Panakkadu Sayd Munavvarali Shihab Tangal
Here our reporter Samsudheen Vathiadth is in a deep conversation with Panakkadu Sayd Munavvarali Shihab Tangal a notable Muslim intellectual , Chairman All India Institute of Political Science ( AIIPS), and a popular leader from Kerala the South Indian State. He is the son of late Panakkadu Shihaabali Tangal a well known Indian Muslim leader.
His reactions are based on Saeed's case in Pakistan and the legal arguments by his learned counsel in the court. His answers are given as a stream of thoughts.]
Within Islam the term jihad refers to a large category of meanings. Today,
however, there are attempts to isolate this term to only one form of jihad to the
exclusion of all others. This includes a conception of jihad that at best refers only
to armed struggle, and at worst to a barbaric form of warfare that seeks to destroy
whatever peace may still remain in the world. This could not be farther from the
concept of jihad as understood by Muslims throughout history and the world over. For
Muslims, jihad is much more than armed struggle against an enemy from the outside for
it includes constant struggles within both oneself and one's own society. When jihad
actually does take the form of armed struggle, Muslims are aware that it can only be
done for the sake of a just cause.
Once, upon returning from a battle, the Prophet Muhammad said to his companions,
"We have returned from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad; the jihad of the
soul." Here the term jihad refers to the spiritual exercise of opposing the lower
self. This is referred to as the greater jihad since people spend their entire lives
struggling against the base desires within them that can harm both themselves and
those around them. In addition to these meanings, the term jihad refers to the defense
of a nation or a just cause. This is what jihad was legislated for, and it must be
differentiated from indiscriminate killing by the condition that it be "in the
way of God," meaning to struggle in self-defense, to alleviate tyranny, or to
prevent aggression. These are the characteristics that differentiate jihad from
killing, which is a crime. These characteristics that amount to "in the way of
God" are summed up in the Quran, "Fight in the way of God against those who
wage war against you, but do not commit aggression - for, verily, God does not love
aggressors," [Quran, 2:190]. This verse summarizes everything that has been
agreed upon concerning guidelines of warfare, including the first and second Geneva
Convention.
Suicide bomber is Unislamic
As for suicide bombing, Islam forbids suicide, it forbids the taking
of one's own life. In addition, Islam forbids aggression against others. Attacking
civilians, women, children, and the elderly by blowing oneself up is absolutely
forbidden in Islam. No excuse can be made for the crimes committed in New York, Spain,
and London, and anyone who tries to make excuses for these acts is ignorant of Islamic
law (shari'ah), and their excuses are a result of extremism and ignorance. (Ali
Gomaa - Grand Mufti of Egypt)
According to the Koran, war represents an "unwanted obligation" which
has to be absolutely carried out with strict observance of particular
humane and moral values and resorted only when it is inevitable.
In a verse, it is explained that those who start wars are the
disbelievers and that God does not approve wars:
…Each time they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it. They
rush about the earth corrupting it. Allah does not love corrupters.
(Surat al-Ma'ida: 64)
A closer examination of Prophet Muhammad's life reveals that war is a
method resorted for defensive purposes only in unavoidable situations.
The revelation of the Koran to Prophet Muhammad lasted for 23 years.
During the first 13 years of this period, Muslims lived as a minority
under a pagan rule in Mecca and faced much oppression. Many Muslims
were harassed, abused, tortured, and even murdered, their houses and
possessions were plundered. Despite this however, Muslims led their
lives without resorting to any violence and always called pagans to
peace.
Harun Yahya
Arabic Term Jihad is Misinterpreted
The Arabic term jihad, usually translated into European
languages as holy war, more on the basis of its juridical usage in Islam rather than
on its much more universal meaning in the Quran and Hadith, is derived from
the root jhd whose primary meaning is to strive or to exert oneself. Its
translation into holy war combined with the erroneous notion of Islam prevalent in the
West as the 'religion of the sword' has helped to eclipse its inner and spiritual
significance and to distort its connotation. Nor has the appearance upon the stage of
history during the past century and especially during the past few years of an array
of movements within the Islamic world often contending or even imposing each other and
using the word jihad or one of its derivative forms helped to make known the
full import of its traditional meaning which alone is of concern to us here. Instead
recent distortions and even total reversal of the meaning of jihad as
understood over the ages by Muslims have made it more difficult than ever before to
gain insight into this key religious and spiritual concept. (Seyyed Hossein
Nasr)
Contrary to common belief, the word "jihad" does not necessarily imply any
violent effort, let alone "war" and such instances of extreme violence. It
is a general term that can mean violent as well as peaceful actions, depending on the
context in which it is used, as we shall indeed see later. Similarly,
"jihad" as a generic word can be used even when the sought goals are not
Islamic, i.e. in non-religious contexts.
The Qur'an uses the verb of "jihad" in its generic meaning of
"exerting the best efforts against something" in the following two
verses:
And We have enjoined on man goodness to parents, but if they
jahadaka (do jihad against you) to make you associate [a god]
with Me, of which you have no knowledge [being a god], do not obey them. To Me is your
return [O people!], so I shall inform you of your past deeds (29.8).
And We have enjoined on man to be good to his parents; his mother bears him in
weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years; and that [you must] be
grateful to Me and to both your parents. To Me is the eventual coming (31.14). And if
they jahadaka (do jihad against you) to make you associate [a
god] with Me, of which you have no knowledge [being a god], do not obey them, but keep
company with them in this world kindly; and follow the way of he who turns to Me. Then
to Me is your [O people!] return, then I shall inform you of your past deeds
(31.15).
Jihad in the verses above refers to actions taken by non-Muslim parents against
their Muslim offspring to force them to worship other than Allah. This goal goes
against the message of Islam which teaches the oneness of God, Allah; obviously this
kind of jihad is not Islamic. The verses above also confirm the already mentioned fact
that jihad is not necessarily an act of violence.
It is worth noting that the verses above command the Muslims to remain kind and
caring toward their parents, but to resist any attempt by the latter to force them to
give up the Islamic tenet of monotheism in favor of some polytheistic belief.
"Jihad" in the Qur'an
Aside from its use of the term "jihad" in its generic meaning in the two
verses above, the Qur'an uses "jihad" in another twenty eight verses in a
specific meaning. In this case, the phrase "fi sabili
Allah", which means "in the way of Allah" or "for the sake of
Allah", either follows "jihad," or one of its derivatives, explicitly,
or is implied by the context. For reference, Appendix A lists all thirty
verses that mention the term "jihad" or any of its variations.
Contrary to the common belief that is embodied in the misinterpretation of
"jihad" as "holy war," Islamic jihad does not refer solely to
fighting in the way of Allah. This, in fact, is a special case of jihad. The Qur'anic
concept of jihad refers to exerting efforts, in the form of struggle against or
resistance to something, for the sake of Allah. This effort can be fighting back armed
aggression, but can also be resisting evil drives and desires in one's self. Even
donating money to the needy is a form of jihad, as it involves struggling against
one's selfishness and inner desire to keep one's money for one's own pleasures. Jihad
can, therefore, be subdivided into armed jihad and peaceful jihad. Armed jihad, which
is the subject of Chapter 4, is only temporary and is a response to armed aggression.
Once the aggression has ceased, armed jihad comes to an end. Armed jihad, thus, can
take place only when there is an aggressive, external enemy.
Causes of peaceful jihad, on the other hand, are always existent, which is why this
form of jihad is permanent. One major form of peaceful jihad is the war of the Muslim
against his "nafs," an Arabic term that may be translated as the
"lower self," and which refers to the individual's inferior drives and evil
motives. This most dangerous enemy never disappears, hence this war knows no end.
Qur'an preaches Patience
The other form of peaceful jihad involves every act of peaceful struggle undertaken
by the Muslim against external sources of evil. Preaching the message of Islam in a
hostile environment, opposing an evil act, and all such peaceful good actions are
instances of jihad because they involve some form of resistance and struggle to
achieve a good goal. For instance, the Prophet's patience at the accusations and abuse
that the disbelievers directed at him for preaching the Qur'an was peaceful jihad:
Therefore [O Muhammad!] be patient with what they say, and glorify your Lord by
praising Him before the rising of the sun and before its setting, and during hours of
the night do also glorify [Him], and during parts of the day, that you may be well
satisfied (20.130).
It is interesting to note how the terms "jihad" and "Islam"
relate to each other in Arabic and in the Qur'anic sense. Linguistically, the general
term "jihad," which refers to "struggle" and
"resistance," has almost exactly the opposite meaning of the general term
"Islam," which means "surrender" or "submission." The
Qur'anic "jihad," however, which is about resisting the lower self and other
sources and forms of evil, is the route that the individual must take to attain the
state of Qur'anic "Islam" or "submission to Allah."
Although Islamic jihad is a Qur'anic concept, the Qur'an, in reality, is rarely
consulted for understanding this concept. The widespread misunderstanding of jihad can
only be attributed to an endemic neglect of the Qur'an, not only by non-Muslims, but
by Muslims as well. The Qur'an has charged Muslims with the responsibility of
educating others about its message and disseminating its teachings. Unfortunately,
Muslims have had a big share in propagating the common misunderstanding that jihad is
all about violence. Many Muslims think that "jihad" means "holy
war." It is a sad but undeniable fact that many Muslims learn about Islamic
practices and concepts, such as jihad, from secondary, often unreliable, sources. It
is not uncommon even for cultural beliefs and narratives to be among those sources.
Those who misunderstands
Those who misunderstand the Qur'anic term jihad as armed
jihad only have totally failed to notice, among other things, this particularly
important fact: in the majority of verses in which the Qur'an talks about fighting the
enemy, it uses variations of the word "qital," which means
"fighting." Here are some examples, and we will encounter more later on:
And qatilu (fight) [O you who believe!] in the way of Allah,
and know that Allah is Hearing, Knowing (2.244).
Falyuqatil (then let) those who sell this world's life for the
hereafter (fight) in the way of Allah. And whoever yuqatil (fights) in
the way of Allah so he gets killed or turns victorious, We shall grant him a great
reward (4.74).
Faqatil (then fight) [O Muhammad!] in the way of Allah; you are not
held responsible but for yourself; and urge the believers [to fight]. May be Allah
will restrain the might of the disbelievers; and Allah is greatest in might and
greatest in punishment (4.84).
The term jihad actually refers to the more general concept of exerting efforts in
the way of Allah, of which fighting the enemy, or armed jihad, is only one aspect. In
Qur'anic terminology, it is wrong to equate the words "jihad" and
"qital," as this reduces a broad concept to a more specific
one.
Let's look at an example. The Qur'an refers in several verses to doing jihad with
"one's properties and self," i.e. sacrificing one's properties and self in
the cause of Islam, as in the following verse:
The believers are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, then do not doubt
[the verity of Islam], and jahadu (do jihad) with their
properties and selves in the way of Allah; those are the truthful (49.15).
It is simply wrong to suggest that the verb jahadu (do jihad)
in this verse is equivalent to the verb qatalu (fight). Doing
jihad with one's properties and self in the way of Allah covers every effort that the
person exerts to please Allah. Even when such efforts are in connection with a war,
they would include more than the act of fighting. In other words, jihad is more than
armed jihad, which itself is more than just fighting. Going to war means coping with
the fear of getting killed or seriously injured, overcoming concerns over the family
and properties that the person left behind, losing earnings for being out of work
during that time, and all such testing sacrifices. Braving the heat of the desert sun
when traveling to and from the battle field is one aspect of armed jihad that is
different from fighting itself:
Those who were left behind were glad to stay home and not join the Messenger of
Allah. They were averse to yujahidu (do jihad) with their
properties and selves, and said [to other Muslims]: "Do not go forth in the
heat." Say [O Muhammad!]: "The fire of hell is far hotter," if they
understand (9.81).
Qur'anic concept of jihad
The following verses make the point absolutely clear. They detail a
number of different forms of hardship involved in armed jihad; the act of fighting
itself is only one of those hardships:
It would not be fitting for the people of al-Madina and the Bedouin Arabs of
the neighborhood to stay home and not join the Messenger of Allah, nor should they
hold themselves back from doing what he wants them to do. That is because no thirst,
fatigue, or hunger in the way of Allah afflicts them; no path they tread which angers
the disbelievers; and no success they achieve against an enemy but a righteous deed
is written down for them on account of it. Surely, Allah does not waste the reward of
the doers of good (9.120). And they do not spend anything, small or great, or cut
across a valley but it is written down for them [as a credit], that Allah may reward
them according to the best of their past deeds (9.121).
Qital in the way of Allah is, thus, only one aspect of armed jihad. It is,
however, the most prominent aspect and the climax of that form of jihad, which is why
it is usually possible to use "qital in the way of Allah" and
"armed jihad" interchangeably. Armed jihad in turn is one of two forms of
jihad; the second is peaceful jihad.
So, one major aspect of the widespread misunderstanding of "jihad" is
reducing it to "fighting in the way of Allah." What has made this confusion
of "jihad" with "fighting" particularly disastrous is another
serious misunderstanding, which is that of the characteristics of Islamic fighting,
i.e. "fighting in the way of Allah." The erroneous view of the Qur'anic
concept of fighting in the way of Allah has been extended to the Qur'anic concept of
jihad. Thus, the "jihad" and "fighting in the
way of Allah" have both been distorted.