Jihad
by Dr. Daniel Scot
Sura ‘Al-Fatihiah’ (The Opening) 1:1-7
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment, You (alone) we worship; You (alone) we ask for help. Show us the straight path, The path of those whom You have favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Your anger nor of those who go astray.
Jesus said: “...and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
NOTE: Authoritative Islamic texts are the Qur’an and Hadith. Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the revealed word of Allah (verse numbers differ slightly in different versions). Sura always stands for a chapter in the Qur’an. Islamic belief is that Muhammad is the perfect example to be followed by all Muslims. Whatever he said, practiced or approved is called Hadith. There are six different sets of authentic ahadith (Hadiths): Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmizi, Sunnan Ibn Majah and Sunnan Nasa’i. This pamphlet is intended to show the teachings and examples of Muhammad, and is not intended to be offensive to Muslims; many Muslims may have little real knowledge of what their god, Allah and their prophet has said on this topic.
Sometimes, in the busyness of daily living, we forget that our lives are mere wisps in the span of time. Life is very uncertain, it can terminate at any time, especially at this time when there are so many wars and terrorist activities.
Islamic terrorists claim their authority from the Qur’an and Muhammad’s life—though moderates claim that such teachings are not found in Islam, or are a misunderstanding of the texts.
It is important to evaluate the claims of both these groups and the best way to evaluate the authenticity of a practice or religion is to examine the teachings, the life and the practice of its founder - in this case, Muhammad.
TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD
According to Ibn Is’haq 326, “Allah said, ‘No Prophet before Muhammad took booty from his enemy nor prisoners for ransom.’ Muhammad said, ‘I was made victorious with terror. The earth was made a place for me to clean. I was given the most powerful words. Booty was made lawful for me. I was given the power to intercede. These five privileges were awarded to no prophet before me.’”
When Muhammad was weak and needy, he advocated peace but, when he had money and an army, he planned and fought at least sixty-seven wars against Christians and Jews and others. A cursory examination of the explanations of Islamic terrorists almost invariably shows that they are motivated by jihad—a holy war against unbelievers (infidel or kafir).
Many will argue that jihad means ‘self-struggle,’ but as Walid Shoebat , a former Islamic terrorist, now Christian, puts it, “so does ‘Mein Kampf,’ by Adolf Hitler”. There are differing types of Jihad, but many seek to subdue the world to Allah, preferably with its consent, but if necessary, forcibly.
There are many verses in the Qur’an that convey the impression that Allah and Muhammad are peace-loving. However, the majority of these come from the Meccan period, when Islam was weak. The later teachings are far more violent, the most famous of which are Sura 9:5 and 9:29—known as ‘the Sword verses.
Sura At-Tauba 9:5 ‘Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever you 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.’
Sura 9:29 ‘Fight against those who believe not (1) in Allâh, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allâh and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islâm) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.’
Noted Islamic scholar, Anwar ul Haqq, in his book Abrogation in the Qur’an, has identified more than 100 verses abrogated by these two—such as: Sura 2:256 ‘There is no compulsion in religion...’
Sura 6:108 ‘Revile not those unto whom they pray beside Allah lest they wrongfully revile Allah through ignorance. Thus unto every nation have We made their deed seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return, and He will tell them what they used to do.’
Sura 7:199 ‘Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.’
Sura 45:14 ‘Tell those who believe, to forgive those who do not look forward to the Days of Allah: It is for Him to recompense (for good or ill) each People according to what they have earned.’
Sura 109:6 ‘Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.’
LATER TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD—
JIHAD IS OBLIGATORY
As Muhammad grew in power, he began to teach that if Muslims do not engage in Jihad they will go to hell and suffer a painful doom (Sura 48:16-17, 9:81, 9:94-95). Paradise is promised for those who die for Allah (Sura 3:157, 158). True Muslims take part in Holy War (Sura 49:15, 9:44). There are said to be as many as 480 exhortations for jihad in the Qur’an. Here are but a few:
Sura 2:216 ‘Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows, you know not.’
Sura 8:67 “Allah said, ‘A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion.’”
Sura 9:44 ‘Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day ask no leave of you lest they should strive with their wealth and their lives. Allah is Aware of those who keep their duty (unto Him).’
Sura 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.’
Sura 49:15 ‘The (true) believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive [take part in Jihad] with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere.’
Sura 4:76 ‘Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols.
So fight the minions of the devil. Lo! the devil's strategy is ever weak.’ Bukhari, Vol. 1, Hadith 24, ‘Narrated Ibn Umar: Allah’s Messenger said : ‘I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger)…’
According to Sura 2:217, to turn men away from Allah is worse than killing. So killing an infidel who turns people away from Islam, is permitted at any time. Furthermore, Timridhi’s Hadith 402 says The Prophet (peace be upon him and grant him peace) said: A martyr does not suffer when he is slain any more than one of you suffers from being bitten by an ant. Muhammad himself wanted over and over again to be martyred, according to Bukhari Vol 1. Hadith 35. Note also Bukhari, Vol. 4, Hadith 220 that says: ‘Allah’s apostle said, “I have been made victorious through terror.”’
In al-Tabari IX p.42: An unbeliever, ‛Amr b. Umayyah said, “We have been dealt a situation from which there is no escape. You have seen what Muhammad has done. Arabs have submitted to him and we do not have the strength to fight. You know that no herd is safe from him. And no one even dares go outside for fear of being terrorized.”
These are just a small sampling of passages from the Qur’an; he personally led more than 27 battles in 9 years (Ibn Kathir, Albedayah wa-Nehayah, Vol. 4, p. 179). There are hundreds more verses that show that Muhammad was a practitioner of what he preached—Violent jihad for Allah.
THE JIHAD OF JESUS IS DIFFERENT
By contrast, as we observe the teachings of Jesus, we note immediately that sinners flocked to Him, and loved to be near Him. They had no fear of death from Him.
It is true that Jesus did say, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). However, he was referring to Christians becoming victims of the sword of godless men. When a disciple on one occasion used a sword to attack Jesus’ enemies, Jesus actually healed the injured man, and rebuked his disciple (Luke 22:49-51).
Whereas Muhammad sought to force unbelievers to submit, Jesus sought to conquer men’s hearts. “Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."“ (John 18:36). Jesus taught his disciples not to resist even an evil person (Matthew 5:39), to bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14), and to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Mathew 5:44).
The message of Allah/Muhammad and the message of Jesus are the complete opposite. Muhammad offered no assurance of salvation, only the possibility of Allah’s mercy, while Jesus died to offer salvation for you as a free gift of God; it is not something you can earn. Ephesians 2:8,9 says, “It is by grace you (have been) saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast”.
We have brought you this message because we care about you and would love to see you in heaven.
When you stand before the Lord, you will not be able to plead ignorance. The choice is yours to make,
and you alone are responsible for your decision. Now you have an opportunity to find out more. We at Mizan al-Haqq are offering you a copy of the Holy Bible and “The Life of the Messiah” DVD absolutely FREE, just by contacting us at the address at the bottom of the page.
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