Islamic Methodologies Made Easy by Ehab Shawky - HTML preview

4. “The infidels should not think that they can get away from us. Prepare against them whatever arms and weaponry you can muster so that you may terrorize them.”

[The Qur’an (8:59)].

Islam deniers say that this verse is enough to accuse Islam of being the religion of terrorists. It orders its adherents to utilize whatever weaponry and arms to terrorize non-Muslims and it accuses them of being infidels.

Now let’s read the proper translation of the previous verse in its complete context in order to understand what it is actually saying. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“The worst creatures in the sight of Allah are those who reject Him and will not believe,

those with whom you have made a covenant, and they break their covenant on every

occasion and have no fear. Should you encounter them in war, then deal with them in

such a manner that those who follow them should abandon their schemes and may take

warning. And if you learn of treachery on the part of any people, throw their treaty

back at them, so as to be on equal terms, for Allah does not love the treacherous.

Let not the deniers [of Islam] think that they can evade destiny. They cannot frustrate

[Allah’s purpose]. They have not the power to do so. Prepare the strength you can muster against them, and any cavalry with which you can overawe Allah’s enemy, your own enemy, and others besides them whom you do not know but Allah knows. Anything you spend in the way of Allah will be repaid to you in full. You will not be wronged.

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Then if they inclined to make peace, make peace with them, and put your trust in Allah.

Surely, it is He who is All-Hearing and All-Knowing. Should they seek to deceive you,

Allah is enough for you: it was He who strengthened you with His help, and rallied the faithful around you, and bound their hearts together. Even if you had spent all that is on the earth, you could not have bound their hearts together, but Allah has bound them together. Surely, He is Mighty and Wise.” [The Qur’an (8:55-63)].

These verses—as obvious—are speaking about non-Muslim people with whom Muslims have a peace covenant but they betray it. The verses describe them as treacherous.

They make their schemes trying to abolish Islam and destroy the Muslim community neglecting their peace covenant. The verses do not order Muslims to wage war against those traitors, but they say that if Muslims encounter them in war, they should deal with them in such a way that would frighten others who follow those traitors and support their schemes. The verses order Muslims to prepare themselves and muster as much power as they can, so as to be ready to defend themselves against the attacks of those traitors.

They should muster this power to overawe their enemies, hinder them from betraying their pacts, and dishearten them from attacking Muslim lands. In other words, the verses are saying, “If you wish for peace, then prepare for war.”

Amazingly, Islam deniers neglect all of the preceding verses and trim out only verse (8:59) from between the context. But the worst forgery of all is when they neglect the two verses following the one they quote. The next two verses stipulate that if the above plan succeeds in forcing those enemies to incline towards peace again, then Muslims should accept it from them and put their trust in Allah to protect them against any further treason.

In my opinion, any person who has the least sense of justice should be able to realize how keen the verses are on the lives of those traitors, may they realize that they were wrong, and change their way. The Qur’anic context is clear, it doesn’t need elaborated explanation. Please read it again and decide for yourself whether this is a religion of terrorism or of justice.

5. “Truly, if the Hypocrites stir up sedition, if the agitators in the City do not desist, We shall urge you to go against them and set you over them. They shall have a curse on them. Whenever they are found, they shall be seized and slain without mercy a fierce slaughter—murdered, a horrible murdering.” [The Qur’an (33:60)].

Islam deniers say that this verse further proves that Islam is terrorism; it orders its blood thirsty adherents to kill their opposition in sadistic ways.

Now let’s read the proper translation of the previous verse in its complete context in order to understand what it is actually saying. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Those who affront believing men and believing women without their having deserved

it (i.e. done any wrong) shall bear the weight of slander and flagrant sin.

O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and wives of the believers that they should draw over themselves parts of their shawls [when in public], so as not to be recognized or harmed. Allah is most forgiving and most merciful. If the hypocrites and those who have tainted hearts and the scandal mongers of Madinah do not desist, We shall surely give you authority over them and their days in that city will be numbered.

Accursed, wherever they shall be, they will be seized and killed without mercy.

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Such has been Allah’s way with those who have gone before them. You shall find no change in the ways of Allah.” [The Qur’an (33:58-62)].

Hypocrisy is the gravest sin in Allah’s sight. Allah says in the Qur’an: “Verily hypocrites shall dwell in the lowest depths of the hellfire, and never will you find for them any helper.” [The Qur’an (4:145)]. That’s because the harm that could be inflicted by hypocrites on any community is the worst of all. The most lethal enemy is the one you can’t recognize or sense his presence. Those who stab people in the back are the lowest of the low. I believe that all people can agree on that.

The above verses are speaking about hypocrites who claimed to be Muslims or allies of Muslims during the prophet’s time. They mingled with the Muslim community in Madinah, some even prayed with Muslims inside the mosque and acted like sincere believers when in public, but in their private gatherings, they made schemes seeking to inflict as much harm as they can on the Muslim community. They spread harmful rumors, molested chaste women whenever the circumstances permitted them to do so; they threw abominable accusations against innocent men and women in order to smear their reputation. When Madinah fell under attack, they refused to fight in its defense; they even conspired with the enemies to strike a fatal blow to their Muslim fellow citizens, etc.

When the sedition of this fifth column became unbearable and took a dangerous course threatening the Muslim community, those verses were revealed ordering the prophet to tell all Muslim women that they should cover their faces when in public so that the hypocrites wouldn’t dare claim that there was any seduction from the women’s side.

That was also a way to hide all females’ identities and protect the prophet’s female house members from the hypocrites’ harassment. The verses also warned the hypocrites to desist from harming people or else they shall be driven out from Madinah, and Allah shall cast His curse upon them; wherever they would reside, they would be killed without any mercy by the dwellers of the new place who wouldn’t bear their twisted attitude and treachery.

Prophet Muhammad never harmed anyone of the Madinite hypocrites though he knew each and every one of them. Whenever he was incited against any of them, he said,

“I don’t want the people to say, ‘Muhammad is killing his companions.’”

Throughout the Qur’an, you can read many verses that speak about hypocrites and their schemes. They are always given grave warnings against their attitude and its consequences in this life and the hereafter. Hypocrites have no religion or creedal convictions of any kind; they are not even agnostics. They are slaves to their own desires and welfare. They don’t care at all about what or who is harmed in the process of achieving their goals. Such creatures are like a virus among the human race, it must be fought against and quarantined in order to avoid its harm. Then, if its harm continues, it must be abolished.

6. “We reject you. Hostility and hate have come between us forever, unless you believe in Allah only.” [The Qur’an (60:4)].

Islam deniers use this verse to indicate that Islam promulgates hatred and enmity against those who reject it.

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Now let’s read the proper translation of the previous verse in its complete context in order to understand what it is actually saying. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“O believers, do not take those who are enemies of Mine and of yours as allies. Would you show them affection when they have rejected the truth you have received, when they

have driven you and the Messenger out [from your homeland simply] because you

believe in Allah, your Lord. If you have left your homes to strive for My cause and out

of a desire to seek My goodwill, how can you secretly offer them friendship? I know all that you conceal and all that you reveal. Whoever of you does this will surely stray away

from the right path. If they gain ascendancy over you, they will behave towards you as

enemies and stretch out their hands as well as their tongues with evil intent, they long

for you to renounce your faith. Neither your relatives nor your children will be of any help to you on the Day of Resurrection. He will judge between you, and Allah sees all that you do. Indeed you have an excellent example in Abraham and those who followed him, when they said to their people, ‘We disown you and whatever you worship besides Allah.

We renounce you. Enmity and hatred shall endure between us and you, until you believe in Allah alone.’ [The exception was] when Abraham said to his father, ‘I shall indeed pray for [Allah’s] forgiveness for you, although I do not have it in my power to obtain anything from Allah on your behalf.’ They prayed, ‘O our Lord, in You we have placed our trust and to You we turn in repentance and to You is the final return. Our Lord, do not make us a prey for those who deny the truth, and forgive us our Lord, You are the Almighty, the Wise One.’ Surely, there is a good example in them for you, for those who place their hopes in Allah and the Last Day. Whoever turns away will surely learn that Allah is Self-sufficient and worthy of all praise. It may well happen that Allah will create

goodwill between you and those of them with whom you are now at enmity—for Allah

is all powerful, most forgiving and merciful. Allah does not forbid you as regards to

those who did not fight you on account of faith, and did not expel you from your homes,

that you deal justly and kindly with them. Verily Allah loves those who maintain justice.

Allah only forbids you to make friends with those who have fought against you on

account of your faith and driven you out of your homes or helped others to do so.

Any of you who turn towards them in friendship will truly be transgressors. ”

[The Qur’an (60:1-9)].

The above verses comprise the complete laws when it comes to taking friends and allies from among non-Muslims. This chapter was revealed with a certain incident, so let’s get to know it so that we may understand what the verses are saying. When Muslims immigrated to Madinah, some of them left their families behind knowing that the pagans wouldn’t inflict any harm on them; this was mainly because they still had some pagan relatives in Makkah. It happened that a companion named Hateb Ibn Belta‘ah—who was a sincere Muslim—immigrated to Madinah leaving behind his family in Makkah. Hateb was originally from Yemen, he had no relatives at all in Makkah. When the pagans violated the treaty of Hudaybeyah, the prophet decided to retrieve Makkah from their hands. Out of fear that the Makkan pagans might persecute his family when they learn about this, Hateb took allies secretly from among the Makkan pagans. He sent them word about the conquest out of fear that they might inflict harm on his helpless family or kill them. He only did this because he was sure that the prophet will be victorious no matter what the pagans do or how strong and well prepared they were.

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The archangel informed the prophet of Hateb’s mistake and that his letter was carried by a woman named so and so who was on her way to Makkah. The prophet immediately ordered ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Taleb and Al-Zubair Ibn Al-‘Awwam to pursue the caravan, arrest that woman and retrieve Hateb’s letter. When they brought back the letter and the prophet had it read to him, he summoned Hateb to confront him with it.

Hateb said, “I never did this to harm Islam or Muslims. I knew for sure that Allah will grant victory to His Prophet irrespective of whether the Makkans came to know about our preparations or not.”

‘Omar Ibn Al-Khattab was enraged and wanted to kill Hateb for this treason, but the prophet stopped him and said, “He has told you the truth.”

‘Omar couldn’t find Hateb’s answer convincing but the prophet responded saying,

“He attended the battle of Badr (i.e. indicating that he cannot be a hypocrite). What can I say, perhaps Allah looked at those who attended Badr and said, ‘O People of Badr, do whatever you want, I have forgiven you.’ ” [Recorded by Bukhari].

On hearing this, ‘Omar calmed down and said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.”

Hateb’s mistake was forgiven and it was at this incident that this chapter of the Qur’an was revealed. Any kind of alliance or friendship between Muslims and non-Muslims must be built on the basis of mutual respect and peace relationship. Any relation out of that perspective is unlawful. What’s truly disgusting in what Islam deniers do when they quote verse (60:4) is that they trim the first part of the verse and totally neglect the rest of the context, which states clearly that Allah does not hinder Muslims from dealing kindly

and fairly with those who do not fight against them or despise their religion, but He

only forbids them to befriend those who have fought against Muslims on account of

faith and have driven them out from their homes or helped others to do so. This makes me wonder, who is the one promoting “hatred” and who is the one promoting “accepting the other” in here?! I leave the answer for the intelligence of the reader.

I hope that the previous six examples were enough to make it clear that the Qur’an—like any other book—needs truthful inspection and examination in order to grasp fair knowledge about it. Reading a single quote from amidst its verses is totally misguiding—whether it’s done by Muslims or non-Muslims. Those fancy figures that attack it without any knowledge, and hinder others from reading it in a fair manner, are only driving themselves astray. Allah says about them in the Qur’an:

“Say, ‘O people of the Book (i.e. Christians and Jews), why do you reject the verses of Allah while Allah is witness to what you do?’ Say, ‘O people of the Book, why do you hinder the believers from the way of Allah, trying to create crookedness in it, while you yourselves are witnesses (to Allah's religion)? Allah is not oblivious of what you do.’ ”

[The Qur’an (3:98-99)].

May Allah guide us to the truth and never forsake us to our whims.

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4. Jihad, Fighting against Freedom or Fighting for Freedom?

Among the most controversial issues that most non-Muslims—even some contemporary Muslims—don’t properly understand about Islam is “The concept of Jihad.” It’s enough to stand amidst any group of people in any western country and say the word “Jihad” in a loud voice to make all people run away scared. I don’t blame them, especially with what we see happening every day in the news, whether in western or Arab and Muslim countries. I still remember from the days of my youth the terrorist attacks carried out by the Extremists—falsely called Jihadists—in my country; many bombs were planted in public places and hundreds of people were killed, mostly Muslims of course.

I remember that once they planted a bomb near a school’s fence to kill the policemen who used to sit inside their patrol car at that location; the end product was killing 2 children, 3 policemen, a civilian, besides wounding many pedestrians and some of the children who were playing near the fence. I remember my older brother’s narration of what happened when two terrorists jumped into the faculty of engineering, Cairo university, while escaping from the police forces, and how one of his colleagues received a bullet in his arm during the shooting that followed. Without further indulgence into these stories, I remember my own fear as a child from what these lost souls were doing and could do.

In my opinion, the best way to fight against those secret groups and their sick thoughts is by spreading the truth about “Jihad” as it was told in the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Accusing Islam of being the religion of terrorists couldn’t be more wrong, especially that the majority of those who are killed by extremist groups are Muslims. Extremists are not different from Islam deniers, both of them are doing their best to destroy the image of Islam with their twisted understandings. Simple Muslims always find themselves sandwiched between the seemingly two bitter enemies; they are the ones who pay the highest price. The widely spread scenario given by politicians and their supporting media makes Muslims the perfect meal for the awaiting bombs and bullets manufactured by “modern countries.”

In this chapter, I am going to tackle all of the Qur’anic verses that order Muslims to fight, the circumstances under which they were revealed, and finally, I’m going to discuss the concept of Jihad under the spotlight of the Qur’anic context and the prophetic teachings.

Between the 600 pages of the Qur’an, there are 7 locations—found in 5 chapters—in which Muslims were ordered to fight. Within these locations the rules and laws governing

“Combative Jihad” and defining it are well stated. Let’s read them in their complete context so that we may get to understand the concept of Jihad. The following historical background is necessary for understanding the Qur’anic injunctions related to Jihad.

Please read it carefully and try to comprehend the circumstances that surrounded the sequence of events.

When Prophet Muhammad started preaching Islam, those who embraced it were persecuted by the pagans of Makkah. A torture campaign was led by the Makkan leaders against those who were weak and didn’t have anyone to protect. Since that Islam preached equality and justice ever since the first day, slaves were the first ones to embrace it and were also the first ones to suffer greatly. Bodies were lashed, tied on the burning sands and left for days, heads and faces were branded with flaming swords, etc.

Many were mutilated or killed in the process.

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History books recorded several cases. One unforgettable story is that of the brave family of companion ‘Ammar Ibn Yaser. ‘Ammar alongside his parents were continuously tortured for several days. They were severely beaten, tied up on the burning sands, tossed over embers, lashed, etc. ‘Ammar’s mother, Lady Sumaiyah, was fatally bayoneted in her groin by Abu Jahl, one of the mightiest Makkan pagans. ‘Ammar’s father also died during the torture process. It was narrated that the pagans continued torturing Ammar after he had witnessed his parents’ murder, threatening to increase the means of torture unless he cursed Prophet Muhammad and recanted Islam. In a moment of weakness and inability to endure more pain, ‘Ammar yielded and recanted Islam. Later on, ‘Ammar went to the prophet and told him of what had happened. The prophet asked him about his heart, whether it was with or against the words he had uttered? ‘Ammar told the prophet that his heart was against them and that his faith never wavered. The prophet then consoled him and recited this verse from the Qur’an: “As for one who denies Allah after he has believed—with the exception of one who is forced to do so, while his heart rests securely in faith—him who opens his heart to denying the truth shall incur the wrath of Allah, such as these will have a terrible punishment.” [The Qur’an (16:106)].

The list of the men and women who were persecuted is too long. Some companions from among the notable figures of Makkah were also tortured and persecuted when they embraced Islam. ‘Othman Ibn Affan and Mus‘ab Ibn ‘Umayr, are two famous names of the most honored Makkans who endured persecution for embracing Islam. The prophet himself was attacked more than once beside the sacred mosque. Abu Bakr came to his rescue several times; consequently, he was once severely beaten by the pagans till he fell in a coma for a whole day. His relatives thought that he died. His wife reported that the first sentence he uttered when he woke up was, “How is the prophet?” and he insisted they would carry him to the prophet’s house to see him with his own eyes.

When the persecution campaign worsened and became unbearable, the prophet ordered those who were weak among the companions to escape to Abyssinia. He told them that he had heard of a king there who never wronged any of his subordinates. A group of 12

men and 4 women took shelter in the night and started their journey towards the red sea shore. They sought to catch any ship going to Abyssinia. Among the migrants were the prophet’s elder daughter Lady Ruqayah and her husband, companion ‘Othman Ibn Affan.

Later on, some false news reached Abyssinia implying that Makkans have all embraced Islam. Based on this information, most migrants returned to Makkah only to find that the news was false. Some of them escaped without entering Makkah, while others entered the holy city. After this, the persecution campaign became severer. Once again, the weak Muslims decided to escape to Abyssinia. This time 83 men and 18 women set out towards Abyssinia escaping with their lives. The pagans decided to ride out after them and kill them, but Allah helped Muslims reach Abyssinia safely. The pagans then decided to pursue the renegades and bring them back from Abyssinia. They dispatched a special delegation to Negus—king of Abyssinia—for this purpose. Without indulging into the details of their negotiations, the result of their meeting was that King Negus refused to extradite the Muslims to the pagans. He told the Muslims, “What your Prophet preaches and what Jesus preached before him seem to radiate from the same source.”

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The escape of those few Muslims from between the hands of the pagans enraged them, especially that the Muslims remaining in Makkah were protected through their relatives and clans. This made them think of a devilish plan, they decided to starve Muslims to death. They all signed an agreement to apply a complete boycott on Muslims, especially Prophet Muhammad’s clan “Banu-Hashim.” No business interactions, social relations, or verbal contact was to be conducted with them or their supporters. They stipulated that the prophet must be delivered to their hands to be executed so that the boycott would end.

The boycott continued for 3 years. During this period all of the food that Muslims ate was either smuggled to them by some compassionate Makkans, or they were able to buy it during the sacred months for double its price and more.

The prophet continued preaching Islam during the boycott. He seized every opportunity to preach to the Arabs coming from faraway places, and those who passed by Makkah for trade. When the conditions of Muslims worsened, some of their pagan relatives were enraged by what was happening and decided to call for putting an end to this outrageous boycott. Without indulging into the details of their plan, they succeeded in putting an end to the boycott and Muslims were saved again. Those who were old when the boycott started were severely weakened by the long starvation periods they had to endure.

Some of them died shortly after the boycott ended. Among them were the prophet’s most beloved wife, Lady Khadijah and his uncle, Abu Taleb.

After this, Prophet Muhammad started going out to preach Islam to the other Arab tribes.

He received a delegation from Madinah where they had heard of his teachings and decided to meet with him and declare their faith in what he preached. The prophet received them in the outskirts of Makkah and they testified between his hands that there is no god but Allah and that he was His messenger. The prophet dispatched his companion Mus‘ab Ibn

‘Umayr to Madinah in order to preach Islam there and deliver its teachings to new Muslims. As such, he was nicknamed ‘The first ambassador in Islam;’ his performance was brilliant. Later on, a much bigger delegation from Madinah came to declare their faith in Islam. Within a period of less than 3 years, the overwhelming majority of the native Madinites were already faithful Muslims. It was only then when the prophet P.B.U.H.

ordered all Muslims to immigrate to Madinah.

Realizing that such a collective immigration represented a huge threat to their society, some pagans imprisoned their Muslim relatives to prevent them from escaping to Madinah. Many Muslims immigrated secretly, leaving behind all of their wealth and possessions. The prophet P.B.U.H. was the last Muslim to immigrate with his friend Abu Bakr. He only left-behind his young cousin ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Taleb so that he would return the trusts that some pagans kept with Prophet Muhammad. This incident took place near the end of the 13th year of prophethood.

As soon as Muslims reached Madinah, the prophet led the process of building a civil state in which all people are equal, abiding by one law, and governed by a unanimously accepted constitution. He first established brotherhood between Muslims from the different tribes. Second, he gathered people from all faiths, Muslims, Jews and the native Madinite pagans on one constitution and under one banner, which was that of Madinah.

They agreed that they were all one nation, each party was free to profess its religion; if attacked by some foreign enemy, they would all contribute in defending Madinah; 249

all parties were to consult each other; mutual relations were to be founded on righteousness; any wronged party should be given aid by the other parties. Madinah was declared a sacred city for all those who were concerned with this constitution. If any dispute arose between the parties abiding by this constitution, Prophet Muhammad would be the one to judge between them. Finally, all those concerned with this constitution were to boycott Makkans commercially and abstain from extending any support to them.

That boycott sanction was for the crimes they had committed against Muslims.

When the Makkan pagans learned about the Muslims’ progress, they started planning to abolish Islam once and for all. In order to shake Madinah’s unity, they sent Muslims a note threatening to invade their new homeland. The Prophet received reliable information affirming that schemes were plotted by the enemies. Muslim scouts were dispatched to every road leading to Madinah, so as to warn the people from sudden attacks. It was only then that Muslims were permitted to fight back, and the very first verses of the Qur’an speaking about fighting were revealed. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Allah will surely defend the believers. Allah does not love the perfidious and the ungrateful. Permission to fight is granted to those who are attacked, because they have

been wronged — indeed Allah has the power to help them — they are those who have

been driven out of their homes unjustly, only because they said, ‘Our Lord is Allah.’

If Allah did not repel the aggression of some people by means of others, cloisters,

churches, synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is continuously

invoked, would surely be destroyed. Allah will surely help them who support His cause

— Allah is indeed powerful and mighty.” [The Qur’an (22:38-41)].

Ponder over this for a moment: Muslims lived in Makkah for 13 years enduring all sorts of persecution. They were subjected to torture, mutilation, killing, expulsion, beating, bullying, economic boycott, social boycott, starvation to death, and even getting chased after into faraway lands—all this without raising one finger in the faces of their persecutors, or receiving any permission to fight back. Finally, they were able to escape to a new place that embraced their faith, a place where they can live openly as Muslims and practice their religion freely without any harassment; but once again, they were threatened by their persecutors and war was forced upon them. Now I have a question for you, “Could this religion be one that incites violence?!”

The above verses hold the very first injunctions revealed in the Qur’an that speak about fighting or ‘Combative Jihad’:

1. Fight in self-defense.

2. Fight in defense of your home and country.

3. Fight against aggressors until there is no more compulsion in religion.

When Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. received those verses, he was 54 years old. Before this, he was never known to be such a warrior described by his companions to be the bravest amongst them all. Till he was 54 years old, he had led the most peaceful life.

Even when he was beaten and choked by the pagans, he never lifted a finger to defend himself. His companions as well, were mostly simple shepherds, farmers, caravan travelers and former slaves. None of them was ever known to have any military 250

experience whatsoever. Their utmost experience was in the usage of bows and arrows in hunting animals for food. Before immigration to Madinah, none of them ever participated in any battle, nor experienced what it meant to have swords clattering over his head.

It was their great faith in Allah’s victory that helped them remain steadfast in the faces of their enemies, that era’s tyrants, and all aggressors.

Fighting meant that Muslims needed to assemble an army. Every soldier must at least be equipped with a sword, armlets, a helmet and a light shield. A small battalion of experienced archers must be assembled and equipped with bows and arrows as well.

Muslims were extremely poor at that time; they couldn’t even afford to buy horses or lesser rides. Consequently, they took turns in riding above the available camels, and they slaughtered some of it for food. The immigrants left all of their possessions behind when they were escaping from Makkah. All of these possessions were confiscated by the pagans. Muslim merchants who were caught trying to immigrate, were forced to leave behind all of their money. After consulting with his companions, Prophet Muhammad decided to send scouts to the road which the Makkan commercial caravans took when they were returning from their trading trips. The scouts brought back news of a returning big caravan led by the Makkan leader Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb. The prophet decided that this was a suitable opportunity to retrieve some of the Muslims’ money that was taken unlawfully by the Makkan pagans. Consequently, Muslims rode out to seize the caravan and confiscate it. When the pagans learned about the Muslims’ plan from their scouts, they dispatched a quick rider to deliver the news to Abu Sufyan and advise him to take a different path to Makkah. Meanwhile, they assembled an army to meet Muslims outside Madinah and kill them all. This led to the “Battle of Badr,” which we have tackled in the previous chapter when discussing verse (8:12), p.240.

Our next stop is chapter 8 of the Qur’an. It was revealed in the 2nd year A.H.

It includes the second group of verses revealed with regards to fighting. This chapter was revealed after the battle of Badr; it’s a commemoration of the incident. It also holds very important injunctions concerning Combative Jihad in the following verses:

“Believers, when you meet in battle those who deny the truth, never turn your backs on

them: whoever turns his back on such an occasion, unless it be as a stratagem of war,

or in an endeavor to join another group [of the believers] will indeed draw down upon

himself the wrath of Allah, and Hell shall be his abode and the worst indeed is that

destination. ” [The Qur’an (8:15-16)].

Deserting the army in the battle field is a major sin in Islam. Merely turning your back to the enemy—except for a stratagem or giving aid to a weak battalion—is highly forbidden.

Grave warnings of the bad consequences of this action were given in the above verses.

This is not something that Islam came up with, it has always been the rule of any army that deserters are treated like traitors. Islam only confirmed that it’s an abominable deed in the sight of our creator, and gave grave warnings to its doer that his abode shall be in the hellfire.

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A few verses later, Allah says:

“Yet why should Allah not punish them when they debar people from the Sacred

Mosque, although they are not its guardians? Its rightful guardians are those who fear Allah, though most of the [deniers] do not realize it. Their prayer (i.e. the pagans) at the

Sacred House is nothing but whistling and clapping of hands. ‘So taste the punishment because of your denial’. Those who are bent on denying the truth are spending their

wealth in debarring others from the path of Allah. They will continue to spend it in this

way till, in the end, this spending will become a source of intense regret for them, and

then they will be overcome. And those who denied the truth will be gathered together in Hell. So that Allah may separate the bad from the good, He will heap the wicked one upon another and then cast them into Hell. These will surely be the losers. Tell those who deny the truth that if they desist, their past shall be forgiven, but if they persist in [fighting against you], then let them take an example from the fate of those who did the same before.

Fight them until there is no more [religious] persecution and religion belongs wholly

to Allah. If they desist, then surely Allah is watchful of what they do, but if they return

[to persecuting you], then know that Allah is your Protector, the Best of Protectors and

the Best of Helpers!” [The Qur’an (8:34-40)].

In these verses Allah is speaking about Makkah, the city that was established by Ishmael’s offspring around the sacred mosque, the sanctuary that was built by Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael and dedicated for worshipping Allah alone. This holy city was established originally to serve as a beacon of monotheism. Its dwellers were considered by all Arabs the custodians of the mosque. Later on, after many centuries, paganism started to appear in it at the hands of the merchants returning from Sham. Paganism pervaded Makkah until all of its citizens forsook the pure creed of Abraham and profaned the sacred mosque with their handmade idols. Their brethren from the other Arab tribes followed the custodians of the sacred mosque. They started putting their own idols near the sacred mosque as well.

In the season of pilgrimage, every tribe would pray to its idol. More than 360 idols were placed around the mosque, and an image of Abraham and Ishmael bowing down to an idol was drawn on one of the inside walls of the mosque. Within few centuries all of Hejaz turned to polytheism and forsook monotheism.

As stated earlier, when Prophet Muhammad started receiving the Qur’an and preached the pure creed of Abraham amidst the Arabs, they rejected it and persecuted those who embraced Islam. After the battle of Badr, Muslims were ordered to fight back the pagans until they free Makkah from their occupation, and until all worship inside the holy city is restored to monotheism. Reviving the pure creed of Abraham became the main religious duty of Muslims ever since. May Allah bestow His grace and mercy upon them as He bestowed it upon the earlier faithful believers; Amen.

In the above verses, glad tidings were given to Muslims informing them that although the pagans were much stronger and wealthier, their strength is nothing in front of Allah’s Might. Let them spend their money and use their resources in mustering all the powers they can; eventually, they shall be defeated, and Allah’s light shall shine forth from Makkah to reach the furthest places on earth.

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A few verses later, Allah says:

“Let not the deniers [of Islam] think that they can evade destiny. They cannot frustrate

[Allah’s purpose]. They have not the power to do so. Prepare the strength you can

muster against them, and any cavalry with which you can overawe Allah’s enemy and

your own enemy as well, and others besides them whom you do not know but are known

to Allah. Anything you spend in the way of Allah will be repaid to you in full. You will not be wronged. Then if they inclined to make peace, make peace with them, and put your

trust in Allah. Surely, it is He who is All-Hearing and All-Knowing. Should they seek

to deceive you, Allah is enough for you: it was He who strengthened you with His help, and rallied the faithful around you, and bound their hearts together. Even if you had spent all that is on the earth, you could not have bound their hearts together, but Allah has bound them together. Surely, He is Mighty and Wise.” [The Qur’an (8:59-63)].

These verses have already been tackled in the previous section. They were revealed at a time when there were less than 6,000 Muslims on earth, including women and children, and they were confined only in Madinah. Today, Arab Muslims comprise less than 20%

of the total number of Muslims all over the world. More than 1,700,000,000 Muslims live today on earth. Indonesia alone has 200 million Muslims, which equals 6 times the total number of Arabian Muslims. All Praises be to Allah, He is All-Capable over opening locked hearts for Islam. He is our Guide and Protector against all enemies and their schemes.

The above verses of chapter 8 hold the following injunctions:

1. Never desert the army or turn your back to the enemy unless for a stratagem or giving aid to weaker comrades.

2. Fight against aggressors until there is no more compulsion in religion.

3. Fight against the pagans until you retrieve Makkah from their hands.

4. Muster as much power as you can in order to dishearten your enemies from attacking you.

5. If your enemies incline to peace, accept it from them and put your trust in Allah, He shall help and protect you against their schemes and treason.

Our third stop is with chapter 4. It was revealed in the 3rd year A.H. It includes the third group of verses that was revealed and speaks about fighting. Allah says:

“Let those who would exchange [the pleasures of] this worldly life with those of the Hereafter, fight for the cause of Allah. Whoever fights for the cause of Allah, whether

he is killed or is victorious, to him We shall give a great reward. And how should you not fight for the cause of Allah: for the helpless old men, women, and children who say,

‘Deliver us, Lord, from this city of wrongdoers, grant us a protector out of Your grace

and grant us a supporter?’ The believers fight for the cause of Allah, while those who

reject faith fight for Satan. Then fight the allies of Satan, Satan’s scheming is truly weak.” [The Qur’an (4:74-76)].

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These verses are extremely important. They hold the definition of “Fighting for the cause of Allah” that many people don’t understand. I remember that I asked a sheikh once:

“How could Allah Almighty need someone to fight for Him?” My sheikh said,

“There is a huge difference between fighting for Allah and fighting for His cause.

His cause is achieving freedom for all people from the subjection of men, and teaching them righteousness.”

The above verses confirm this definition; they make it crystal clear that “Combative Jihad” is due on Muslims for those who are oppressed and cannot fight for themselves.

They also confirm that those who oppress people, deprive them the right to choose their own faith and practice it freely, occupy worship houses and prevent the people from entering them, etc., are the supporters of satan. Combative Jihad should be declared by sincere Muslim rulers upon those who commit such crimes. If Muslims were not strong enough to face those persecutors, the least they can do is to give as much political and logistic support as they can to those who are oppressed.

Those who are oppressed on account of their faith are not only Muslims, they are people from all faiths. Remember the verse quoted back a few pages: “If Allah did not repel the aggression of some people by means of others, cloisters, churches, synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is continuously invoked, would surely be destroyed. Allah will surely help them who support His cause. Allah is indeed powerful and mighty.” [The Qur’an (22:40-41)].

Putting the verses together one may instantly understand the previous definition.

Again: “Allah’s cause is achieving freedom for all people from the subjection of men, and teaching them righteousness.”

The above verses of chapter 4 hold the following injunctions:

1. Fight for those who are oppressed on account of faith, and cannot fight for themselves.

2. Fight against aggressors until there is no more compulsion in religion.

I hope that now the true meaning of “Jihad” is getting clearer in the mind of the reader.

Let’s move on to the next stop with the Qur’anic verses that order Muslims to fight.

Our fourth stop is with the largest chapter of the Qur’an, chapter 2. Its revelation began in the 1st year A.H. and lasted till the 10th year A.H. It includes the fourth group of verses that was revealed and speaks about fighting. Allah says:

“Fight in the cause of Allah against those who wage war against you, but do not commit

aggression, verily, Allah does not love aggressors. Kill them wherever you find them,

and drive them out from where they drove you out, for [religious] persecution is worse

than killing. Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there.

If they do fight you, kill them, such is the retribution of those who deny the truth.

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But if they desist, then verily Allah is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. Fight them

until there is no more religious persecution and religion belongs to Allah alone. If they

desist, then let there be no hostility, except towards the aggressors. A sacred month for

a sacred month: violation of sanctity calls for fair retribution. Thus you may exact

retribution from whoever transgresses against you, in proportion to his transgression.

Fear God and know that God is with those who are mindful of Him. Spend for Allah’s

cause and do not cast yourselves into destruction by your own hands. Do good, Allah

loves the doers of good.” [The Qur’an (2:190-194)].

In the 6th year A.H., the prophet P.B.U.H. and 1400 of his companions were on their way to Makkah, seeking to perform minor pilgrimage at the sacred Mosque. Muslims had already fought several battles against the Makkan pagans at that time, they were victorious in all of them except the “Battle of ‘Uhud.” The situation was hazardous and many of the Bedouins who embraced Islam refused to accompany the prophet; they said that the prophet was leading the Muslims into a death trap. Many people said that the prophet and his companions would all be killed by the pagans before even reaching the sacred city.

This incident occurred in the sacred months that were still honored by some of the pagans.

Ever since Prophet Abraham P.B.U.H. and his son Ishmael, Arabs have inherited the custom that any kind of fighting or bloodshed was forbidden in these 4 months, not even in the least sense. Muslims were counting on this. They anticipated that the pagans wouldn’t attack them. They assumed the state of Ihram (i.e. ritual consecration), and setout seeking to perform the minor pilgrimage in the sacred city like all Arab tribes did. On approaching the outskirts of Makkah, the prophet sent scouts to bring him news about the pagans. When they returned, they told him that the pagans had already prepared their army and camped in the way to Makkah at a place called Baldah. When Muslims learned about this, they were troubled for they didn’t come to fight.

Makkah was the homeland of the prophet and most of those who were accompanying him. Every one of them left in it a house, relatives and friends, even the most precious memories. It was their land exactly like any of the Makkan pagans who drove them out, and at that moment, were lurking to prevent them from entering it. They had even mustered enough power to kill them all in a few minutes. This was one of the hardest moments in the lives of these 1400 men, and a true test of faith. After the prophet consulted his companions, they all pledged their allegiance to fight under the prophet’s banner against the tyrant pagans till the last one of them.

On the next day when the prophet and his companions resumed their journey towards Makkah, something very strange happened, the prophet’s she-camel kneeled down and didn’t to getup. When the companions tried to force it rise, it refused. The prophet then stopped them and said, “Let her be; she is ordered not to move.” He ordered all Muslims to return to the place of their previous camp. Thereafter, he dispatched a deputy to the pagans to inform them that they didn’t come to fight, and that they want to perform the minor pilgrimage and leave. This entailed sending deputies from both sides several times until both parties agreed on signing a peace treaty known in history books as

“Al-Hudaybeyah treaty.” The treaty stipulated that Muslims should return to Madinah and perform the minor pilgrimage the next year at the same time. A peace period of 10 years was agreed upon by both parties and their allies from all Arab tribes.

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Without indulging into the huge details and incidents surrounding this treaty, in the 7th year A.H., when Muslims were going to perform the compensatory minor pilgrimage, the companions were afraid that the pagans might betray their pact and attack them while being unprepared. They all resented the idea of fighting in the sacred months or fighting inside the sacred city. It was in this incident that the above verses were revealed to the prophet telling him and his companions what to do if they were attacked.

The above verses of chapter 2 hold the following injunctions:

1. Fight in self-defense those who attack you.

2. Never transgress the limits and attack those who do not attack you, nor do they fight.

3. Fight those who occupy your homeland and kill them wherever you find them until you drive them out and retrieve your homeland from their hands.

4. Fight against aggressors until there is no more compulsion in religion.

5. Never fight in or near the sacred mosque unless attacked there.

6. Never fight in the sacred months unless attacked during them.

7. Spend part of your income in preparing your army or your enemy shall destroy you.

Muslims performed the compensatory minor pilgrimage safely and returned to Madinah. The 10 years truce gave Muslims the perfect opportunity to preach Islam safely.

Many pagans had the chance to think calmly about the teachings of Islam and compare them to the pagan faith, and the results were amazing. Thousands of pagans embraced Islam during the first year, among them were two of the most clever army generals in the Islamic history; namely, Khaled Ibn Al-Walid and ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘As. Arabs from all over the Arabian Peninsula visited Madinah and met the prophet. Within two years, the number of Muslims exceeded 20,000 adult men and women.

Meanwhile, the prophet started sending emissaries to the surrounding empires inviting them to Islam and conveying its message to their rulers. The world of that day was formed of empires that ruled most people and fought against each other. Emperors and kings were concentrating on their military powers; consequently, they avoided any internal disorder by oppressing their people and always seeking to unify them on one religion. Religion is truly the opium of people if it was built upon blind faith and not reason. Let’s take a simplified overview on the empires and monarchies of that time.

First, the Roman Empire: They were mostly Christians in the Trinitarian form.

After the council of Nicaea (324 A.D.), anyone who dared declare to have any different beliefs was condemned as a heretic and sentenced to be burned at the stake. Millions of people who dared question the church at these times were killed in the most terrible ways.

The inquisitions continued until the 19th century at some places. Of course, the priests who supervised over these crimes were regarded by their people as ‘MEN OF GOD;’

consequently, they were not questioned for their deeds. John Davenport described this period in the following words:

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“After the death of Christ, there were two distinct and successive versions of His doctrines, to which the name of Christianity was given, the first, introduced by the authority of the Apostles, Paul and John, the second by that of Constantino. This emperor, who, from political motives exclusively, had embraced Christianity, but who, on account of his cruelty, has justly been called a second Nero, presided over the famous Council of Nicaea, commonly called Nice, in A.D. 324, in which the doctrine of Christ's divinity was, for the first time, established. Regarding the ceaseless, bloody and unprofitable religious disputes in which the lives of thousands of Christians were sacrificed and the most unexampled cruelty exercised, by those who ought to have lived like brothers and friends, St. Hilary, who lived at the time—viz., the fourth century — was Bishop of Poictiers, and one of the early fathers of the Church, expresses his regret, disapproval and condemnation in these words:

‘It is a thing, equally deplorable and dangerous, that there are as many creeds as opinions among men, as many doctrines as inclinations, and as many sources of blasphemy as there are faults among us, because we make creeds arbitrarily, and explain them as arbitrarily. Every year, nay, every moon, we make new creeds to describe the invisible mysteries. We repent of what we have done, we defend those who repent, we anathematize those whom we defended. We condemn either the doctrine of others in ourselves, or our own in that of others, and reciprocally tearing one another to pieces, we have been the cause of each other's ruin.’

It was at the Council of Nicaea that Constantine invested the priesthood with that power whence flowed the most disastrous consequences, as the following summary will show: the massacres and devastations of nine mad crusades of Christians against unoffending Turks, during nearly two hundred years, in which many millions of human beings perished , the massacres of the Anabaptists , the massacres of the Lutherans and Papists, from the Rhine to the extremities of the North , the massacres of St. Bartholomew in France, and forty years more of other massacres between the time of Francis I and the entry of Henry IV. into Paris, the massacres of the Inquisition (According to the estimate of Llorente, who wrote the history of the Inquisition, the aggregate number of victims burnt from 1481 to 1808 was 34,024) which are more execrable still as being judicially committed, to say nothing of the innumerable schisms, and twenty years of popes against popes, bishops against bishops, the poisonings, assassinations, the cruel rapines and insolent pretensions of more than a dozen popes, who far exceeded a Nero or a Caligula in every species of crime, vice and wickedness, and lastly, to conclude this frightful list, the massacre of twelve millions of the inhabitants of the new world, executed Crucifix in hand.” [An apology for Mohammad and the Koran, 1882]

Second, the Persian Empire: They were mostly Zoroastrians (aka Magians). It was

“Ardashir I” (180-242 A.D.) who restored Zoroastrianism in Persia. He established it as the official religion of the state and built fire temples everywhere. He ordered the sacred fire to be lit on the altars and employed Zoroastrian priests to maintain it. He ordered the priests to collect the teachings of Zoroaster into one book, which he later imposed upon his subjects.

In his book, “Seven great monarchies of the ancient eastern world,” George Eawlinson, professor of ancient history in the University of Oxford described this period as follows:

“It was necessary, in order to secure permanent uniformity of belief, to give to the Magian priesthood, the keepers and interpreters of the sacred book, very extensive powers.

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The Magian hierarchy was therefore associated with the monarch in the government and administration of the State. It was declared that the altar and the throne were inseparable,

and must always sustain each other. The Magi were made to form the great council of the nation. While they lent their support to the crown, the crown upheld them against all impugners, and enforced by pains and penalties their decisions. Persecution was adopted and asserted as a principle of action without any disguise. By an edict of Artaxerxes (i.e.

Ardashir I) , all places of worship were closed except the temples of the fire worshippers.”

Many persecution campaigns were adopted against anyone who dared speak against Zoroastrianism or tried to preach any other faith. King “Shapur II” (309-379 A.D.) killed the Christian Archbishop “Shemon” for complaining from the high taxes imposed upon Christians. Shapur closed the churches and confiscated the ecclesiastical property.

He gave his Christian subjects the choice of converting to Zoroastrianism or being put to death. Thousands of Christian civilians were killed during his reign for refusing to convert to Zoroastrianism.

Later on, King Isdigerd (399-419 A.D.) was convinced of Christianity and he was baptized. Unlike what you may think, this didn’t change anything. Persecution continued but it was time for Magians to suffer instead of Christians. This continued until one of the Christian bishops seized the opportunity of this honeymoon and planned the destruction and burning down of the Magian great temple in his city. When this backfired at Isdigerd, he permitted the Magians to avenge themselves. The end product was a persecution campaign that continued for 5 years in which thousands of Christians were killed or tortured to death. Isdigerd didn’t find this sufficient, he tried to extirpate Christianity from Armenia but he failed. The religious subjection practiced by the Persian kings continued and never receded.

The other small kingdoms weren’t any better. For example in Armenia, after King Tiridates (287-330 A.D.) converted from paganism to Christianity, he enforced Christianity upon his subjects by the sword. Thousands from those who refused Christianity from his subjects were killed. Consequently, secret societies were formed and they allied themselves with foreign enemies against the Christian rulers. After a lengthy reign of 56 years, Tiridate died leaving behind a weak heir who was driven into exile by the nobles who were still secretly pagans, and the Christian priests were slaughtered.

Without indulging into the historical bloody feud, it’s enough to say that the era that preceded Islam was disgusting; people everywhere suffered from the terrible subjection by their rulers. Freedom of thought, freedom of belief, or the freedom to preach anything other than what the rulers imposed upon their subjects were things forbidden.

The Roman and Persian empires fought against each other pursuing a dominion that was never achieved. The remaining scattered smaller kingdoms in Sham, Iraq, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain and Egypt were all subjected by the two empires. Iraq, Oman, Bahrain and Yemen were subordinates to Persia. The citizens were either pagans or Magians. Egypt, Sham and the African coast were subordinates to Rome. The people of Sham and Egypt were a combination of Unitarian and Trinitarian Christians. Some of them were Judeo-Christians, while others embraced the Pauline form of Christianity. Many Egyptians followed the teachings of “Arius,” the former presbyter of Alexandria who was forced to exile for ten years then killed after his famous debates in the first council of Nicaea.

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Besides those sects, there were the remaining scattered Jewish tribes who have abandoned the application of Allah’s laws, even before Jesus and John the Baptist P.B.U.T. Many of these tribes dwelled in Arabia, mainly in Dedan, Tema, Madinah and the valley of the villages. Finally, there were the Arabs who dwelled all over the Arabian Peninsula, mainly in Hejaz, they were mostly polytheists and pagans; some individuals were still “Hanifs”

following the pure creed of Abraham, and few were Christians. Any observer of the world’s situation would instantly know that mankind was in need for help and guidance.

The inhabited world back then was connected through land, and Arabia was its heart.

As a huge mountainous hot Sahara, it never attracted the invasion of great empires.

This kept it a calm place proportionally, and made it the perfect place for one final message from the Creator to all mankind. A message of liberation and equality, a message containing the final law which people need in order to live rightly, and return back to the pure creed of all prophets; a massage that could end the use of people as subjects for greedy rulers and make them realize that they are all servants to their Creator, and to Him alone they should direct their obedience and sincerity.

After embracing Islam, and having their hearts soaked with its teachings, a new nation evolved: a nation that knows consultation and hates autocracy, a nation dominated by social justice and knows not casteism, a nation in which all people are equal and there is no place for racism or arrogance. Taking into account all of the previous conditions, the prophet’s approach was to start by inviting the kings and rulers to Islam first; if they accept it, then this saves a lot of people from persecution. If they decline and refuse, then logically this means that they won’t allow Islam to spread inside their countries. We have already told the story behind the battle of Mu’tah in which the Muslim emissary was beheaded merely for carrying an invitation to Islam. This incident is a clear example for the political situation of those days.

It is totally true that Islam refused the dogmas of all other faiths, and criticized the wrong ideas and teachings that were never recorded in an authenticated manner. Islam also denied the claim that those dogmas were preached by any of the prophets. For instance the Qur’an totally refuses associating any partner to Allah or saying that He took a son; it refuses any embodiment of Allah or comparing Him to any creature; it refuses attributing any sort of immoralities to the prophets, and describes them as infallible righteous persons. In this manner, the Qur’an is crystal clear in conveying to its reader why it was sent as the final testament to mankind. Nonetheless, the Qur’an never allowed any sort of persecution against people of other faiths or any compulsion in religion.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“The believers (i.e. Muslims), the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabaeans— all those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and do good deeds—will be rewarded by their Lord, they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.” [The Qur’an (2:62)].

“Say [O Muslims]: ‘We believe in Allah, and that which has been send down to us (i.e.

teachings of Islam), and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another of them: And to Him (i.e. Allah) we have submitted (in Islam)’.” [The Qur’an (2:136)].

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“We have sent down the Qur’an as clear evidence, and surely Allah guides whom He wills. Allah will judge between the believers, the Jews, the Sabaeans, the Christians, the Magians and the polytheists on the Judgment day. Surely Allah is witness to everything.”

[The Qur’an (22:16-17)].

Muslims viewed Islam as a message of justice and freedom for all people; consequently, they were ready to undergo all sorts of hazards and submit any sacrifices for its prevalence. It was reported that one of the Persian commanders asked the Muslim emissary disdainfully: “Who are you people?” The Bedouin companion whose name was

“Reb‘i Ibn ‘Amer” responded saying, “We are a group of people who rose to free all people from worshipping the creatures to worshipping the Creator alone, and from the narrowness of this worldly life to the vastness of this life and the hereafter, and from the injustices of distorted religions to the justice of Islam.” Some people may take this answer lightly, but those who know history won’t.

The kingdoms surrounding Arabia at that time were:

 Abyssinia (Ethiopia), ruled by King Negus.

 Bahrain, ruled by Al-Mundhir Ibn Sawi. It was occupied by Persia.

 ‘Oman, ruled by Ja’far Ibn Al-Julanda and his minister and brother ‘Abd. It was occupied by Persia.

 Yemen, ruled by King Bazan. It was occupied by Persia.

 Iraq, it was divided into several governorates like: Walaja – Ullais – Heira – Daumat Al-jandal – Ain Al-Tamr and many other governorates. It was occupied by the Persians who instated the rulers of these governorates from among their allies.

 Sham, it was divided into several governorates like: Damascus – Busra – Balqa’ –

Ma’an – Darum – Ilya and many other governorates. It was occupied by the Romans who instated the rulers of these governorates from among their allies.

 Egypt, ruled by Juraij son of Matthew, known as Muqawqas. It was occupied by the Romans.

All of the countries surrounding Arabia at that time were occupied by either the Persians or the Romans except Abyssinia. Prophet Muhammad sent his emissaries to all kings, emperors and governors of the above places and more. Their reception of his invitation to Islam varied according to their knowledge and culture. Those who were Christians were the closest to accept Prophet Muhammad’s invitation to Islam. This was not the case with the kings only, but also with the people themselves. This was a confirmation to how Allah described the Christians of that day where He says: “You will find that the bitterest in their enmity to the believers are the Jews and the polytheists, while, the nearest in affection to them are those who say, ‘We are Christians.’ That is because there are priests and monks among them, and they are not arrogant.” [The Qur’an (5:82)].

 King Negus of Abyssinia was a Christian very well known of his piety and justice.

Before the advent of Islam, people used to say, “There is a king in Abyssinia at whose court no one is wronged or unjustly treated.” He learned about Prophet Muhammad from the companions who escaped from Makkah seeking his refuge from the pagans’

persecution. He questioned them about Islam and the teachings of the Qur’an. When they recited to him the chapter titled “Mary,” Islam entered his heart and he said, 260

“What Jesus taught and what you just recited, surely have radiated from the same source, I testify that your apostle is the messenger Jesus promised would come, and he is the one mentioned for us in the Gospel. If I weren't responsible for managing the affairs of my people, I would have traveled to him, followed him, and even would have carried his footwear.” Hence, King Negus was already a Muslim even before the prophet sent him any messages at all. After he received the prophet’s invitation to Islam, he embraced it and sent an Abyssinian delegation to Madinah to learn about Islam directly from the prophet. When King Negus died, the prophet P.B.U.H. told his companions, “Your brother at Abyssinia died,” and then he took them outdoors, made them stand in ranks, and prayed for king Negus in absentia. By all means, Negus was a just pious king, he was not self-conceited by his rank or glory.

 Al-Mundhir Ibn Sawi, the Governor of Bahrain, also accepted Islam. Following the Qur’anic injunctions, he didn’t enforce Islam upon his people but sent a message to the prophet asking him what to do? The prophet replied saying: “Whoever accepts admonition, does it for his own good, and whoever follows my messengers and acts according to their guidance, he, in fact, accepts my own advice. My messengers have highly praised your character. I hold you the mediator of your people. Give the new Muslims full chance to preach their religion, know that I pardon the offences of the offenders; therefore, you should also forgive them. And as long as you shall reform, we shall never replace you. As for the people of Bahrain, whoever prefers to keep his faith, let him be, but he should pay the Jizyah.”

Here a very important question must erupt in the reader’s mind: “Why should those who refuse Islam pay a fine? Those are free citizens inside their own country, they should be free to do whatever they want. The application of Jizyah only signifies that Islam is not any different from other false unjust religions.”

In order to answer this question, let’s follow the sequence of the historical events, and get to know what exactly Jizyah means. In the famous biography of the prophet “The Sealed Nectar,” the first time Jizyah was mentioned was in the previous occasion. When the governor of Bahrain accepted Islam and agreed to be an official ally to Muslims, this meant that he must expect an attack from the Persians who would try to subjugate Bahrain again. Bahrain was an important Persian port ever since Ardashir I sacked it during his reign. Hence, Muslims were compelled to prepare for war. Those who refused Islam from the people of Bahrain refused also to fight alongside Muslims; consequently, Muslims bore the burden of defending themselves and their fellow citizens who were still too fainthearted to fight against the Persians. Bahrain lived under the Persian occupation for more than 400 years. Although the people of Bahrain were suffering from religious and political subjection, and high taxes were imposed upon the Christian citizens ever since Shapur II, non-Muslims refused to fight for their own liberation. Muslims never blamed those people for refusing Islam or even refusing to fight by their side against the tyrant empires of that day, they only demanded a financial contribution to prepare an army that can fight. This financial contribution was named “Jizyah.” Linguistically, Jizyah means compensation or requital, some scholars like to call it the defense tax. Based on the logistics of that day, every foot soldier needed an outfit comprising at least a sword, a shield, armguards and a helmet. The cost of these 4 items was evaluated to be round 12 dirhams. The dirham of that day was a silver coin weighing approximately 3.5 grams.

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Besides the previous, the minimum cost of a horse or a camel was approximately 40

dirhams. Consequently, the amount of Jizyah was calculated as follows: On annual basis, every rich man should pay 48 dirhams, every middle class man should pay 24 dirhams, and every solvent man should pay 12 dirhams. Women, old men, boys under 15 years of age, monks, poor men, ill men, blind men, crippled men and mad men, were all exempted from paying Jizyah. The defense of all those categories was the responsibility of the Muslim army without any requital. In case of failing to defend the city and its people, all of the Jizyah gathered must be returned to their payers without any deductions as was ordered by the prophet P.B.U.H. This actually happened when Muslims retreated from some cities in Sham after freeing them from the Roman occupation. They had to abandon those cities in order to assemble a big army capable of fighting against Heraclius’s huge army at Yarmouk. It was recorded that the Christian Arabs who lived in those cities were overwhelmed by this act of honesty. Jizyah was not taken from those who agreed to fight for their countries alongside Muslims. It was not demanded from the Jews of Madinah for instance because they agreed to fight if Madinah fell under attack. Unfortunately, they betrayed their pact later on. Either way, this proves that non-Muslim citizens have the choice to join the army in defense of their countries, or else, they should pay a proper requital for preparing the soldiers who would do so.

It should be mentioned here that adult Muslims—males and females—who lived in the same cities were obliged to pay “Zakah.” Islam teaches that all fortunes and wealth belong to Allah, He bestows them upon whom He wills. Hence, the wealth that some of us possess is a trust from Allah. Zakah is one of the 5 main obligatory deeds in Islam.

It is a kind of charity imposed upon all capable Muslims. Zakah linguistically means both

“Purify and Flourish.” So our possessions are purified by giving out a predetermined share to the needy, and for reforming the society in general. Some scholars compare it to pruning plants, this cutting back, balances and encourages new growth. Out of his or her possessions, every Muslim pays 2.5% of the assets that has completed a whole year under one’s possession. This excludes daily used items necessary for one’s life (i.e. houses, clothes, cars, animals which people ride, etc.). Zakah is calculated and paid for money savings, owned cattle, horses, sheep and camels, raised crops, gold and silver. For each of the previous there is a minimum magnitude below which the owner pays no Zakah except out of his or her own freewill. The reference minimum-magnitude for Zakah is 85

grams of gold. Zakah helps in redistributing the wealth of the society and eliminates poverty. Therefore, Muslims actually paid more money than non-Muslims who lived with them and they also fought for their countries. During the reign of Caliph ‘Omar Ibn Abd El-Aziz, Muslims were wealthy and capable of defending their fellow non-Muslim citizens without any need to gather the Jizyah, so ‘Omar ordered that gathering the Jizyah from non-Muslims should be stopped.

About this, Sir Thomas W. Arnold says in his book, “The Preaching of Islam”:

“....From the examples given above of the toleration extended towards the Christian Arabs by the victorious Muslims of the first century of the Hijrah and continued by succeeding generations, we may surely infer that those Christian tribes that did embrace Islam, did so of their own choice and free will. The Christian Arabs of the present day, dwelling in the midst of a Muhammadan population, are a living testimony of this toleration.” [The Preaching of Islam, P.51].

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“....but this Jizyah was too moderate to constitute a burden, seeing that it released them from the compulsory military service that was incumbent on their Muslim fellow-subjects.” [The Preaching of Islam, P.59].

“This tax was not imposed on the Christians, as some would have us think, as a penalty for their refusal to accept the Muslim faith, but was paid by them in common with the other ‘Thimmis’ or non-Muslim subjects of the state whose religion precluded them from serving in the army, in return for the protection secured for them by the arms of the Muslims.” [The Preaching of Islam, P.60-61].

Back to the reactions towards the prophet’s invitations to Islam:

 Ja‘far Ibn Al-Julanda, king of ‘Oman, also accepted Islam after consulting with his minister and brother ‘Abed. They spent several days thinking and directing their questions about Islam to the prophet’s emissary, until finally, they embraced Islam.

 Muqawqas, the Roman’s steward in Egypt, demanded more time to think. Although Muqawqas was an Egyptian and the Copts hated the Romans who had been oppressing them for 6 centuries; nonetheless, his thoughts about Islam were those of a king who was afraid to lose his kingdom.

 Al-Harith Ibn Abi Shamir Al-Ghassani, King of Damascus and an ally of the Romans, declared that he would fight against Muslims. He ordered the Muslim emissary to return and tell the prophet that he declares a state of war against Madinah.

Later on, when his cousin, Shurahbil Ibn ‘Amr Al-Ghassani the governor of Balqa’, caught the prophet’s emissary to the governor of Busra, he had him beheaded.

This led to the battle of Mu’tah, which was discussed earlier in this text. Thereafter, the Muslims’ struggle against the Romans’ tyranny and their Arab allies ensued.

 Chosroes, king of Persia, was enraged and he tore the letter saying, “A menial slave from among my subjects dares to write his name before mine.” When the emissary reported this to the prophet P.B.U.H., he said, “May Allah tear down his kingdom.”

Chosroes dictated a command to his viceroy in Yemen to send a couple of troopers to arrest the prophet and bring him to his presence. The viceroy, whose name was

“Bazan,” sent two strong soldiers to Madinah to arrest the prophet. When they reached Madinah and met the prophet, they told him that Chosroes has written a message to Bazan ordering him to dispatch someone to arrest Muhammad and bring him to his presence; otherwise, the Persians would destroy Madinah. The prophet told them to return the next day concealing from them what he learned through divine revelation about Chosroes and the rebellion against him. The next day, when they returned to the prophet, he informed them that Chosroes had been murdered by his own son who has taken over the throne. They were stunned and said, “Do you understand what you’re saying? The king has harbored malice against you for what’s less! Do you want us to send him a message telling him what you just said?”

The prophet answered, “Yes. Tell him about me and inform him that my religion shall reach every place Chosroes reached, and will reach where all soles and hoofs have reached. Tell him that if he embraces Islam, I shall keep him the ruler of his people.”

The soldiers hurried back to Bazan at Yemen and reported to him what has been said.

A while later, a message came to Bazan informing him that “Sherweh” has taken over the throne of his father, and ordering him to halt any procedures against the Prophet of Arabia till further notice. That was the story of Bazan, and how he and his soldiers believed in Prophet Muhammad. Not long after that, Yemenites embraced Islam, all praises be to Allah.

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 Heraclius, the Roman emperor, seemed to know through his analysis of the old scriptures that there was a prophet still to come. The Muslim emissary reported that Heraclius showed some inclination towards accepting Islam first, but when his ministers and consultants refused, he declined and decided to fight against the rising power in Arabia. This led to an arduous struggle that continued for centuries.

The previous reactions towards the prophet’s messages made it crystal clear that the two major empires would never allow a new power to rise amidst their lands. This meant that war was incumbent upon Muslims. Consequently, this period witnessed a lot of intelligence work. Scouts and spies were sent from both sides to gather information and make preparations.

Near the end of the 8th year A.H., the pagans violated Al-Hudaybeyah treaty.

A tribe named Banu-Bakr from among the allies of the Makkan pagans attacked and killed a dozen or more men and women from among a tribe named Khuza‘ah, which was among the allies of Muslims. These two tribes had an old murderous struggle in the past, but they both agreed on Al-Hudaybeyah treaty. Although the people of Khuza‘ah were pagans themselves, they trusted Prophet Muhammad to respect the treaty more than they trusted the Makkan pagans. When their people were killed inside Makkah, they resorted to the prophet seeking justice. When the Makkan pagans learned that Khuza‘ah sought Prophet Muhammad’s rescue, they were troubled. Realizing the dangerous consequences that appeared on the horizon, the Makkan leader Abu Sufyan traveled to Madinah seeking to meet the prophet and apologize for what happened, may he accept to consider the treaty valid, but Muslims refused. In the next month, Prophet Muhammad rode out towards Makkah leading 10,000 of the companions. It was time to retrieve Makkah from the hands of those criminals who do not even respect the sanctity of Allah’s sacred mosque.

Without indulging into the details, the Makkan pagans didn’t show much resistance.

The prophet entered Makkah without even taking his sword out of its scabbard.

On entering, he showed great modesty. He ordered his companions to show leniency and to assure Makkans that no harm was going to befall them. When he reached the sacred mosque, he started breaking the idols placed around the mosque and his companions did the same. The prophet prayed inside the mosque, and then called upon all people to attend.

He gave a brief speech glorifying Allah and stipulated that all people are equal; hence, all pre-Islamic customs of taking pride in ancestry should be forsaken. He stipulated that all people are Adam’s progeny and Adam was created from earth. He recited the verse that says, “O mankind, We have created you from males and females, and dispersed you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest among you in Allah’s sight are those who are most pious. Verily Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”

[The Qur’an (49:13)]. Thereafter, the prophet asked the Makkan pagans, “O people of Quraysh, what is it that you think I’m going to do to you?”

They responded saying, “You have always been a noble brother and the son of a noble brother.” In Arabic this answer is a quick short expression used to describe a person descending from a lineage known of its piety and great morals.

The prophet then said, “I can’t but say what Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Let there be no reproach against you today.’ Go your way, you’re all free. ”

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After this, the Islamic call for prayers was raised inside the sacred mosque, and Muslims worshipped Allah freely in Makkah without any fear for the first time. Although they had spent days traveling from Madinah to Makkah under the burning sun, they didn’t sleep or rest; they spent the night inside the sanctum of the sacred mosque reciting the Qur’an, praying, praising Allah for His grace and asking His acceptance for their good deeds.

When Hind Bint-‘Utbah, the wife of Abu Sufyan, saw this, she said to her husband,

“I want to pay homage to Muhammad.”

Abu Sufyan said, “Do you forsake your faith (i.e. idolatry)?”

She said in awe, “I swear I never saw any god being worshipped rightly in this mosque before this day. O I swear that they stayed all night praying, bowing and prostrating.”

After that day, the Makkan pagans started embracing Islam in huge groups willingly, and for the past 1400 years, the Islamic call for prayers has been raised 5 times every day in Makkah declaring that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.

Muslims have since traveled from everywhere to seclude themselves for worship in the valley of Bakkah without the least fear on themselves. What a magnificent triumph, but above all, what a magnificent strife.

Our fifth and last stop is with chapter 9 of the Qur’an. Its revelation took place in the 9th year A.H.—14 months after retrieving Makkah. It includes several verses that speak about fighting. Allah says:

“This is a declaration of immunity from Allah and His Messenger to the polytheists,

with whom you had made agreements: Travel in the land (i.e. Makkah) for four

months, but know that you cannot frustrate the plan of Allah and that Allah will surely

disgrace those who deny the truth. This is a proclamation from Allah and His

Messenger to the people on the day of the Pilgrimage, that Allah repudiates the

polytheists, and so does His Messenger. If you repent, it will be better for you, but if

you turn away, then know that you cannot frustrate Allah’s plan. Announce a grievous

punishment to those who are bent on denying the truth. As for those who have honored

the treaty you made with them and who have not supported anyone against you: fulfill

your agreement with them to the end of their term. Allah loves those who are righteous.

When the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists [who are at war with you]

wherever you find them. Take them as captives, and besiege them, and wait for them at

every place of ambush. But if they repent, and take to prayer regularly and pay the

alms, then let them go their way. Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. If any of the

polytheists seeks your refuge, grant it to him so that he may hear the words of Allah,

then accompany him to his place of safety. That is because they are people who have

no knowledge. How can the polytheists have a pact with Allah and His Messenger,

except for those with whom you entered into a treaty at the Sacred Mosque? As long as

they act uprightly towards you, act uprightly towards them. Allah loves those who are

righteous. How [can there be a pact] while if they get the upper hand over you, they will respect neither kinship nor pact. They [try to] please you with their tongues but their hearts reject you; most of them are perfidious. They have sold Allah’s revelations for a paltry price, and barred others from His path. How evil is what they have been doing!

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Where believers are concerned, they respect no tie of kinship or pact. They are people who transgress the limits. If they repent and keep up their prayers and pay the alms, then they are your brethren in faith. We make Our messages clear for people who are willing to learn. But if they break their oath after pledging it and revile your religion, then fight

the leaders of unbelief, for they have no regard for their oaths, may they then desist.

Will you not fight against those who have broken their oaths and conspired to banish

the Messenger? They were the first to attack you. Do you fear them? Surely Allah is

more deserving of your fear, if you are true believers. Fight them: Allah will punish

them at your hands, and will disgrace them. He will grant you victory over them and

heal the hearts of the faithful, He will remove the rage from their hearts. Allah will turn in His mercy to whom He wills. Allah is All Knowing and Most Wise. Do you [believers]

think that you will be spared before Allah identifies which of you have struggled and did not take anyone for friends and protectors except Him, His Messenger, and the believers?

Allah is fully aware of all your actions. It is not right that polytheists maintain

[polytheistic worships] at Allah’s worship places while they confess that they are

unbelievers. It is they whose works shall come to nothing and they shall abide in Hell.”

[The Qur’an (9:1-17)].

After retrieving Makkah, the remaining pagan Arab tribes who were allies with Quraysh realized that Muslims were getting stronger by the day; they decided to direct a fatal blow to Muslims. They unified their leadership and decided to attack Muslims in Makkah.

When the news reached the prophet, he rode out to meet that army away from the sacred city. At a place called Hunayn, the two armies met and Muslims were granted victory after a fierce battle. Later on, Muslim emissaries were dispatched all over Arabia calling all Arabs to Islam and explaining to them its teachings. The news of Islam gaining a wider base in the sacred city made many Arabs incline towards accepting it. News about this was conveyed to the Roman leadership and their native allies in Sham; consequently, they decided to attack Hejaz, and started preparing a big army to invade Arabia.

Information about the Roman preparations reached the prophet and his companions in Madinah. The Nabatean merchants coming from Sham brought the news with them; they informed their Arab brethren in Madinah that the native Ghassanide tribes in Sham have decided to join Heraclius’s army, and that the Roman army comprised more than 40,000

soldiers. ‘Omar Ibn Al-Khattab narrated this incident to some of his companions saying:

“I used to take turn in attending the prophet’s assembly with one of my friends; later on, each one of us informed the other of what happened during his absence. We both lived near the borders of Madinah so we took turns in calling upon the Prophet during that time of suspense. One day, my friend came knocking at my door hysterically saying,

‘Open up! Open up!’ I opened the door hurriedly and asked, ‘What’s the matter?

Have the Ghassanides come?’ But my friend said, ‘No, it’s more serious than that.

The prophet has divorced his wives!’ ” [Recorded by Bukhari].

Without indulging into the story of the prophet and his wives for this is not the place for it, this narration reports to us the state of alertness and anxiety Muslims were living in during those days. Moreover, the hypocrites were conspiring with the enemy to stab their Muslim fellow citizens in their back during the invasion. Based on the previous, the prophet decided to ride out towards the borders and meet the Roman army there.

The main purpose was to protect the country and the sacred places from any invasion.

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It was summer time and the long trip to the north without having enough provisions could have killed most of the soldiers. Preparing an army fit to meet the Romans at that time was an extremely hard task, this is why Muslims called this army “The arduous-times army.” When news of the Muslims’ army reached the Romans, they realized that their scheme was smitten in its cradle: they won’t be able to besiege Muslims inside their cities; the hypocrites who stayed behind won’t be able to help them anymore; the open land would give Muslims the opportunity to drag the Romans deep into the Arabian desert, which could cause the Roman army to perish. This meant that the Arabs could then invade Sham without any difficulty. Consequently, Heraclius called his army to quarters.

Although the two armies never met in the battle field, this incident landed so heavily on the hopes of the hypocrites and their allies. The group of hypocrites who refused to ride out with the prophet was now known to all Muslims; their schemes were scandalized.

The chief of the hypocrites ‘Abdullah Ibn Salul died out of depression and spite.

More pagans in Arabia and the surrounding kingdoms were amazed by the huge triumphs Muslims were achieving one after another. They started wondering, are these victorious gallants the same ones who started out as a bunch of slaves and shepherds, and were tortured and starved in Makkah 20 years ago?!

This incident took place in the second half of the 9th year A.H. When the prophet’s army returned to Madinah, some Muslims expressed their will to perform pilgrimage.

The prophet P.B.U.H. told them to prepare themselves and he dispatched Abu Bakr as the leader of the pilgrims’ delegation. After the delegation left Madinah, the prophet received the above verses. The verses were addressing the Arab tribes who have betrayed their peace pact with the prophet. They are ordering Muslims to announce to those traitors that they can travel to Makkah freely for another four months, after this period, let them know that they shall be dealt with as hostile enemies. If they try to approach Makkah, then they expose themselves to be killed on spot. Muslims shall guard all roads leading to the sacred city, they shall besiege and capture whomever they find lurking to approach the place.

The verses order Muslims not to harm those who embrace Islam from among the treacherous tribes. This is because Islam teaches that embracing it wipes away all past sins no matter how grievous they were. This is why Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. said,

“I was ordered to fight the people until they bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that I’m His messenger, and until they perform the prayers and pay Zakah. If they do so, then they have gained protection against me for their lives and property, unless they do acts that are punishable in accordance with Islam, and their reckoning will be with Allah the Almighty.” [Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim]. Unlike what some Muslims understand from this tradition, the expression “the people” is not indefinite, it’s referring to the treacherous Arab tribes and the Makkan pagans who have betrayed their pact before. They all used to perform pilgrimage to Makkah and practice their invented polytheistic rituals. The above verses are speaking about them. This is why, after those people embraced Islam in multitudes, Prophet Muhammad received the chapter that says:

“When Allah’s help and victory has come, and you see the people entering Allah’s

religion in multitudes, then glorify your Lord with His praise and seek His forgiveness.

He always accepts repentance.” [The Qur’an (110)]. “The people” referred to in the mentioned tradition and those verses are the same sect intended.

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As for the pagans who didn’t betray their pact with the prophet, the verses order Muslims to fulfill their agreement with them. The verses also order Muslims that if any pagan from among the treacherous tribes seeks the refuge of a Muslim, the Muslim should grant it to him and help him return to his homeland; maybe on hearing the recital of the Qur’an, he will think and rectify his idea about Islam.

Then the verses continue dispraising the treacherous attitude of these tribes, and orders Muslims not to show them any leniency: they had betrayed their pact; they prepared a massive attack on Makkah; they don’t respect the sanctity of the mosque built by their great grandfather Abraham; they banished the prophet and tried to kill him, and they respect neither a covenant nor a pledge. The verses ask Muslims in disapproval to their lenient attitude, “Will you not fight against those who have broken their oaths and

conspired to banish the Messenger? They were the first to attack you. Do you fear

them? Surely Allah is more deserving of your fear, if you are true believers.”

The polytheists used to worship idols thinking that they can bring them closer to the Creator. The verses came ordering Muslims to prevent any polytheistic acts of worship inside Makkah after the time limit specified. No polytheist who worships idols, seeks any intermediary between himself and his Lord, or associates partners to Allah, should be allowed after this period to enter Makkah. The sacred city was originally established by Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael as a grand mosque dedicated for worshipping Allah alone and it has once again returned to be so. Later on, in the same chapter, Allah explains that polytheists’ acts are sacrilegious saying, “O Believers, know that polytheists are sacrilegious, they should not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year onwards. If you should fear destitution, Allah will enrich you out of His bounty, if He so wishes. Allah is All-aware and Most-wise.” [The Qur’an (9:28)].

On receiving these verses, the prophet P.B.U.H. ordered his cousin ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Taleb to travel to Makkah, recite these verses in all of the pilgrimage locations amidst people’s gatherings, and deliver the message to them all. ‘Ali caught up with Abu Bakr, recited the verses to him, and told him of the prophet’s orders, which they both carried out precisely.

Through these verses, polytheism was abolished from Makkah once and for all till the end of time. As Arabs once before followed the Makkans in taking idols for worship besides Allah, again, they followed them in returning to the pure creed of Abraham P.B.U.H., and ever since that day, they returned to worshipping Allah alone.

The above verses of chapter 9 hold the following injunctions:

1. Fight against the polytheists who try to attack Makkah and occupy it again.

2. Fight against those who betray their peace pacts and break their pledges.

3. Fulfill your pact with those who deal with you in an upright manner and respect their pacts.

4. Grant your refuge to noncombatant enemies who seek it and accompany them to their place of safety.

5. Do not allow any sort of Polytheism to be practiced inside Makkah again.

6. If any pagan from among those who committed treason embraced Islam, do not harm him, for embracing Islam abolishes all previous sins.

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Later on, in the same chapter, Allah says: “Fight those from among the People

of the Book (i.e. Jews and Christians) who believe neither in Allah, nor in the judgment

Day, nor declare as unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have declared to be

unlawful, nor follow the true religion, until they pay the Jizyah with their own hands

and submit humbly. The Jews said, ‘Ezra is the son of Allah,’ and the Christians said,

‘The Messiah is the son of Allah.’ These are but their baseless utterances. They imitate the assertions made in earlier times by those who denied the truth, may Allah destroy them! How far astray they have been led! They have taken their learned men and their

monks for their lords besides Allah. So have they taken the Messiah, son of Mary,

although they were commanded to worship only One God, there is no deity but He. He

is far exalted above whatever they set up as His partners! They want to extinguish

Allah’s light with their mouths, but Allah shall perfect His light, no matter how those

who deny the truth may abhor it. It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of Truth, so that He may make it prevail over every other religion, no matter how much the polytheists may hate this. Believers, many religious scholars and monks

wrongfully appropriate people’s possessions and turn people away from Allah’s path!

Tell those who hoard gold and silver instead of spending it for the Allah’s cause that they will have a painful punishment.” [The Qur’an (9:29-34)].

The meaning of Jizyah and the circumstances of its application have already been discussed. Mujahed, the famous student of companion ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbās, said that these verses were revealed earlier before verses (9:1-29). He said that they were revealed when the prophet was preparing the ‘arduous times army’ to ward off the Romans’

invasion. The verses were ordering Muslims to collect the Jizyah from the people of the book living in Arabia, and to fight those from among them who would refuse to pay.

As explained earlier, Jizyah was not demanded from all non-Muslims, it was demanded only from those who were physically and financially capable to contribute in fighting for their countries but refuse to join the army. If those people refuse also to pay the little amounts prescribed earlier and turned their backs to their fellow citizens, then by all means, they are traitors; they should be fought against until they pay the Jizyah and submit humbly to the welfare of their country.

The verses then continue to describe and dispraise the subjection of the “MEN OF GOD.”

Those so-called scholars who subjugate people to their understandings, and then whoever deviates from their path finds the famous list of accusations waiting: heresy, blasphemy, apostasy, innovation, infidelity, etc. Those people are not only Jews or Christians, there are many Muslim scholars today who follow that same path. In the first section of this book I stated that a true scholar is the one who teaches his listeners the importance of intellect and how to use their reason, not the one who seeks to create duplicated copies of himself. Unfortunately, through centuries of subjection, people of the book have embraced twisted forms of their pure religions; their preachers inclined towards teaching alien dogmas and doctrines that were never preached by any of the prophets. In short, they have tampered with the pure creed of Abraham. Although the evidence on this is crystal clear, most people close their eyes and refuse to see it. I have always admired Khalil Gibran’s writings for he had always written against this kind of subjection.

Many of those fancy religious figures have divided and separated the nations into groups and sects, and filled them with hatred against each other. The emanating attitude of their teachings stands as evidence on how far astray those scholars have gone.

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Our differences should be dealt with in an academic manner. Those who have knowledge are not warders over the people, their duty is but to convey their point of view and explain their evidences; then, it’s up to every person to decide for him or herself what’s more truthful and worthy. Those who use their high stature to subjugate others, are fighting against the purpose for which we were created.

The above verses of chapter 9 hold the following injunction:

1. Fight against those among your non-Muslim citizens who refuse to contribute in the defense of their countries and refuse to pay the Jizyah until they pay it and submit humbly to the public welfare.

“O Believers, Fight against those deniers of the truth who are next to you. Deal

firmly with them. Know that Allah is with those who fear Him.” [The Qur’an (9:123)].

This verse is speaking about the neighboring non-Muslims countries or forces that threaten the safety of the Muslim lands. During his life, the prophet rode out several times to fight against the forces that were preparing to attack Madinah, Makkah and all Hejaz.

This was the case with the Romans who were preparing to invade Hejaz, so was it with the pagans at Hunayn, and so was it the case with the Persians who were lurking to subjugate ‘Oman, Yemen and Bahrain again. If Muslims didn’t ride out to meet their enemies at the borders, there wouldn’t have been a place called Arabia today. By all means, securing the borders of any country is mandatory for the safety of the community.

This was the explanation given by Ibn ‘Omar and Al-Hassan. On the other hand, Ibn

‘Abbās said that this verse was referring to the treacherous Jewish and Pagan tribes who were living inside Arabia. Logically, both explanations complete each other. Muslims must secure their homelands and its borders at all times and fight against those who lurk to attack them therein.

The above verse of chapter 9 holds the following injunction:

1. Secure your homelands and its borders, and fight against those who lurk to attack you therein.

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After Muslims succeeded in stopping the Romans from invading Arabia, the Romans were enraged. When they learned that their steward on the city of Ma’an in Sham embraced Islam, they had him beheaded. This was a threat to anyone who would dare embrace Islam from among the people of Sham. When the news reached the prophet, he organized a military expedition under the command of ‘Usamah Ibn Zayd. He ordered

‘Usamah to reach with his army the cities of Palestine. His aim was to tell the Romans that Muslims won’t tolerate any more tyranny or subjection, and that they will fight for their freedom no matter what the odds. The second purpose of this expedition was to root the sense of confidence in Muslims’ hearts, and make them realize that Allah’s victory is surely granted to those who are righteous. The third purpose was to tell the natives living in Sham under the Roman occupation that their freedom is close by.

Two months before the above incident, the archangel delivered to the prophet a very small chapter consisting of 3 short verses in which Allah tells him: “When Allah’s help

and victory has come, and you see the people entering Allah’s religion in multitudes,

then glorify your Lord with His praise and seek His forgiveness. He is always ready to

accept repentance.” [The Qur’an (110)].

When Prophet Muhammad received these verses, he knew that it was time to return to his Creator. He performed pilgrimage in Makkah and delivered a short sermon. Among what he said, “O people! Listen to what I say. I do not know whether I will ever meet you at this place ever again. It is unlawful for you to shed the blood of one another or take unlawfully the fortunes of one another; they are as unlawful as shedding blood on such a sacred day, in such a sacred month, and in such a sacred city.”

Preparing the expedition of ‘Usamah was the last thing the prophet did before his departure. The prophet P.B.U.H. died a few days later in the 3rd month of the 11th year A.H. After his departure, his companions carried forward his message. They liberated Sham from the Roman occupation, and Iraq from the Persian occupation. This led to a very long arduous struggle between Muslims and the two empires. Although in most battles Muslims were outnumbered and less prepared, Allah granted them victory like He has promised His messenger.

Among the famous fierce battles that took place, are the following: (Battle of Yarmouk: 30,000 Muslims against 120,000 Byzantines), (Battle of Al-Qādisiyyah: 25,000 Muslims against 80,000 Persians), (Battle of Walaja: 15,000 Muslims against 30,000 Persians),

(Battle of ‘Ullais: Less than 15,000 Muslims against 40,000 Persians), (Battle of Nahawand: 30,000 Muslims against 150,000 Persians), (Battle of Firaz: About 13,000 Muslims against 120,000-150,000 combined forces of the Byzantine Roman Empire, Sassanid Persian Empire, and Christian Arabs), (Battle of Ajnadayn: 20,000 Muslims against 80,000 Byzantines).

Many of the prophet’s companions died in these battles. What could have possibly made them lead battles like these one after another? They never said for instance, ‘We were lucky in the previous battle but we might not be lucky in the next one’. Actually, they never hesitated to enter any battle no matter what. They believed that one way or the other they shall be victorious.

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The Qur’an teaches the concept of vicegerency. It teaches that Man is Allah’s vicegerent on earth. His task is to establish justice, rectify what’s wrong, and protect those who are weak and persecuted. Sincere faith in these teachings is what pushed the early generations towards fighting against all sorts of subjection, tyranny, occupation and injustice. Again, this is the meaning of striving for the cause of Allah or Jihad. About those who die for such cause, Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Allah has bought from the believers their lives and their wealth in return for Heaven.

They fight for the cause of Allah and they kill and are killed. It is a promise binding on Him in the Torah, the Gospel and the Qur’an, and who is truer to his promise than Allah?

Rejoice then in the bargain you have made. That is the supreme achievement.”

[The Qur’an (9:111)].

“Think not of those who are killed while striving for the cause of Allah as dead.

Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord, They rejoice in what Allah bestowed upon them of His bounty: And rejoice for those who have not yet joined them (i.e. not yet martyred) and left behind, that on them, there is no fear, nor would they grieve. They rejoice in the Grace and the bounty of Allah, and with the fact that Allah would not let the reward of the believers be lost. Those who answered the call of Allah and the messenger, after being wounded, for those of them who do right and refrain from wrong is a great reward. Those unto whom the people said, ‘Verily, A great army is gathered against you, so fear them’: But this [only] increased their Faith and they said,

‘For us Allah suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.’ So they returned with Grace and bounty from Allah. No harm touched them, for they followed the good pleasure of Allah, and Allah is the Lord of bounties unbounded. It is only satan that instigates you to fear his votaries. Fear them not, but fear Me, if you are true believers.”

[The Qur’an (22:16-17)].

Within less than 80 years, Islam was accepted by the majority of the people living in Arabia, Abyssinia, Sham, North Africa, Persia and some parts of India, China and Spain.

Today there are Muslims in each and every country all over the world.

All praises be to Allah who has opened billions of hearts

for the light of the truth.

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After we have learned the Qur’anic injunctions with regards to fighting, now it’s time to learn the orders and rules that Prophet Muhammad issued for Muslims when they fight their enemies. Knowing them is essential to differentiate between true combative Jihad, and any other kind of fighting. Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. said:

“Don’t look forward to meet the enemies [in battle]. If you do meet them, then show perseverance and know that heaven awaits you in the shadow of their swords.” [Recorded by Bukhari].

“Fight for the cause of Allah and never betray a pact, never conceal a thing from the booty, never mutilate, never kill a child, a woman, an old man, a hermit, and never cut down a tree or destroy a building.” [Recorded by Tirmidhī, Muslim, Abu Dāwood and others].

“The worst of all people on the judgment day shall be: a man who is killed by a prophet, a man who killed a prophet, a man who led others to perversity, and a man who mutilated another.” [Recorded by Ahamd and authenticated by Albani].

“Whoever guarantees safety for an enemy and then kills him, let him know that I reject his action even if the killed person was a pagan.” [Recorded by Bukhari].

“If you kill [your enemy during the battle], then make it a quick death.” [Recorded by Muslim].

“Whoever treats a non-Muslim covenanter unjustly, or detracts any of his rights, or over burden’s him with what he can’t bear, or takes anything from him against his own freewill, let him know that I shall be his foe on the judgment day.” [Recorded by Abu Dāwood].

The above prophetic traditions hold the following injunctions: 1. Don’t wish for fighting and killing people.

2. If you meet your enemy in battle, stand fast and show perseverance.

3. Never betray a pact.

4. Never conceal anything from the booty no matter how small it is.

5. Never mutilate.

6. Never kill a child.

7. Never kill a woman.

8. Never kill an old man.

9. Never kill a hermit.

10. Never cut down a tree.

11. Never destroy a building.

12. Never breach a safety promise.

13. If you kill an enemy at battle, make it a quick death.

14. Deal justly and kindly with non-Muslim covenanters.

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Now, wouldn’t it be interesting to place all of the previous injunctions in one complete list so that we can understand the Islamic ethics and morals governing the concept of “Combative Jihad.”

1. Don’t wish for fighting and killing people.

2. Fight in self-defense those who attack you.

3. Fight in defense of your home and country.

4. If you meet your enemy in battle, stand fast and show perseverance.

5. Secure your homelands and its borders, and fight against those who lurk to attack you therein.

6. Fight those who occupy your homeland and kill them wherever you find them until you drive them out and retrieve your homeland.

7. Fight against aggressors until there is no more compulsion in religion.

8. Fight for those who are persecuted on account of faith, and cannot fight for themselves.

9. Never desert the army during war or turn your back to the enemy except for a stratagem or giving aid to weaker comrades.

10. Never transgress the limits or attack those who do not attack you nor do they fight.

11. Never kill a child.

12. Never kill a woman.

13. Never kill an old man.

14. Never kill a hermit.

15. If you kill an enemy at battle, make it a quick death.

16. Never mutilate.

17. Never cut down a tree.

18. Never destroy a building.

19. Never breach a safety promise.

20. Never fight in the 4 sacred months unless attacked during them.

21. Spend part of your income in preparing your army or your enemy shall destroy you.

22. Muster as much power as you can in order to dishearten your enemies from attacking you.

23. Fight against those among your non-Muslim citizens who refuse to contribute in the defense of their countries and they refuse to pay the Jizyah until they pay it and submit humbly to the public welfare.

24. While at war, grant your refuge to those who seek it from the noncombatants and accompany them to their place of safety.

25. If your enemies incline to peace, accept it from them and put your trust in Allah, He shall help and protect you against their schemes and treason.

26. Never betray a pact.

27. Fight against those who betray their peace pacts and break their pledges.

28. If any non-Muslim from among those who committed treason embraced Islam, do not harm him for embracing Islam abolishes all previous sins.

29. Fulfill your pacts with those who deal with you in an upright manner and respect their pacts.

30. Deal justly and kindly with non-Muslim covenanters.

Please note that the above 30 injunctions have been arranged based on the sequence deemed most appropriate according to the writer’s opinion.

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The next 3 injunctions are related to Makkah:

31. Never fight in or near the sacred valley (i.e. Makkah) unless attacked there.

32. Fight against the non-Muslims who try to attack Makkah and occupy it.

33. Do not allow any sort of Polytheism to be practiced in Makkah again.

Finally there is the injunction related to the booty which is: 34. Never conceal anything from the booty no matter how small it may be.

This injunction was stated at a time when the defeated armies left behind horses, camels, money, swords, shields, armors, bows, arrows, helmets, camping tents, etc. All these stuff were collected by the victorious army and distributed on the fighters to enhance their degree of preparation, except for a predetermined portion specified in the Qur’an to be 1/5th, it was divided into 5 parts: 3 of them were distributed on the orphans, the poor and wayfarers; one part was distributed on the prophet’s family and relatives; the remaining part was spent according to the prophet’s recommendations and what he deemed most deserving for the welfare of the community.

All of the battles that Muslims fought weren’t in desire of control and expansion, nor for any benefits from this worldly life; they were not to force people forsake their beliefs and embrace Islam, nor were they out of love to parade and scare their enemies with the huge numbers of their army, which was always unachieved; these battles were a burden imposed upon them to ward off oppression, resist falsehood, disseminate justice, and achieve freedom for all people, and these are the objectives of Allah’s messages.

I hope that the previous organization of the injunctions governing “Combative Jihad,”

now makes this concept clearer in the reader’s mind. Some of the verses discussed and explained, are always used by extremists as legitimate evidence for their attacks.

They have also been the door way which Islam deniers use whenever they want to accuse Islam of being the religion of terrorists and blood thirsty people. Both parties neglect all of the previous and insist on adopting twisted understandings of “Jihad.” In my personal opinion, Jihad is the noblest and most respectable concept in the Islamic faith.

May Allah guide us all to the truth, Amen.

Now it’s time to ask a very important question: Is Jihad only combative?

The answer is a very big fat NO. Jihad is an inclusive concept in Islam; it’s like a huge tree having roots that reach deep into the land of faith; the more fertile the land is, the more booming the tree shall be. Combative Jihad is only one branch in this tree.

There is also the financial jihad, health jihad, verbal jihad, perseverance jihad, acquiring knowledge and seeking after the truth jihad, etc.

The trunk of the tree is “Spiritual Jihad.” Please understand that a believer is in continuous struggle with his or her whims, lusts, and satanic temptations. A believer continuously questions his actions and deeds. Whenever he sins or makes a misdeed, his conscience puts him in a state of remorse and keeps on pushing him towards repentance. He always feels watched and evaluated like a student taking an exam. The belief that one day he shall return to his Creator and shall be questioned for his deeds, makes him incline 275

towards acting properly and perfecting those deeds. This state could only be reached through spiritual Jihad. Those who do not live practicing this kind of Jihad should know that their faith is bogus and needs persistent rectification.

It was recorded that ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Taleb once said, when returning from the battle field,

“We have returned from the minor Jihad to the major Jihad.” ‘Ali was referring to spiritual Jihad. The same meaning was conveyed by some notable scholars like

‘Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak (118-181 A.H.) and others.

The previous understanding of Jihad is alluded to in the Qur’anic verse that says:

“Fighting has been ordained upon you, abhorrent as it may be to you. You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you; Allah knows but you do not.” [The Qur’an (2:216)].

This verse makes it crystal clear that although the human nature detests hardships, sometimes fighting against evildoers and wading into what you hate, holds a lot of good for you. From this verse many scholars affirmed that Combative Jihad is the second step after spiritual Jihad—that struggle that insinuates you to face your enemies instead of running or hiding. Standing firm for what’s right without caring for the consequences always needs enormous spiritual power.

Likewise, any form of Jihad is preceded by a spiritual struggle first. For instance, before calculating the Zakah, one may feel some inclination towards neglecting some of his or her assets. Before helping others, some may hesitate if the task needed a lot of effort or involved some danger. Before giving blood, one may hesitate or freak out. Before uttering the truth that may stir up the enmity of others, one may hesitate. When facing troubles, one may fail to show perseverance. When raised on something or taught something since childhood, one finds it extremely hard to change his or her convictions and accept something different. All of the previous examples coincide with the types of jihad spelled out earlier, and they all need Spiritual Jihad. Allah says in the Qur’an: “By the human-spirit and how [Allah] formed it, then inspired it to understand what is wrong and what is right. Him who purifies it will indeed be successful, and him who demoralizes it is sure to fail.” [The Qur’an (91:7-10)].

Actually, Spiritual Jihad is the Sun around which Planet Islam revolves.

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Finally, I would like to conclude this chapter by some testimonies stated by notable non-Muslim writers:

“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 Christiandom 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 [sic]

governments towards them.” [Thomas Arnold, “The Preaching of Islam,” London, 1896].

“Sense of justice is one of the most wonderful ideals of Islam, because as I read in the Qur'an I find those dynamic principles of life, not mystic but practical ethics for the daily conduct of life suited to the whole world.” [Sarojini Naidu, Lectures on “The Ideals of Islam,” Madras, India, 1918].

“History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.” [Delacy O'Leary,

“Islam at the Crossroads,” London, 1923].

“I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age.

I have studied him-the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today.” [Sir George Bernard Shaw,

“The Genuine Islam,” Vol. 1, 1936].

“The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding

achievements of Islam and in the contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying

need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue.” [Arnold Joseph Toynbee, “Civilization On Trial,” New York, 1948].

“I am not a Muslim in the usual sense, though I hope I am a “Muslim” as “one surrendered to God,” but I believe that embedded in the Qur'an and other expressions of the Islamic vision are vast stories of divine truth from which I and other occidentals have still much to learn, and Islam is certainly a strong contender for the supplying of the basic framework for the one religion of the future.” [William Montgomery Watt, “Islam and Christianity Today,” London, 1983].

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I shall leave you with the words of a Judge who served in the International Court of Justice for 10 years (1991-2000):

“Let us go back to the beginnings. We are constantly taught in law schools and international forums that the first systematic treatment of international law as a discipline was at the hands of “Grotius” with his famous “Law of war and peace” in 1625 AC.

If there is some doubt about this we are referred to his Spanish predecessors of a century before who could possibly mount a claim to being the first systematic expositors of international law as a discipline in its own right. Rarely are we told, and few are the law teachers who are aware, that “Mohammed bin Hasan Shaybani” wrote an “Introduction to the Law of Nations” at the end of the eighth century, i.e. over 800 years earlier, and followed it with a second and more advanced treatise. Nor are we told that multi-volume treatises on the same subject followed within the next century or two. The subjects dealt with covered nearly the whole gamut of classical international law topics – the law treaties, the treatment of diplomats, hostages, asylum, prisoners of war, conduct on the battlefield, protection of women and children and non-combatants, contracts across the line of battle, the use of poisonous weapons, devastation of enemy territory. It went to such minute detail as the protection and communication across the line of battle of the correspondence of prisoners of war – matters seriously addressed in western jurisprudence only in comparatively recent times. The respect for these laws of war were recorded by contemporary European writers at the time of the Crusades. One writer,

“Oliverus Scholasticus,” relates how the Sultan “Al-Malik Al-Kamil” supplied a defeated Frankish army with food:

“Who could doubt that such goodness, friendship and charity come from God?

Men whose parents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, had died in agony at our hands, whose lands we took, whom we drove naked from their homes, revived us with their own food when we were dying of hunger and showered us with kindness even when we were in their power.”

[Judge Christopher Gregory Weeramantry, “Justice without Frontiers,” Sri Lankan, 1997]

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5. Islam, Slavery Advocator or Slavery Destroyer?

Islam teaches that all humans are equal in the sight of Allah. It doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor, of noble origins or vulgar, black or white, European or Hindu, American or Asian, Arab or Malay, etc. The only thing that can distinguish people in the sight of Allah is their faith, piety and conduct. People are different, they have always been and will continue to be so. Their differences have always been the cause of their disputes. Islam teaches that in order to be different without fighting against one another, we should get to know each other, and deal piously with our fellow humans.

Allah says in the Qur’an, “O mankind, We have created you from males and females, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest among you in Allah’s sight are those who are most pious. Verily Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [The Qur’an (49:13)].

Islam also teaches that all people are servants to their creator; they must abide by His laws and rules for the benefit of all humanity. Among men, there is the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor, the victorious and the defeated, the controlling and the controlled, etc. To find yourself in any of those situations is nothing but a trial for your faith. Those who are victorious may become haughty and behave tyrannically; nonetheless, a faithful believer never forgets that he is just a servant for his Creator and His vicegerent on earth; his duty is to spread justice and give aid to all people even his defeated enemies. On the other hand, those who are miserable may lose heart and lose hope, they become resentful and forget Allah’s other endowments; nonetheless, a faithful believer shows patience, remembers the graces with which he was blessed in life, and seeks consolation in them.

Before the advent of Islam, slave markets were present all over the world; this was something Islam had to deal with. Historically, slavery resulted from several causes, mainly poverty and war. Allah revealed in the Qur’an many rules that balance the relationship between all people and guarantee everyone’s rights whether there is slavery or not. Among the relations organized by Islam is the relationship between the victorious and the defeated, and the masters and their slaves. Let’s tackle the Islamic teachings regarding slaves, or ‘The right hand possessions’ as nicknamed in the Qur’an. Allah says:

“Virtue is to believe in Allah, the Judgment Day, the angels, the Holy Book and the

prophets, [the virtuous are those who] despite their love for money, give it away to their

relatives, to orphans, the needy, the wayfarers, those who ask [for charity], and for

freeing those held in slavery, and [the virtuous are those who] observe their prayers,

pay Zakah, keep their pledges when they make them, and are perseverant in hardship

and adversity, and in times of distress. Such are the true believers, and such are the

pious ones.” [The Qur’an (2:177)].

“Do not marry pagan women until they believe, a bondwoman who believes is better

than a pagan woman, however pleasing she may appear to you. Nor marry off believing

women to pagans until they believe: A bondman who believes is better than a pagan,

even though he (the free man) allures you. Such people (i.e. pagans) call you to the Hellfire, but Allah calls you to bliss and forgiveness, and makes His Signs clear to mankind, so that they might bear them in mind.” [The Qur’an (2:221)].

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“Worship Allah, and join none with Him (in worship), and be kind to parents, kinsfolk,

orphans, those in need, neighbors who are near of kin, neighbors who are strangers,

the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and what your right hands possess

(i.e. Your slaves): For Allah loves not those who are arrogant and those who are

vainglorious.” [The Qur’an (4:36)].

“Alms (i.e. Zakah) are only for: the poor and the needy, for those who collect zakah,

for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to the Truth), for freeing those

held in slavery, for those in debt, for striving in the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer.

It is a legal obligation enjoined by Allah, and Allah is All-Knowing and Most-Wise.”

[The Qur’an (9:60)].

“Marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife, and a woman who has no husband), and also marry the virtuous ones among your right hand possessions

(i.e. slaves), males or females: if they are in poverty, Allah will enrich them of His

grace: for Allah encompasses all, and he knows all things. Let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah enriches them of His grace.

And such of your right hands possessions who seek a written pact (of emancipation for

a certain sum), give them such pact if you know that there is good and honesty in them:

And give them something (yourselves) out of the wealth which Allah has bestowed upon

you. But force not your girls (i.e. bondswomen) to prostitution (i.e. by forbidding them

from marrying) when they desire chastity, in order that you may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them, yet, after such compulsion, is Allah Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful (i.e. to those women for they have been forced to do this evil act unwillingly), We have already sent down to you verses making things clear, an illustration from (the story of) people who passed away before you, and an admonition for those who fear (Allah).” [The Qur’an (24:32-34)].

“I swear by this City (i.e. Makkah), and you are a freeman from this City, and by the parent (i.e. Adam) and all those he begot (i.e. his progeny), Verily We have created man

into toil and struggle. Does he think that none has power over him? He says

(boastfully): ‘Wealth have I squandered in abundance!’ Does he think that none sees

him? Have We not made for him a pair of eyes? And a tongue and a pair of lips?!

And shown him the two paths (i.e. righteousness and perversity)? But he has made no haste towards the path that is steep. And what may let you know what the steep path is?

It is the freeing of a slave, or the giving of food in a day of hunger (famine) to an orphan

near of kin, Or to the indigent (down) in the dust. Then will he be of those who believe,

and commend one another with patience, (i.e. spiritual jihad), and commend deeds of

kindness and compassion.” [The Qur’an (90:1-17)].

Regarding “Slavery,” the above Qur’anic verses hold the following injunctions: 1. Part of the Muslim’s faith is to spend from his or her wealth on freeing salves.

2. Marry a believing slave (male or female), they shall help you in your life’s struggles more than any free pagan (male or female) however pleasing they may appear to you.

3. Be kind and gentle in your treatment to slaves.

4. Freeing slaves is among the outlets of Zakah (i.e. alms giving).

5. If an honest slave seeks a pact of emancipation, grant it to him or her and help them by paying part of the money.

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6. Marry off your slave girls if they wish to get married; this is closer to preserving their chastity.

7. Never force your slave girls to practice any sort of illicit sex.

8. Let the women who were forced—before the Qur’anic prohibition—know that Allah does not blame them for being forced to practice any sort of illicit sex.

9. Freeing slaves is a doorway to Allah’s righteous path.

Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. taught Muslims a special code of conduct in all aspects of life. Among his teachings regarding slaves are the following traditions:

“Right hand possessions are your brothers [in humanity], and Allah has put them under your command. Whoever has a brother under his command, he should feed him from what he eats, dress him from what he wears, and he should never overburden him with duties beyond his capacity; if any of you had to do so, then you should help him.” [Recorded by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dāwood and others].

“Don’t you ever say my ‘slave boy’ or my ‘slave girl,’ you are all Allah’s slaves. Say ‘my Boy’ or ‘my Girl,’ and the slave shouldn’t say ‘my Lord,’ but should say ‘my boss.’ ”

[Recorded by Muslim].

“If a servant brings his master some food and the master doesn’t make him sit down and share his meal, he must give him some of that food for he (i.e. the slave) is the one who has prepared it.” [Recorded by Bukhari].

‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Omar reported that, “A man came to the prophet and asked, ‘How often should we forgive our slaves?’ The prophet didn’t reply. The man repeated his question but again the prophet didn’t reply. When the man repeated it for the third time, the prophet said, ‘Forgive him seventy times [daily].’ ” [Recorded by Abu Dāwood].

One may think, would there be any punishment at all!

“Whoever emancipates a slave, Allah shall save each and every part of his or her body from the hellfire.” [Recorded by Bukhari].

The prophet also said, “If someone slapped a slave or beat him, [he has sinned] and his penance is to emancipate that slave.” [Recorded by Muslim].

“Three get their reward (from Allah) twice. [First], a man who owns a female-slave, he treats her kindly, educates her (about Islam) and excels in her education, teaches her good manners and excels in that too, then he emancipates her and marries her; he’s rewarded twice. [Second], a believer from the people of the book (Christians and Jews) who believes in my prophethood, he’s rewarded twice. [Finally], a Muslim-slave who fulfills his duties towards Allah and advises his master faithfully.” [Recorded by Bukhari].

“Each one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his herd. A man in his family is a shepherd and responsible for his herd. A woman in her husband’s house is a shepherd and responsible for her herd. A slave in his master’s wealth is a shepherd and responsible for his herd.” [Recorded by Bukhari].

On his death bed, the prophet’s last words were the following, “Observe your prayers, stand fast in prayers, and maintain your duty towards your right hand possessions.”

[Recorded by Ibn Mājah, Baihaqy and An-Nasā’ī] These words were overflowing his tongue before his death as reported by his cousin, ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Tālib.

And among his last words P.B.U.H., “Maintain your duty towards the two weak ones: women and your right hand possessions.” [Recorded by Tabari].

It’s worth mentioning here that the prophet died having no slaves under his command.

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The above prophetic traditions hold the following injunctions: 1. Slaves should be treated like brothers.

2. A slave should be fed from the same food his boss eats.

3. A slave should be dressed from the same kind of clothes his boss wears.

4. A slave should never be burdened beyond his capacity of work.

5. If a hard task was assigned for a slave by his boss then the boss must help him.

6. When referring to his or her slave, the master should say, “My Boy” or “My Girl,”

like many refer to their children.

7. When the slave refers to his master, he or she shouldn’t say “My Lord” but say, “My Boss,” like employees refer to their employers.

8. Emancipating slaves is an act that saves from the hellfire in the hereafter.

9. Slapping or Beating a slave entails his or her emancipation.

10. Treat your female slaves kindly and educate them about Islam in the best manner.

11. The observation of the above Qur’anic and prophetic injunctions are the duty of any Muslim master. Masters should maintain this duty like they protect and take care of their women.

The Islamic injunctions regarding slavery were not solely concerned with freeing slaves, but were also concerned with destroying the racism dams built. We have seen the trial of some nations to free slaves by issuing a judicial decree, where did this take them?

Racism, persecution, and maltreatment continued in their worst forms for decades.

Islam targeted the core of the problem and dealt with it. The previous injunctions granted slaves social and civil rights that placed them and their masters on an equal footing.

The Qur’an exhorted the Muslim masters or mistresses to marry from their slaves those who embrace Islam and are righteous. It even urged the masters to marry the righteous slaves without giving any regards to their poverty or status. It also permitted the non-Muslim slaves to marry from each other. Islam gave slaves the right to emancipate themselves through an emancipation pact. In this pact, the master grants the slave his or her freedom in return for accomplishing a certain task or for paying a certain amount of money, etc. Allah also ordered the Muslim masters to help their slaves in freeing themselves by paying part of the due installments agreed upon in the emancipation pact from their own wealth; the majority of jurists said ⅓ of the total sum. This was also an outlet for Zakah (obligatory alms) according to the Qur’an. When Muslims adhered to those injunctions in an era when slavery was widely spread all over the world, their act was found praise-worthy by many slaves. This made it obvious that the Islamic teachings could never be but divine, especially during that historical period 1400 years ago. Almost half of the prophet’s most famous companions were emancipated slaves, and many of the famous scholars from the next generations were also former slaves. In my opinion, emancipated slaves were the backbone of the Muslims’ nation during its formation.

Emancipating slaves was set as penance for many sins in Islam, e.g. violation of fasting, false murder, violating oaths and vows, etc. For the previous sins, the first compulsory penance is to emancipate a slave. The Companions used to emancipate slaves in large numbers seeking Allah’s reward. Very few examples of those, as recorded in “Ma’aref Al-Qur’an” by Imam “Mufti Muhammad Shāfe‘i,” are: Lady ‘Āʾishah, the mother of believers, emancipated 69 slaves,

Al-‘Abbas, the prophet’s uncle, emancipated 70 slaves, 282

‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Omar, the prophet's companion, emancipated 1000 slaves,

‘Abdurrahman Ibn ‘Auf, the prophet’s companion and the richest Muslim of his time, emancipated around 30,000 slaves.

Thus, as you can see, only four famous Companions emancipated 31,139 slaves; thousands of other Companions must have emancipated countless slaves.

In the early years of Islam, Companion Abu Bakr emancipated a black slave from Abyssinia who was severely tortured by the pagans for embracing Islam. The slave’s name was Belal Ibn Rabah, the Abyssinian who later on became the prophet’s Muezzin and one of his close companions. It happened once that Belal had a debate with one of the companions descending from noble origins among his tribe. In a wild burst of anger, that companion insulted Belal saying, “You son of a black woman.”

When this reached the prophet P.B.U.H. and he saw that companion, he said to him,

“You are a man who still has pre-Islamic ignorance in his heart.”

Filled with guilt, the man went to Belal, placed his face on the ground in front of him saying, “Step on the head of the son of the nobles, O Belal.”

Belal pulled him up and forgave him saying, “Never could I step on a head that bows to Allah. ” [Recorded by Ibn Hajar in “Fath Al-Bary,” the explanation of Bukhari].

Pondering over this incident, I can’t but say that Islam dealt with the real problem from core to crust. Abolishing slavery needed reforming people’s attitude towards slaves alongside freeing them, only freeing them means absolute failure. In Islam, slaves or right hand possessions were given their rights as human beings, which is the major part in a real effective remedy for the problem. Islam focused on narrowing the distance between masters and slaves. It rooted out the sense of arrogance and nobility from the masters, and then it further enhanced their desire and tendency to emancipate slaves. The Islamic law set emancipation of slaves as a doorway to repent from sins. It also set it as an outlet for charity and the money of Zakah. Islam gave slaves the right to emancipate themselves; this granted them the upper hand on their destiny and raised their status to that of free hired workers. Pondering over today’s free servants and how they live, I couldn’t but notice how retarded we are from the early Muslim generations.

Canon Taylor a Christian philologist, toponymist, and Anglican canon of York (from 1885-1901) read a paper speaking about Islam before the Church Congress at Wolver Hampton, on October the 7th, 1887, among what he said, “…...It brought out the fundamental dogmas of religion the unity and greatness of God, that He is merciful and righteous, that He claims obedience to His will, resignation and faith. It proclaimed the responsibility of man, a future life, a Day of Judgment, and stern retribution to fall upon the wicked, and enforced the duties of prayer, almsgiving, fasting and benevolence. It thrust aside the artificial virtues, the religious frauds and follies, the perverted moral sentiments, and the verbal subtleties of theological disputants. It replaced monkishness by manliness. It gave hope to the slave, brotherhood to mankind, and recognition to the fundamental facts of human nature.”

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Now let’s move on to the relationship between the victorious and the defeated.

When Muslims started their struggle for freedom and justice like we explained in the previous chapter, they were faced by two problems which they never faced before.

The first was the “captives of war;” the second was the “women and children” who were sometimes left behind the defeated army. Let’s indulge into the details so that we may have better understanding.

The first battle ever fought by Muslims, in which fighters from the enemy’s lines were captured, was the battle of Badr. At that time, there weren’t any injunctions in the Qur’an speaking about captives. The Makkan pagans owed Muslims all of the possessions which they had left behind when they immigrated to Madinah; after the battle, some of the notable Makkan leaders were captives in Muslims’ hands. Putting this together, the prophet set a certain sum of money for every captive—based upon his status—in exchange for setting him free. As for those who couldn’t pay the pecuniary ransom, the prophet set teaching 10 unlettered Muslims how to read and write as their ransom.

Prophet Muhammad told the companions, “Commend kindness towards your captives.”

[Recorded by Tabarāny and Ibn Hishām].

Al-Hassan reported the following, “Whenever a captive was brought to the prophet P.B.U.H., he presented him to some benefactors saying, ‘Be kind to him.’ The captive would then stay with these people who would favor him over themselves.”

On returning from the battle field, the prophet ordered his companions to be lenient with their captives and to feed them from the best food they had. He also ordered them to provide water to their captives, let them rest in the shadow and have a nap on a hot sunny day. The prophet P.B.U.H. taught his companions saying,

“Be kind to your captives, let them have a nap and quench their thirst.”

“Don’t gather on them the heat of the day and that of the battle.” [Recorded by Ibn Hajar and Al-Nawāwy].

Abu ‘Aziz Ibn ‘Umayr, the companion, narrated his captivity story in the battle of Badr.

Back then, he was still pagan. He said, “I was captivated by some Madinites. Whenever they served their meals, they favored me with the bread, and they would only eat dates for the prophet commanded them to be kind towards us. Not one piece of bread had reached the hand of anyone of them except that he gave it to me. Feeling embarrassed, I tried to pass it to anyone else, but then, he would push my hand back without touching the bread.” [Recorded by Ibn Hishām].

The reader here should notice that for Arabs back then, bread was their most precious kind of food because of the rareness of wheat in the desert, that’s unlike dates that were abundant in the region.

Muslims were also ordered to lit fires for their captives to warm them on cold nights, and to make sure that their wounds were treated well. Among the duties of the army general was to check on the captives’ conditions and make sure that they were not mistreated or lacked any of their basic needs from food, water, clothes and medical care.

Allah describes the ethics of believers in the Qur’an saying:

“They feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captives, [Saying],

‘We feed you for the sake of Allah alone. No reward do we desire from you nor thanks.

We only fear a Day of distressful wrath from our Lord.’ ” [The Qur’an (76:8-10)].

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After the battle of Badr, Qur’anic verses were revealed teaching Muslims how to deal with their captives. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“It is not for a prophet to take captives before he fights fiercely on the battle field.