Jehad, Qetal vs Terrorism — Where Do We Draw the Line?
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Islam
Establishing Allah’s Religion in All Aspects of Human Life
Whenever the topic of establishing Allah’s religion in every sphere of life arises, a segment of the Muslim population becomes fearful and anxious. These are the people who do not want Allah’s religion to be established in national life under any circumstances. Whenever someone speaks of establishing the religion given by Allah, this group labels them all as extremists or terrorists and attempts to discredit their efforts before the public. They want to equate the Islamic concepts of jihad and Qetal (armed struggle) with terrorism. But jihad and terrorism are not the same—they are completely different matters.
The word jihad means struggle, all-out effort, striving. Speaking about the necessity of establishing religion, writing about it, giving speeches, presenting logical arguments—all of these fall under jihad. Qetal, however, is a completely different term, meaning armed combat. Jihad takes place at the level of individuals, groups, or communities, whereas qital occurs at the state level. If an individual or group takes up arms to establish religion, that is a grave mistake. Their task should be to make people understand—through logic, by referencing the Qur’an and Hadith, by writing books, giving speeches—that if we wish to live in absolute peace, security, and justice in this world, the only path is to live according to the life system prescribed by the One who created us. Can this task be done through force? It is common sense that it is impossible to force anyone to believe in something through coercion.
Hezbut Tawheed has taken it upon itself to carry out this task—by making people understand through logic. Presenting the true essence of Islam is the only way to protect society from the consequences of distorted Islam. Hezbut Tawheed is therefore calling people back to the sovereignty of Allah and is exposing the errors of terrorism using the life of the Prophet and the teachings of the Qur’an and Hadith. In order to spread and establish this truth, Hezbut Tawheed has adopted the Prophet's method. What did the Prophet do? For thirteen years of his life in Mecca, his call, or balagh, was at the individual and group level. He and his followers endured all kinds of persecution, false accusations, and oppression without any retaliation. The mujahideen of Hezbut Tawheed have been calling people to tawheed and the sovereignty of Allah for the past 30 years. In doing so, they have faced insults from opponents, have been humiliated, beaten, brutally oppressed—five of our members have even been martyred.
The Prophet's thirteen-year Meccan life was also filled with one-sided persecution. Later, when the people of Medina accepted his call to tawheed, he migrated there and formed a state. The moment the state was established, the strategy had to change. A state can never function on individual or group principles. When he became the undisputed leader of the people of Medina, he had to act as a judge to settle disputes, punish criminals, and, as a ruler, establish administrative offices (mosques) in different areas and appoint administrators. As the Messenger of Allah, he taught them the Qur’an and trained them spiritually and physically. To ensure the independence and sovereignty of the territory, he needed weapons, soldiers, and military training. As the newly formed state's commander-in-chief, the Messenger of Allah took necessary military steps. Like other state leaders, he waged war to achieve the nation's goals and made peace when needed—but only after the people had entrusted him with the responsibility of leading the nation. Therefore, according to the Prophet's example, there is no Qetal (armed struggle) by individuals, groups, or parties in the propagation and establishment of this tawheed-based true religion. There is only the call to tawheed, to the sovereignty of Allah—only balagh.
At the state level, there can be armed struggle. If weapons and warfare at the state level are not legal, then every military force in the world must be considered illegal and terrorist. The jihad and qital mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith are state-level actions.
Some muftis at various times issue fatwas to kill so-called enemies of Islam, and some people take up machetes to act on these fatwas, trying to equate their actions with the Prophet's military campaigns. But are these people appointed judges nominated by the nation to deliver such verdicts? Or are they self-declared leaders without any recognition? They are not even recognized by the public, let alone being appointed as judges. On what authority or power are they issuing death sentences? Have they studied some masail in a madrasa and declared themselves the state’s qadi?
We are trying to make people understand—through the Qur’an and Hadith, using logic and evidence—that without a tawheed-based religion and life system, there is no alternative path to peace and security for humanity. The current chaotic state of the world is proof of that. There is no room for coercion here. It is common sense that people cannot be forced to believe in anything. If people accept this message, a tawheed-based system will be established in the country, and they will attain peace and honor in both this life and the next. But if people reject our call and cling to human sovereignty, they will suffer the consequences. Still, no matter how much the supporters of the current system oppose us, we must continue striving to uphold Allah’s true religion.
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