Center for the Study of Political Islam International

Jihad

Contents

  • What is jihad (definition, purpose)
  • The target of jihad: the Kafir
  • Importance and status of jihad
  • Forms of jihad
  • Common defences of jihad

What is jihad

Jihad is a crucial part of Political Islam. It comprises 31% of primary Islamic doctrine: 9% of the Koran, 21% of the Hadith (Bukhari) and 67% of the Sira[1]. Therefore, it is important to understand what it means.

The word jihad means “effort” or “striving”. In Islamic doctrine, this refers to striving against non-Muslims (Kafirs):

Koran 25:52

So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them herewith with a great en­deavour.

The purpose of this fighting or striving (i.e. the aim of jihad) is to make the whole world submit to Mohammed and Allah. Though a full exposition of this idea is beyond the scope of this report, the following passages clearly show that this is, indeed, the political aim of Islam. Using jihad with its comprehensive set of tactics for subjugating non-Muslims (Kafirs), including fighting, is a means of achieving its goal:

Koran 48:28

He it is Who hath sent His messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religion. And Allah sufficeth as a witness.

Hadith, Bukhari 2946

Allah 's Apostle said, " I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' and whoever says, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' his life and property will be saved by me except for Islamic law, and his accounts will be with Allah, (either to punish him or to forgive him.)"

Hadith, Bukhari 2810 (also 3126)
A man came to the Prophet and asked, "A man fights for war booty; another fights for fame and a third fights for showing off; which of them fights in Allah's Cause?" The Prophet said, "He who fights that Allah's Word (i.e. Islam) should be superior, fights in Allah's Cause."

The target of jihad: Kafirs

Islamic doctrine identifies a clear target of this effort – to strive against Kafirs (non-Muslims):

Koran 25:52
So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them herewith with a great endeavour.

Koran 66:9 (also 9:73)

O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Hell will be their home, a hapless journey's end.

Whenever we approach a (hostile) nation (to fight), then evil will be the morning of those who have been warned.”

Mohammed encouraged making jihad on Jews:

Hadith, Bukhari 2925

Allah's Messenger (said, "You (i.e. Muslims) will fight with the Jews until some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will (betray them) saying, 'O `Abdullah (i.e. slave of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.'"

Hadith, Bukhari 2926

Allah's Messenger said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him."

He also encouraged making jihad on other non-Islamic peoples (Turkish civilization was not Islamic in Mohammed’s time).

Hadith, Bukhari 2928

Allah's Messenger said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Turks; people with small eyes, red faces, and flat noses. Their faces will look like shields coated with leather. The Hour will not be established till you fight with people whose shoes are made of hair."

Only Kafirs should be targeted for jihad (the adhan is the call from a mosque, which would denote that a community was Islamic):

Hadith, Bukhari 610 (similar narrations occur multiple times: 2945, 4198, 4200)

Anas bin Malik said, “Whenever the Prophet went out with us to fight (in Allah’s cause) against any nation, he never allowed us to attack till morning and he would wait and see: if he heard Adhan he would postpone the attack and if he did not hear Adhan he would attack them.” Anas added, “We reached Khaibar at night and in the morning when he did not hear the Adhan for the prayer, he (the Prophet) rode and I rode behind Abi Talha and my foot was touching that of the Prophet. The inhabitants of Khaibar came out with their baskets and spades and when they saw the Prophet they shouted ‘Muhammad! By Allah, Muhammad and his army.’ When Allah’s Messenger saw them, he said, “Allahu-Akbar! Allahu-Akbar! Khaibar is ruined.

The importance and status of jihad

Jihad is a major part of Islamic doctrine, and its importance cannot be overstated.

As mentioned previously, jihad comprises 31% of primary Islamic doctrine: 9% of the Koran, 21% of the Hadith (Bukhari) and 67% of the Sira. Thus, in terms of sheer volume, it is a vital part of Islamic doctrine.

05-Text_devoted_to_jihad.original

Regarding its status, jihad not only appears frequently in Islamic doctrine, but it is also viewed very positively. According to Islamic doctrine, jihad (often specified to be violent jihad) is the best action that a Muslim can perform.[2]

Hadith, Bukhari 2518

I asked the Prophet, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and to fight for His Cause.". .

Hadith, Bukhari 2785

Narrated Abu Huraira:

A man came to Allah's Messenger and said, "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." He replied, "I do not find such a deed." Then he added, "Can you, while the Muslim fighter is in the battle-field, enter your mosque to perform prayers without cease and fast and never break your fast?" The man said, "But who can do that?" Abu- Huraira added, "The Mujahid (i.e. Muslim fighter) is rewarded even for the footsteps of his horse while it wanders bout (for grazing) tied in a long rope."

Hadith, Bukhari 2792 (2793, 2794 and 2796 repeat this)

The Prophet said, "A single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah's Cause in the forenoon or in the afternoon is better than the world and whatever is in it."

Hadith, Bukhari 2892

Allah's Messenger said, "To guard Muslims from infidels in Allah's Cause for one day is better than the world and whatever is on its surface, and a place in Paradise as small as that occupied by the whip of one of you is better than the world and whatever is on its surface; and a morning's or an evening's journey which a slave (person) travels in Allah's Cause is better than the world and whatever is on its surface."

Hadith, Bukhari 2782

I asked Allah's Messenger, "O Allah's Messenger! What is the best deed?" He replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is next in goodness?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents." I further asked, what is next in goodness?" He replied, "To participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause." I did not ask Allah's Messenger anymore and if I had asked him more, he would have told me more.

It is important to remember that, in the Koran, Allah mentions 89 times that Mohammed is the perfect example[3]. His example is as follows. He spent 13 years as a preacher in Mecca, during which time he gained 150 followers. Then he migrated to Medina and became a military leader who averaged an act of violent jihad every 6.5 weeks for the last 9 years of his life. He was such a successful jihadi that when he died, all of Arabia was Islamic. It was the political act of jihad that brought Mohammed to power.

Hadith, Bukhari: 2977

Mohammed: “I have been made victorious with terror.”

Forms of jihad

Jihad is multi-faceted. This struggle in the cause of Allah against the Kafir can be carried out in many ways. In fact, it could be viewed as an example of hybrid warfare, with Political Islam possessing many instruments of power for subjugating Kafir societies[4].

The forms of jihad mentioned below are intended as a guide to understanding these concepts and do not constitute an exhaustive list of all the possible ways jihad can be carried out.

Violence

Violent jihad is not the only form of jihad, but it is a key tactic that is very prevalent in Islamic doctrine.

In fact, according to Islamic doctrine, there can only be an absence of fighting when the whole world submits to Mohammed and Allah:

Hadith, Muslim 21b (also 21a)

It is reported on the authority of Abu Huraira that he heard the Messenger of Al­lah say: I have been commanded to fight against people, till they testify to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and believe in me (that) I am the messenger (from the Lord) and in all that I have brought. And when they do it, their blood and riches are guaranteed protection on my behalf except where it is justified by law, and their affairs rest with Allah.

As mentioned previously, Mohammed’s example is clear – to fight against the Kafir until they submit. Mohammed explicitly states that the fighting cannot stop until Kafirs submit. Allah himself ordains that the Kafirs be fought against and prevailed over:

Koran 9:29

Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute[5] readily, being brought low.

Until all Kafirs submit, Islamic doctrine makes it a communal obligation to make violent jihad on the Kafir.

Koran 2:216

Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not.

The topic of violent jihad and jihadis (those who undertake jihad, typically violent jihad) is so extensive that it is beyond the scope of this report. Please see the CSPII Violent Jihad Report for more information.

Politics

On his deathbed, Mohammed showed the importance of gaining political influence by ordering his followers to bribe Kafir politicians:

Hadith, Bukhari 3053

…The Prophet on his death-bed, gave three orders saying, “Expel the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula, respect and give gifts to the foreign delegates as you have seen me dealing with them.” I forgot the third (order)”…

More generally, Political Islam engages in the process of subjugating Kafirs by entering non-Islamic countries and establishing its own political influence.

This approach can be gradual as plans can be made against Kafirs during calmer times:

Koran 86:15-17

Lo! they plot a plot (against thee, O Muhammad).

And I plot a plot (against them).

So give a respite to the disbelievers. Deal thou gently with them for a while.

Islamic organizations adhere to the Islamic doctrine found in the Koran, Sira and the Hadith. Therefore, all Islamic organizations and organizational centres, including mosques and Islamic centers, represent Political Islam to some extent.[6] These organizations create a political, legal. and financial infrastructure that enforces and strengthens Political Islam in the country.

Finance

The jihad of money is explicitly referred to multiple times in Islamic doctrine. Striving in the cause of Allah against the Kafir should also be done with one’s wealth:

Koran 9:20

Those who have believed, emigrated, and strived in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah. It is they who will triumph.

Koran 4:95

Those of the believers who sit still, other than those who have a (disabling) hurt, are not on an equality with those who strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and lives. Allah hath conferred on those who strive with their wealth and lives a rank above the sedentary…

Koran 8:60

Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby ye may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others beside them whom ye know not. Allah knoweth them. Whatsoever ye spend in the way of Allah it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged.

Koran 9:88

But the messenger and those who believe with him strive with their wealth and their lives. Such are they for whom are the good things. Such are they who are the successful.

Koran 49:15

The (true) believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere.

Koran 9:41

Go forth, light-armed and heavy-armed, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the way of Allah! That is best for you if ye but knew.

Hadith, Bukhari 2904

The properties of Bani An-Nadir which Allah had transferred to His Apostle as Fai Booty were not gained by the Muslims with their horses and camels. The properties therefore, belonged especially to Allah’s Messenger who used to give his family their yearly expenditure and spend what remained thereof on arms and horses to be used in Allah’s Cause.

Furthermore, jihadis are one of the eight categories of recipients qualified to receive support from zakat, a tax that Islamic doctrine imposes on all Muslims as one of the five pillars of Islam. The excerpts below show how the Koran lists the cause of Allah (jihad) as one of the ways that zakat can be spent, and its application in Sharia law.

Koran 9:60

The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer; a duty imposed by Allah. Al­lah is Knower, Wise.

Sharia law (The Reliance of the Traveller): Section h, Zakat

h8.7 It is obligatory to distribute one’s zakat among eight categories of re­cipients

h8.17 The seventh category is those fighting for Allah, meaning people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster (O: but who are volunteers for jihad with­out remuneration). They are given enough to suffice them for the op­eration, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts, clothing, and expenses

As such, Islamic doctrine demands that all Muslims strive against Kafirs with their finances, in particular by funding violent jihad.

Information

Political Islam has methods for controlling information in order to subjugate Kafirs. Below are two examples that have far-reaching implications.

1. Eliminating critics

Islamic doctrine makes it permissible to kill anyone who criticizes Mohammed and Allah, as the examples of Al-Ashraf and Bint Marwan show:

Hadith, Bukhari 4037 (also 2510, 3031, 3032)

Allah’s Messenger said, “Who is willing to kill Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His Apostle?” Thereupon Muhammad bin Maslama got up saying, “O Allah’s Messenger! Would you like that I kill him?” The Prophet said, “Yes,” Mu­hammad bin Maslama said, “Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Ka’b). “The Prophet said, “You may say it.” …

Sira, Ibn Ishaq 996

When the apostle heard what she had said he said, ‘Who will rid me of Marwan’s daughter?’ ‘Umayr b. ‘Adiy al-Khatmi who was with him heard him, and that very night he went to her house and killed her. In the morning he came to the apostle and told him what he had done and he said, ‘You have helped God and His apos­tle, O ‘Umayr!’ When he asked if he would have to bear any evil consequences the apostle said, ‘Two goats won’t butt their heads about her,’ so ‘Umayr went back to his people.

Now there was a great commotion among B. Khatma that day about the affair of Bint Marwan. She had five sons, and when ‘Umayr went to them from the apostle he said, ‘I have killed Bint Marwan, O sons of Khatma. Withstand me if you can; don’t keep me waiting.’ That was the first day that Islam became powerful among B. Khatma; before that those who were Muslims concealed the fact. The first of them to accept Islam was ‘Umayr b. ‘Adiy who was called ‘the Reader’, and ‘Ab­dullah b. Aus and Khuzayma b. Thabit. The day after Bint Marwan was killed the men of B. Khatma became Muslims because they saw the power of Islam.

Sira, Ibn Ishaq 819

He had two singing-girls Fartana and her friend who used to sing satirical songs about the apostle, so he ordered that they should be killed with him.

Another was al-Huwayrith b. Nuqaydh b. Wahb b. ‘Abd b. Qusayy, one of those who used to insult him in Mecca (804).

2. Deception

Islamic doctrine makes it permissible to deceive and lie, as deception (while making jihad on the Kafir) is in accordance with Mohammed’s example:

Hadith, Bukhari 3030 (also 3027, 3028, 3029)

The Prophet said, “War is deceit.”

The hadith above was proclaimed by Mohammed after the Battle of the Trench (year 627), where Mo­hammed got a convert to Islam to betray his own tribe (the Al-Ahzab) by sowing dissension among them until they disbanded, thus ending the siege on the Islamic forces.

In the following hadith, Mohammed permitted lying so that his followers could kill a man who had criti­cized him.

Hadith, Bukhari 4037

Allah’s Messenger said, “Who is willing to kill Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His Apostle?” Thereupon Muhammad bin Maslama got up saying, “O Allah’s Messenger! Would you like that I kill him?” The Prophet said, “Yes,” Mu­hammad bin Maslama said, “Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Ka’b). “The Prophet said, “You may say it.”

Islamic doctrine also makes it permissible to say one will do something and then not do it if one has found something more advantageous:

Hadith, Bukhari 7146

Mohammed: “If you ever take an oath to do something and later on you find that something else is better, then you should expiate your oath and do what is better”

Indeed, Koran 9:1 explicitly frees those who follow Islam from any obligation to Kafirs “with whom ye made a treaty”, thus permitting Islamic leaders to dissolve an agreement if “something better comes along” (Hadith, Bukhari 7146). This was exemplified by Mohammed himself after agreeing to the 10-year trea­ty of Hudaybiya (A.D. 628) with the Quraish tribe. Only two years later, when his forces had gathered enough strength to defeat them, Mohammed declared that the Quraish had broken the treaty, attacked, and was able to defeat them. The breaking of treaties is therefore also ‘Sunna’ – permitted.

Hijra (Islamic political migration)

Hijra is a well-defined Islamic political act and can be considered a form of jihad. While more detailed information can be found in the CSPII Hijra report, a short explanation of how it can be considered a form of jihad is below.

Hijra is so important in Islamic political doctrine that the Islamic calendar begins on the date of Mo­hammed’s migration from Mecca (where he began as a religious leader) to Medina (where he became a political and military leader) in 622 AD.

Mohammed’s first act in Medina was to establish the first Islamic organizational center, a mosque, which has polit­ical as well as religious functions (see the CSPII Mosques and Islamic Centers Report for more information). Mohammed used this mosque as a war chamber, a store of weapons, and other uses that aided his political and military efforts in making all of Arabia Islamic.

Thus, according to Islamic doctrine and Mohammed’s perfect example, hijra is highly significant. It is a precursor to setting up a structure for Political Islam to wage jihad against the Kafir, result­ing in the subjugation of Kafir societies.

This link between hijra and striving in the cause of Allah against the Kafir (jihad) is explicitly pointed out in the excerpts below:

Koran 8:74

Those who believed and left their homes and strove for the cause of Allah, and those who took them in and helped them – these are the believers in truth. For them is pardon, and bountiful provision.

Koran 9:20

Those who believe, and have left their homes and striven with their wealth and their lives in Allah’s way are of much greater worth in Allah’s sight. These are they who are triumphant.

Hadith, Bukhari 4309

I said to Ibn’Umar, “I want to migrate to Sham.” He said, “There is no migration, but Jihad (for Allah’s Cause). Go and offer yourself for Jihad, and if you find an opportunity for Jihad (stay there) otherwise, come back.”

Hadith, Bukhari 2825

On the day of the Conquest (of Mecca) the Prophet said, “There is no emigration after the Conquest but Jihad and intentions. When you are called (by the Muslim ruler) for fighting, go forth immediately.”

Hadith, Bukhari 4082

We migrated with the Prophet for Allah’s Cause, so our reward became due with Allah...

Common defences of jihad

Claim: Jihad is about inner spiritual struggle

A common defense of jihad is that it has two forms: the greater jihad (inner spiritual struggle) and the lesser jihad (war against the Kafir). Bukhari’s Hadith has about 1400 hadiths about jihad. Only 2% of those 1400 are about something other than violence. 98% of the jihad hadiths are about jihad as violent acts against the Kafir.[7]

Claim: Jihad is defensive

Another common defense of jihad is that it is purely defensive. This claim should be looked at closely.

Islamic doctrine considers Kafirs as constant aggressors. According to Islamic doctrine, Kafirs commit the greatest sin (greater than killing) by not believing in Allah. They also constantly fight Muslims and try to turn them away from Islam. Therefore, under any circumstances, it is a defensive act to fight against this “aggression” toward Allah and Islam.

Koran 2:217

They question thee (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare in the sacred month. Say: Warfare therein is a great (transgression), but to turn (men) from the way of Allah, and to disbelieve in Him and in the Inviolable Place of Worship, and to expel His people thence, is a greater with Allah; for persecution is worse than killing. And they will not cease from fighting against you till they have made you renegades from your religion, if they can. And whoso becometh a renegade and dieth in his disbelief: such are they whose works have fallen both in the world and the Hereafter. Such are rightful owners of the Fire: they will abide therein.

Koran 8:36

Lo! those who disbelieve spend their wealth in order that they may debar (men) from the way of Allah. They will spend it, then it will become an anguish for them, then they will be conquered…

In any case, Islamic doctrine specifically states that jihad can be offensive:

Hadith, Bukhari 4110 (also 4109)

When the clans were driven away, I heard the Prophet saying, "From now onwards we will go to attack them (i.e. the infidels) and they will not come to attack us, but we will go to them."

REFERENCES

Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail. 1997. Sahiḥ Al-Bukhari: the Translation of the Meanings of Sahih Al-Bukhari.Translated by Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Riyadh: Darussalam Pub. & Distr.

Countering Hybrid Warfare Project: Handbook. 2019. Multinational Capability Development Campaign, UK Government Publishing Service.

Ishaq, ibn Muhammad. 1967. The Life of Muhammad. Translated by Alfred Guillaume. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Muslim, Al-Qushayri ibn al-Hajjaj. 1990. Sahih Muslim. Translated by Abdul Hameed Siddiqui. Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf.

Pickthall, Marmaduke. 1930. The Meaning of The Glorious Koran, An Explanatory Translation, New York: Alfred AKnopf.

[1] https://www.cspii.org/learn-political-islam/methodology/statistical-analysis-political-islam/relative-sizes-trilogy-texts/

[2] One hadith suggests it is the third best thing to do: Hadith, Bukhari 2782: I asked Allah's Messenger, "O Allah's Messenger! What is the best deed?" He replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is next in goodness?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents." I further asked, what is next in goodness?" He replied, "To participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause."…

[3] https://www.cspii.org/learn-political-islam/methodology/statistical-analysis-political-islam/trilogy-text-devoted-jihad/

[4] Countering Hybrid Warfare Project: Handbook. Multinational Capability Development Campaign, UK Government Publishing Service, 2019.

[5] This tribute refers to jizya, a special poll tax imposed on dhimmis (subjugated Jews and Christians living in an Islamic state).

[6] https://www.cspii.org/learn-political-islam/maps/sources/

[7] https://www.cspii.org/learn-political-islam/methodology/statistical-analysis-extra-information/lesser-jihad/

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