that is nearest to piety. [al-Mā’idah 5:8]
You who believe! Enter peace all of you and follow not the steps of Satan. [al-Baqarah 2:208]
And if they incline to peace, so incline you to it, and trust in Allah. [al-Anfāl 8:61]
Reconciliation (and settlement) is better for you. [al-Nisā’ 4:128]
There is also a group of Qur’ānic verses which seem to be addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), reminding him that religious freedom is a matter ordained by God Himself. The implications of these verses is that it is both morally wrong and practically futile to try to change the religious convictions of people by force or by waging war. There is no need for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to organize or to be excessively domineering over the recalcitrance of the unbelievers:
And if your Lord willed, all who are on the earth would have believed together. Would you (Muḥammad) compel men until they become believers? [Yūnus 10:99]
So remind them! You are but a reminder, you are not a controller over them. [al-Ghāshiyah 88:21-22]
The methods of the Prophet (peace be upon him), in seeking to spread his faith, did not include coercion or intimidation, manipulation or domination. His methods were essentially reasoning by varied ways and convincing arguments, and all available means of legitimate persuasion. He could appeal to common sense, to ethical ideals which are highly cherished and valued by all decent human beings, or he could appeal to noble and positive passions. It is dubious techniques of manipulating the affairs of men, exploiting their illegitimate desires, interests, fears or animosities, playing up rivalries and unwarranted ambitions, that he should totally shun. Nor did his methods embrace domination, exploitation and control. It was not his ultimate goal to seize power and authority for their own sake, but to use it to transform people’s souls and lives so that they would form a community and society of brotherhood and equity, to bring about and realize God’s Will and Purpose for mankind.
8.1 The Fight to Liberate the Oppressed
The Qur’ānic command, that religious belief can not be changed by the use of force or by waging war, is not incompatible with the policy of declaring war against tyrannical and oppressive regimes. As a matter of fact, the Muslims were commanded by God to fight in the cause of human liberty and dignity. They were even reminded of the days when they themselves were powerless and oppressed. It was through God’s Help and Grace that they became victorious over their former oppressors. Would they not then desire to fight for the sake of al-mustaḍ‘afīn (the powerless)? It would indeed be very strange and unacceptable that those who had suffered aggression, and tasted the bitterness of injustice, should not or would not come to the aid of the oppressed; even more unthinkable that they themselves turn to aggression or oppression should they assume political power and authority.
God, in the Qur’ān, enjoins the Muslims to fight in the cause of human emancipation:
How is it with you that you do not fight in the way of God, and the abased, feeble men, women and children who say: Our Lord, bring us forth from this city, whose people are unjust, and appoint to us protector from You, and appoint to us from You a help. [al-Nisā’ 4:75]
The fight to oppose religious persecution is deemed essential for the progress and well-being of humanity at large. Hence the duty of the Muslims to be involved in it. This notion is presented in the Qur’ān in the context of survival of human civilization and progress. The will to fight in this cause is deemed, in the Qur’ān, essential if evil and destructive powers, inculcated in the dark side of human passions, are to be thwarted.
For had it not been for Allah’s repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches, oratories and mosques, wherein the name Allah is much mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. [al-Ḥajj 22:40]
This verse highlights the fact that war is justifiable as a means of survival, a means of repelling and combating much worse possibilities. As the Qur’ān had indicated, persecution and discriminating against people on account of their religions, is a greater evil than war. Also the domination of evil, tyrannical powers is a greater evil than war. The Qur’ān told the Muslims, in clear unequivocal language, that if they lacked the will to fight against injustice and oppression, then a great fitnah (religious oppression) and corruption would spread on the surface of the earth. It even went so far as to threaten them of dire consequences, both in this life and in the next, if they fail to meet the commandment to answer the call to jihād:
O you who believe, what is the matter with you? That when it is said to you ‘go forth in the way of Allah’, You sink down heavily to the earth, do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort if this life, as compared with the hereafter. Unless you go forth, He will punish you with a grievous punishment. And instead of you, He will substitute another people and you will not hurt Him anything. For Allah is Powerful over everything. [al-Tawbah 9:38-39]
In Sūrah al-Tawbah (Repentance), we find another Qur’ānic verse which threatens the Muslims that if they prefer their comfort and that of their families and friends, and so become unresponsive to the call to jihād, then they might expect the worst from God:
Say (O Muḥammad): If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your clan, and the wealth you have acquired, and the goods for which you fear that there will be no sale, and the dwellings you love – if these are dearer to you than Allah and His way, then wait till Allah brings His command. Allah guide not the people of ungodliness. [al-Tawbah 9:24]
The way of jihād has always been depicted as the Muslims’ way to success and succour in this world and the next. It has also been commended by countless sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his rightly guided Caliphs. The Qur’ān commands the way of jihād in forceful and vivid language, which takes account of the fact that many of the early Muslims were traders:
O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a commerce that shall deliver you from a painful chastisement? You shall believe in Allah and His Messenger, and struggle in the way of Allah with your wealth and yourselves. That will be better for you if you but knew. [al-Ṣaff 61:10-11]
In the foregoing we hope to have shown that jihād and fighting in the way of God is not just meant to safeguard the Muslims’ homeland and defend their rights to live in freedom and dignity, worshipping the One True God, Allah, without fear of molestation. It is also commanded in order to defend the same rights for mankind, the two objectives, internal and external, are by no means contradictory; rather, they are complementary. Should the Muslim states allow unjust and tyrannical regimes which deny their people religious freedom to thrive around their boundaries unchecked, then its very security, defence and indeed its survival would be seriously threatened and jeopardized. Taking the offensive against such regimes, if the situation so demands, is part and parcel of the overall defence commitment of the Muslim state.
The above interpretation of the doctrine of jihād would appear to be incompatible with the so-called Āyat al-Sayf, to which we referred earlier. As a matter of fact, there is a school of Muslim thinkers who believe that Āyat al-Sayf (the verse of the sword) were revealed in Sūrah al-Tawbah, much later than the other sūrahs in which other jihād verses are found, so they have abrogated or otherwise superseded all earlier Qur’ānic verses on the issue.
8.2 Āyat al-Sayf (Verses of the Sword)
The verses of the sword (Āyat al-Sayf) are interpreted as predominant and overriding by the hard-liners among Muslim thinkers, as also by some orientalists who favour this interpretation because they give substance to the view which they are inclined to hold, that Islam is a militant religion, prone to violence and aggression. Let us first give the text of these verses: one of them is verse number 29 of Sūrah al-Tawbah.
Fight those who believe not in Allah and the Last Day, and do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden – such men as