Reclaiming Jihad

A Islamic Studies | Terrorism Studies M IN With his expertise in the field of Qur’anic N Reclaiming Jihad: A Qur’anic Critique of Terrorism, ElSayed Amin ElSayed Amin has written an authorita- studies and Islamic legal sources, ElSayed Ipresents a detailed critique of institutional and legal definitions of tive study critiquing terrorism from Amin has delved into the works of key terrorism. He engages the Qur’an exegetical tradition, both classical a Qur’anic perspective. It is the first classical and modern exegetes to bring out and contemporary, to critique key verses of the Qur’an that have JIHAD RECLAIMING attempt by an Azhari scholar in the field a critique that challenges contemporary been misread to establish violence as a realtional norm between in English. Al-Azhar University is happy to perceptions of the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims. This pioneering work is a sustained count him among its esteemed scholars. Islam and violence. The book can be scholarly attempt to separate Islamic jihad, as well as the notion of His intellectual development in this study seriously commended to both specialists armed deterrence, from modern terrorism through the examination is representative of the ideals that we and non-specialists in Qur’anic Studies, of the 9/11 terrorism attacks, and it proposes legal proscriptions for pursue as an institution. In addition to theology and political science. terrorism from the Qur’an, on the basis of its political, social and illuminating the root causes of terrorism, psychological impacts. this book is a real contribution to inter- faith dialogue. — Jabal M. Buaben, E L S AY E D M.A. A M IN ELSAYED AMIN is Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies in English at Associate Professor, the Azhar University in Cairo. He obtained his doctorate in Islamic — Muhammad Abu Layla Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Studies from the University of Birmingham, and his juristic training Professor of Comparative Religions at Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien from the prestigious Azhar University from the age of ten onwards. al-Azhar University and member of Centre for Islamic Studies He is a member of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Cairo, A al-Azhar Research Academy, Cairo and a former Fulbright scholar. Qur’anic In this study on the ethics of violence in the Qur’an, the author poignantly demonstrates the Qur’anic normative approach to RECLAIMING JIHAD the question of spreading terror, treachery, and victimizing the defenseless. This book is a scholarly and necessary critique C of why the crime of terrorism is inconsistent with the ethical ritique of Terrorism outlook of the Qur’an. Anyone who wants to understand the Qur’an and its relationship to violence must read this book. A Qur’anic Critique — Khaled Abou El Fadl, Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Professor of Law and of Terrorism Chair of Islamic Studies Program, UCLA School of Law ISBN 978-0-86037-593-7 | US $24.95 THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION United Kingdom www.islamic-foundation.com foreword | iii RECLAIMING JIHAD A Qur’anic Critique of Terrorism E L S AY E D M.A. A M IN THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION (C) Copyright Kube Publishing 2014. All Rights Reserved. iv | reclaiming jihad Reclaiming Jihad: A Qur’anic Critique of Terrorism Published by THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION Markfield Conference Centre, Ratby Lane, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9SY, United Kingdom Qur’an House, PO Box 30611, Nairobi, Kenya PMB 3193, Kano, Nigeria Distributed by KUBE PUBLISHING LTD. Tel: +44(0)1530 249230, Fax: +44(0)1530 249656 E-mail: [email protected] Copyright © ElSayed Amin, 2014/1435AH All rights reserved The right of ElSayed Amin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. Cataloguing-in-Publication Data is available from the British Library ISBN 978-0-86037-593-7 paperback ISBN 978-0-86037-588-3 casebound ISBN 978-0-86037-598-2 ebook 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Cover design and typesetting Nasir Cadir Printed by IMAK Ofset, Turkey (C) Copyright Kube Publishing 2014. All Rights Reserved. foreword | v CONTENTS Transliteration Table vi Foreword by Professor Gordon R. Woodman vii Introduction: Why does the Qur’an Matter in Confronting Terrorism? 1 1. Defining Terrorism:S ecular and Islamic Perspectives 21 2. Arming for Deterrence in the Qur’an 53 3. Jihad versus Terrorism in the Qur’an 79 4. The Modern Debate on Offensive Jihad 103 5. Terrorism and Its Qur’anic Punishment 126 Conclusion: Terrorism and the Path of Persuasion 161 Endnotes 169 Index 225 v (C) Copyright Kube Publishing 2014. All Rights Reserved. vi | reclaiming jihad Transliteration Table TRANSLITERATION TABLE Arabic Consonants ’ ء ا ب :final ت Initial, unexpressed medial and a d d k b dh t l t r z m th z [ n j s gh h h sh f w kh s q y With a shaddah, both medial and final consonants are doubled. Vowels, diphthongs, etc. Short: a i u Long: a i u Diphthongs: aw ay vi (C) Copyright Kube Publishing 2014. All Rights Reserved. x foreword | vii FOREWORD There can be little doubt that terrorism is one of the major problems that confront humanity today. Since the bombings at the World Trade Center, New York, on 11 September 2001, and the declaration a few days later of a “war on terror” by US President George W. Bush, the problem of terrorism has been seen as a criti- cal factor in relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and also (although this is often overlooked by non-Muslims) between different Muslim groups as well as between different non-Muslim groups. The notion of a “war” carries the implication that there are just two sides to the conflict, perhaps together with neutral parties who really ought to declare themselves for one side or the other. In reality the problem of how we should understand and react to terrorism is far more complex. As Dr ElSayed Amin points out, the meaning of terrorism has changed much in recent times. Today it is a strongly pejorative term, although this was not always the case. Still, in its current usage there is considerable doubt as to its precise meaning, and various problems in determining its applicability to specific acts. It seems certainly to include acts of violence which are perpetrated against victims who are, or who include, innocent persons, in the sense of persons other than enemy combatants. The major systems of moral belief have often condemned such acts. Nevertheless, popular acceptance even of that condemnatory principle has been vii (C) Copyright Kube Publishing 2014. All Rights Reserved. viii | reclaiming jihad selectively abandoned, or has been heavily qualified, through the wars of the twentieth century, in which civilian populations have been repeatedly targeted by military action, notwithstanding some progress in the development of the international laws of war. Since the notion of terrorism is today often referred to in debates concerning the practice of Islam, it is vital for anyone who wishes to act morally to know and understand the Islamic position on terrorism. The many millions of Muslim believers obviously need to know this so as to be sure how their religion requires them to act. But everyone else needs to know that as well, so as to understand the Muslim position and to know how they should act towards Muslims. This is especially important in view of the wide- ly-publicized implied or expressed allegations outside the Islamic world that Islam is inherently supportive of terrorism. The issue is vitally important with regard to international relations between those states which are predominantly Islamic and those which are not. But in today’s globalized world, in which the population of virtually every state contains both Islamic and non-Islamic com- munities, and in which different socially-accepted religious beliefs and systems of morality and law co-exist, mutual understanding and respect are also essential in intra-state arenas. It is extremely difficult to decide what is the correct definition of terrorism in Islam, or what exactly are the Islamic injunctions in respect of terrorism. There are variations of opinion on these mat- ters within the Islamic world. There is a huge amount of literature in Arabic, English and other languages, written by both Muslims and non-Muslims. Dr ElSayed Amin’s work seizes on the crucial, central part of the debates. It studies exegeses by leading scholars of the Qur’anic provisions which refer – or have been taken to refer – to terrorism. While it rightly aims for general validity within Islamic thought, it focuses particularly on the views attributable to Sunni teaching, and especially (although by no means exclusively) on pronouncements made from, or with reference to Egypt. Even with these foci, which are entirely justifiable, the bibliography of literature cited is remarkably large. The questions on which this work concentrates are the most (C) Copyright Kube Publishing 2014. All Rights Reserved. foreword | ix difficult questions arising from the problem of terrorism. The work asks both how terrorism should be defined for general purposes, and how it should be understood to be defined in the Qur’an. The concept bears a certain relationship to the Qur’anic notion of fasad (corruption, or a negative use of force), although that relationship seems to be initially unclear and contested. This needs to be investi- gated, and the uses of fasad elucidated, with a full study of the views of classical and modern exegetes. Since Islam is not a totally pacifist faith, there needs next to be a consideration of the circumstances in which the Qur’an enjoins arming as a deterrent to wrongful at- tack, an injunction sometimes represented as a call to engage in terrorism.

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