What is Jihad?
The Concept of Jihad
One of the words, frequently
used by the Western press is Jihad, which has been mistranslated
and inaccurately defined as "holy war." The term "holy
war," which has no counterpart in the Islamic glossary, was
coined in Europe during the Crusades. Unfortunately, such a term
has been used to attribute Jihad with an infamous meaning that
has no connection, whatsoever, to Jihad's true meaning. The
Arabic word Jihad, in the linguistic sense , means "striving"
or "struggling." Jihad in Islam is striving in the way
of Allah [God] by pen, tongue, hand, media and, if inevitable,
with arms. It is a central and broad Islamic concept that
includes struggle against evil inclinations within oneself,
struggle to improve the quality of life in society, struggle in
the battlefield for self-defense (e.g. - having a standing army
for national defense), or fighting against tyranny or oppression.
Nevertheless, it certainly is not the declaration of war against
other religions, nor does it involve forcing people of other
religions to become Muslims. The Quran clearly states: "Let
there be no compulsion (or coercion) in the religion (Islam). The
right direction is distinctly clear from error." (Sura
2, verse 256)
However, Islam does not exclude the use of force to curb evil, if
there is no other workable alternative. In Islam peaceful means
are sought first to resolve problems and conflicts. However, if
peaceful means are not attainable, then Islam does not forbid the
Muslims from defending themselves, their families, their
properties, and their religion, using force to lift oppression,
establish justice, and to be able to freely practice the Islamic
faith if they were persecuted and prevented from doing so
peacefully. Two of the verses revealed in the Quran in connection
with Jihad state: "Fight in the cause of God against
those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. Truly, God
likes not the transgressors .… And fight them on until there
is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and
faith in God; but if they cease, let there be no hostility except
to those who practice oppression " (Sura 2, verse 190,
193) Altogether, it must be stressed that Jihad does not allow
for unlimited and unrestricted use of force. Jihad is governed by
strict rules of combat which include prohibitions against harming
civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock.
Nowhere does Islam preach or incite the killing of innocent
unarmed civilians.
Islam's
Tolerance
As previously mentioned,
Islam does not compel or force people to become Muslims. Muslims
spread Islam by establishing justice and freeing people from
systems that were often times oppressive; and then people are
given the free choice of accepting Islam. A good examination of
the spread of Islam is given by the Christian missionary, Sir
Thomas W. Arnold, who says in his book, The Preaching of Islam,
A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith:
"...of any organized attempt to force the acceptance of
Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any systematic
persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear
nothing. Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action,
they might have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand
and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made
Protestantism penal in France, or the Jews were kept out of
England for 350 years. The Eastern Churches in Asia were entirely
cut off from communion with the rest of Christendom throughout
which no one would have been found to lift a finger on their
behalf, as heretical communions. So that the very survival of
these Churches to the present day is a strong proof of the
generally tolerant attitude of Mohammedan* governments towards
them."
For non-Muslims that have come under Muslim rule, tolerance and
religious freedom best describes the message of Islam throughout
history. The tolerance of Islam not only forbade persecution and
oppression to Muslims, but even to people of other faiths. Indeed,
tolerance was not acquired by Islam overtime; it was part of
Islam's divine message ever since its conception. In a message
sent to the Monks of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai, the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) said:
"This is a message written by Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, as a
covenant to those who adopt Christianity, far and near, we are
behind them. Verily, I defend them by myself, the servants, the
helpers, and my followers, because Christians are my citizens;
and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be
changed from their jobs, nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or
to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses. Should anyone
take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His
Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter
against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or
to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a
female Christian is married to a Muslim, this is not to take
place without her own wish. She is not to be prevented from going
to her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They
are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the
sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation is to disobey
this covenant till the Day of Judgement and the end of the world."
Islam's tolerance extends not only to Christians, but even to
other faiths; Muhammad (pbuh) "informed his companion Mu'az
Ibn Jabal, saying: No Jew is to be annoyed because of his Judaic
faith." Islam teaches Muslims to be kind in the treatment of
not only humans, but to be kind to animals, and all living things.
* This is a misnomer and should be substituted with the word "Islamic".