The Ruling on Jihad in This Era
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I ask you to clarify the extent of the Muslim community’s need for jihad in the path of Allah?
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, explained this need in His Book, saying: [Al-Anfal: 39] So people are in need of fighting the disbelievers now, so that there is no fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and the religion is entirely for Allah. But is fighting obligatory, or is fighting permissible when one does not have the capability to do so?Answer: It is not obligatory, nor is it permissible for us to fight when we are not prepared for it. The evidence for this is that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, did not obligate His Prophet, while he was in Makkah, to fight the polytheists. And Allah permitted His Prophet, at the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, to make a treaty with the polytheists, a treaty that, if a person were to read it, he would think it was a betrayal of the Muslims.
Many of you know how the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was, until 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said: (O Messenger of Allah! Are we not upon the truth and our enemy upon falsehood?He said: Yes,He said: Why did we accept humiliation in our religion?) He thought this was a betrayal, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was undoubtedly more knowledgeable than 'Umar, and Allah, the Exalted, had permitted him to do so,So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (I am the Messenger of Allah, and I will not disobey Him, and He is my supporter) .
Look at the complete trust in this tight, difficult situation,He declares this and says: (I will not disobey Him, and He is my supporter) He will be my supporter, even though the apparent outcome of the treaty was a betrayal of the Muslims. And this indicates to us an important issue,and she: the strength of the believer’s trust in his Lord, so this is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), in this difficult situation saying: (and He is my supporter) .
And in the story of Musa (peace be upon him), when Pharaoh and his soldiers caught up with him, and the sea was in front of them and Pharaoh and his soldiers were behind them, what did his companions say?They said: We are being caught,He said: No.
It is not possible that we will be caught [Al-Shu'ara: 62] He will guide me to something in which there is salvation, and salvation occurred, and the destruction of Pharaoh and his people occurred.
So the important thing is: That it is obligatory for Muslims to do jihad so that the word of Allah is the highest, and the religion is entirely for Allah. But now, Muslims do not have it in their hands, and they cannot do jihad against the disbelievers, not even defensive jihad in reality.
Offensive jihad—there is no doubt—is not possible now until Allah, Mighty and Majestic, brings a conscious community that prepares itself in faith and psychologically, and then militarily. But as long as we are in this state, we cannot do jihad against our enemies. So look at our brothers in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, what the Christians are doing to them; they are tearing them to pieces, and violating their sanctities,And it was said to us: They are slaughtering the child in front of his mother, and forcing her to drink from his blood. We seek refuge in Allah! Something a person cannot imagine happening. And yet, the Christian nations are delaying, being lenient, promising and breaking their promises; and the Muslim community has nothing but verbal condemnation without action, from some of it, not all of it. Otherwise, if the Muslim community did something, even a little of what it is capable of, it would have an effect. But unfortunately, we stand as if we are spectators, especially some of the rulers in the Muslim community. The people have a feeling with them, they have a movement of the heart, but this is not enough. By Allah, whenever a person mentions his brothers there, he feels severe pain for them. But what can we do? We complain to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and we ask Allah, the Exalted, to establish the knowledge of jihad in the Muslim community so that we can fight our enemies and the enemies of Allah, so that the word of Allah is the highest.
So now, the summary of the answer is: That jihad is obligatory (so that there is no fitnah) meaning: being prevented from the path of Allah, and the enemies of Muslims cannot call to their religion, and the religion is entirely for Allah. But this is on the condition that we have the capability. And we do not have the capability now, not even the capability of defense, unfortunately. So what about the capability of offense? And when the Muslims were upon the truth, and relied upon the Lord of Majesty and Glory, and held the mushaf (a written copy of the Qur'an) in one hand and the spear in the other, and they prioritized the mushaf over the spear, they opened up the east and west of the earth. And people began to come to them from every direction [An-Nasr: 1-2] .
So people began to turn to Islam; because Islam is the religion of fitrah (the innate natural disposition), high values, and noble morals. So if it were presented to people, and depicted to them theoretically and practically, they would not want anything else. But—unfortunately—Muslims today, their greatest concern is what money you have? And how is your castle and your house? And how is your car? This is the state of most people—unfortunately. For this reason, you find deception in transactions, and lying, and trickery, and cunning, and everything; because people are occupied with what was created for them, rather than what they were created for. We were created for worship, and what is in the earth was all created for us; so we were occupied with what was created for us, rather than what we were created for. We ask Allah to give us and you a good life, and to change the situation to something better than it.
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, explained this need in His Book, saying:
And fight them until there is no fitnah and [until] the religion, all of it, is for Allah
وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِMany of you know how the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was, until 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said: (O Messenger of Allah! Are we not upon the truth and our enemy upon falsehood?He said: Yes,He said: Why did we accept humiliation in our religion?) He thought this was a betrayal, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was undoubtedly more knowledgeable than 'Umar, and Allah, the Exalted, had permitted him to do so,So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (I am the Messenger of Allah, and I will not disobey Him, and He is my supporter) .
Look at the complete trust in this tight, difficult situation,He declares this and says: (I will not disobey Him, and He is my supporter) He will be my supporter, even though the apparent outcome of the treaty was a betrayal of the Muslims. And this indicates to us an important issue,and she: the strength of the believer’s trust in his Lord, so this is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), in this difficult situation saying: (and He is my supporter) .
And in the story of Musa (peace be upon him), when Pharaoh and his soldiers caught up with him, and the sea was in front of them and Pharaoh and his soldiers were behind them, what did his companions say?They said: We are being caught,He said: No.
It is not possible that we will be caught
Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me."
إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِSo the important thing is: That it is obligatory for Muslims to do jihad so that the word of Allah is the highest, and the religion is entirely for Allah. But now, Muslims do not have it in their hands, and they cannot do jihad against the disbelievers, not even defensive jihad in reality.
Offensive jihad—there is no doubt—is not possible now until Allah, Mighty and Majestic, brings a conscious community that prepares itself in faith and psychologically, and then militarily. But as long as we are in this state, we cannot do jihad against our enemies. So look at our brothers in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, what the Christians are doing to them; they are tearing them to pieces, and violating their sanctities,And it was said to us: They are slaughtering the child in front of his mother, and forcing her to drink from his blood. We seek refuge in Allah! Something a person cannot imagine happening. And yet, the Christian nations are delaying, being lenient, promising and breaking their promises; and the Muslim community has nothing but verbal condemnation without action, from some of it, not all of it. Otherwise, if the Muslim community did something, even a little of what it is capable of, it would have an effect. But unfortunately, we stand as if we are spectators, especially some of the rulers in the Muslim community. The people have a feeling with them, they have a movement of the heart, but this is not enough. By Allah, whenever a person mentions his brothers there, he feels severe pain for them. But what can we do? We complain to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and we ask Allah, the Exalted, to establish the knowledge of jihad in the Muslim community so that we can fight our enemies and the enemies of Allah, so that the word of Allah is the highest.
So now, the summary of the answer is: That jihad is obligatory (so that there is no fitnah) meaning: being prevented from the path of Allah, and the enemies of Muslims cannot call to their religion, and the religion is entirely for Allah. But this is on the condition that we have the capability. And we do not have the capability now, not even the capability of defense, unfortunately. So what about the capability of offense? And when the Muslims were upon the truth, and relied upon the Lord of Majesty and Glory, and held the mushaf (a written copy of the Qur'an) in one hand and the spear in the other, and they prioritized the mushaf over the spear, they opened up the east and west of the earth. And people began to come to them from every direction
(1) When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest, (2) And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes,
إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ * وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجاًSo people began to turn to Islam; because Islam is the religion of fitrah (the innate natural disposition), high values, and noble morals. So if it were presented to people, and depicted to them theoretically and practically, they would not want anything else. But—unfortunately—Muslims today, their greatest concern is what money you have? And how is your castle and your house? And how is your car? This is the state of most people—unfortunately. For this reason, you find deception in transactions, and lying, and trickery, and cunning, and everything; because people are occupied with what was created for them, rather than what they were created for. We were created for worship, and what is in the earth was all created for us; so we were occupied with what was created for us, rather than what we were created for. We ask Allah to give us and you a good life, and to change the situation to something better than it.