CHALLENGE STATEMENT: There is no such thing as an Islamic Extremist
Jihad Defined
• The word ‘jihad’ has a somewhat broad lexical meaning.
Struggle, striving
• At the most basic level the word ‘jihad’ means to strive or struggle, particularly
as it applies to the desire of Muslims to please Allah. Jihad is most often defined
as striving in the way of Allah, struggling to do that which pleases Allah, or
exerting oneself with regard to one’s religion.
• The Encyclopedia of Islam says of jihad that “In law, according to general doctrine
and in historical tradition, the jihad consists of military action with the object of
the expansion of Islam and, if need be, its defense.”
• Jihad is defined as “warfare authorized by a legitimate representative of the
Muslim community for the sake of an issue that is universally, or nearly
universally, acknowledged to be of critical importance for the entire community
against an admitted enemy of Islam.”
• One common understanding of jihad is defined as an internal struggle, or a
struggle against the inner self or inner desires. This definition is one preferred by
moderate Muslims as well as those in the media and academia who would have us
believe that Islam has no historical connection at all to violence and is purely a
religion of peace. The beginnings of a demilitarized, or peaceful, concept of Jihad
in ancient Islamic literature can be traced to the eighth and ninth centuries, long
after the death of Muhammad.
• Jihad as a spiritual struggle lacks any support in the Islamic canonical literature.
For example, in Bukhari, of the 72 times the word “Jihad” is used, it always
speaks of fighting a war in the cause of Allah.
• Scholars who study and analyze Middle East culture note that spiritual jihad is
merely a façade, created in an attempt to disguise the truth of jihad hiding
behind the façade to those of us in the West. Jihad as a spiritual struggle is
presented only to Western audiences. “Few Muslim scholars or even apologists
writing in non-European languages have ever made the exaggerated claims (re:
spiritual struggle)…those who write in Arabic or other Muslim languages realize
that it is pointless to present Jihad as anything other than militant warfare”
(David Cook, Understanding Jihad, p. 43).
• Bukhari also includes the possibility of martyrdom as a consequence of jihad.
Becoming a martyr is an odd concept if Jihad is limited to an internal struggle alone.
Warfare
• One aspect of external jihad involves the concept of direct warfare. The Reliance
of the Traveller, a manual on Islamic law, defines jihad as the “means to war
against non-Muslims, and is etymologically derived from mujahada, signifying
warfare to establish the religion.
• A footnote in the English translation of Bukhari’s Hadith collection notes “Al-Jihad
(Holy Fighting) in Allah’s cause (with full force of numbers and weaponry), is
given the utmost importance in Islam, and is one of the pillars (on which it
stands). By Jihad Islam is established, Allah’s Word is made superior, and His
religion (Islam) is propagated.”
• Over 160 verses in Qur’an speak of jihad as fighting. A sample:
o Sura 2:216 – Jihad (holy fighting in Allah’s cause) is ordained for you
(Muslims)…
o Sura 4:74 -- …whoso fights in the cause of Allah, and is killed or
gets victory, We shall bestow on him a great reward.
o Sura 8:39 – Fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief
and polytheism, i.e. worshipping others besides Allah) and the
religion (worship) will be for Allah alone.
o Sura 9:29 – Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2)
nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden
by Allah and His Messenger, (4) and those who acknowledge not
the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture
(Jews and Christians)…
o Sura 47:4 – So, when you meet (in fight—Jihad in Allah’s
cause) those who disbelieve, smite (their) necks till when you
have killed and wounded many of them…
• The Hadith also speak extensively of jihad as warfare and nothing else:
o When you are called (by the Muslim ruler) for Jihad (holy fighting in
Allah’s cause) go forth immediately. (Bukhari 2783, 2825)
o When you are called (by the Muslim ruler) for Jihad (holy fighting in
Allah’s cause) go forth immediately. (Bukhari 2790)
• Note, however, that in many cases, warfare was preceded by a call to Islam. The
target person or people group were first given an opportunity to embrace Islam.
o “It is preferable not to begin hostilities with the enemy before having
invited the latter to embrace the religion of Allah except where the enemy
attacks first. They have the alternative of either converting to Islam or
paying the poll tax, short of which war will be declared against them” (Ibn
Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani, quoted in Bat Ye’or, Decline of Eastern Christianity, 295).
Terrorism
• Definition: the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.
• Terror is a weapon that had its origins in the first struggling years of Islam (Paul
Fregosi, Jihad in the West: Muslim Conquests from the 7th to the 21st Centuries, 44).
• It is distinct from outright-armed conflict, in that often terrorism involves no
physical contact at all. Yet physical violence is not necessarily precluded by
definition. Examples from the Qur’an:
o Sura 3:151 - We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve
because they ascribe unto Allah partners, for which no warrant hath been
revealed.
o Sura 8:12 - Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I
am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the
hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their
finger-tips off them.”
o Sura 8:60 - Against them make ready your strength to the utmost
of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the
hearts of) the enemies…
Martyrdom
o Qur’an says little about martyrs, but Hadith speaks extensively about becoming a
martyr.
o Associated with spiritual prestige. To become a martyr in Islam is to make the
ultimate sacrifice for Allah. It also brings enormous honor to the family left
behind. We Americans do not understand Asian cultures, where shame and honor
play significant roles in the shaping of society. To bring honor to one’s family is
the highest goal.
o Becoming a martyr in Islam, particularly a martyr in the jihad, has enormous
benefits. A martyr gains immediate entry into Paradise, is allowed to partake of
things forbidden to a Muslim during earthy life, has 72 virgins awaiting him,
brings fame and honor to the family, and has the ability to intercede on behalf of
other Muslims in heaven. (David Cook, Understanding Jihad, p. 28).
o Sura 57:19 - And those who believe in Allah and His messengers, they are
the loyal, and the martyrs are with their Lord; they have their reward and
their light.
o Sura 9:20-22 – Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah—Islamic
Monotheism) and emigrated and strove hard and fought in Allah’s cause
with their wealth and their lives are far higher in degree with Allah. They
are the successful. Their Lord gives them glad tidings of Mercy from Him,
and His being pleased (with them), and of Gardens (Paradise) for them
wherein are everlasting delights. They will dwell therein forever.
o “Nobody who enters Paradise likes to return to this world even if he got
everything on the earth, except a martyr who wishes to return to the
world so that he may be martyred ten times because of the honor and
dignity he receives (from Allah)” (Bukhari 2817).
Dawah, inviting others to Islam
o To invite; to give an invitation to, particularly with respect to Islam; inviting an
unbeliever to Islam
o Sura 16:125 – “Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful
preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.”
o Sura 28:87 – “invite (men) to thy Lord, and be not of the company of those who join
gods with Allah.”
o These two ayat seem to define dawah as an intellectual, apologetic approach used to
convince and persuade others of the truth of Islam in the absence of fear and
intimidation.
Reality: dawah is quite often inseparable from jihad.
o (Ibn Ishaq) Muhammad’s Uncle Hamza to Abu Jahl: “All we did was to enjoin
chastity and justice and call them to Islam, but they received it not, and they
treated it as a joke, they ceased not so until I volunteered to attack them.”
o (Ibn Ishaq) Muhammad sent one of his men to a group of polytheists and
“ordered him to invite them to Islam three days before he attacked them. If
they accepted then he was to accept it from them, and if they declined he
was to fight them…so the men accepted Islam as they were invited.”
o (Dawud) “When you meet the polytheists, summon them to Islam, and if they
accept, refrain from further hostilities toward them.”
o Ibn Kathir: the purpose of jihad is, “…so that the religion of Allah becomes dominant
above all others.”
o Osama bin Laden: invitation to Islam: Bush, the American people Requirement for Jihad
o Required of all able-bodied men. Exceptions made for the blind, the physically unfit,
the mentally unstable, and the very elderly.
The Qur’an contains over 40 verses that explicitly define the absolute requirement for
participation in Jihad, with severe penalties for failure to participate. Here is just a short
sample.
• Sura 2:216 states, “Jihad (holy fighting in Allah’s cause) is ordained for you
(Muslims) though you dislike it…”
• Sura 4:77 - "Have you not seen those to whom it was said: Withhold your hands
from fighting, perform the prayer and pay the zakat. But when orders for fighting
were issued, a party of them feared men as they ought to have feared Allah.
They say: 'Our Lord, why have You ordained fighting for us, why have You made
war compulsory?'"
• Sura 9:38 - "Believers, what is the matter with you, that when you are asked to
march forth in the Cause of Allah (i.e., Jihad) you cling to the earth? Do you
prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? Unless you march, He will afflict and
punish you with a painful torture, and put others in your place. But you cannot
harm Him in the least."
• Sura 9:41 is even more direct, commanding Muslims to, “March forth, whether
you are light (being healthy, young and wealthy) or heavy (being ill, old, and
poor) and strive hard with your wealth and your lives in the Cause of Allah.”
• Sura 9:81-84 - "Those who stayed behind rejoiced in their inaction behind the
back of the Messenger. They hated to strive and fight with their goods and lives
in the Cause of Allah. They said, 'Go not forth in the heat.' Say, 'The fire of Hell is
fiercer in heat.' If only they could understand! So let them laugh a little, for they
will weep much as a reward for what they did. … Do not pray for any of them
that die, nor stand at his grave. They rejected Allah and disbelieved His Messenger.
They died in a state of perverse rebellion."
• Sura 9:93-94 - "The (complaint) is against those who claim exemption [from
fighting] while they are rich. They prefer to stay with the (women) who remain
behind (at home). Allah has sealed their hearts. They are content to be useless.
Say: 'Present no excuses: we shall not believe you.' It is your actions that Allah
and His Messenger will observe. They will swear to you by Allah, when you return
hoping that you might leave them alone. So turn away from them, for they are
unclean, an abomination, and Hell is their dwelling-place, a fitting recompense for
them."
• Sura 48:11 - "What is the matter with you that you are divided about the
Hypocrites? Allah has cast them back (causing their disbelief). Would you guide
those whom Allah has thrown out of the Way? For those whom Allah has thrown
aside and led astray, never shall they find the Way."
• Sura 48:17 - "There is no blame for the blind, nor is it a sin for the lame, nor on
one ill if he joins not in the fighting. But he who retreats, (Allah) will punish him
with a painful doom."
o Shafi’i: “these communications mean that the jihad, and rising up in arms in
particular, is obligatory for all able-bodied believers…and no one is able to perform
the duty for another.”
o Women not required to participate but may do so voluntarily.
Purpose of Jihad
Rid world of polytheists, unbelievers, hypocrites
o The Qur’an, Hadith, and Islamic law speak extensively of the need to eliminate those
who worship multiple gods or no god at all. Allowing these to continue living is an
affront to Allah.
o Ibn Kathir in his commentary on Sura 9:30 notes, “fighting Jews and Christians is
legislated because they are idolaters and disbelievers…who utter lies against Allah.”
o Sura 4:89 – “They wish that you should reject the faith as they do…seize them and
slay them wherever you find them.”
o Muslims who war against polytheists and unbelievers are accorded a special reward
from Allah. According to Shafi’i, “Those who perform it in the war against the
polytheists will fulfill the duty and receive the supererogatory merit.”
Spread Islam
o World domination of Islam is the goal.
o “Islam is the religion that will dominate over all other religions” (Ibn Kathir).
o Imam Muslim comments that the Umma (Islamic nation or community) will
extend from the east to the west and will include all ethnic groups. Races
belonging to different colors will all embrace Islam.
o Options available to those who refuse to accept Islam are severely limited: resist until
death, submit to Islamic rule, or for Christians and Jews, pay jizya (protection tax)
and become a dhimmi.
o In obedience to Allah, “the caliph [or Muslim ruler] makes war upon Jews,
Christians, and Zoroastrians…until they become Muslim or else pay the non-
Muslim poll tax” (Reliance of the Traveller).
o (Dawud) “The Apostle of Allah said ‘I am commanded to fight with men till they
testify that there is no god but Allah; when they do that they will keep their life and
their property safe from me.’'
Test the true followers of Allah
o Sura 3:142 – “Did ye think that ye would enter Heaven without Allah testing those of
you who fought hard (In His Cause) and remained steadfast?”
o Sura 9:16 – “Do you think that you shall be left alone while Allah has not yet tested
those among you who have striven hard and fought…”
o The purpose Allah revealing this aya was to distinguish “between those who
obey him and those who disobey him (Ibn Kathir).
o Sura 47:4 – “So, when you meet (in fight—Jihad in Allah’s Cause) those who
disbelieve, smite (their) necks till when you have killed and wounded many of them…
if it had been Allah’s Will, He Himself could certainly have punished them
(without you). But (He lets you fight) in order to test some of you with
others.”
Obtain booty
o During the first eighteen months after the Hijra, [Muhammad] carried out seven raids
on merchant caravans as they were making their way to Mecca. This was an attempt
to build up the wealth and prestige of his followers, who had lost their livelihood as a
result of their move to Medina, and to weaken Mecca’s economic life. (Karsh)
o The Qur’an and Hadith specify that the booty was to be divided between Muhammad
and the warriors participating in the raid, and optionally to women.
o The Qur’an justifies the taking of booty and at times even encourages it.
o Sura 48:20 – “Allah has promised you abundant spoils that you will capture,
and He has hastened for you this, and He has restrained the hands of men from
you: that it may be a sign for the believers”
o Some of the most revered booty consisted of the captives themselves. Women and
children captives were shared out among the soldiers after setting aside a fifth for
Muhammad or the current Caliph.
Assure one’s place in paradise
o Entrance into heaven or paradise is not assured for Muslims. On the Day of
Judgment, Allah will weigh one’s good deeds against the bad deeds, using a set of
scales (Sura 23:102-103, 101:6-11). One’s destiny depends on which side of the
scale is heavier, with the final decision left to Allah and his will alone.
o However, Muslim warriors, or mujahidin, are exempt from the Day of Judgment and
gain immediate entrance into paradise if they are killed during jihad (Sura 3:195; 9:111).
Sura 3:169-171 provides the foundation for many of the traditions concerning the fate of martyrs.
(169) Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay,
they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision.
(170) 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 no fear shall come, nor shall
they grieve.
(171) They rejoice in a Grace and a Bounty from Allah, and that Allah will
not waste the reward of the believers.
Numerous Hadith traditions also support this idea:
o (Bukhari, 2787) Allah guarantees that He will admit the Mujahid in His Cause
into Paradise if he is killed.
o (Bukhari, 2801) Jibril (Gabriel) informed the Prophet that they (i.e.
the martyrs) met their Lord, and He was pleased with them and made
them pleased.
o (Bukhari, 2818) Know that Paradise is under the shades of swords
(Jihad in Allah’s cause).
o (Sunan Abu Dawud, 2489) An infidel and the one who killed him will
never be brought together in Hell, meaning that a person who kills
an infidel while fighting in Allah’s cause has his sins forgiven and goes to Paradise.
o The guarantee of immediate entrance to Paradise, described as a veritable
garden of pleasure, motivated Muhammad’s early warriors to fight with all
they had. After all, what was there to loose? A win-win proposition: booty
and riches, or Paradise!
Methods of Jihad
Taking disbelievers captive
o Killing disbelievers was not unilaterally required. Taking captives was permitted if this
would benefit Islam or it was likely the captive would convert.
o Sura 47:4 – “So, when you meet (in fight—Jihad in Allah’s Cause) those who
disbelieve, smite (their) necks till when you have killed and wounded many of
them, then bind a bond firmly (on them, i.e. take them as captives)…Thus
you are ordered by Allah to continue in carrying out Jihad against the
disbelievers till they embrace Islam and are saved from the punishment
in the Hell-fire”
o Ibn Kathir addresses the disposition of the idolaters and notes the allowance
for “executing some and keeping some as prisoners” in his commentary on Sura 9:5.
Killing disbelievers
o The exhortation for the Muslim to kill or slay Allah’s enemies either openly or while
waiting in ambush is found extensively in both the Qur’an and Hadith, as well as in
the manuals of Islamic law accepted by the majority of Muslims today from the
earliest Islamic jurists.
o Muwatta of Imam Malik – “Make your raids in the name of Allah in the way of Allah.
Fight whoever denies Allah.”
o Sura 8:57: “So if you gain the mastery over them in war, punish them severely in
order to disperse those who are behind them, so that they may learn a lesson”
o Ibn Kathir – “This verse “commands punishing them harshly and inflicting
casualties on them.”
o Sura 9:5 – “Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters
wherever ye find them, and take them captive, and besiege them, and prepare
for them each ambush”
o Ibn Kathir – “This verse means to fight the idolaters ‘on the earth in
general, executing some and keeping some as prisoners. Do not wait until
you find them. Rather, seek and besiege them in their areas and forts…they
will have no choice but to die or embrace Islam.’”
Jihad in history
o Although the Qur’an and Hadith seem to command jihad, and although Muhammad
taught his followers to “slay the infidels,” is there any evidence from history that
Muslims actually engaged in such practices?
o Bat Ye’or – “According to the juridical concept of jihad, war was the normal state of
relations between Muslims and Christians. All trade and other treaties between
Muslims and Christians were called ‘truce treaties’ or, in effect, declarations of
peace.”
o Peace treaty. Sound familiar? Nothing has changed in 1400+ years.
Muhammad’s biography
o Muhammad personally participated in 27 campaigns, and assisted or oversaw some
59 others. Average 9/year.
o David Cook: “A number of Muhammad’s early biographers refer to his last ten years
of life as al-maghazi (the raids).
o One of Muhammad’s followers, writing in poetry regarding a raid planned on a nearby
pagan tribe: If they do not quickly repent of their error, A valiant band will descend upon them
Which will leave their women husbandless.
It will leave dead men, with vultures wheeling round o Muhammad’s warrior – “All we did was to enjoin chastity and justice and call them to Islam but they received it not, and they treated it as a joke. The ceased not so until I volunteered to attack them where they dwelt.”
o Battle of Badr – 624 A.D. (2 A.H.)
o Began as a raid on a Meccan caravan for its loot. Was one of the richest
caravans that year. Muhammad assembled 300 men to capture the caravan
o The Quraish heard of Muhammad’s plans and had 1,000 warriors to protect
the caravan
o The outnumbered Muslims were ultimately successful. Caravan captured,
Quraish polytheists killed, Muhammad gained significant political clout.
o Biographers record scenes in bloody detail: men’s arms and legs cut off, some
beheaded and the heads presented to Muhammad, who then praised Allah, etc.
o First recorded account where Muhammad promised Paradise for a martyr.
o Battle of the Trench – 627 A.D. (5 A.H.)
o One of the bloodiest during Muhammad’s lifetime
o Army of Jews and pagan Arabs from Mecca plot to attack Medina to kill
Muhammad; end caravan raids.
o Jewish population inside Medina (Qurayza) agrees to assist Meccan coalition;
form two-pronged attack, from both the south and north.
o Meccans stopped by large trench dug around the unfortified section of
Medina. Return to Mecca, their plan having failed.
o Jewish Qurayza tribe in Medina confessed to conspiring with Meccan
contingent; sentence pronounced after they refused to convert to Islam.
Muhammad personally beheaded 600-800 Jews in one night, throwing their
bodies into the trench.
o Bukhari records: On the day of the battle of the ditch, the Ansar used to say,
‘We are those who have given the pledge to Muhamamd for Jihad (holy
fighting) as long as we live.”
o Invasion of Mecca. Abu Sufyan, tribal leader, forced to “convert” to Islam or loose his
head. He converted.
o Numerous other “convert or die” incidents recorded in the biographies
.
o Final comment by Ibn Ishaq: “God sent Muhammad with this religion and he strove for
it until men accepted it voluntarily or by force.”
End of Part one
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