Exploring the Concept of Jihad and

Qital in Islam

Imam Ariff Abi Bakr Olla

Noor Dahri

ARMED JIHAD AND QITAL

• What does Jihad and Qital mean

• Peaceful Jihad

• Armed Jihad

• Fighting in the way of Allah

• Regulation of Jihad (War)

WHO IS CIVILIAN

1. Category: Ordinary Citizen

2. Category: Non- Combatant

3. Category: Temporary Civilians

4. Category: Civilian Defenders

5. Civilian cum Combatant

The word Jihad, which has become very infamous in the world media these days, has a completely

different perspective on Islam. The word Jihad is frequently used by Islamists to justify their acts of

terrorism against the civilians, yet they do not know the real concept of Jihad according the teachings of

Islam.

Over the last decade and a half, no word has been more misconstrued than “Jihad”. In today’s world the

word of Jihad has become synonymous with holy war, terrorism and mass murder but how much of this

belief is true has to be discussed. For starters, there is no concept of holy war in Islam. The practice of

killing innocents does not come under the definition of Jihad. This word has been used wrongly by

Islamists and subsequently by the media.

The Arabic word “Jihad” is a noun. Its singular past tense verb is “Jahada” (masculine) or “Jahadat”

(feminine). The root of the word “Jihad” is “Juhd” which means “effort”. Another related word is

“Ijtihad” which means working hard or diligently. 1

Jihad is derived from the Arabic verb “Jahada”, which means “to struggle or strive”. It simply means

complete exertion. This relates to both internal and external struggle, to strive to be a good peaceful

Muslim, to strive to be a servant of God and to strive to tell others about the religion of Islam. But there is

no Arabic meaning of Jihad that translates as “to kill”.

The word Jihad has also been used in a generic meaning as well as to achieve certain goals which are not

Islamic. The Quran uses the verb of Jihad in its generic meaning in below verse.

لي

ا ك د

ا ه ج

إن ا و

نس حه

ي د ا لو ن

ا نس

ن

ا ا لا

ني صو و

و نلمع

ن

م

ت

كي

ما ب م

ك

ني

ي

م فا

كع ح

ر م

ي

ل

ما إه

طع

ن

م فلا

عل

ه ي س لك

لي

ا ي مب

ك

ر

ش

“And We have enjoined upon man goodness to parents. But if they Jahadak (do Jihad against you) to

make you associate with Me (a god) of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them. To Me is your

return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.” 2

Jihad in these verses refers to actions taken by non-Muslim parents against their Muslim offspring to

force them to worship gods other than Allah. Clearly, this kind of Jihad is not Islamic. This verse also

confirms that jihad is not necessarily an act of violence. 3 The term Jihad has been used thirty times in the Quran and two of them were used as in a generic

meaning from which one of them is mentioned above.

The word Jihad is categorised in two different meanings in Islam.

1- Major Jihad

2- Minor Jihad

Major (Peaceful) Jihad:

This type of Jihad refers as spiritual Jihad against two opposite forces within us, soul and body, such as

praying, keeping fast and holding ourselves to gain earthly desires, etc.

According to Dr Mohammad Shafi:

“The Arabic – English dictionaries (see, e.g., Arabic, English Dictionary by Hans Wehr) define the J-H-D

words primary as: to endeavour, strive, labour, take pains, put oneself out, to over-work, overtax, fatigue,

exhaust someone to endeavour and strive.” 4

Jihad is a concept about spiritual development that has nothing to do with violence. 5

Minor (Armed) Jihad:

This type of Jihad refers to an armed and militaristic struggle. This is the most commonly stated form of

Jihad by non-Muslims. But it cannot be classified as unjustified use of violence. It’s a military action

conducted by the government under some strict rules and regulations. This military action can never be

used individually or by any political or religious organisation. This type of action is only legally used by

the state against the enemy state. In simple words, The Minor Jihad means in today’s days as “War”

which has to be conducted by the state.

There are verses where this word has been used to fight in the way of Allah. Now, this fight does not

mean terrorism or killing innocents but military actions.

د ني

نعمل

ا حب ب

ال

ا لل ه

إن و ا د

نع

ن م و ال

ك

ي

و ل

ي ني ن قا

د

ل ا لل ه ا ل

ن ي س

ي ف

و ا ل

يقا و

“Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you but do not transgress, for Allah love not

transgressors.” 6

This Quranic verse has many meanings and a strong message behind it. First of all, it’s a state war against

another state; secondly, it applies in defensive mode, not in offensive mode. “Fight in the way of Allah

against those who fights against you” justifies self-defence and that do not start fighting but only when

they fight with you.

Regulation of War (Jihad):

When the war starts, according to the above verse, the rules and regulations of the war immediately

applies. For example:

● Do not target market places (shopping centers)

● Do not destroy agriculture lands

● Do not kill women

● Do not kill old (aged people)

● Do not kill children

● Do not kill animals (for no reason)

● Do not burn the trees

● Do not destroy religious places

● Do not destroy graveyards

● Do not mutilate the dead body (of those who are killed)

● Only fight with those who fight against you

● Do not transgress the limits

There is not a single country in the world today that could fully apply these rules during war. These are

the most moral conditions of war that only Islam provides.

Last two conditions are very important to apply in Islamic war.

The original concept of the verse “only fight those who fight against you.” refers to young people only.

Fight with those young people who fight against you. Again, in a defence mode, only fight when they

start fighting against you.

But what about when they stop fighting you?

ن لفي سم

هلت ع

م

لك

ل ا لل هعح

ما

فم

ل سل

م ا

كن ل

إ ا و لق

ا م و

ك

و ل

يم ن قا

فل

م

ك

و ل

ر

تع ا

ن

ا

“So, if they withdraw from you, and fight not against you, and offer you peace, then Allah has opened no

way for you against them” 7

It is clear in Islam that if they stop fighting you, or withdraw from you, you must also reciprocate.

What if your enemy wants peace with you?

م

لتلع

ع ا

مي لس

ا و ه

ه

ي ا لل ه إي

لع

ل

ك

و

ن

ا و هل ح

تح

فا م

ل سل ل

و ا ح

تح

إن و

“But if they incline to peace, you (also) incline to it….” 8

It is clearly commanded in Islam that if they wish to make peace, then Muslims should not fight against

them and should rush to make a peace treaty with them in order to make peace and tranquility on earth.

Now, some Islamists believe in order to misguide or force people into Islam; they believe in fighting

against non-Muslims until they embrace Islam. But the religion of Islam completely rejects these baseless

claims.

ي ا ل نيف

ا ه ر

ك إ ال

“There is no compulsion in religion” 9

Accordingly, non-Muslims should not be harmed or attacked simply because of their disbelief. The use of

force in Islam is only to fight in self-defence and not offensive aggression at all.

In wars, we must obtain and apply moral values and behave like good Muslims who always rush not to

make war but to make peace. We must not harm civilians, whatsoever, even during war.

Before departing for the conquest of the Levant, the first Caliph Abu Bakr told his warriors: “When you

meet your enemies in the fight, behave yourself as befits good Muslims….”

If Allah gives you victory, do not abuse your advantages and beware not to stain your swords with the

blood of one who yields, neither you touch the children, the women, nor the infirm, also men, whom you

may find among your enemies.” 10

Allah also commanded Muslims to show kindness to Non-Muslims and not kill or harm them because of

their faith.

مه

و ر ت

ي

ن

م ا

ك

ا ر د ي

ن م

م

ك

و ح ر

حب

م

ل

ي ا ل ني و ف

م

ك

و ل

يم ن قا

ل

ني

د

ا ل

نع

ه

م ا لل

ك

ا ه

ت

م لا ي

هلت

و ا إ سطق

ن

و

“God does not forbid you to show kindness to unbelievers who do not fight you because of your faith or

drive you from your homes” 11

This was the concept of minor Jihad and its rules and regulations when fighting in self-defence. Before

we put light on the Quranic terminology of “Qital”, we must define the condition of civilians: who is

actually considered a civilian? Can civilians be targeted in wars or can civilians be combatants,

permanently or temporarily?

Before I define the civilian role, I must highlight on important matters on the topic of Jihad.

It remedied a tendency of some Islamic leaders, kings and dictators by calling every war as a Jihad. But

some Islamic scholars who stood by the truth refused to accept their wars as Jihad. 12

This is what Dr Mohammad Shafi explained it in his article:

“Since Muslim Jurists have sanctioned fighting against oppression or fir liberation as a part of Jihad,

Muslims have often termed their wars against the outside enemies as Jihad to give the struggle the

legitimacy with the general population. But labelling a war as a Jihad does not give it religious and legal

legitimacy. 13

Who is Civilian?

There are different types of people who are either civilians or become temporary civilians.

First Category- Ordinary Citizen: Those people who are just ordinary citizens of the country, who are

not working in the armed services or police forces. The common definition of a civilian is ‘a person who

is not on active duty with a military, Naval, police or fire fighter, etc.’ Second Category- Non- Combatant: A person who is not engaged in fighting during the war, for

example: army chaplain, army doctor or even a civilian citizen who helps them. This category of people

normally works far from the war zone and operates behind the war. Therefore, they can be classified as

Non-Combatant. Third Category- Temporary Civilians: Those combatants also come under the definition of civilian who

have no weapon or ammunition in their hands or no intention to participate in war.

For example: a combatant who is disabled or lacks one or more of his limbs, or someone who is not

willing or not available to participate in war can also be classified as a non-combatant. Sometimes we call

them military reservists or reserves. If they do not participate in a war zone, they would be classified as

civilians. Fourth Category- Civilian Defenders: The person who is a civilian and did not participate in wars but

has possesses a weapon only to protect himself and his family and property. Can he be classified as a

combatant? There is no evidence that he must partake in combatant activities and possess the arm or use

the arm for anything else other than in order to defend himself or his family. For Example: an enemy

soldier breaks the rules of war and his intention is to harm enemy civilians.

In this situation, a civilian who uses his arm against the soldier to defend himself would not be classified

as combatant but a civilian who has no intention to participate in war or harm any enemy soldier but

always uses his personal (legally licenced) arm to protect himself. If this category of civilian can be

harmed by a soldier, this soldier has transgressed the limit of Islamic rules in war and also breached the

army code of conduct and this soldier should be prosecuted under his country’s laws because his action is

considered not only a war crime as per the international law but also a war crime under Islam. These people are classified as civilians and cannot be hurt or harmed, even during the war. Islam

prohibits to harm them during the state recognised war (Jihad). Those who kill those categorically stated

civilians in a war automatically fall under the category of war criminals and the state should prosecute

them according to their country’s laws.

I completely agree with Hyeran Jo an author of the book:

“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. The powerless suffer the most when the powerful

fight. In the same vein, civilian often face much suffering during civil conflicts: disappearances,

abductions, arbitrary arrests, rapes, beatings, extortions and summary executions are the harsh reality of

ordinary people in internal conflicts.” 14

Civilian cum Combatant:

We can see now, when a civilian becomes a combatant and is it necessary to target those civilians cum

combatants in a war (Jihad). There are four categories that turn a civilian as a combatant.

First Category- Civilian Employees: What about the civilian employees who work with armed forces?

Some civilian employees do participate in armed conflicts and are not considered as civilians. For

example; technicians, engineers, civilian operators, drone operators, etc. These people work directly with

armed forces and when the war erupts, these civilian employees are the direct target of the military strikes

because they work in the field of war to provide all necessary assistance for their army in regards to the

attack. Therefore, according to some researchers, they are classified as civilian combatants. Second Category- Private Contractors: For example: The world knows the very infamous US private

contractor ACADEMI, previously known as “Black water”. They are private contractors but definitely

participate in armed conflict by using the same ammunition as the army uses so, in this case they would

be classified as private combatants. Once they are targeted in a war they would not come under civilian

casualties. Third Category- Private Militias: Private militias are armed military groups that are composed of private

citizens and not recognised by the governments. They are also sometimes referred to as ‘private army’

and the definition of private army is ‘a military or paramilitary force consisting of armed combatants who

owe their allegiance to a private person, group, or organization, rather than a nation or state.’ These

people are not classified as civilians but instead as private combatants. So far, you have understood who are civilians and in what situation or category a civilian becomes a

combatant. In simple definition, a person who does not hold an arm at the time of war cannot be

classified as a combatant but a civilian. There are also some disagreements on this definition but this our

goal here right now is not to provide a counter narrative against the disagreement.

Jihad Fi Sabili Allah (in the way or for the sake of Allah)

In most of the Quranic verses where Jihad mentions along with Fi Sabil Allah (for the sake of Allah), the

word related to Qital was mentioned.

For example:

م

لتع

ع

مي س

ا لل ه

ن

ا و ا م لع

ا ه و ل ا لل

ن ي س

ي ف

و ا ل

يقا و

“And fight (Waqatilu) in the cause of Allah ( و اقولت یف لیبس ا ہلل) and know that Allah is Hearing and

Knowing.”15

In this verse the word Waqatilu has been used, which means to fight. The fight does not mean to kill or

kill anyone.

Jihad fi Sabili Allah is a lighter action in Islam but there are other deeds that are more important for

Muslims to follow. Those actions are related with the humanity and to value the human life.

For example; according to one hadith Narrated `Abdullah bin Masud (companion of the Prophet):

و ل ا

بمع س

، قا ل لو

مع

ن

ي

ا لك

ا م

ن

ي د ، جقن

ا س

ن

ي

د م حم

ا

ن

ي د ، ج

ا ح ن ص

ن

ي

نسح ل

ا ا

ن

ي د و ج

عسم

ن

ي

ه

د ا لل

ن ع، قا ل قا ل

ي

ب

ا ن ي

سلو ا ر مع

ي ب

ا

نع

ر ك

ا ر ، د

رت لع ا

ن

ي

د نل

ر ىض ا ہلل ـد

ه

ن ـع

ت ا ل و ل س

سه ر

ق و ملس هيلع ا ہلل ىلص ا لل

ا لبل قا ل ي

ض ف

ل املع

ا

ى

ه ا

و ل ا لل

سا "ر

ه

بي مي قا

لع

هل ضل ."ا

ى

ا

م

ب

"قا ل .قلب

ن

ي

د ا لو ل ا ر ي

م

ب

قا ل ." ى

ا

م

ب

"قلبف

ا د هح ل

ي ا

ه

ل ا لل

ن ي س

ه ىلص ."

و ل ا لل

س ر

نع

بكس ف

ي

ب

ا د

رل

ه

يد

ر

تسو ا ل

.ا ہلل هيلع و ملس و

“I asked Allah's Messenger (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص), "O Allah's Messenger (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص)! What is the best deed?" He replied, "To offer

the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is next in goodness?" He replied, "To be

good and dutiful to your parents." I further asked, what is next in goodness?" He replied, "To participate

in Jihad in Allah's Cause." I did not ask Allah's Messenger (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) anymore and if I had asked him more, he

would have told me more.” 16

It means that the ruling of Jihad comes in last, the more important deeds are to perform Salah (prayer)

which means purify yourself first, then be obedient to your parents, which means looking after them, if

they are old and do not give you permission then do not participate in armed Jihad (war). The last

category for Jihad is when there is the need to defend and protect either your religion, yourself, nation or

the country, according to the rules and regulations of Jihad, which we already mentioned above.

Qital:

Qital is an Arabic word that has been widely used in the holy Quran. Those people who think that Jihad

means killing have a huge misconception between the Jihad and Qital. Even those who consider Qital

means killing still misunderstood that Qital does not mean to kill but to fight. To understand the exact

meaning of Qital, we must understand the Arabic language and that what is exactly meant by Qital in

Arabic language.

The term “Jihad” and “Qital” are often confused with one another. Linguistically, Jihad means “to exert

effort in order for the truth to prevail”. With this definition, it becomes obvious that Jihad is an approach

to attain an object and goal and does not necessarily involve an act of war. 17 An example of this usage is found in the verse:

ا د هه ج

ق

ح

ه

ي ا لل

ف

و ا د ا ه ج و

“And Strive hard in Allah’s cause as you ought to strive.” 18

Imam as -Sadi states about this, “It means to exert one’s efforts and exercise all means to attain the

objective. This means a person is prudent in completing the commands of Allah, (therefor Jihad here

refers to) creating a dialogue in inviting others to Islam. Being sincere towards other, teaching, (it could

include) fighting, showing exalted manners, warning other, exhorting and anything else (which is

necessary to spread justice).”

Linguistically, Qital typically refers to fighting or killing. However, the word Qital can also have an

alternative meaning, depending on the context. For instance, the word Qital is used in the following

verse:

و د د

ا لا جا ب ح

ص

ل ا

نق

“Cursed were the people of the ditch.” 19

Iban Abbas said about this:

“Whenever the word Qutila is used in the Quran, it refers to the lack of guidance reaching them.” 20

Killing is not mentioned in the holy Quran. Jihad does not mean killing and same goes for Qital. Qital

means fight and fight could be without killing. Fight is either to repel or use force or even it can be

referred to as a physical interaction but the intention is not to kill.

The actual word used for (to fight) in the Holy Quran is “Qital”. This word has been used in the Quran at

fifty-four places. Qital means to use the force to repel or remove but the point here is not to kill.

Ibn Hajar RA (a great Islamic scholar eludes to his book) that there is a difference between Qital and

Muqaatalah. He further said:

“Fourthly (from the benefits of this Hadith), the objective of fighting here is to encourage people to enter

into Islam and make the worship of Allah alone ever-present in the land. The point is not to kill and

annihilate those who refuse. At times, (physically) fighting will help attain this objective and others

accepting a tax or agreeing treaties (with non-Muslims).” 21 Fifthly, what is meant by fighting here is anything that can be used to attain the objective, even if it is

non-violent such as accepting a tax.

This point is even more enhanced by the statement of the early scholar, Ali bin al-Madeeni (d. 234H) who

said:

“We have been commanded to fight them and not to kill them” 22

He further said another book:

“The point of this Hadith is to take all necessary measures to make the correct interpretation of Islam

become apparent, this is the meaning of Qatal which is much more precise in its meaning than al-Qital.

Therefore, there is a difference between Qatal (endeavouring) and Qital (fighting). Not everyone who is

made Qatal (endeavoured) against is killed (Qital)...Qatal doesn’t mean, in its absolute sense, that we are

commanded to kill and annihilate [Muqaatalah].” 23

There is difference between Qital and Muqatila. Muqatila means to annihilate and its objective is to kill.

However, Qital’s objective does not mean to kill anyone.

This is well known principle with the scholars of Tafsir: every word and sentence is understood in its

context and not by isolating a word and understanding it with its linguistic definition. 24

The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

“I have been commanded to try to spread Islam as much as I can physically such as give Dawah

(propagation).” 25

Now, whenever he (PBUH) made any treaty with Meccan pagans or with Medina’s Jewish, he obliged it

fully. If the treaty was broken by pagans or the Jewish, he advised them to fulfil the treaty and stick with

it. If they are obeying the treaties, there was no war but if they rejected the treaty or did not follow the

Prophetic advice to continue it, then the situation was different.

“Perhaps is fitting to mention here that legislated fighting has prerequisites for it to be established. From

these include:

1) The threat of an opposition (therefore, can never include killing civilians or those under the treaty)

2) The presence of a Muslim government and ruler (therefore, rogue operations can never be an act of

worship)

3) Ability (therefore, it doesn’t include taking arms against a greater power or calling for a revolution

which will create even more instability)

4) Manhood (therefore, killing women, children and the elderly is NOT legislated - unless if said parties

declared themselves as combatants)

5) Permission of parents (i.e. A person doesn’t compromise his domestic responsibilities)” 26

It is important to ask here that when they reject or break the treaty, what does it mean? It means they are

ready for war.

In this case, the Prophet (PBUH) went out of the city to wage Jihad (physical exertion) not to kill but to

defend. The objective of Prophetic Jihad was not to kill but to defend and continually offer peace treaty.

If they accept it, the Jihad was immediately stopped because the intention was not offensive but

defensive. The armed Jihad of the Prophet was to give Dawah (propagate) or make a peace treaty not to

make war or kill. In this situation, for example: The opposite side does not accept any condition of war or

even reject a peace treaty, then the commandment of Qital revels or orders which means to remove a

person physically in a defensive position.

The Prophet (PBUH) said:

ل

ي اق

ا

ن

ا

ومب

ا

“I have been commanded to fight” 27

Amoot an “Aqatil” (

ا ن

لا ومب

يا اق ) and he did not say Amoot an “Muqatil” (ل

ي اقم

ا ن

that “I have been (ا ومب

commanded to annihilate people or kill people.” The word “Aqatil” would be used for “fight” however,

the word “Muqatil” would be used for “killing” and this word is nowhere mentioned in the holy Quran.

This is the difference between Jihad, Qital and Muqatil.

The Prophet of Islam (PBUH) said:

ا د هح ل

ا ى

م ا

لس

ه و ن ل ع

ه ي ا لل

لص

ه و ل ا لل

سا ل ر

لا سج ر

ن

ا ب اه

س

ن

ي

ا ر ق ط

نع

ر

يا ج

ا نلطد س

نع ق

ح

مة كلل قا ل

ض ف

ا

"The best of Jihad is (to say) a word of truth before an oppressor ruler" 28

This Jihad has a different meaning and concept than the armed Jihad. To speak truth against the mightier

is a form of Jihad but this Jihad has been considered as a greater Jihad because there are more chances of

being killed or getting harmed.

There are two types of verses mentioned or revealed in the holy Quran and it completely depends on the

atmosphere, environment and content of the verses. Most of the Meccan verses were about peaceful Jihad

and Medinite verses were about armed Jihad, which I already mentioned that armed Jihad was for self-

defence.

Qital is only a most prominent aspect of armed Jihad. Armed Jihad has a broader concept, and it includes

peaceful Jihad as well. The concept of “fighting in the way of Allah” is always true to describe it with the

Jihad but Jihad nor necessarily described as fighting. This is why the reference to “Jihad” in the Quran

cannot be equated with “Qital”.

Let’s see what the Quranic verse says about Qital.

ا ل

نلقم ا

كن لع

ب

كي

“Fighting has been ordained on you….” 29

It is clear now that “fighting in the way of Allah” started only when it was ordained upon believers.

Fighting in the way of Allah is not a practice that comes by default with religion. 30 In the same way Jihad has never been ordained on the believers because it was not always meant as

armed Jihad. There is no verse indicating that Jihad was ordained.

It is Qital not Jihad that refers as fighting in the way of Allah that was made compulsory on Muslims after

the second year of migration to Medina to protect themselves from attacks by Meccan pagans.

The Quranic verse that granted permission to Muslims to use armed Jihad also talks about “fighting”

rather than “Jihad”.

و ا مل

ط

م ه

ب

ا ي

و نل

ي ني ن قا

د

ل ل

ن

د

ا

“Permission to “fight” is given to those who are fought against because they have been wronged…” 31

In Arabic verse, the word used in fighting was “Yuqatalun” which means “fight” not Jihad.

The words related with Qital used in the Quran are: “Qatilu” (fight), “Falyuqatil” (then fight), “Yuqatil”

(fight) and “Faqatil” (then fight). But, the word “Muqatil” (to kill) is not mentioned in the holy Quran at

all. The word Jihad is mentioned more times in the Quran than the word Qital. Allah talks and promotes

about peaceful Jihad more than the armed Jihad. The Armed Jihad is only permitted for Muslims when

they are persecuted in practicing their religion and driven out of their homes and when they migrated to a

safe place (Medina) to secure their religious practice, pagans then imposed wars on them. In this case,

Muslims granted permission to fight (do Qital) against those Meccan pagans only in self-defence. Again,

in those self-defence wars there were some rules which I already mentioned above. In starting they would

invite them to embrace Islam, then offer them a peace treaty, then ask them to return back and when all

conditions would be declined by the enemies, only then fight (Qital) with those only who fight with you.

Objection:

There is an objection raised by some people who study Arabic language that in Arabic dictionary the

word “Qital” comes from the root word “q-t-l” which means “to kill”, so, in this case Qital means

“killing” not “fighting”.

Answer: The Quran is not explained on linguistic alone (q-t-l), etc. For example: Allah says in several places,

م ا ہلل "

ھل

ي

this does not mean that “Allah killed/murdered them”. Qatl here means “the curse of Allah” or "اق

for a better way of putting it as “Allah did not guide them”. So, in this situation, we have seen the Quranic context of the verse, something the word is same but the

meaning applied there has a different context than the concept of linguistic meaning of the word.

There are three types of Muslims who either misread or misunderstand the actual meaning of Jihad and

the difference between Jihad and Qital.

1- Muslims with no knowledge of Arabic language

2- Muslims with lack of Islamic knowledge

3- Muslims who follow and spread propaganda

The international media, non-Muslims and Muslims with above three categories do not know the concept

of Jihad and Qital.

There is another type of Muslims who exists in the world, who are called extremists or Islamists, who use

the word Jihad and kill innocents in the name of Islam, who even sometimes use the word Qital to

annihilate others to achieve their political goals.

Islamist concept of Jihad:

Islamists are completely misguided Muslims whose ideology is based on violence and mischief on earth.

These Islamists have damaged the core principles of Islam which are based on peace, tolerance,

acceptance, submission and coexistence.

They used the concept of Jihad as a “Holy War” which is against the peaceful concept of Islam. Holy

War is not mentioned in the Quran and there is no Arabic word as holy war written in the Quran.

It is foreign to Islam. Those wars that are being fought in the name of Jihad by Islamists has no

legitimacy in Islam. These are purely Haram (impermissible and illegitimate) wars in Islam. Killing

civilians and innocents is against the teachings of Islam and those who breaches the rules of Islam should

be treated harshly and issued severe punishment according to the Islamic law.

Islamists have committed a great blasphemy of religion by manipulating Islamic divine texts in order to

use them in unlawful, un-Islamic indiscriminate and brutal killings. They even killed vulnerable Muslims,

including women, elderly people and children. They are accountable for breaching the Quranic

commandment.

Allah says in the holy Quran:

ا س

نلل ا

نق

ما

با فك

ضي ا لا ر

ف

ا د س ف و

اس

ف

ن

ر ت

عن ا س ف

نل

نق

نم

“Whoever kills a person unjustly, it is as though he has killed all mankind…” 32

So, according to this verse, they have damaged the peaceful image of Islam and created a great Fitnah

(mischief) in the world.

Allah says in the holy Quran:

و نح ل ضم

ن

ح

ب

ما

ب إ و ا ل قا

ضي ا لا ر

ف

و ا د س ف

ن م ال

له

ل ن ق

ا

إد و

“When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "Why, we only Want to make

peace!” 33

Conclusion:

An individual Muslim has no legal or Islamic right to decide whether Qital is necessary for him or not or

whether it is ordained on them or not. It is the Muslim state that has to decide when to go to war and

against whom. It may call the general public to join the war or only rely on existent armed forces to wage

a war (Qital). In case if it makes an open call for jihad every individual has to respond positively to the

call of the rulers. Otherwise in normal circumstances when there is no war declared by the government or

when a war ongoing but only the armed forces are engaged in it and the state does not need your

participation, you do not need to move. 34 It is now understood that Jihad means a war, a war that must be waged by the state and an Islamic ruler in

order to defend the country, nation or religion under the international rules of war. We also penned in

detail about the definition of Qital, how and where to use it. There is so much confusion in the Islamic

world as well as the non-Islamic world, including the international media, about the concept of Jihad and

the usage of Qital according to the Islamic terminology.

The Islamists have also manipulated and twisted the word Jihad in order to create a fear and chaos in a

word in relations to achieve their religious cum political ends. It is obligatory on Muslim scholars to

defuse their way of manipulating the concept of Jihad by speaking, writing and educating the Muslim

community as well as the International community.

References:

1. Jihad in the Quran by Louay Fatoohi, chapter 2, page 23

2. (Quran- 29:8)

3. Jihad in the Quran by Louay Fatoohi, chapter 2, page 24

4. Jihad Sacred Struggle by Dr Mumahhad Shafi

5. Jihad in the Quran by Louay Fatoohi, page 3

6. (Quran 2:190)

7. (Quran 4:90)

8. (Quran 8:61)

9. (Quran 2:256)

10. (Hadith)

11. (Quran 60:8-9)

12. (The Vision of Islam -Paragon House, 1994)

13. (Jihad- Sacred Struggle, 2003)

14. (Compliant Rebels: Rebel groups and International law in world politics, Page 113)

15. (Quran- 2:244)

16. (Sahih al-Bukhari 2782)

17. (al Nahaayah fi Ghareeb al Hadeeth by Ibn al-Atheer (1/319) and al-Misbaah al Muneer (1/112)

18. (Quran 22:78)

19. (Quran 85:4)

20. (See Tafsir al Qurtubi)

21. Fatah ul Baari (1/97-98)

22. Sharh I'tiqad Usool Ahl as-Sunnah (1/189)

23. Ash-Sharh al-Mumti (2/48)

24. Tafsir at-Tabari 3/316, al-Bahr al-Muheet 8/55, Mukhtasar as-Sawai’q al-Murasalah pg. 780-781

25. (Hadith)

26. Zaad al-M'ad (3/270) and Fath al-Bari (6/140)

27. Masnad Ishaq bin Rahwiya, Hadith 226

28. Reported by Abu Dawud Tirmizi, Ibn Maja

29. (Quran 2:216)

30. Jihad and Qital by Tariq Mahmood Hashmi

31. (Quran 22:39)

32. (Quran 5:32)

33. (Quran 2:11)

34. Misleading the Quranic term of Jihad, page 67