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[quote]WAR IN ISLAM.

To find out the Islamic truth on this issue, one must analyze the Qur’an.

Let us look at Noble Verses 15:2-3

&quot;Again and again will those who disbelieve, wish that they had bowed (to God's will) in Islam.   Leave them alone, to enjoy (the good things of this life) and to please themselves: let (false) hope amuse them: soon will knowledge (undeceive them).&quot;

Let us look at Noble Verses 10:99-100

&quot;If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed, all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe! No soul can believe, except by the will of God, and He will place doubt (or obscurity) on those who will not understand.&quot;

Let us look at Noble Verse 18:29

&quot;Say, 'The truth is from your Lord': Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it): for the wrong doers We have prepared a Fire whose (smoke and flames), like the walls and roof of a tent, will hem them in: if they implore relief they will be granted water like melted brass, that will scald their faces, how dreadful the drink! How uncomfortable a couch to recline on!&quot;

Let us look at Noble Verse 27:92

&quot;And to rehearse the Qur'an: and if any accept guidance, they do it for the good of their own souls, and if any stray, say: 'I am only a Warner.'&quot;

Let us look at Noble Verse 10:99

&quot;If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!&quot;

Allah Almighty doesn't like us to compel people into belief.

&quot;Say: 'Behold all that is in the heavens and on earth'; but neither Signs nor Warners profit those who believe not.  Do they then expect (any thing) but (what happened in) the days of the men who passed away before them? Say: 'Wait ye then: for I, too, will wait with you.”
(The Noble Quran, 10:101-102)

Notice how Allah Almighty orders us to say &quot;Wait&quot; to those who reject Islam.  This clearly says that we can't force anyone into Islam, or punish anyone for leaving Islam.

Let us look at Noble Verse 10:108

&quot;Say: 'O ye men! Now Truth hath reached you from your Lord! those who receive guidance, do so for the good of their own souls; those who stray, do so to their own loss: and I am not (set) over you to arrange your affairs.'&quot;

Whoever believes benefits his soul and whoever doesn't, harms it, and Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is not in charge of people to arrange their affairs.  Only Allah Almighty is.

&quot;Say: 'Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger: but if ye turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and ye for that placed on you.   If ye obey him, ye shall be on right guidance.  The Messenger's duty is only to preach the clear (Message).  
(Qur’an, 24:54)&quot;

Prophet Muhammad's duty was only to preach.

&quot;And those who take as protectors others besides Him - Allah doth watch over them; and thou art not the disposer of their affairs.
(Qur’an, 42:6)&quot;

Again, Allah Almighty here told Prophet Muhammad that he has no authority over those who reject Islam.

Let us look at Noble Verse 2:256

&quot;Let there be no compulsion in religion:  Truth stands out clear from error:  whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks.  And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.&quot;

The Holy Quran prohibits Muslims to force any person into Islam.  Muslims must not let people resent Islam and Muslims.  They must leave people decide for themselves because the &quot;Truth stands out clear from error&quot; (2:256).

Compulsion is incompatible with religion:  Because (1) religion depends upon faith and will, and these would be meaningless by force; (2) Truth and Error have been so clearly shown up by the mercy of Allah Almighty that there should be no doubt in the minds of any persons of good will as to the fundamentals of faith; (3) Allah Almighty's protection is continuous, and His Plan is always to lead us from the depths of darkness into the clearest light.

I give you these verses so that you may know that Islam is a religion of maximum justice, even to those who reject the Almighty creator.  I invite you to accept the content of the above verses as reflecting the spirit of the Qur’an on this topic.  If you feel that I have neglected a ‘telling’ verse, please bring it to my attention and I will send you a response (God/Allah willing).

So when can a Muslim fight so that he can take someone’s life?

I shall give a few verses that will clarify this issue and I will also deal with a regularly quoted (or misquoted) verse in the holy Qur’an.

Please note that from the verses below we can see the guidelines for war, guidelines that must be followed by Muslims.

Muslims are forbidden from attacking others who do not attack them     (* this is qualified soon by an example of those who are doing wrong):

&quot;Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God loveth not transgressors.  (Qur’an, 2:190)&quot;

Fighting in the cause of GOD Almighty those who fight us is a duty for Muslims.  I can't go and kill a non-Muslim just because he is a non-Muslim.  That is absolutely forbidden in Islam:

&quot;...if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people...(Qur’an 5:32)&quot;

&quot;Those who invoke not, with God, any other god, nor slay such life as God has made sacred except for just cause, nor commit fornication; - and any that does this (not only) meets punishment.  (But) the Penalty on the Day Of Judgement will be doubled To him, and he will dwell Therein in ignominy.  (Qur’an, 25:68-69)&quot;

“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;” (Qur’an, 5:33)

War can only be declared when the Muslims are attacked (*this is qualified soon).   Muslims are not allowed to attack those who do not attack them.  And even when war breaks out, if the enemy offers an honest peace, then we should accept it and end the bloodshed:

&quot;But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in God: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things).  (Qur’an, 8:61)&quot;

And if a treaty of peace was made, then we must honor that treaty to the end:

&quot;Except those who join a group between whom and you there is a treaty (of peace), or those who approach you with hearts restraining them from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. If God had pleased, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you: Therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you (Guarantees of) peace, then God Hath opened no way for you (to war against them).   
(Qur’an, 4:90)&quot;

&quot;How can there be a league, before God and His Apostle, with the Pagans, except those with whom ye made a treaty near the sacred Mosque? As long as these stand true to you, stand ye true to them: for God doth love the righteous.  (Qur’an, 9:7)&quot;

It should be noted that for Muslims there is a law of retaliation.  A life for a life is something that Muslims believe,

&quot;O ye who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude, this is a concession and a Mercy from your Lord. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty.”  (Qur’an, 2:178)

And so, if (for example) a country (like America) by some means or another unrepentantly kills thousands of innocent Muslims with no right, then it is lawful for Muslims to extract full and equitable retribution.

But, if because of the circumstances the affected people agree, then this law of retaliation can be softened.

(* = reference is here) A situation when war may be declared is as follows:-

“How should ye not fight for the cause of Allah and of the feeble among men and of the women and the children who are crying: Our Lord! Bring us forth from out this town of which the people are oppressors!  Give us from thy presence some protecting friend!  Give us from Thy presence some defender!&quot;
(Qur’an, 4:75)
 
“But if they cease, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they desist, then let there be no hostility except against wrong-doers.”
(Qur’an, 2:192-193)

We MUST fight tyranny and oppression when there are those seeking our help.  If you call this terrorism, then you are either in the side pocket of an oppressor, or, you are yourself aligned with an oppressor.  I'll try to find other verses that would fall in this category.

If you are not unjust to Muslims, you have nothing to fear.

If you ask why non-Muslims must pay something called ‘jizya’, or (you may have heard) ‘a special tax’ in a Muslim country.  Well very simply I can think of three points to make:-

1.	&quot;O ye who believe!  Take not the Jews and the Christians for your guardians/protectors; they are but guardians/protectors to each other.  And he amongst you that turns to them (as guardians) is of them.   Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.  (The Noble Qur’an, 5:51)&quot;

and

&quot;O ye who believe! Turn not for protection/guardianship to people on whom Is the Wrath of Allah.  Of the Hereafter they are Already in despair, just as The Unbelievers are In despair about those (Buried) in graves.  (The Noble Qur’an, 60:13)&quot;

So we (Muslims) should avoid having Christians and Jews and any non Muslims as our guardians and protectors (In government or army).

2.	Also, according to Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the word ‘jizya’ is of the root meaning of ‘compensation’.
But what can this meaning imply?

The reason is because in a Muslim state, the Jews and Christians would be in a position where they can make use of the protection of the Muslim state, they pay ‘jizya’ or compensation for this.

3.	For Muslims there is a most important commandment which is repeated many times, e.g.,

“Establish worship, and pay the poor-due; and whatever of good ye send before (you) for your souls, ye will find it with Allah. Lo! Allah is Seer of what ye do.”
(Qur’an, 2:110)

“(Charity is) for those in need, who, in Allah's cause are restricted (from travel), and cannot move about in the land, seeking (For trade or work): the ignorant man thinks, because of their modesty, that they are free from want. Thou shalt know them by their (Unfailing) mark: They beg not importunately from all the sundry. And whatever of good ye give, be assured Allah knoweth it well.
Those who spend their wealth by night and day, by stealth and openly, verily their reward is with their Lord, and their shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.”
(Qur’an, 2:273-274)

Muslims are obligated to spend from their wealth in the way of Allah, this means that on top of  spending for the state (a general tax), they must also spend for the poor and needy.  As non Muslims may not feel that they have this obligation, they need to compensate via ‘jizya’.  If people come to a Muslim state seeking protection and help, then it is up to the Muslim state to see the situation (i.e., are they poor, are they oppressed, can they pay?), and make a ruling about ‘jizya’ accordingly.  As you can see from the above verse and from many verses in the Qur’an, charity is for the poor and needy, there is no stipulation that these poor and needy are only Muslim poor and needy.  This is another reason why non Muslims who live within the state should pay ‘jizya’.

Another verse which I will close this topic on is:-

“They ask thee how much they are to spend; Say: &quot;Whatever you do not need.&quot; Thus doth Allah Make clear to you His Signs: In order that ye may think/reflect”
(Qur’an, 2 : 219)
	
I shall now take one example, which I imagine has been misunderstood.

Please keep in mind the above mentioned verses that are the regulating verses with regards to war.

“Fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war);”

Wow, this really seems to shut me up!

But there are two issues:-

1.	This is totally out of context.
2.	You must not forget the earlier regulating verses with regards to war.

I shall go through the relevant verses which will help you to understand the context.

Below are the relevant verses:-

(9:1)
Freedom from obligation (is proclaimed) from Allah and His messenger toward those of the idolaters with whom ye made a treaty.
(9:2)
Travel freely in the land four months, and know that ye cannot escape Allah and that Allah will confound the disbelievers (in His Guidance).
(9:3)
And a proclamation from Allah and His messenger to all men on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage that Allah is free from obligation to the idolaters, and (so is) His messenger. So, if ye repent, it will be better for you; but if ye are averse, then know that ye cannot escape Allah. Give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom to those who disbelieve,
(9:4)
Excepting those of the idolaters with whom ye (Muslims) have a treaty, and who have since abated nothing of your right nor have supported anyone against you. (As for these), fulfil their treaty to them till their term. Lo! Allah loveth those who keep their duty (unto Him).
(9:5)
Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
(9:6)
And if anyone of the idolaters seeketh thy protection (O Muhammad), then protect him so that he may hear the Word of Allah, and afterward convey him to his place of safety. That is because they are a folk who know not.
(9:7)
How can there be a treaty with Allah and with His messenger for the idolaters save those with whom ye made a treaty at the Inviolable Place of Worship? So long as they are true to you, be true to them. Lo! Allah loveth those who keep their duty.
(9:8)
How (can there be such a league), seeing that if they get an advantage over you, they respect not in you the ties either of kinship or of covenant? With (fair words from) their mouths they entice you, but their hearts are averse from you; and most of them are rebellious and wicked.
(9:9)
They have purchased with the revelations of Allah a little gain, so they debar (men) from His way.  Evil is that which they are wont to do.
(9:10)
In a Believer they respect not the ties either of kinship or of covenant! It is they who have transgressed all bounds.
(9:11)
But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren in religion. We detail Our revelations for a people who have knowledge.
(9:12)
But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and taunt you for your Faith,- fight ye the chiefs of Unfaith: for their oaths are nothing to them: that thus they may be restrained.
(9:13)
Will ye not fight people who violated their oaths, plotted to expel the Messenger, and did attack you first?  Do ye fear them? Nay, it is Allah Whom ye should more justly fear, if ye believe!
(9:14)
Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace, and assist you against them and heal the hearts of a believing people.

I would first recommend that you read the above verses once more.

Now I will give you the verses and briefly explain them by each other, i.e., by understanding the context.

So, you should read:-

(9:1)
Freedom from obligation (is proclaimed) from Allah and His messenger toward those of the idolaters with whom ye made a treaty.

(9:2)
Travel freely in the land four months, and know that ye cannot escape Allah and that Allah will confound the disbelievers (in His Guidance).

(9:3)
And a proclamation from Allah and His messenger to all men on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage that Allah is free from obligation to the idolaters, and (so is) His messenger. So, if ye repent, it will be better for you; but if ye are averse, then know that ye cannot escape Allah. Give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom to those who disbelieve,

And

(9:5)
Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

And realize that they are qualified by:-

(9:4)
Excepting those of the idolaters with whom ye (Muslims) have a treaty, and who have since abated nothing of your right nor have supported anyone against you. (As for these), fulfil their treaty to them till their term. Lo! Allah loveth those who keep their duty (unto Him).

In fact if we were to assume that Muslims were supposed to just randomly go around killing any idolaters they found, then the next verse would be confusing:-

(9:6)
And if anyone of the idolaters seeketh thy protection (O Muhammad), then protect him so that he may hear the Word of Allah, and afterward convey him to his place of safety. That is because they are a folk who know not.

It does not say force them into Islam, it does not say kill them… it says, ‘protect him so that he may hear God’s word’.  A place of safety means a place of mutual safety, i.e., a place where the idolater can’t cause trouble (hence safety for the Muslims), and a place of safety for the idolater.

In the next verses  a) the mentality of those with whom Muslims cannot maintain a treaty is exposed. And b) The kind of actions which warrant both fighting and the breaking of a treaty (now from the Muslim side) are explained:-

(9:7)
How can there be a treaty with Allah and with His messenger for the idolaters save those with whom ye made a treaty at the Inviolable Place of Worship? So long as they are true to you, be true to them. Lo! Allah loveth those who keep their duty.

(9:8)
How (can there be such a league), seeing that if they get an advantage over you, they respect not in you the ties either of kinship or of covenant? With (fair words from) their mouths they entice you, but their hearts are averse from you; and most of them are rebellious and wicked.

(9:9)
They have purchased with the revelations of Allah a little gain, so they debar (men) from His way.  Evil is that which they are wont to do.

(9:10)
In a Believer they respect not the ties either of kinship or of covenant! It is they who have transgressed all bounds.

Notice how clearly we are told  “So long as they are true to you, be true to them”.  Which logically implies that we can only attack (and hence break a treaty) once they are no longer true to the treaty.

(9:12)
But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and taunt you for your Faith,- fight ye the chiefs of Unfaith: for their oaths are nothing to them: that thus they may be restrained.

(9:13)
Will ye not fight people who violated their oaths, plotted to expel the Messenger, and did attack you first?  Do ye fear them? Nay, it is Allah Whom ye should more justly fear, if ye believe!

(9:14)
Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace, and assist you against them and heal the hearts of a believing people.

The above verses also qualify (9:1-3,5).  If people just looked at the Qur’an logically, they would see its magnificence.

It is obvious that the above verses are self explanatory, as Allah says:-

(9:11)
…We detail Our revelations for a people who have knowledge.

But if you come in with bad intentions, you will be blinded by those intentions.

The following is also regularly said:

“The Islamic state has no place for those who do not submit to the will of Allah as revealed in the Qur’an, which explains the oppressive and sometimes violent mistreatment of unbelievers.”

You should already be seeing things in a different light as a result of the forgoing text.  I shall nevertheless expose you to some more of what the Qur’an has to say about unbelievers and their treatment by Muslims.
 
“Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just.”
(Qur’an, 60:8)

1.	Beautiful commandment
2.	Meaningless unless there can be non-Muslims in contact with Muslims.
3.	This nullifies the statement that the “oppressive and sometimes violent mistreatment of unbelievers” is from the Qur’an.

It should be noted, that just as Americans would expect immigrants to follow the laws of the country, so too should non-Muslim immigrants follow the laws of the Muslim country.  Also, THERE ARE NO MUSLIM COUNTRIES.

Edited by: marwan on Sunday, August 08, 2010 10:38 PM[/quote]

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