is Creating a Terror State Within. Encounter books. ISBN 1-59403-144-4.
Sources and external links
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- Journey to Jihad
- Jihad Watch
- Jihad News
- Jihad in Islam
- Jihad and Terrorism
- Jihad and Muslim Support for Suicide Bombings
- Concept of Peace Jihad And Condemnation of Terrorism in Islam
- Jihad, Oxford Islamic Studies Center
- Jihad (Archived 2009-10-31), Encarta Encyclopedia
- Jihad, Encyclopædia Britannica
- EtymologyOnLine
- Why the bombers are so angry at us
- Jihãd by Suhas Majumdar
- Asghar Ali Engineer (October 10, 2008). "Making a mockery of jihad". Asia Times. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- Explaining the Concept of Jihad