Peace and Blessings everyone
Today a troubling yet interesting conversation took place in our kitchen. I have paraphrased it since I don’t recall the exact wording.
Brother: Mom, you know the militants killed Pakistan’s top Surgeon. What a waste! Killing such an intelligent person like this.
Mom: He was in one of classes while I studied Medicine in Pakistan. He was always proved to be a helpful, resourceful and kind person.
Me: (shockingly look up from the stove where I was heating some water for my green tea)
Brother: Its Jihad mom. They will kill each other. They think they do it for God.
Mom: (sounding more hurt) Its not Jihad. Don’t link it to Islam like this.
Me: (swallowed a bit of disgust and repulsion I felt at brother’s comment while keeping quite in order to listen to the conversation)
Brother: That’s what they call it. Its their ideology. They think its Jihad. Differences between our and their ideology don’t matter. (I could smell the vomit of disgust that was welling up inside him)
Mom: Then stick with your ideology and don’t mix things up. This is not Jihad.
Me: Dude, man its not Jihad, already 
Brother: (very quiet; its as if he understood something amid all this confusion)
I wanted to say more. To go in more depth. Tell him what Islam teaches us about Jihad. But I couldn’t. What was the reason for my silence? Perhaps he was hurting and whatever I say won’t make much difference? Perhaps, I felt I won’t be able to communicate properly to him.
Taking a deep breath, I held in all the emotions, agony and pain. I left the kitchen in a hurry. Mom was hurt again. Brother felt confused and angry. I needed to think, to calm down. Everyone is hurt, I know that. What can I do to help out? Wait, Arzoo, what do you know about this situation. Who killed whom, why? So, I pulled up the article online.
Pakistan Surgeon General Killed
Posted Feb 25, 08 10:15 PM CST in World
Source: Associated Press
(newser) – Pakistan’s surgeon general was killed today by a suicide bomber who blew himself up at a busy intersection in the city of Rawalpindi. Lt. Gen. Mushtaq Ahmad Baig, his driver and his guard were killed, the Washington Post reports; Baig was the highest-ranking military officer to be killed in attacks by militants in recent years.. Five other people died, and 20 were injured. Three children’s aid workers were killed in a separate attack. • Yesterday a top Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, sent word that his group is prepared to negotiate with a new Pakistani government±— if President Pervez Musharraf is out of the equasion—to end hostilities. And if he’s not, the group theatened to escalate hostilities. “We want to make it clear to those politicians who are going to form the next government not to impose war on us, otherwise we will retaliate vigorously,” a spokesman said in an interview.”
Source: Pakistan Surgeon General Killed
I can’t quite say what my emotions are at this moment, after reading this. All I have is this odd need to type it all down and tell the world the truth. A part of me is asking me, mocking me almost, what good will it do huh? Perhaps having a fight on my hand will keep me occupied amid this hatred and confusion. Perhaps that’s all I need or perhaps I want something more. So today, I will fight for some clarity and understanding; just because I couldn’t stand the sadness in my mom’s gentle voice.
After doing a bit of reading, I found the following.
There are three kinds of Jihad in Islam.
1. With the heart (intentions or feelings),
2. With the hand (weapons, etc.),
3. With the tongue (speeches, etc., in the cause of Allah.)
Since I am not well versed in the fiqh of Jihad, I will quote from different articles from here on and add some annotations (in red):
It is well known how the Messenger (pbuh) was fighting (fighting here means telling them about the One God, stopping them from oppressing people etc. Here, jihad means fighting one’s inner self, fighting with one’s tongue and finally, if required, fighting physically. Continue reading to see how the first “physical Jihad” was allowed by God) against al-Mushrikeen(and all those who ascribe partners with Allah (s.w.t.) since Allah, the Most Respectful, the All Majestic (The One God) sent him and honored him with the Messengership till Allah caused him to die and selected for him what was with Him (Paradise and all that is good).
The Prophet (pbuh) used to visit the people in their gatherings during season days (Hajj and Umra) and other days (too). He used to go to their market places, recite the Qur’an, invite them to Allah, the Most Respectful, the All Majestic. He used to say, “Who will give me a safe shelter, and who will support me till I convey the Message of my Lord (Allah) then he will have Paradise.” But he would not find anyone to support him or to give him a safe shelter.
He (Prophet Muhammad pbuh ) carried on his mission of inviting people to Allah and persisted in (this) invitation for 13 years inspite of the harm and injuries (which he suffered), and he used to forgive the ignorant… in order that Allah’s Proof be established against them (disbelievers) and that His Promise be fulfilled to them (disbelievers) which He assured them with His Statement of the Quran:
And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning) (V. 17:15).
The people continued in their transgression, they did not take guidance from the manifest proof. The Quraish (people) oppressed and harmed all those who followed him (Muhammad pbuh) from his tribe, put them to trials and afflictions in order to keep them away from their religion (Islam), even to the extent that they exiled them from their homeland, some of them fled to Ethiopia, some went to Al-Madina while some remained patient ( at Makka ) in spite of the harm they received; by being imprisoned, made to suffer from hunger and thirst and by being beaten (in a horrible manner)… so much so that some of them were not able to sit straight from the severity (of the injuries) of the beatings.
They used to tie a rope around the neck of Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) and give the end of that rope in the hands of boys to play and drag him through the pathways of Makka …. And as to what Yasir’s family suffered from the torrnent was beyond what a normal human being can endure.
The Quraish (people) harmed Allah’s Messenger (Muhammad pbuh) (too), they besieged him in AshShi’b, once ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu’ait tried to strangle him and he kept on squeezing the Prophet’s clothes round his neck till the eyes of the Prophet pbuh bulged out, and Abu Bakr rushed at ‘Uqbah and released the Prophet pbuh from him and said, “Would you kill a man because he says: My Lord is Allah Ta’ala?”
Abu Jahl also tried to kill the Messenger (pbuh) while the latter was in prostration (bowing) praying in the al Masjid Al Haram, he carried a huge stone to throw it on the Prophet’s (pbuh) head. But when he (Abu Jahl) tried to throw it he turned on his heels full of fear and fright saying:”I am being prevented (going near) from Muhammad by a huge stallion camel intending to swallow me.” (God sent a vision to scare him off)
(So, this man, Mohammad preached the message of Oneness of God for thirteen years while he, his family, friends, relatives, well-wishers, followers were abused, tortured and ridiculed. I believe, they were all very patient and wise people.)
And when Allah, The Most Exalted, wanted to reveal His religion (Islam) and to fulfill His Promise and to make victorious His Prophet (pbuh) Allah, the Most High ordered him to emigrate to Al-Madina. So he stayed there and Allah supported him with His Victory and with His slaves, the faithful believers-the Islamic army unit composed of different sorts of people (black, white, and red). (Here the victory came from just preaching and talking about Islam, educating free minds and providing them answers as they sought to understand. The word slaves refers to the people who became muslims and vowed to spread the message of Islam like Mohammad did.) They strove hard for him with all their efforts, and preferred his love to the love of (their) fathers, offspring and wives.
Muhammad, upon him be peace, was closer to them (believers) than their own selves. The “(pagan) Arabs” and “Jews” both were against Mohammad had formed a united front against them (Muhammad pbuh and his followers) and had put up all their efforts of enmity, standing and fighting against them… and (in fact) they shouted against them from every corner. Then, at that time Allah permitted them (Muhammad pbuh and his followers) the (Jihad) fighting but He did not make it obligatory.
(Note, that the jihad against “pagan Arabs” and “Jews” was not due to their religious identity but it was allowed because they chose to oppress other people. And that is the basic reason for starting any form of “jihad”, to prevent against oppression of any sort. For instance, a Muslim woman who speaks out in a country that attempts to oppress her, is considered to be in a state of “jihad”.)
A verse of the Quran was then revealed:
Permission to fight is given to those (i.e. believers against disbelievers) who are fighting them (and) because they (believers) have been wronged, and surely Allah is Able to give them (believers) victory.
Those who have been expelled from their homes unjustly only because they said:”Our Lord is Allah.” (V.22:39,40).
(So, we see that God allowed an actual physical Jihad occurred only after 13 years of torture and oppression of the Muslims in Makkah. This is because God is Merciful. He wanted to give full chance to the people of Makkah to either accept Islam (after careful analysis and critique) or come to peaceful terms with the Muslims.
Remember that carrying out a physical Jihad, means following certain guidelines. See below.)
Source: Sahih Muslim
Caliph Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) gave to his army while sending her on the expedition to the Syrian borders is permeated with the noble spirit with which the war in Islam is permitted. He said:
“Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman. nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy’s flock. save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone”
Book 019, Number 4320, Sahih Muslim:
It is narrated by Ibn ‘Umar that a woman was found killed in one of these battles; so the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) forbade the killing of women and children.
Based on these rules, these suicide bombings violate the rule of Jihad as outlined in Islam since innocent (including children) were killed, bodies were disfigured, nature was harmed and a learned man capable of saving many lives was killed etc.
So, I have my answer. Jihad isn’t a bad thing. It’s self defense. Sometimes, one needs to defend oneself from the inner evil (self-jihad), other times one need to defend one’s viewpoint via education, discussion (jihad of the tongue, writing), yet other times one needs to act in self defense (physical jihad).
Tell me what would you do if someone killed your favorite uncle and chewed his heart just to mock you? Wouldn’t you want this murderer to go to hell, serve forever in jail, be killed in a car accident, burn in hell forever, etc. Guess what Prophet Mohammad did when this was done to his uncle. After the conquest of Makkah, the woman who chewed Mohammad’s uncle’s heart was brought to him as a prisoner of war. What did Mohammad do? Did he avenge his loving uncle’s death? Nay, he FORGAVE her right there, just like that. Yes, Jihad is only Jihad if the above ten guidelines are followed and obeyed; but don’t forget that Forgiveness Is Divine.
If you like, you may do further readings at the following sites:
Jihad. Written by Sister Shaheeda
Jihad in the Quran and Sunnah. Written by: Sheikh Abdullah
Kitab-ul-Jihad. Translation of Sahih Muslim, Book 19
So, people don’t grow Islamophobic or follow the media blindly when they go around labeling Muslims as terrorist or use the words “Islamic Jihad” out of context. Research the truth and stick to it inshaallah.
And Allah Knows Best. Signing off for today. Stay safe everyone.
Take care
