Is Jehad Defensive?
Is Jehad Defensive?
It should already be clear from what I have so far written that, since Allah Himself has decided that the policy and process of establishing His sovereignty, the Tawheed and the Deen, the super-structure founded on it, on earth to be Jehad which includes Qetal and that Jehad has to be aggressive. And so it is, hundred percent. The history of the Ummat-e-Mohammadi is the clear proof of the fact. But after the subjugation of this people by its enemies, the promised punishment of Allah for abandoning the Jehad, it sunk in abysmal inferiority complex, as every enslaved people does, and started exculpating to the world that their Jehad is not aggressive in nature, it is fully defensive and to be engaged in when absolutely necessary. Later this exculpation deteriorated further and at present, since the crusade that has been started after the demolition of the World Trade Center (by whom it has not been ascertained yet due to opposition by the U.S administration), the leaders of this populace is propagating that there is no militarism in Islam. Islam is a religion of peace as its very name indicates. These ignorant, spineless apologists do not realize that by saying that they imply that the Qur'an is wrong, the Messenger of Allah was wrong.
As I have already said earlier after Allah has ordained armed fight for the Mo'mens,120 Himself has ordered Mo'mens directly to go and fight,121 asked His Messenger to wage, inspire, rouse the Mo'mens to fight,122 His Messenger fought a battle every 32 days and subjugated whole of Arabian peninsula, there remains no shadow of doubt that fighting for establishment of the Tawheed based Deen is one of the most important amals (acts) in Islam. Those spineless apologists preach that the Messenger fought only in defense. I think I must put a few words to clear this misunderstanding. It is true that the Messenger and his followers, while in Makkah endured all persecution, torture without striking back, because that would have been suicidal for so small a group of people to go against such odds. But, do these apologists know, or have they not read the history of their own people, that immediately on migrating to Yathrib (the Madinatun Nabi); the Messenger went on the aggressive? Within only two months of the migration he started sending out what in modern military terminology in called aggressive patrols or combat patrols.
About two hundred persons abandon their homes, properties in Makkah and go to another town about 300 miles away where they have nothing, simply nothing; not an inch of land, no source of income or sustenance. How much time did that small band of people need to arrange some shelter to live in, to find a source of livelihood; was two months enough for that? Yet, their leader considered the importance of going on the aggressive so much that he did not spend more than only two months for settling down, before he started sending out armed aggressive patrols of different sizes and to different directions into the desert in search of the enemy. Before the battle of Badr, he sent out seven such patrols. These patrols were ordered to attack whenever they came into contact with the enemy.123 Besides sending out these aggressive patrols he himself led several of these. The very first one of the patrols consisted of 60 to 80 horse and camel riders under Ubaida bin Hares (Ra) which came across the Qurayesh in a place called Waddan. Here the first arrow was shot at the enemy by Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas (Ra). Remember this was the very first arrow shot in a conflict between truth and untruth, light and darkness, right and wrong which lasted till the sham Mo'men Umayyads stopped it nearly 70 years later. That very first arrow was shot by a Mo'men, not by a Moshrek or Kafer and that arrow was not shot in defense. Out of the seven aggressive patrols three were led by the Messenger himself which did not come across any enemy, two patrols clashed with the enemies and one led by the great warrior and uncle of the Messenger Hamza (Ra) bin Abdul Muttalib came across the Quraish near the sea shore. The Moshreks (Polytheists), 300 of them were being commanded by none other than the notorious Abu Jahl. Hamza's (Ra) band consisted of only 30 Mojaheds (fighter). Had not a local leader Majdi bin Amr al Juhani who was at peace with both the Mojaheds and the Quraish intervened there would have been a terrible fight there. Note that, in spite of being only one tenth of the number of the enemy, Hamza (Ra) was about to attack them, indicating the fearlessness and dauntless attitude of the Mo'mens. The other patrol was led by Abdullah bin Jahsh (Ra) and consisted only eight fighters, which came across a commercial caravan, heading for Makkah in a place, called Nakhla. That was in the month of Rajab, one of the months held as sacred since before Islam came, and all warfare, fighting was prohibited. These months were considered sacred by Islam also and any fighting was considered sacrilege to the Mo'mens too. So Abdullah (Ra) was in a dilemma; that day being the last day of Rajab, if they waited for the next day to attack the caravan would enter the sacred area and hence they could not attack it. There was another problem; out of only eight fighters, two of them, Saad (Ra) and Utba were out in the desert looking for their lost camels they were riding. But so strong was the urge to attack, that after holding a consultation they decided and attacked the caravan. Waqid (Ra) shot and killed one, two surrendered and rest escaped. Abdullah bin Jahsh (Ra) came to Madina with the merchandise and deposited those to the Messenger.
Those who try their utmost to prove that there is no militarism in Islam, at the worst it is defensive, and are adept in twisting and turning facts, even resort to lies, put forward this incident in their support. They imply that the fact that the Messenger did not accept the booty and kept it in hold indicating his disapproval of the attack, many of them even go to the length of saying he was angry - which is not true. The fact is that he never disapproved their attack on the caravan, because he sent them with the order to attack, it was the timing of it, the Haram (sacred) month of Rajab and that is exactly what he said- "I have not ordered you to fight in the sacred month".124 Since the booty was acquired after fighting in the sacred month, he did not receive it along with the two prisoners immediately and waited for Allah's decision about it. And the decision came presently. There in Allah's decision also the question was not about fighting itself, it was about fighting in the sacred month. "They ask you about the sacred month, and fight in it", says Allah in the Qur'an in the Ayat No. 217 of Surah Bakarah125 He makes it clear that fight, even in the sacred months is legitimate to establish the Word of Allah. Fighting, attacking the caravan was not in question at all; question was the attack, fight in the sacred month only, and that too was decided by Allah in clear terms. It is difficult to understand how this incident is still being used to prove Islam's docility when in fact it proves just the opposite that Islam's policy is so aggressive that it transcends the sacredness of the prohibited months- which in the words of Allah is "Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] al-Masjid al-Haram and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allah. And persecution is worse than killing." No wonder, Allah's Lanah (curse) is on these people. Of about 100 battles fought in nine and a half year during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, of which he himself led and fought in 27 of these, there were only 2, which were defensive, the Uhud and the Ahzab. And the spineless apologists, frightened to death on the very mention of fight, yet claimant of being very excellent Ummat-e-Mohammadi (because they grow long breads) argue that the Jehad and Qetal are defensive.
ENDNOTES
120 Qetal (armed fight) is ordained for you though you dislike it. (Qur’an, Surah Bakarah - Ayat 216)
121 Fight in the way of Allah and know that Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. (Qur’an, Surah Bakarah - Ayat 244)
122 Then fight (O Mohammad) in cause of Allah, you are accountable for none but yourself. Rouse the believers (to fight along with you). Perchance Allah will defeat the unbelievers. (Qur’an, Surah Nesa, Ayat 84) O Mohammad! Urge the believers to fight. (Qur’an, Sura Anfal, Ayat-65)
123 Mohammad Ibn Eshaq’s Sirat-e-Rasul Allah, translation by A. Guillaume-P-281
124 Mohammad Ibn Eshaq’s Sirat-e-Rasul Allah, translation by A. Guillaume-P-287
125 They ask you concerning the sacred month about fighting in it. Say: Fighting in it is a grave matter, and hindering (men) from Allah's way and denying Him, and (hindering men from) the Sacred Mosque and turning its people out of it, are still graver with Allah, and Fitnah (oppression) is graver than slaughter; (Sura Bakarah-217)
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