Jihaad

From the book · p. 27

In brief· the site’s own summary, not the book’s words

The book says that in Makkah, until the age of fifty-three, Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) invited people gently and taught his followers patience, never revenge, though they suffered as no one ever had. Even after the Muslims were forced out of their homes, the disbelievers kept stirring others up against them, aiming to wipe out Islaam. Then Allah ﷻ (exalted is His majesty) commanded jihaad: not to cause disorder or to force anyone into Islaam, since the Qur'aan says there is no compulsion in it, but to remove those who block people from the path of Allah ﷻ (exalted is His majesty). The book adds that non-Muslims living peacefully in a Muslim land are protected, and lists other benefits, such as freeing the oppressed and letting people accept Islaam without fear.

During ’s ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) stay in Makkah till the age of fifty three, he continued inviting people to Islaam with softness and gentleness. He went to each home, the market places and the different tribes explaining to them about Islaam. The suffering and hardship that Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) and his رضي الله عنهم (may Allah be pleased with them) underwent was never witnessed before in history and it will never be witnessed in the future. Despite all these hardships, Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged his followers to be patient and never allowed thoughts of revenge to be considered by the Muslims.

Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Sahaabah رضي الله عنهم (may Allah be pleased with them) were forced to leave their hometown leaving behind their wealth and properties, which fell into the ownership of the disbelievers. This period of extreme suffering and loss, trial and tribulation, was borne by Allah’s ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) and his beloved Sahaabah with tolerance, is forever recorded in History. The of Makkah did not end their acts of tyrrany and oppression but continued in their evil ways by agitating the Jews and Non-Muslim tribes around Madinah against the Muslims. Their primary objective was to completely eradicate Islaam and destroy the Muslims.

Allah ﷻ (exalted is His majesty) finally instructed Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) to engage in . The objective was neither to cause disorder and bloodshed nor to oppress others or force them to accept Islaam. In fact, Islaam prohibits forceful conversions into Islaam. Allah ﷻ (exalted is His majesty) states in the Qur’aan:

لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
“There is no compulsion to enter into Islaam”

Site note: the Arabic is the full verse (Tanzil, Uthmani text). The book translates the part it quotes.

Qur’an 2:256(opens quran.com in a new tab)

The real purpose of jihaad is to remove the dangers and corruption of those who are an obstacle in the path of the servants of Allah ﷻ (exalted is His majesty) who promote the , practise on the commands of Allah ﷻ (exalted is His majesty) and invite others towards it. Jihaad is waged primarily against those who obstruct the establishment of Islaam and are a danger and hinderance to those who are engaged in this honourable duty. Instead, if non-Muslims live in a Muslim country peacefully, Islaam grants protection to them in their lives, wealth, property and honour. This is the purpose of jihaad. There are also other benefits of jihaad:

The oppressed people are saved from oppressive rulers.
Those who cannot accept Islaam due to fear of oppressive rulers will be free to accept Islaam.
Islaam and Muslims who are overwhelmed and oppressed can be saved from the harms of their enemies and adversaries.
The disbelievers will develop an awe for the Muslims. In effect, this will save the Muslims from the mischief of the kuffaar.

In brief· the site’s own summary, not the book’s words

The book says that in Makkah, until the age of fifty-three, Nabi ﷺ invited people gently and taught his followers patience, never revenge, though they suffered as no one ever had. Even after the Muslims were forced out of their homes, the disbelievers kept stirring others up against them, aiming to wipe out Islaam. Then Allah ﷻ commanded jihaad: not to cause disorder or to force anyone into Islaam, since the Qur'aan says there is no compulsion in it, but to remove those who block people from the path of Allah ﷻ. The book adds that non-Muslims living peacefully in a Muslim land are protected, and lists other benefits, such as freeing the oppressed and letting people accept Islaam without fear.

The book’s text

The book’s text