“I am convinced about the veracity of my opinions, but I do consider it likely that they may turn out to be incorrect. Likewise, I am convinced about the incorrectness of the views different from mine, but I do concede the possibility that they may turn out to be correct.” — Imam Shafa’i

 It may be recalled that the index ayah and the one preceding it in the Holy Text (the ayah discussed in the last session) and the one following it constitute the three ayahs^[3]
which gave, for the first time the right to Muslims to fight back the dis-believers.  The index ayah spells out the people who were given permission to fight and emphasises that the fight back was totally justified. Not only did it demonstrate the right of the fledgeling community to act for their own religion, it also defended the right of all other faiths by including the name of monasteries, churches and synagogues to follow their own creed. The young Muslim community was fighting for its very existence and for the principle of faith in one true God. They had equal rights to be in Makkah and worship in Ka’aba as did the non-believers. Alla’maa  Yousuf Ali remarks in his popular tafseer “It affected not the faith of one particular people. The principle involved was that of all worship, Jewish or Christian as well as Muslim, and of all foundations built for pious uses”.

The Quran has many key verses spread out all over advising about war and armed conflict.^[4]
These ayahs define the circumstances under which the Muslims are allowed to take up arms and dictate the reasons needed to do so; they contain specific commands and prohibitions during war and conflict. But, they are liable for some erroneously dangerous interpretations and repercussions for the community. Therefore they should be read and studied in depth with utmost care to draw the intended conclusions. It is important that they should be kept in their proper context and background. Who are being addressed in these ayahs and whether they can be applied in our times? At this point, Sayyid Nasser et al have coined, highlighted and stressed the “moral landscape of the Quran” very beautifully and aptly in their modern tafseer “the Quran Study. They maintain “The moral landscape of the Quran is unambiguously against religious persecution and military aggression and in favor of justice and forgiveness as well as restraint, and one cannot consider the rules and justifications for the use of force without consideration of the Quran’s general view of other religions and its overall social teachings”. Put in another way, the General and Basic Message of Islam and the Fundamental Quranic Ordinances should always be in the background when analyzing any ayah of the Quran.

The statement “”were it not that God repels some people by means of others” needs some elaboration. A similar announcement is seen elsewhere in the Quran”^[5]
(Part of the ayah):

“……..Were it not for Allah’s repelling the people by means of one another, the earth would surely have been corrupted; but Allah is gracious to the world’s creatures.”

It implies that arms have to rise for the freedom of religion, otherwise it and its places of worship will be destroyed as declared in the Quran “corruption would surely overwhelm the earth”. As a matter of fact, the Quran at another place not only permits, but directs Muslims to take up arms if religious freedom is in jeopardy, warning simultaneously against crossing the limits:^[6]  

“Hence, fight against them until there is no more oppression and all worship is devoted to God alone; but if they desist, then all hostility shall cease, save against those who [willfully] do wrong.”

And^[7]  (Part of the ayah)

“ ……..Hence, if they do not let you be, and do not offer you peace, and do not stay their hands, seize them and slay them whenever you come upon them: for it is against these that We have clearly empowered you [to make war].

“…the philosophy behind this command was that without armed resistance, no religion would have felt safe and their places of worship would have been destroyed by the infidels” declares Mufti Mohammed Shafi in his classical tafseer “Ma’aariful Quran”. He refers to Imam Abu Abdullah Al-Qurtubi, an Andalusian jurist, Islamic scholar and muhaddith as saying that the meaning of this verse is that if at different times the believers had not been permitted to fight the infidels, no true religion would have felt secure. On numerous occasions, during the periods of Sayyidna Moosa , Sayyidna Isa and the Holy Prophet the places of worship of their respective religions would have been destroyed. In other words, even though war is not desirable, it has always been permitted by God Almighty to avoid destruction of civilisation. It is being emphasised that the monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques are still standing for all to see because righteous people fought with their lives to secure and shield them. This, therefore explains and justifies the violent struggle of Muslims under the leadership of the Holy Prophet to gain access to God and HIS sanctuary. As Imam Ahsan Islahi has explained in his excellent tafseer Tadabbur ul Quran that God’s help always comes to those who stand up for what is right. God does not help those who, like the children of Israel, want God to win the field for them and give them the throne, then they will go and take over.

Maulana Maudoodi, in his outstanding tafseer “Tafheemul Quran” expresses a different interpretation of this segment of the ayah: “Allah does not let a group of people or a community have authority forever. Every now and then He repels one group by means of another. If this had not been the case, the permanent dominator would have created chaos not only in the political and economic spheres, but would have encroached upon the places of monasteries and churches and synagogues and mosques worship as well”.

The use of force and war in religion is a hotly controversial issue in our times specially in the background of the common notion about the Christian teaching to “turn the other cheek”. I therefore intend to quote some ayahs from the Quran outlining the Prophet’s mission; this in turn legitimizes and specifies the scope of fighting in the cause of religion:^[8]
  “BUT IF they turn away [from thee, O Prophet, know that] We have not sent thee to be their keeper: thou art not bound to do more than deliver the message [entrusted to thee]”. 

“So remind (preach), [O Muhammad]; you are only a reminder (preacher)—You are not over them a controller”.

“Whether We shall show thee (within thy life-time) part of what we promised them or take to ourselves thy soul (before it is all accomplished),- thy duty is to make (the Message) reach them: it is our part to call them to account.

“Hence, pay heed unto God, and pay heed unto the Apostle, and be ever on your guard [against evil]; and if you turn away, then know that Our Apostle’s only duty is a clear delivery of the message [entrusted to him]”.

And lastly

“There shall be no coercion in matters of faith. Distinct has now become the right way from [the way of] error…….” (Part of ayah)

It is thus evident from these ayahs that the main and only mission of the the Holy Prophet delivered through the Quran was to preach and propagate peacefully the appeal and invitation of  deen of God Almighty. He had the obligation and right to do just that. Armed force was the only choice, if the right to  follow and propagate one’s religion was denied violently.

A hadith of the Holy Prophet is problematical in this context and needs elaboration: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they bear witness that there is no god but God and Muhammad is God’s Messenger, perform the prayer, and pay the alms. When they have done this, their blood and property are safe from me, except by the right of Islam and their reckoning with God.” (Al Bukhari no. 25; Muslim. no. 138). Who are the “people” and why should they be fought are the obvious questions that come to mind; can this be regarded as permission to use force in Da’wah (missionary work). For the reasons mentioned in the last paragraph “The vast majority of the scholars of Quranic exegesis and Islamic Law have always held that the command to preach peacefully and to never coerce anyone in their choice of religion—a message found throughout the Quran—was never changed and continued to hold sway through the end of the Prophet’s life and after and still holds true today” say Sayyid Nasser er al in the Study Quran. The word “people” in the hadith is in reference to the the pagan Arabs involved in the deadly conflict with the Holy Prophet. This word does not have a general import. It should be noted that the word “to fight” (qātala) in Arabic means competing and contesting; it does not necessarily imply aggression. 

Another relevant issue that is debatable is the so-called “Sword Verse”:^[9]

  “And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful”.

The words and the tone sound very harsh and bitter to many in the 21^st century. Not so, if it is realized that these are uttered in the battle field and not in the streets of Madinah. Moreover, repeating what has been said earlier this command has to be understood with the general and Basic Message of Islam and the Fundamental Qur’anic Ordinances in the back ground i.e. this action has to follow when attacked by the adversary. 

The verse following next to this in the Quran adds a different context to its meaning and appears  to mitigate its bitterness:^[10]
   “And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah. Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know”.

According to this ayah Muslims are commanded to receive idolaters if they seek asylum, to preach the truth to them, and then to let them go safely. Note that no conditions are set to repent and convert. There is a scholarly opinion that this verse has been abrogated by the first. However, this is mostly rejected. Taken together, the two ayahs offer two options to the non-believers to avoid armed conflict with the Muslims: accept Islam or seek asylum. It should be added that traditionally these ayahs, as so many others applied only to Arabia and not the whole world

Abrogation has been  a controversial issue over the centuries, both in its definition and application. An estimate of the number of ayahs abrogated runs wild: one or five or many hundreds. Some jurists uphold the view that ayahs permitting the use of force effectively cancel the one’s that discourage it. It is a serious and extensive issue requiring a session for itself. May be next one, Insha Allah.

This struggle of Muslims against the non-believers can and is construed as helping God. Therefore the ayah declares HIS support for Muslims:  وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ And Allah will surely and definitely support those who support Him.

The ayah refers to “monasteries and churches and synagogues and mosques”. These are places of worship of true religions based on revelation. It excludes  the sacred places of the fire-worshiping Magians, or the idol-worshiping Hindus because they were not based on prophethood or revelation and therefore “at no time considered places deserving of respect”. 

The index ayah highlights three points: First, the purpose of force is ultimately the maintenance of religion and the remembrance of God’s Name in all houses of worship. Second, this protection is not limited to Muslims, but extends to churches, synagogues, and monasteries. Third, the use of force by Muslims is only justified as a defensive action in response to persecution and force uses against them.

The people referred to in the index ayah as “the ones who were expelled from their homes without any just reason” are again discussed from another angle in the next ayah in the Quran:^[11]
  “(They are) those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong: with God rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs.”

This ayah spells out definite religious undertakings and performance for Muslims. However, there emerges significant discrepancy and divergence in their applications on the ground. I am quoting here the opinion of the research scholar and mentor Javed Ahmed Ghamdi in his powerful tafseer Al Bayan on how to execute the instruction in this ayah “establish regular prayer and give regular charity”:  “According to the Sunnah established by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for establishing prayers at the government level, first of all, the leaders of the Muslims will arrange the prayers themselves and make their employees bound by it. Secondly, the address of Friday prayers and Eid prayers and their leadership will be done by these rulers everywhere and their appointed officials or any of their representatives will perform this service on their behalf. Similarly, the Sunnah regarding Zakat has established that this is the only tax that can be levied on Muslims. Therefore, every person among the Muslim citizens of the state on whom Zakat is levied must deduct a fixed share of his wealth, livestock and production from his capital and hand it over to the government. And the government along with its other commitments  will try to meet the needs of the deprived citizens, before they start complaining by reaching at their doorstep and attend to their grievances”.

As this ayah was  revealed soon after Hijrah, the Muslims did not have then any territorial suzerainty. 

This ayah can, therefore be considered as a  prediction by God Almighty that when in power this Muslim community will use it to promote good deeds, will set up prayers, pay the obligatory charity, enjoin people to do good and forbid evil deeds. This prophecy was completely played out for all to see in the reign of the rightly guided Caliphs. Sayyidna Uthman has reportedly said that this verse praises those people before they actually performed the praise-worthy deeds.        

As in many other situations in the Holy Text, the word الأَرضِ Al-Ard in this ayah specifically  refers to the land of Makkah, points out Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi in his great tafseer “Tadabbur al Quran”. The jihad , therefore mentioned in the present discussion is for the liberation and purification of this Holy Land. The Quraish had grossly deviated from the purposes for which Prophet Ibrahim had settled his descendants here. The ayah assures that if Muslims are given control of this land, they will restore these values.

This ayah is referring to a particular moment and situation in the Muslin history. But it is usually recognised that the general words and phrases of the Quran used for a given situation are applicable to all similar situations all the time. True. In this back ground, Mufti Mohammed Shafi says “that this verse contains an injunction for all those whom Allah Ta’aala grants power and authority to do all those things which the Four Caliphs did when they controlled the rule” on the basis of Imam Qurtubi quoting Dahhak, an Umayyad general and governor of Damascus. True again. But this understanding is open to very dangerous interpretations and applications.

 There is a segment in this ayah with very important recommendation and guidance for the followers of the Holy Quran. Unfortunately it is either supplanted by the popular trend among the educated “do not judge others” or misinterpreted by the emotional and volatile to swarm on Christmas or New Years Parties with long sticks destroying and wrecking any thing and every thing they can lay their hands on with total impunity. وَأَمَروا بِالمَعروفِ وَنَهَوا عَنِ المُنكَرِ i.e. enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, asserts the ayah. The research scholar and mentor Javed Ghamdi has offered two suggestions to correctly perceive the message of this short advice. First, the direction refers only to “those in your sphere of influence”; a father for his children, a teacher for his class, a CEO for his group etc. The ayah is not referring to all those around you; near or far and wide. Second, the verb أَمَروا additionally means counsel  and advice. Thus, a Muslim should avoid criticizing the actors and performers. But he must actively evaluate all the actions and performances to classify into  المَعروفِ universally acceptable and المُنكَرِ universally denounced and react accordingly when the situation arises. It should be emphasised that all this is not in reference to Shariah and its laws.; we are talking here of values respected across the humanity like honesty, corruption, valor, timidity etc. 

That this particular command can be very confusing, read what Imam Islahi, mentor of Ghamdi sahib has to say “Some naive people question that when the Qur’an allows the practice of the ma’roof, it means that every group and people of every nation are free to follow their own ma’roof. They should know that in the spheres of life in which God Himself and His Messenger have ordained the ma’roof and the munkar, no one has the right to deny these. However, the people of every nation and country are free to act on their own accord within the limits of Shariah.” I cannot get this one.

The ayah ends as وَلِلَّهِ عاقِبَةُ الأُمورِ  with God rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs. This was a very encouraging and uplifting message for the brave and beleaguered sahaabaas. They were assured that finally victory is theirs. 

What have we defined in this session about the role of war in Islam?:

1) In Makkah, Muslims were ordered “passive resistance”

2) Following the Hijrah, they were given permission for the first time to fight for their Faith?

3) They were commanded to fight against those that fight against them because of their faith, and drive them from their homelands.

4) As for those who did not fight against Muslims  on account of there faith, and neither drive them  from their homelands, Muslims were directed to show them kindness and to behave towards them with full equity:

5) This fight was for all worship, Jewish and Christian as well as Muslim

6)  The young Muslim community was fighting for its very existence and for the principle of faith in one true God  

7)  Were it not for this fight, all the places of worship were in danger

8)  God Almighty has strongly and definitely assured of HIS support and succor to the warrior in defense of HIS religion 

9).  Muslims have been commanded to establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid the wrong when in authority

10)  Finally, with God rests the end and decision of all affairs

Before I leave, here is the list of the ayahs which I think give a comprehensive idea of the approach of Quran on armed conflict and warfare. We have discussed all of these:

1) Surah Al-Hajj no. 22, Ayah 39-41

2) Surah Al Baqarah no. 2, Ayah 190-193 and 256

3) Surah Al Mumtahanah no. 60, Ayah 8-9

4) Surah Al Nisa no. 4, Ayah 91

5) Surah Al Tawbah no. 9, Ayah 5-6