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Muslims on the Back Foot
Publication time: 1 October 2008, 18:23
The key to defeating your opponent in a debate is to put him on the defensive, or as we say in cricketing terms, to force him on the back foot. In this way, instead of presenting his own arguments, your opponent will be forced to defend himself from your accusations. When people are forced to go on the defensive, they get confused. Quite often, they start to question their own beliefs and principles, and tend to be apologetic for things which they are not responsible for, or things which they should not be apologetic for in the first place. In a debate, a confused opponent can be easily cornered, and eventually defeated.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening to Muslims all around the world. The Islamophobics and anti-Muslims have been accusing us Muslims of so many supposedly evil things that we have reached a point where we are no longer capable of defending our beliefs, let alone forcing our opponents on the back foot. In fact, many Muslims are becoming apologetic about the supposed evil acts committed by other Muslims.
Consider the example of Jihad. Recently Islam has come under fire from Islamophobics who try to equate Jihad with violence and terrorism. A number of events which took place in the past few years are cited as evidence to support their stance. This is a clear attempt to corner Muslims by putting them on the defensive. Unfortunately, this strategy seems to be working. Some weak minded Muslims are now starting to question the concept of Jihad. Other Muslims are being apologetic by dividing the Muslims of today into two groups i.e. the moderate majority and extremist minority. Other Muslims have gone a step further, and sadly, many of the Muslims which fall under this category are well versed in Islam. These people have started to spread the idea that Jihad is of two types i.e. the Greater Jihad and Lesser Jihad. The greater Jihad is the struggle against one's own self. The lesser Jihad is to fight in the cause of Allah using arms and weapons. Muslims belonging to this category are trying to downplay the importance of the so called "lesser" Jihad and are spreading the belief it is secondary, or even negligible.
But the problem is, that being apologetic for the so called minority extremist Muslims or downplaying the importance of fighting in the cause of Allah are terrible ways to deal with the challenges faced by the Muslims in today's world. A few months ago I was having an argument with a friend of mine who is a follower of a group of Muslims who do not believe in Jihad i.e. fighting in the cause of Allah. I told him that Jihad was Fardh (obligatory), how can he reject an important and integral concept of Islam? His answer was that if he talked about Jihad, non-Muslims will think he is a terrorist. So to have a good reputation in the eyes of the non-Muslim world and to give an impression that Islam is nothing but peace, its better to leave out Jihad from the topics of discussion. I was amazed at this logic. I told him that if I have a misconception about his father, would he remove his father's name from his birth certificate or would he try to clear my misconceptions?
The only way to deal with the accusations against Islam is to clear the misconceptions, and then force the opponents of Islam on the back foot. A Christian once told me that Islam preached violence in the form of Jihad. I told him that Jihad does not mean random killing, it means to fight in the way of Allah against those who fight you. He replied that Osama has been killing people randomly and he is a Muslim. I told him that the number of people Osama has killed is extremely tiny as compared to the number of people killed by Adolf Hitler, and Hitler was a Christian! In this way, I effectively cleared his misconception, and then forced him on the defensive.
But it is extremely important that we Muslims should be clear about Islamic beliefs and principles. Because if we are not clear about our principles, we will not be able to clear the misconceptions of non-Muslims about our religion. Instead, we will be adding fuel to the flame. Reconsider the previous example of those Muslims who are trying to downplay or even negate the importance of Jihad i.e. fighting in the cause of Allah by terming it as "lesser" Jihad. The Islamohpobics argue that since these Muslims are themselves trying to downplay an Islamic concept, there must be something wrong in what Islam teaches.
Although I agree that Jihad can take several forms, for example Jihad in the form of fighting, in the form of charity, Jihad by the tongue, or struggle against one's own self etc... However, I do not agree with the classification of Jihad i.e. fighting in the cause of Allah as a lesser Jihad. The term Jihad has been used in the Quran many times, and wherever it is used, it is in connection to fighting in the way of Allah.So how does Jihad in the form of fighting in the way of Allah become a "lesser" Jihad even though every time the term "Jihad" is mentioned in the Quran, it is in connection with fighting in the way of Allah? It is based on a Hadeeth in which the Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said:
"We have returned from the lesser jihad (battle) to the greater jihad (jihad of the soul)".
I am neither an Aalim nor a Mufti nor a Sheikh-ul-Hadeeth. But a number of scholars have questioned the authenticity of this Hadeeth. Infact, even the scholars who agree with the Hadeeth (such as Gibril Haddad) also agree that this Hadeeth is not authentic, but they support the Hadeeth based on principle.
I agree with the views of the scholars who believe that fighting in the cause of Allah is the primary Jihad. Although it might sound radical to some, but then Allah does not speak to please our ears. But my views are not just based on principle, but on verses from the Quran and authentic Ahadeeth. I mentioned earlier that whenever the term "Jihad" has been used in the Quran, it is in relation to fighting in the cause of Allah. But one particular verse clearly highlights the importance of fighting in the cause of Allah:
"Those believers who sit back are not equal to those who perform Jihad in the Path of Allah with their wealth and their selves. Allah has favored those who perform Jihad with their wealth and their selves by degrees over those who sit back. To both (groups) has Allah promised good, but Allah has favoured the Mujahideen with a great reward, by ranks from Him, and with Forgiveness, over those who sit back. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most- Merciful." (Quran 4:95-96)
And a few Ahadeeth which also highlight the significance of fighting in the cause of Allah:
Narrated Abu Huraira: A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." He replied, "I do not find such a deed." Then he added, "Can you, while the Muslim fighter is in the battle-field, enter your mosque to perform prayers without cease and fast and never break your fast?" The man said, "But who can do that?" Abu- Huraira added, "The Mujahid (i.e. Muslim fighter) is rewarded even for the footsteps of his horse while it wanders bout (for grazing) tied in a long rope."(Sahih Bukhari, 4:44)
Narrated Abu Sa..id Al-Khudri: Somebody asked, "O Allah's Apostle! Who is the best among the people?" Allah's Apostle replied "A believer who strives his utmost in Allah's Cause with his life and property."(Sahih Bukhari, 4:45)
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "A single endeavor(of fighting) in Allah's Cause in the forenoon or in the afternoon is better than the world and whatever is in it." (Sahih Bukhari, 4:50)
Narrated Abu ..Abs: (who is ..Abdur-Rahman bin Jabir) Allah's Apostle said," Anyone whose both feet get covered with dust in Allah's Cause will not be touched by the (Hell) fire."(Sahih Bukhari, 4:66)
Since the only Hadeeth which refers to fighting in the cause of Allah as a "lesser" Jihad is considered unauthentic even by the scholars who agree with it, and since the Quran and Hadeeth have emphasized on Jihad in the form of fighting in the way of Allah more than any other forms of Jihad, it is only logical to conclude that fighting in the way of Allah is the principle Jihad.
The reason why I am writing on the concept of greater and lesser Jihad is that when criticized, we should not dump our Islamic principles. In fact we should stand firm by our principles and clear whatever misconceptions there are regarding those particular principles. Instead of downplaying or negating the importance of fighting in the way of Allah, we should clear all misconceptions about it. For example, misconceptions in the minds of those who are misinformed about Jihad can be cleared by explaining under what circumstances Muslims can take up arms. If they take up arms, who can they attack and who are they forbidden to attack (e.g. civilians, trees etc...). If some Muslims are resorting to violence, is it because of religious or political reason? And if some people quote verses from the Quran supporting violence, correcting their context may clear all misconceptions.
But then there are the propagandists, those who attack Islam because they have an agenda, not because they are misinformed. The best way to deal with such propagandists is to hit them with their own stick i.e. to corner them and force them on the defensive. But whatever people may say and however bad that may sound, it is extremely important that we do not abandon our religious principles just because some people have a problem in comprehending them. In the end, truth will prevail and falsehood will perish, for falsehood is bound to be perished.
By Aqil Abdul Razzaq Khan,
For Kavkaz Center
Sunday, October 12, 2008
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