The Ruling on Jihad, Its Conditions, and Its Stages
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Question:
And Honorable Shaykh Mustafa Kamran, what is the Muslim community currently giving in terms of jihad? Is it obligatory for them to attack the current stability, and what is not obligatory for them?
Answer:
According to their capability. Jihad must have leadership. Jihad must be within the authority of the one in authority, or it is not permissible for each individual to fight on his own without the permission of the one in authority. That is called chaos. It is not called jihad. Jihad is only within the authority of the one in authority. So, if the one in authority calls for jihad, or sends an army of Muslims to fight in jihad, and raises the banner for them and appoints a commander over them, then this is in the path of Allah. As for jihad without the permission of the one in authority and without his authority, this is called chaos and accomplishes nothing. It causes more harm than benefit, if there is any benefit at all, but the harm in it is certain and severe. So, if the Muslims are unable to confront the disbelievers in a certain era, then it is not obligatory upon them. Rather, it is obligatory upon them to do what they are able to do. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:286] The clearest evidence for this is the period of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Makkah. For he was prohibited from fighting, because the Muslims could not bear to carry it out at that time. And Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says in *Zad al-Ma'ad* that fighting came in four stages. First, it was prohibited and forbidden, and this was when he (peace and blessings be upon him) was in Makkah, because the harm in it was greater than the benefit, due to the killing and extermination that would befall the Muslims. The Muslims had no strength at that time. This is called the Makkah period. [An-Nisa 4:77] It was before it was written upon them due to their weakness and lack of capacity. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in Makkah commanded to convey the message and call to Allah without fighting, and commanded to be patient and endure. Read the verses that were revealed in Makkah; they all indicate this. So, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) migrated, at the beginning of the migration, permission was given to them to fight in defense of themselves, a permission and not a command. Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Hajj 22:39-40] This is the second stage: permission to fight without a command, and this is like a stage of defense only. The third stage: Allah commanded to fight only those who fight, and fight in the path of Allah those who fight you, and do not transgress, for Allah does not love those who transgress.
So they were commanded to fight only those who fought them; this is the third stage. The fourth stage: they were commanded to fight absolutely, when they became strong and had a state, power, and strength, they were commanded to fight absolutely, as an attack and not a defense, and as a pursuit and not a defense.[At-Tawbah 9:5] Once. [At-Tawbah 9:14-15] This is the final stage. When the Muslims became strong, they had a state, they had a country that protected them, they had armies, they were commanded to fight absolutely. Yes.
And Honorable Shaykh Mustafa Kamran, what is the Muslim community currently giving in terms of jihad? Is it obligatory for them to attack the current stability, and what is not obligatory for them?
Answer:
According to their capability. Jihad must have leadership. Jihad must be within the authority of the one in authority, or it is not permissible for each individual to fight on his own without the permission of the one in authority. That is called chaos. It is not called jihad. Jihad is only within the authority of the one in authority. So, if the one in authority calls for jihad, or sends an army of Muslims to fight in jihad, and raises the banner for them and appoints a commander over them, then this is in the path of Allah. As for jihad without the permission of the one in authority and without his authority, this is called chaos and accomplishes nothing. It causes more harm than benefit, if there is any benefit at all, but the harm in it is certain and severe. So, if the Muslims are unable to confront the disbelievers in a certain era, then it is not obligatory upon them. Rather, it is obligatory upon them to do what they are able to do. Allah the Exalted said:
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَاHave you not seen those who were told, "Restrain your hands [from fighting] and establish prayer and give zakah"? But then when fighting was ordained for them, at once a party of them feared men as they fear Allah
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهُمْ كُفُّوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ(39) Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory. (40) [They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right - only because they say, "Our Lord is Allah." And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.
أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَاتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِم بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّا أَن يَقُولُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُSo they were commanded to fight only those who fought them; this is the third stage. The fourth stage: they were commanded to fight absolutely, when they became strong and had a state, power, and strength, they were commanded to fight absolutely, as an attack and not a defense, and as a pursuit and not a defense.
then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them
فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَاحْصُرُوهُمْ وَاقْعُدُوا لَهُمْ كُلَّ(14) Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people (15) And remove the fury in the believers' hearts. And Allah turns in forgiveness to whom He wills
قَاتِلُوهُمْ يُعَذِّبْهُمُ اللَّهُ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ وَيُخْزِهِمْ وَيَنصُرْكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَيَشْفِ صُدُورَ قَوْمٍ مُّؤْمِنِينَ وَيُذْهِبْ غَيْظَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَيَتُوبُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَاءُ
Source
موقف الأمة الإسلامية من الجهاد — alfawzan.live
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.