The Ruling on Jihad in This Era
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What is the ruling on jihad in our time? Is it a collective obligation or an individual obligation? And if it is a collective obligation, when does it become an individual obligation for this community?
First, you must know that jihad cannot be an individual obligation for all Muslims; that is impossible.Allah the Exalted said: [At-Tawbah: 122] And the Exalted and Majestic explained the wisdom, saying: [At-Tawbah: 122] meaning: those who remain behind, because if the entire community went out for jihad, the rest of the laws and rituals would be neglected.
But it becomes an individual obligation in certain instances: The first instance: if a person is present in the battle line, he must complete his participation.Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said: [Al-Anfal: 15-16] .
The second place: If the enemy besieges his land, then he must fight in defense of himself and his Islamic land.
The third place: If the imam mobilizes him—and note the word "imam" and write it with a capital letter—there must be an imam who leads the Islamic army. If the imam mobilizes him, he must go out.For example, he says to the people of the land: "Go out for jihad"—they must go out, because disobeying the rulers is forbidden, and when the address was directed to them, it became obligatory for them to carry it out.
The fourth place: If there is a need for him, such that this man knows how to use this type of weapon and others do not, then it becomes individually obligatory for him to engage in it.
In other than these four instances, jihad is not an individual obligation. Then, jihad—my brothers—must be under the banner of an imam, because otherwise it will become banditry. There must be an imam who leads the Islamic community. Therefore, you will find that those who engaged in jihad without the banner of an imam do not have a stable situation; rather, they may be wiped out entirely, and if they are granted victory, conflict arises among them.
In any case, we ask Allah to help us in the jihad against our own selves. We are now in need of the jihad of the self. The hearts are sick, the limbs are negligent, and the hearts are divided. This requires jihad before anything else.
Glory be to You, O Allah, our Lord, and praise be to You. I testify that there is no deity but You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance. Until further notice, if Allah wills.
First, you must know that jihad cannot be an individual obligation for all Muslims; that is impossible.Allah the Exalted said:
And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group
وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا كَافَّةً فَلَوْلا نَفَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌto obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them
لِيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنْذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْBut it becomes an individual obligation in certain instances: The first instance: if a person is present in the battle line, he must complete his participation.Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:
(15) O you who have believed, when you meet those who disbelieve advancing [for battle], do not turn to them your backs [in flight]. (16) And whoever turns his back to them on such a day, unless swerving [as a strategy] for war or joining [another] company, has certainly returned with anger [upon him] from Allah, and his refuge is Hell - and wretched is the destination.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا زَحْفاً فَلا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبَارَ * وَمَنْ يُوَلِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفاً لِقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَيِّزاً إِلَى فِئَةٍ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُThe second place: If the enemy besieges his land, then he must fight in defense of himself and his Islamic land.
The third place: If the imam mobilizes him—and note the word "imam" and write it with a capital letter—there must be an imam who leads the Islamic army. If the imam mobilizes him, he must go out.For example, he says to the people of the land: "Go out for jihad"—they must go out, because disobeying the rulers is forbidden, and when the address was directed to them, it became obligatory for them to carry it out.
The fourth place: If there is a need for him, such that this man knows how to use this type of weapon and others do not, then it becomes individually obligatory for him to engage in it.
In other than these four instances, jihad is not an individual obligation. Then, jihad—my brothers—must be under the banner of an imam, because otherwise it will become banditry. There must be an imam who leads the Islamic community. Therefore, you will find that those who engaged in jihad without the banner of an imam do not have a stable situation; rather, they may be wiped out entirely, and if they are granted victory, conflict arises among them.
In any case, we ask Allah to help us in the jihad against our own selves. We are now in need of the jihad of the self. The hearts are sick, the limbs are negligent, and the hearts are divided. This requires jihad before anything else.
Glory be to You, O Allah, our Lord, and praise be to You. I testify that there is no deity but You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance. Until further notice, if Allah wills.