Jihad

[bazarov]

I'm a Catholic, Christian, and I don't think that my religion is better than someone elses, but there are some things I don't understand. Maybe it's better to say I'm not familiar enough with them. I don't have nothing against anykind of people, no matter of thier race, nationality or religion.
So, what I need is an open minded Muslim who would, please, explain to me what is written is Ku'ran about holly war, Jihad; against anbody who is a threath to them. I don't know what is written in Ku'ran, I have never read it, but when I hear that someone who made suicide and took to death 20 people with them, is celebrated and people are praising Allah, saying he did that for his religion; I just can't belive in that!!! Is it wrong interpretation of Kur'an, or what, I don't know, so please, make it clear to me.
Logos, if you think that this could offend somebody, please delete it or close it. I will say again, I just don't understand some things, my attentoin is not to offend somebody. Thank you.

[Nightshade]

Ok first off Im going to say your going to have to bare with me because Jihad isnt a topic I am quite 100% on as it were ( sad truth is I have got quite that far with my reading) But I do know some things.

Actually maybe I should go off and research this properlly before I give you a reply. I want to be one hundred percent sure I am giving you exactly the right answer from the koran.

Ok off the question slightly but I guess this is as good a place to start as any while I find out the rest.
Martyrdom: basically you are a martyr if you die doing any of these things and obviously God decides you really are doing it for the right reasons.

1) You die fighting/ protecting your right to practice your religion (in this case islam but you get the idea)
2) You die protecting your family
3) you die by drowning or fire ( I think you also have to the name of God on your lips for this one)
4)You die protecting your living /livlihood.
5) You die when seeking knowledge ( this one was always my personal favourite if I died on the way to school Id go straight to heaven isnt that a great reason to go to school?)


Ok Im looking into exactly what Jihad is ... the problem is beacsue its such a touchy subject these days its not taught or really discussed at all.So I have some vague ideas but nothing solid. It might be mid-week before I can get back to you though as I have a busy weekend a head of me moving to univerity and all

[Goodfella]

Well, to say a bit of myself now in this forum;I'm neither Muslim nor Christian for atleast this situation. But, what I can advise you is to elaborate your search into Islamic website. There are plenty of them that will gladly welcome such question. Google site will certainly provide them.

And moreover. To be frank (I don't intend to praise Islamic religion followers) Muslims are under hefty despression, thus, they can miscalculate the actual content of their Quran and do what they think they can afford to do purposely to espose a bit resistances to so-so country and their elites.

I hope this will help. Thanks.

[Shield&Sword]

Nightshade you forgot also the one who die because of Belly sickness, and the one who fall on him wall, and the one who die because of pest (Ta'oon in arabic). But all these wont be usefull if the person didnt pray his 5 times prayers, and didnt do what he must do (fardh) and wasnt muslim (even if you are muslim you must do Fardh).

[samah]

The things you siad are not jihad its al- shahada and they have levels like when you die deffending your country is not the same as you die drowning , al -jihad was simple issue but anymore not because of the muslims but because the other people who call themselves muslims to destroy the islam image just like bin laden these people are paid to do these things and al- jihad in qura'n is when you try to liberate your country if others took aover it it or when others try to force you to change your religion and its always the last solution .

[Nossa]

I'm a muslim...but as mentioned before I haven't had my fair share in reading about Jihad...since it's a big and complicated topic...and to tlak about it, I need to be 100% sure of what i'm saying..not to mention have lots of info. about it..
But to advice you...i'd tell you to go deeper into the topic yourself...try some Islamic websites..or some islamic translated books...i'm sure you'll find what you need...
You probably heard that before...but Islam's Jihad isn't about terrorizing peoepl..cuz I know this is the idea taken...

[Bita]

If you want to know more, why not read Ali Shariati's "Jihad and Shahadat"
Here is a link for the English text:
http://www.iranchamber.com/personali...d_shahadat.php
His "Red shi'sim versus black shi'sm" might be useful.

All I know is that Jehad (as in physically fighting) becomes compulsory for all muslims when their land is invaded.

Good luck

[Shield&Sword]

Bazarov i will try to find for you sites that explain better because my english language cant help me to explain better, interesting who was the first in history (a believer) who killed him self in order to kill others.

[Nightshade]

The things you siad are not jihad its al- shahada and they have levels like when you die deffending your country is not the same as you die drowning

I know that I just said this becausethe image of Jihad Ive seen reflected in the media is very often linked to martyrdom and I wanted to istablish that first.

ok intiatial research suggests ( and this is confirming what I already thought) Jihad doesnt mean war it is a way of life.
The word jihad is rooted in the arabic word that means strive and the only referance to jihad I can think of in ( my admittadly limted to under half) the koran is "Jahid fee sabeel allah" which literally means Strive in Gods cause. err As in live your life honouring Gods laws and His will.

Im still looking into it thuogh because it cant be that simple surley?
But thinking about this has brought back memories Id mostly forgotten of my mum sitting yelling at some man on the tv who was calling jihad a holy war.
But as she says if you want to find somthing dont look in one book dont look in 2 dont even look in 4. Look it up in 10 and if they all agree there is probably some truth in the statement, so its taking time .

[Amra]

Hello,

The idea of the "holy war" cannot be found in the Qur'an, nor is it supported by Islamic teachings. Jihad means to struggle, and refers to the person's inner fight against his or her own desire and temptations. This is called the great jihad as the Prophet Mohammed a.s said. War is never holy, but it is a reality that Qur'an acknowledges and sets guidelines for. It is never allowed to use war or violence for purposes of attacking, oppressing or torturing human beings. The only time that fighting a war is allowed is when a nation is defending itself, or when fighting oppression (to practice your religion, to live a dignified life as a human being, etc.) However, even during the time of such a war, it is never allowed to kill innocent people. Prophet a.s said:
"Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone."

Some verses from the holy Qur'an:

5-32

"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..."

2-190-191

"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.

22:40 Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged - and Allah indeed has power to help them -

60:9 Allah forbids you not, respecting those who have not fought against you on account of your religion, and who have not driven you forth from your homes, that you be kind to them and act equitably towards them; surely Allah loves those who are equitable.

60:10 Allah only forbids you - respecting those who have fought against you on account of your religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and have helped others in driving you out, that you make friends of them, and whosoever makes friends of them-it is these that are the transgressors.

There is many more, but I think this shows that the concept of the "holy war" is not known to Islam, but is something that the West has invented to use as propaganda. There is nothing holy about killing innocent people, torturing, or oppressing them. However, fighting those who oppress you, who attack you, or who take away your basic rights, is a duty of any dignified human being. I hope this helps answer your question...

[bazarov]

Hello,

The idea of the "holy war" cannot be found in the Qur'an, nor is it supported by Islamic teachings. Jihad means to struggle, and refers to the person's inner fight against his or her own desire and temptations. This is called the great jihad as the Prophet Mohammed a.s said. War is never holy, but it is a reality that Qur'an acknowledges and sets guidelines for. It is never allowed to use war or violence for purposes of attacking, oppressing or torturing human beings. The only time that fighting a war is allowed is when a nation is defending itself, or when fighting oppression (to practice your religion, to live a dignified life as a human being, etc.) However, even during the time of such a war, it is never allowed to kill innocent people. Prophet a.s said:
"Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone."

Some verses from the holy Qur'an:

5-32

"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..."

2-190-191

"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.

22:40 Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged - and Allah indeed has power to help them -

60:9 Allah forbids you not, respecting those who have not fought against you on account of your religion, and who have not driven you forth from your homes, that you be kind to them and act equitably towards them; surely Allah loves those who are equitable.

60:10 Allah only forbids you - respecting those who have fought against you on account of your religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and have helped others in driving you out, that you make friends of them, and whosoever makes friends of them-it is these that are the transgressors.

There is many more, but I think this shows that the concept of the "holy war" is not known to Islam, but is something that the West has invented to use as propaganda. There is nothing holy about killing innocent people, torturing, or oppressing them. However, fighting those who oppress you, who attack you, or who take away your basic rights, is a duty of any dignified human being. I hope this helps answer your question...

Thank you Amra, this is an excellent answer. ''There is nothing holy about killing innocent people, torturing, or oppressing them. However, fighting those who oppress you, who attack you, or who take away your basic rights, is a duty of any dignified human being'' Do you think that some people understand this words very very wrong or they are feeling threatened by some other mens or nations in that manner that they are ready to kill a lot of totally inocent peoples? What is the reason for such ''hate'' between shijit's and sunit's( sorry if I spelled it wrong)? They are both Muslims, but although there are some diferences beetwen their doctrine, is it really a reason to kill each other??

[bazarov]

You probably heard that before...but Islam's Jihad isn't about terrorizing peoepl..cuz I know this is the idea taken...

Idea is taken from who and from where?

[samah]

Thank you Amra, this is an excellent answer. ''There is nothing holy about killing innocent people, torturing, or oppressing them. However, fighting those who oppress you, who attack you, or who take away your basic rights, is a duty of any dignified human being'' Do you think that some people understand this words very very wrong or they are feeling threatened by some other mens or nations in that manner that they are ready to kill a lot of totally inocent peoples? What is the reason for such ''hate'' between shijit's and sunit's( sorry if I spelled it wrong)? They are both Muslims, but although there are some diferences beetwen their doctrine, is it really a reason to kill each other??

you mean Sunna and Shi'aa its not a hate or a fight just every group has its own opinions about some issues but the basics are the same they are both muslims and this was clear in the israelian attacks against lebanon last month and they said it was against hizb allah and its from shi'aa but all the muslims stood together but some people took advantage of these things and some other disagreements between the two groups to make it a big deal for thier own purposes just like in iraq and its like the chriatians have catholics and brotestants and other groups and all the fights that happened between these groups in Ireland .

[samah]

I know that and this thing of using religion as an execuse for all the bad things its a very old game just look at the crusaders they were killimg women and children in the name of christ ! Christianity and all religions have nothing to do with that its just people .

[optimisticnad]

I’ve found some research by Professor Jamal Badawi, acclaimed both in the eyes of Western and Muslim society, you can research on him if you want, he knows his stuff and writing is often scientific meaning he provides hard authentic evidence for his point.
So according to Prof Jamal Badawi:

Jihad is not holy war. He gives five reasons:

1. This is an English term, used by the Crusaders, it does not originate in the religion Islam and what is happening is what psychologists call projection.

2. No where in the Qur’an will you find the Arabic equivalent of holy war. Holy war in Arabic does not translate as Jihad, this is a common misconception especially amongst non-Muslims. Nor will you find the Arabic equivalent of Holy War in the saying of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, his saying are called hadith.

3. Oxymoron: there is nothing ‘holy’ about destruction, death, blood, rape and killing of innocent women and children.

4. By definition ‘Holy War’ means one religion against another religion. In the religion Islam and nowhere in the Qur’an is there any mention that it is permissible for Muslims to fight with people of a different faith solely for that reason. Rather it should be because they are being oppressed or civil liberties eroded etc. etc. Muslims are not allowed to do to a non-Muslim what they can’t do to a Muslim, those who do so are not Muslims and have nothing to do with Islam.

5. And finally the term ‘Holy War’ has some glamour and appeal about it. But nowhere in the Qur’an is there glamorization of War. In the Qur’an chapter 2 verse 216 it says: ‘Fighting has been prescribed but it is hated’. Like divorce, which is permissible in Islam, but it is disliked. So similarly war should be the last option.



Jihad has nothing to do with terrorism and it is uneducated journalists who seem to be doing anything but their job: provide accurate and honest reports of the affairs of the world. Terrorism means any act that deliberately victimizes an innocent whether individual, state etc. etc. If it Islam than it has nothing to do with terrorism, and if it is terrorism than it has nothing to do with Islam even if they claim ‘in the name of God’. God has not told them to blow up and kill innocent victims for their religion.


So what is Jihad? It is to strive in something, exert maximum pressure to achieve something. In Islam there is such a thing as individual jihad, so if jihad means ‘war’ and something negative how can an individual do jihad? In Islam there is such a thing as jihad with the Qur’an, which is the holy book of Muslims, so how can you do jihad if it means something violent and death with the holy book of their religion? There are many kinds of Jihad and the two mentioned here have no relation with the battlefield therefore when talking about jihad the problem is distinguishing between which one is being discussed, for example, whenever I hear the word jihad mentioned on T.V it is always in relation to war and they even have the never to call it ‘holy war’ but this a) isn’t the meaning of Jihad b) there are many types of Jihad. I am slowly beginning to understand why my Muslim friends become outraged and angry-you have a few minority exploiting and killing in the name of their religion-totally wrong and condemned in Islam as it would be in any religion, and then you have the people outside totally taking things out of context, rephrasing and distorting information for their own individual gains.

I think with any religion you need to go back to the original and authentic sources to judge the religion because unfortunately, with every religion especially those referred to as the religion of book, the revealed religions-that of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad,-unfortunately the participators of these religions only follow a half baked religion and themselves distort and destroy the beauty with in their religion giving the rest of the world a negative view.

I just want to clarify one last thing, Sunni and Shia Muslims are not fighting because they have different views of the same thing, or that there is some variation, rather they are fighting because one side feels oppressed by the other, one side is trying to claim the land of another, one side has joined the ‘enemies’, those oppressing and killing innocent people and children-this is why they are in war, not because ‘I pray standing up and you pray sitting down’ meaning small differences in their religion.

Hope this helps and I’ve re-read what I’ve wrote to make sure I haven’t offended anyone/groups/religions. If I have…not my intention.