Jihad (The Foreign Policy of The Islamic State)

The Islamic ideology is an ideology revealed by Allah, the Creator. It offers the only correct, comprehensive, and viable way of life for the human being, providing him with a sound purpose, a clear vision, and a stable life. It manifests itself in the personalities of its followers and in the form of a system implemented by a State. It is a universal ideology meant to liberate all of mankind. Consequently, one cannot accept for this ideology to be confined to a specific people or land; rather, it has to be offered to all of mankind. In order to deliver this ideology to the rest of humanity, the State that adopts this ideology shoulders the responsibility of carrying it to new lands. As would be expected, this goal will lead to a conflict with other states and their ideologies. This conflict has to be resolved either through diplomacy or through force. Every ideology utilises these alternatives. All leading nations use diplomacy and force.

Due to a general lack of knowledge among Muslims and the Western propaganda against Islam, both Muslims and non-Muslims have misunderstood the concept of Jihad to non-Muslims, Jihad is presented as the diabolical call of "blood-thirsty people" to convert others to Islam by 'the sword'. To Muslims, on the other hand, it has been promoted as a self-help concept whose aim is to make one a model citizen in whatever society he finds himself in. Neither of these ideas represent the reality of Jihad.

Jihad, as a term, cannot be translated as 'holy war', nor can it be translated, as a term, as the word 'struggle'. At best, its legal meaning can be understood as "using military force, where diplomacy fails, to remove the obstacles the Islamic State faces in carrying its ideology to mankind". The aim of Jihad, unlike the Crusades, past and present, is not to forcibly convert the inhabitants of other lands to Islam. Rather, it is to provide them with the security that comes from the application of Islam, leaving them the choice of adopting Islam or keeping their own religions. The affairs of the society however must be run according to Islamic law. History confirms that this is and always has been the role of Jihad, for it was in Muslim Spain that the Muslims, Christians, and Jews were able to live peacefully under an Islamic authority. It was Islam's justice that allowed non-Muslims in the Islamic State to flourish as artisans, writers, and thinkers.

Islam neither colonised other land nor did it enslave the people of newly opened lands, using them as cheap blood in the battlefields as was the practice of the Kings and Emperors of European nations till recently. The Islamic State annexed all conquered lands to the body of the State, looking after their affairs with the same priority as that of its capital. Contrast this with the imperialist policies of England, France, Germany and America which raped the lands which they conquered. Even the capital of the Islamic State moved out of Arabia to the newly liberated lands, such as Damascus, Baghdad and Istanbul. None of these were traditional Arab lands, they being Roman, Persian, and European cities. Can one imagine that France would move its capital to Senegal or the King of Britain would take up residence in Nairobi. This stands as clear proof that Jihad is not the tool of an imperialist foreign policy.

In summary, Jihad is the method adopted by Islam to protect its lands and save humanity from slavery to man-made regimes. The difference between the use of force by the West and that by Islam is that the Capitalist West uses force overtly and covertly for the benefit of a few, such as corporations, while Islam uses force openly and justly to carry its mercy to others.

Jihad is a complicated and dangerous topic. It is one of the main Pillars of Islam after Tawhid and Dawah.In fact Jihad is form of Dawah, Dawah by the Islamic State as its foreign policy. It is dangerous because it involves taking life, property etc. .It is complex because, just like a delicate surgical operation, the slightest of mistakes could be very destructive, Algeria being a lesson for us all. To understand Jihad we need to understand at the outset that Allah(swt) is the only Commander, that He(swt) is the only one who gives life and takes life and that all our actions are only for Him(swt).

Jihad in the Quran:

The subject of Jihad has been discussed with particular emphasis and in considerable detail in the Quran. There is consensus of opinion amongst researchers of the Quran, that no other action has been explained in such great detail as Jihad. Allah has revealed many Surah (chapters) in the Quran primarily to guide the believers towards this path. The subject of Jihad has been expressed in many different ways, in numerous verses of the Quran. The verses explain in detail the clear objectives and benefits of Jihad. The status of the Mujahid is honoured in the Quran and there are many verses which warns of the dangers of leaving Jihad. There is such great emphasis of this subject, that some commentators and scholars of the Quran have remarked that the topic of the Quran is Jihad. The terminology of Jihad-Fi-Sabilillah, which means Jihad in the Path of Allah, has been used in the Quran twenty-six times and the specific word, Qitaal (Fighting), used in the context of fighting in the Path of Allah, is mentioned in the Quran seventy-nine times. There are whole Surah in the Quran, which have been revealed, explaining the ruling and virtues of Jihad and admonishing those leaving Jihad; such as Surah Anfaal consisting of ten Rukuhs (also known as Surah Badr) and Surah Bara`ah, which consists of sixteen Rukuhs. The Surah Baqarah, Nisa and Ma,idah have large sections on the topic of Jihad and in Surah Hadeed, the weapons of Jihad is detailed. There are Surah which are named after battles, such as, Surah Ahzaab (trenches), Qitaal (fighting), Fath (victory) and Saff (rows). The title of these Surah clearly illustrates the subject matter of Jihad. In Surah `Adiyaat an oath has been taken on the horses of the Mujahideen and further in Surah Nasr, world-wide revolution and the spreading of Islam has been mentioned through Jihad. The truth is that a Muslim who reads the Quran with devotion is determined to reach the battlefield in order to attain the reality of Jihad. It is solely for this reason that the Kuffar conspire to keep the Muslims far away from understanding the Quran, knowing that Muslims who understand the Quran will not distance themselves from Jihad.

Jihad in the Ahadith:

Allah (swt) commanded His Beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) to fight and to urge the believers to fight. The Holy Prophet (saw) fulfilled both of these duties completely. For this reason, there are thousands of Ahadith of the Prophet (saw) regarding Jihad. The Muhaditheen (experts in the field of Hadith) have compiled the sayings and actions of the Prophet (saw) relating to Jihad. To develop a better understanding of this subject is by studying these collections, which clearly give evidence to the importance of Jihad.

Topic of Jihad in the Books of Hadith:

Listed below are chapters of Jihad in various Hadith books, this will enable the reader to gain easy access on the subject of Jihad.

• Sahih Bukhari Consists of 241 chapters under the title of Jihad (p390-454, vol.1), English version (p34-275, vol.4).

• Sahih Muslim Consists of 100 chapters under the title of Jihad (p81-144, vol.2), English version (p942-1063, vol.3).

• Tirmizi Sharif Consists of 115 chapters under the title of Jihad (p282-302, vol.1), no English version.

• Abu Dawood Sharif Consists of 172 chapters under the title of Jihad (p342-362, vol.2), English version (p684-776, vol.11).

• Nasai Sharif Consists of 48 chapters under the title of Jihad, (p53-66, vol.2)

• Ibne Majah Sharif Consists of 46 chapters under the title of Jihad, (p197-207). No English version.

• Mishkat The chapter of Jihad (p329-355, vol.1), English version (p806-867, vol.1).

• At Targheeb Wat Tarheeb The chapter of Jihad (p365-455, vol.2).

• Musan'naf ibne Abi Shayba The chapter of Jihad (p212-542).

• Sunani Kubra Baihaqi The chapter of Jihad (p1-183, vol.9).

• Khanzul Ummal The chapter of Jihad (p276-637, vol.4).

• E`ela-us Sunan The chapter of Jihad (p1-674, vol.12).

• Fathul Qadeer The chapter of Jihad (p183-333, vol.5).

• Al-Bahr ur Ra,iq The chapter of Jihad (p70-142, vol.5).

• Fatawa Shami The chapter of Jihad (p119-268, vol.4).

Topic of Jihad among the Classical Scholars:

Many Books have been written on Jihad Due to the importance of Jihad and the high status attributed to it. Almost all the books on Hadith and Fiqh (jurisprudence) devote considerable coverage to this subject, consisting of long chapters and hundreds of pages written on the rulings and virtues of Jihad. Some renowned scholars have condensed this vast information and books have been written specifically on Jihad. Listed below are some of these books.

• Abu Sulaiman Dawood bin Ali Dawood Al-Asfahani At-Tahiri. Died 270 Hijri.

• Ahmad bin Amar bin Sahaq As-Shaybani Abu Bakr also known as Ibne Asim. Died 287 Hijri.

• Abu Sulaiman bin Nazeer Al-Qurtubi Al-Maliki. Died 318 Hijri.

• Ibrahim bin Hammal bin Ishaq Al-Azdi Al-Maliki. Died 323 Hijri.

• Abu Sulaiman Ham bin Muhammad Al-Katabi. Died 388 Hijri.

• Abu Bakr Muhammad bin At-Tayyab Al-Baqilani. Died 403 Hijri.

• Takiyudeen Abdul Gani Bin Abdul Wahid Bin Ali Al-Jamaily Al-Maqdasi. Died 600 Hijri. The name of his book is Tuhfutut Talibeen Fil Jihad Wal Mujahideen.

• Abu Muhammad Kasim Bin Ali Bin Hasan Bin Hibatullah, known as Ibne Asakir. Died 600 Hijri.

• Izzudeen Ali Bin Muhammad Al-Jazari, known by the name of Ibne Ashir. Died 630 Hijri.

• Bahaudeen Abul Mahasin Yusuf Bin Rafe, known by the name of Ibne Shadad Al-Marsau Al-Habali. Died 632 Hijri.

• Abu Muhammad Izzudeen Abdul Aziz Bim Sallam Assolamy. Died 660 Hijri. The name of his book is Ahkamul Jihad Wa Fazailoho.

• Ammadudeen Ismael Bin Umar, famous by the name of Ibne Kathir Al-hafiz Ad-Dimashqi. Died 774 Hijri. The name of his book is Al-Ijtihad Fi Talabil Jihad. • Ali Bin Mustafa Alaudeen Al-Bosnawy Ar-Romy Al-Hanafi, famous by the name of Ali Dada. Died 1007 Hijri.

• Hishamudeen Khalil Al-Barsawy Ar-Romy. Died 1072 Hijri. (Extracted from the introduction of Kitabul Jihad Ibne Mubarak, written by Doctor Anzaha Hammad).

The meaning of Jihad in Arabic:

The word Jihad is derived, in the Arabic language, from the root word JAHADA.

The word JAHADA has many meanings in Arabic including the following:

To make effort to be perfect, A studious student, To aim or to create,To work to reach the aim, To become very tired, To interrogate,To insist, To overload, To become weak from illness, A hard working person, To be love-sick, To mix, To rise,To desire,To eat alot, To be generous,Hardship, To be cautious,To exhaust,To fight without rest i.e Al Jahada is to exhaust the utmost effort until the limit of exhaustion which could be in any aspect of our lives e.g. in work, to fight etc..

The definition of Jihad in Shari'ah Terminology:

"Exhausting the utmost effort fighting the kaffir, to make Allah's (swt) Deen the highest".

It is reported in Sahih Muslim upon the authority of Abou sa'ad Al Kudri that the Sahabah asked the Messenger Muhammad(saw) 'What is Jihad?' And He(saw) said 'To fight to make Allah's Deen the highest'

This definition is comprehensive and restrictive (Al Jamiyyah wa al Maniyyah). It is comprehensive because it includes the linguistic meaning of Jihad and the attributes of Jihad. It is restrictive since it involves fighting only the kuffar for the sole purpose of raising Allah's (swt) name.

The fukaha insist that the Jeem in Jihad must not be pronounced in a soft manner i.e. it is Al Jeem al Mushadadah.

There is difference of opinion as to whether Jihad is only an offensive duty or whether it can be attributed to both offensive Jihad and defensive Jihad. Al Izz Ibnu Abdul Salaam (Sheikh al Jihad) said that it is only an offensive duty not defensive i.e. Jihad by definition will only be called so if we initiate fighting, the other duty (i.e. defensive Jihad) is called Al Dafa'ah.Defending oneself being instinctive in man just as it is with the animals, not a unique duty like offensive Jihad.

Moreover Ibnu Qayum laid down certain conditions for Jihad:

i) That the Muslims must start or initiate the fighting

ii) That the fighting must be against the kuffar (NB.fighting the murtadeen (i.e. the apostates) is called Qaatal al Ridda and is implementation of the Islamic penal code whilst fighting the Baghee (i.e. the rebels) is called Qaatal al Baghee, neither of these being Jihad).

iii) Al Ma'niyyah - having the intention of fighting Jihad to make Allah's (swt) deen dominant. (NB. this is not usually the case in defensive Jihad since one usually fights for victory or martyrdom not looking to implement the Islamic ruling system in such circumstances).

The divisions of Jihad

There are two divisions of Jihad:

i) Al-Jihad al-Mubadahah - Offensive Jihad

ii) Al-Jihad al-Dafa'ah- Defensive Jihad

However since linguistically the word Jihad connotes the exhaustion of effort it is found used within the Quran with different meanings e.g. Jihad of the Nafs etc.. When Allah (swt) describes fighting in Jihad He (swt) uses the word Qaatala and the one fighting those who fight him is called Muqaatil (Qatala is to murder and the murderer is called Qatil).

Imam Shafi said that the reason why we fight the kuffar (offensive Jihad) is because they reject our deen i.e. are at war with our deen. Imam Abu Hanifa on the other hand said that we fight the kuffar (offensive Jihad) because i) they fight us and ii) they reject our deen to be implemented.

The Evidence

The evidence for Defensive Jihad - Jihad al-Dafa'ah:

This is found in Surah Al-Tauba verse 36:

"And whosoever does any agression against you retaliate against them in the same manner but know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.".

"Wa Qaatilul Mushrikeena Qaafatan kamaa uqaatilunakum Kaafa. Waa'lamuu analaha ma'al mutaqeen".

It is reported in the Musnad of Imam Ahmed that Abu Sayed Al Kudri asked the Messenger Muhammad (saw) "What is agression?" and He (saw) said "When they fight you for your deen or for your wealth or for your life".

Imam Ahmed also reported that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) also said whoever dies defending his deen is a martyr, whoever dies defending his wealth is a martyr, whoever dies defending his homeland is a martyr".

The indication Qarina that it is an obligation to defend yourself is firstly that Allah (swt) connects the issue of fighting with that of Taqwa ("...Allah is with those who restrain themselves...") and secondly that retaliation is permitted here whereas the general rule for the Muslim is that he is not permitted to retaliate.