The Misleading "Reflection On Aceh Jihad" (Part 2)
Shawwal 18, 1431 A.H, Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Then the next problem is
what the author said in page 7:
Jihad: The
goal or means
Here we are again
questioning the author, what is the basis for this division?
According to us, jihad today is a faridoh
(prescription) which is made obligatory for us for the purpose
of raising high the kalimah of Allah on this earth,
with the capitals that we can use, just as Allah says, which
means
“Against them make ready your strength
to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to
strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies…”
(QS Al-Anfal 60) Here, the meant strength is the
strength of iman and the physical strength. This is
based on the stage when jihad is prescribed where the phases
are already complete i.e. we are obligated to fight the
mushrik people even if they are not fighting us, until
they convert to Islam or pay the jizya - for some
groups debated by the ulama’s. The daleel is
there in surah At-Tauba which means
“When the forbidden months are
past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an
seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every
stratagem (of war)” At-Tauba 5. And there are
still many other nas (texts) but due to limited space
we cannot mention them all here. As for the division of jihad
according to us today it is either the tholab
(offensive) jihad and difa’i (defensive) jihad, and
we believe that in today's situation it is the the difa’i
(defensive) jihad. Not dividing it into the jihad of goal or
means. So, whatever our present condition is, we must conduct
jihad to fight them as a form of self-defense, of course with
tactics and strategies which are accurate in order to combat
them, unlike what had been alleged by the author that the
people who conduct jihad today are having “THE MAIN
THING IS JIHAD” as their principle, this allegation
is not true.
Then in page 13 the
author mentioned:
Therefore, we
must interpret jihad with 'war',
not 'battle'. It was also differentiated in
the Arabic language. 'Battle' is called
'qital', 'harb' or 'ma’rakah'.
As for 'war', the term 'jihad'
is used.
So we are asking, from where did the author of the "Reflection
On Aceh Jihad" get the source that he could differentiate
between the words "jihad" and "qital"?
The author said that
the word jihad is a war which is long-term in nature while
qital is a short-term clash, whereas what we understand
about the meaning of jihad is that it is qital just
like what are said in the Qur’an, the terms jihad and
qital are often mentioned in the Qur’an, and what is
meant by jihad there is qital, like what ALLAH says:
In surah
At-Tauba verse 41, which means:
“Go ye forth, (whether equipped) lightly or heavily, and
conduct jihad (strive and struggle), with your goods and your
persons, in the cause of Allah. That is best for you, if ye
(but) knew.”
Also in At-Tauba
verses 86-88, which means:
“When a Surah comes down,
enjoining them to believe in Allah and to conduct jihad
(strive and fight) along with His Messenger, those with wealth
and influence among them ask thee for exemption, and say:
"Leave us (behind): we would
be with those who sit (at home)." They prefer to be
with (the women), who remain behind (at home): their hearts
are sealed and so they understand not. But the Messenger, and
those who believe with him, conduct jihad (strive and fight)
with their wealth and their persons: for them are (all) good
things: and it is they who will prosper.”
The two verses above
are interpreted in such a way that the meaning of jihad in
those verses is qital. In another verse of ALLAH i.e.
in surah As-Saff 4, which means:
“Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle
array, as if they were a solid cemented structure.”
Here ALLAH have the
word "qital" to interpret the previous 2 verses which
used the word jihad.
Then, in the hadith of Rasulullah, he also
interpreted the meaning of jihad to be the same as qital,
which means:
From Amru bin ‘abasa RA. He said "I was
sitting with Rasulullah when a man said,
'O Rasulullah what is Islam?'
He asnwered 'Your heart feel
safe, and the Muslims also feel safe from feel safe from your
tongue and hands.' The man asked,
'So how is the most excellent Islam like?' He
asnwered 'Iman.' The
mans asked again 'What is
iman?' He answered
'You have faith in ALLAH, His Angels, His Books, His
Messengers and the Resurrection after death.' That
man asked again 'So how is
the most excellent iman like?' He answered
'Hijrah.' That man
asked again 'What is hijrah?'
He answered 'You leave the
bad deeds.' That man asked again
'So how is the most excellent
hijrah like?' He answered
'Jihad.' That man
asked again 'What is jihad?'
He answered 'You fight the
kafirs if you meet them.'”
(HR Ahmad with a saheeh sanad)
In the above hadith, the one who asked about jihad was
answered by Rasulullah with the term “qital”.
Then, if the author
is saying that jihad is long-term in nature while qital
is only momentary, this is contradicts the Shar’ie daleels,
amongst them:
ALLAH says, which
means:
“And fight them on until there is
no more Fitnah, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah.
but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those
who practise oppression.”
(Al-Baqara 193)
In the above verse, ALLAH uses the word qital for
fighting the kafir until there is no more fitnah.
And in the tafseer of Ibnu Kathir, the meaning of
fitnah was mentioned as kufr and shirk.
While kufr and shirk will always be present
until the day of judgement.
And then in the hadiths about the Thaifah Mansurah,
almost all of them are using the word qital, amongst
them:
Jabir ibn Abdullah
narrated:
The Prophet (saw) said: 'There
will continue in my Ummah a group that will fight for the haq,
you will know them until the day of judgement, and then 'isa
ibn Maryam will come down, and the people will say
"O Isa, lead the Jama'ah (prayer)" he will say
'no, you lead each other,
Allah honoured this Ummah that nobody will lead them except
the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and their own people.'”
(HR.Muslim)
Then in a hadith
from Salamah bin Nufail Al-Kindi, which means:
From Salamah bin Nufail Al-Kindi
he said: I was sitting with Rasulullah when a man said: "Oh
Rasulullah! The people have held on to the horses and laid
down their weapons and said: ‘there
is no Jihad for the war has laid down its burdens.'"
So the Rasulullah turned his face away and said:
‘they have lied. Now the time
for fighting has come. There will never cease to be a group
from my Ummah that fights upon the truth. Allah will deviate
the hearts of some by way of them, and provide for them from
them until the establishment of the hour and until the promise
of Allah comes. Good shall remain in the manes of horses until
the Day of Judgment. It has been revealed to me that I will
die and not remain and that you all will follow up after me,
some striking the necks of others, and the base of the abode
of the believers is in Sham.'” [Saheeh
hadith narrated by An-Nasa’i]
In this hadith
Rasulullah used the term “qital” for the war that is
ever-present until the judgment day, this is just a small part
of the nas (texts) that disputes the definition by
the author.
And lastly the one
that becomes the focus of our writing is the kalimah
of the author in page 7:
Its basic theory; JIHAD SURELY RESULTS IN VICTORY IF
DONE THE RIGHT WAY
So we are saying, it
is very naïve if success or victory is measured by material,
so let us ponder together what becomes the parameters and
yardstick of victory?
Sheikh
rahimahullah Yusuf Al-Uyairi in his book “Tsawabit
‘alaa darbil jihad” explains clearly the meanings of
victory, which includes:
1. The biggest
significance of a victory – is achieved for certain by anyone
who wants to conduct jihad, whether he be alone or together
with the ummah — is when a Mujahid is able to defeat
his nafs (carnal desires), defeating the satans
that are tempting him, as well as defeating the 'eight things
loved by mankind' and the pleasures that represent their
branches, defeating the worldly affairs that are attracting
him where many Muslims have failed in this matter, in fact it
could even be said that almost the entire ummah have
failed in defeating these things. Allah mentioned those eight
things in His verse:
“Say: If it be that your fathers,
your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the
wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a
decline: or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer to
you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His
cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and
Allah guides not the fasiq.” (QS 9:24)
2. When a slave goes
out to do jihad, he has already achieved victory and he
belongs to the people whom Allah mentions in His verse:
“And those who conduct jihad
in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths:
For verily Allah is with those who do right.” (QS
29:69)
3. When a Mujahid is
firm on the path and principles of jihad, whatever happens to
him, whether it be hardships or worries or demoralizing
comments, basically that is already a victory. Allah Ta‘ala
says:
“Allah will establish in strength
those who believe, with the word that stands firm, in this
world and in the Hereafter; but Allah will leave, to stray,
those who do wrong: Allah doeth what He willeth.”
(QS 14:27)
Aren’t the people
who are firm upon the path of jihad and continue to implement
it, as well as becoming those who are established like in the
verse above, enough to be called as people who are achieving
victory?
4. Another form of
victory is when jihad becomes the reason that the kafirs
are becoming poor and the reason of their dying in their
kufr, as well as a deterrence for them from obtaining
hidayah. This is amongst the biggest victories.
Their war and
hostility towards the religion of Islam and the Mujahideen
become the reason for their being astray and their falling
into kufr until they die. This was the request of
Prophet Musa and Harun AS to Allah for Firaun and his people,
Allah says about Prophet Musa:
“Moses prayed:
'Our Lord! Thou hast indeed
bestowed on Pharaoh and his chiefs splendour and wealth in the
life of the present, and so, Our Lord, they mislead (men) from
Thy Path. Deface our Lord, the features of their wealth, and
send hardness to their hearts, so they will not believe until
they see the grievous penalty.'" (QS
10:88)
Prophet Musa’s
request for these things show that if the things that he
requested materialize it means that ultimate victory is in
hand. What loss is greater than when Allah hardens the hearts
of the kafir until they encounter a painful adzab
(torment) later when the Mu’mineen are happy with
their position related by Allah in the Qur’an, when they say
to the leaders of the kafir:
“Taste thou (this punishment of
the Fire)! Truly wast thou mighty, full of honour!”
(QS 44:49)
5. Included amongst the forms of victory is when Allah takes
some of His slaves as Shuhada's.
So, when a slave is
fighting for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala and he gets
wounded, it is actually a medium for him to obtain a ticket to
enter Paradise. Due to that, Allah Ta‘ala says:
“Such days (of varying fortunes)
We give to men and men by turns: that Allah may know those
that believe, and that He may take to Himself from your ranks
Martyr-witnesses (to Truth). And Allah loveth not those that
do wrong.” (QS 3:140)
Martyrdom is a
choice which Allah determines for His slave. Meaning, whoever
Allah chooses to able to reach that degree, he has achieved
success and victory. Martyrdom is the peak of all ambitions
because martyrdom is the choice of Allah, to the extent that
Rasulullah wished for martyrdom up to three times in his
speech:
(وَلَوَدِدْتُ أَنْ
أُقْتَلَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللهِ ثُمَّ أُحْيَا ثُمَّ أُقْتَلُ ثُمَّ
أُحْيَا ثُمَّ أُقْتَلُ)
"Verily, I really wished if could be killed in the way of
Allah, then be brought back to life, and be killed again, then
be brought back to life, and be killed again."
Allah Ta‘ala
says to affirm the meaning of this victory:
“Think not of those who are slain
in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their
sustenance in the presence of their Lord.”
(QS 3:169)
And He says:
“And say not of those who are
slain in the way of Allah. "They are dead." Nay, they are
living, though ye perceive (it) not.” (QS 2:154)
6. Another form of
victory is the victory on the battlefield. This is the victory
understood by almost the entire human race. Most people only
restrict the meaning of victory on this course. That is
certainly a lame understanding. Victory on the battlefield is
nothing but one of the many forms of victory.
Rasulullah SAW had
the chance to rejoice in this victory on the battlefield and
Allah showed him this victory before he passed away, and then
He says to him to remind him of the favor:
“When comes the Help of
Allah, and Victory. And thou dost see the people enter Allah's
Religion in crowds. Celebrate the praises of thy Lord, and
pray for His Forgiveness: For He is Oft-Returning (in Grace
and Mercy).” (QS
110:1-3)
There goes some
forms of victory.
Actually there are
many other forms of victory and it is not enough to discuss
them all here. We end it by citing the examples above, all of
which are included in the scope of the Allah SWT's promises
Who says:
“We will, without doubt, help
(give victory to) our Apostles and those who believe, (both)
in this world's life and on the Day when the Witnesses will
stand forth.” (QS 40:51)
Allah further says:
“And it was due from Us to aid
(give victory to) those who believed.” (QS 30:47)
For people with a
narrow understanding of victory, he says: "How could Allah
state that it is wajib (certain) for Him to pronounce the
Apostles and the Believers as winners, while amongst the
Apostles, there are those who were killed, who did not procure
power and kingship, in fact there were those who did not
procure even a follower to enter Islam along with him?"
May this note be useful and increase our discourse,
particularly in Da'wah and Jihad.
(Alf/Jurnalislam)
The Misleading "Reflection On Aceh Jihad" (Part 1)
Submitted by a Mujahid