What the Islamic scriptures really say about jihad and violence.
For years Islamic terrorists have justified their actions
as being compelled by their faith. Osama Bin Laden
reportedly thanked Allah when he heard the news of
this week's attack. Other terrorist groups invoke Islam
as well. Hezbollah, the name of one militant group, is
the Arabic word for Party of God; Hamas is the
Islamic Resistance Movement.
Are the terrorists who cite the Qur'an distorting the
spirit of the religion or depicting its emphasis
accurately? Here are several of the Qur'an passages
most frequently cited, and analysis from Islamic
scholars.
On Jihad or "Holy War"
Chapter 2, verse 190: Fight in the cause of Allah
those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for
Allah loves not transgressors.
This portion of the Qur'an
was written in about 606
C.E., when the Prophet
Muhammad and his
followers were under attack
in the city of Medinah, says
Imam Yahya Hendi, a
Qur'anic scholar who is the
Muslim chaplain at
Georgetown University.
There, they had established
their own state. But various
coalitions of non-Muslim
tribes--including Christians,
Jews, atheists and
animists--continued to go to
war with them. This portion of
the Qur'an explains their
reasoning behind striking
back.
The passage actually refers
to a defensive war. "You fight
back. You go as far as it
takes to stop the aggression
but you do not go beyond
that. So if you have to, you go
as far as fighting verbally to
get someone out of your
home--but you don't shoot
him after he is out. You don't
keep going on with it--only if
you are attacked, if there is
an oppression applied to
you. The idea is that justice
prevails. You don't fight
because you enjoy fighting, but because there is an
oppression.
"It could be military force or [in today's world] it could
be media force, writing against you. But when the
hostilities are over and the enemy offers a peace
treaty, you should submit. Muslims are obliged to
submit to a peace treaty offered by the enemy. You
don't keep fighting."
Al-Hajj Talib 'Abdur-Rashid, imam of the Mosque of
Islamic Brotherhood in Harlem, says the word jihad
has its origin in the verb jahada which means to
struggle, to fight. The word has a few different
connotations, since struggle can occur on several
levels.
"Muslims understand these levels based not only on
the words of Allah in the Qur'an, but also on the
authentic statements of the Prophet Muhammad as
recorded in our oral traditions, preserved as hadith,"
he says. According to 'Abdur-Rashid, there are three
levels of jihad:
Personal Jihad: The most excellent jihad is that of the
soul. This jihad, called the Jihadun-Nafs, is the
intimate struggle to purify the soul of satanic
influence--both subtle and overt. It is the struggle to
cleanse one's spirit of sin. This is the most important
level of jihad.
Verbal Jihad: On another occasion, the Prophet said,
"The most excellent jihad is the speaking of truth in
the face of a tyrant." He encouraged raising one's
voice in the name of Allah on behalf of justice.
Physical Jihad: This is combat waged in defense of
Muslims against oppression and transgression by
the enemies of Allah, Islam and Muslims. We are
commanded by Allah to lead peaceful lives and not
transgress against anyone, but also to defend
ourselves against oppression by "fighting against
those who fight against us." This "jihad with the
hand" is the aspect of jihad that has been so
profoundly misunderstood in today's world.
Chapter 2, verse 256: Let there be no compulsion in
religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever
rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the
most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And
Allah heareth and knoweth all things.
This passage has been cited
to justify expelling
non-Muslims from Muslim
countries. But Imam Hendi
says that not only does the
Qur'an avoid any such
suggestion, it even prohibits
aggressive efforts to convert.
"No Muslim is allowed to go
out and force people to
become Muslim. In the early
days of Islam, Jews came to
Islam and had younger
children and asked
Muhammad if they could
force Islam on their children
because they are younger.
This verse [which was]
revealed to him says that
there can be no compulsion
on other religions. This is
very clear.
"I have had people come to
my office and say they
wanted to convert to Islam. I
talked to them and it turned
out they just weren't happy in
their own faiths. So I said, no,
go back to your own faith."
What's more, fundamentalist
Muslems seldom site the
passages of the Qur'an
which are quite religious
pluralistic. For instance,
chapter 2, verse 46, says: "And dispute ye not with the
People of the Book, except with means better (than
mere disputation), unless it be with those of them
who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, 'We believe in
the revelation which has come down to us and in that
which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is
one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).'"
People of the Book is the term Muslims use to refer
to Jews and Christians. "This is the most-viewed
verse in terms of how we talk to non-Muslims. We
have common ground between us and them," says
Imam Hendi.
On Martyrdom:
Chapter 3, verse 169: Think not of those who are
slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding
their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.
Chapter 3, verse 172: Of
those who answered the call
of Allah and the Messenger,
even after being wounded,
those who do right and refrain
from wrong have a great
reward."
Does Islam have a special
emphasis on martyrdom?
Those who believe so often
look at these verses. Imam
Hendi says there is, indeed,
a special place for those who
die in the service of God,
though that service needs to
be of a different sort than that
provided by terrorists.
"Suppose I'm on the pulpit
teaching and giving my
sermon," says Imam Hendi.
"If someone shoots me
because of what I'm saying
about God, the Qur'an says
I'm not really dead because
I'm with God. If I'm feeding
the poor, and calling for
justice, I can't be called dead.
My soul is alive and God
sustains me."
"If you are a teacher in a
school and you die while
teaching, you are a martyr. If
you die while doing a service
for people, you are a martyr. If
I am traveling on American Airlines 700 going to
London for a conference or to learn something, if that
plane, God forbid, crashes, I am a martyr. Travelers
for learning are martyrs.
So to claim martyr status, all terrorists have to do is
convince themselves that they are fighting for
"justice," which is, of course, highly subjective. "They
say that America is the leader of injustice worldwide
because of the embargo against Afghanistan, and
the thousands of people suffering in Iraq. Some
people think America has a double standard when it
comes to the Middle East and Israel. [Terrorists] think
if they hurt Americans, they serve the cause of justice.
They use these verses," says Imam Hendi.
But the Qur'an has just as many passages
describing how martyrdom cannot cause harm to
others. "The prophet Muhammad said, 'Do not attack
a temple a church, a synagogue. Do not bring a tree
or a plant down. Do not harm a horse or a camel. He
went on and on in detail about what Muslims cannot
do."
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