Jihad of Defense and Jihad of Offense

The questioner : Muslims are commanded by many commands in the Book of Allah, among which is establishing the prayer. And it is known from the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the actions of the Rightly Guided Caliphs that there was a specific method for establishing the prayer, such as the one in authority commanding it so that it is established for him. Is that so?

The Shaykh : Excuse me, what do you mean by the one in authority commanding it?

The questioner : I mean that no one can establish the prayer except the one appointed by the one in authority, such as the Caliph of the Muslims or one who acts on behalf of the Caliph of the Muslims. That is what I intended.

The Shaykh : In any case, it is not clear.

The questioner : By analogy to this, Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: and many other verses. How can we apply this obligation in our lives in these days?

The Shaykh : Is this obligation about the prayer or about jihad?

The questioner : Jihad. And is it conceivable that the obligation of jihad can be performed as it was legislated in these days? And if so, what is the method, and who has the right to send us out so that we may go forth in the cause of Allah?

The Shaykh : Jihad is of two types. The first is jihad to repel an attacking enemy against some of the lands of the Muslims. In this type of jihad, Muslims do not wait for the presence of an imam by whom jihad is organized. The other type of jihad is for conveying the call and expanding its area and scope by carrying it to other lands. This conveyance will undoubtedly be met by the enemies of Allah, the disbelievers and polytheists, in their various religions. This type of jihad requires what you mentioned, namely the Caliph, who is the Supreme Imam, as some jurists say. As for the first type of jihad we mentioned, just as we spoke earlier regarding the question that came from a person who wants to take his wealth or wants to take his honor, there is no need for there to be a Caliph of the Muslims. Rather, he repels the injustice that he himself is subjected to. In that case, there is no difference between the one subjected to it being a single person or multiple people, a country or countries. In this situation, it is not necessary for us to consider the condition of the presence of the Supreme Imam. As for the jihad that we always call for and say that the means have not been taken for it, this is not prescribed unless there is an imam who has been pledged allegiance to by the Muslims who are the people of authority and covenant, to whom recourse is made in dealing with what befalls the Muslims. When such a person is found and pledged to, he is the one who raises the banner of jihad and directs the mujahideen in the direction he sees fit, after consulting his council of consultation.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. Can we build on this statement two things? First, many of the young people now are demanding to carry out operations against Israel. Is this permissible?

The Shaykh : It is not permissible.

The questioner : Okay, many of the shaykhs encourage the young people to prepare for fighting. Is this through the systems or through themselves? Does the prohibition apply to this as well?

The Shaykh : ... In this matter just now, I think you were present.

The questioner : No, I was not. Okay, the hadith Is it understood as a report intended as a command, or is it a report?

The Shaykh : No, it is like His saying, the Exalted: This is a report, but the intention in it is "do not commit lewdness," meaning it is a legislation. And "jihad continues" means it must continue, even if it is not a reality, as is unfortunately observed. And this is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.