32 the Doctrine of Jihad in the Islamic Hadith
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The Doctrine of Jihad in the Islamic Hadith Emir F. Caner and Ergun M. Caner Emir Fethi Caner is Associate Pro- Introduction obliged to discuss current events, and we should all agree on how to fessor of Church History and Anabaptist On 23 February 1998, five Islamic cali- settle the matter. Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theo- phates signed a document of a declaration No one argues today about three logical Seminary in Wake Forest, North of war against the United States of America facts that are known to everyone; we will list them, in order to remind Carolina. He previously served as a (fatwa). Representing five radical factions, everyone: church planter in the Czech Republic. these men united in calling the Muslim First, for over seven years the Dr. Caner has also served as a pastor world to task against the perceived enemy United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, and speaks regularly on church history of Islam. The full text reads as follows: the Arabian Peninsula, plundering and Islam around the world. Ergun its riches, dictating to its rulers, hu- Mehmet Caner is Professor of The- Statement signed by Sheikh miliating its people, terrorizing its Usamah Bin-Muhammad Bin-Ladin; neighbors, and turning its bases in ology and Church History at Liberty Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of the the Peninsula into a spearhead University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has Jihad Group in Egypt; Abu-Yasir through which to fight the neighbor- ing Muslim peoples. served as a pastor and has lectured on Rifa’i Ahmad Taha, a leader of the Islamic Group; Sheikh Mir Hamzah, If some people have formerly apologetics, world religions, and theol- secretary of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e- debated the fact of the occupation, all ogy in eleven countries. Raised as Sunni Pakistan; and Fazlul Rahman, leader the people of the Peninsula have now acknowledged it. Muslims, the Caner brothers have of the Jihad Movement in Bangla- desh. The best proof of this is the Ameri- co-authored several books, including Praise be to Allah, who revealed cans’ continuing aggression against Unveiling Islam: An Insider’s Look at the Book, controls the clouds, defeats the Iraqi people using the Peninsula as a staging post, even though all its Muslim Life and Beliefs (Kregel, 2002), factionalism, and says in His Book, “But when the forbidden months are rulers are against their territories More than a Prophet: An Insider’s past, then fight and slay the pagans being used to that end, still they are Response to Muslim Beliefs about Jesus wherever you find them, seize them, helpless. Second, despite the great beleaguer them, and lie in wait for devastation inflicted on the Iraqi and Christianity (Kregel, 2003), andOut them in every stratagem (of war)”; people by the crusader-Zionist alli- of the Crescent Shadows: Leading and peace be upon our Prophet, ance, and despite the huge number of those killed, in excess of one mil- Muslim Women into the Light of Christ Muhammad Bin-’Abdallah, who said, “I have been sent with the lion... despite all this, the Americans (New Hope, 2003). sword between my hands to ensure are once against trying to repeat the that no one but Allah is worshipped, horrific massacres, as though they Allah who put my livelihood under are not content with the protracted the shadow of my spear and who blockade imposed after the ferocious inflicts humiliation and scorn on war or the fragmentation and devas- those who disobey my orders.” The tation. Arabian Peninsula has never—since So now they come to annihilate Allah made it flat, created its desert, what is left of this people and to and encircled it with seas—been humiliate their Muslim neighbors. stormed by any forces like the cru- Third, if the Americans’ aims sader armies now spreading in it like behind these wars are religious and locusts, consuming its riches and economic, the aim is also to serve the destroying its plantations. All this is Jews’ petty state and divert attention happening at a time when nations from its occupation of Jerusalem and are attacking Muslims like people murder of Muslims there. fighting over a plate of food. In the The best proof of this is their light of the grave situation and the eagerness to destroy Iraq, the stron- lack of support, we and you are gest neighboring Arab state, and 32 their endeavor to fragment all the Americans and plunder their money states of the region such as Iraq, wherever and whenever they find it. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Sudan into We also call on Muslim ulema, lead- paper statelets and through their dis- ers, youths, and soldiers to launch union and weakness to guarantee the raid on Satan’s U.S. troops and Israel’s survival and the continuation the devil’s supporters allying with of the brutal crusade occupation of them, and to displace those who are the Peninsula. behind them so that they may learn All these crimes and sins commit- a lesson. ted by the Americans are a clear Almighty Allah said “O you who declaration of war on Allah, his mes- believe, give your response to Allah senger, and Muslims. And ulema and His Apostle, when He calls you have throughout Islamic history to that which will give you life. And unanimously agreed that the jihad is know that Allah comes between a an individual duty if the enemy man and his heart, and that it is He destroys the Muslim countries. This to whom you shall all be gathered.” was revealed by Imam Bin-Qadamah Almighty Allah also says “O you in “Al-Mughni,” Imam al-Kisa’i in who believe, what is the matter with “Al-Bada’i,” al-Qurtubi in his inter- you, that when you are asked to go pretation, and the shaykh of al-Islam forth in the cause of Allah, you cling in his books, where he said “As for so heavily to the earth! Do you pre- the militant struggle, it is aimed at fer the life of this world to the here- defending sanctity and religion, and after? But little is the comfort of this it is a duty as agreed. Nothing is life, as compared with the hereafter. more sacred than belief except Unless you go forth, He will punish repulsing an enemy who is attacking you with a grievous penalty, and put religion and life.” others in your place; but Him you On that basis, and in compliance would not harm in the least. For with Allah’s order, we issue the fol- Allah hath power over all things.” lowing fatwa to all Muslims: Almighty Allah also says “So lose The ruling to kill the Americans and no heart, nor fall into despair. For their allies—civilians and military—is you must gain mastery if you are true an individual duty for every Muslim in faith.”1 who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy On September 11, the United States of mosque from their grip, and in order America saw the first manifestation of this for their armies to move out of all the declared fatwa, as almost five thousand lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in Americans lost their lives when the World accordance with the words of Trade Center towers were reduced to a Almighty Allah, “and fight the horrific pile of rubble, fire, and girder. The pagans all together as they fight you all together,” and “fight them until seminal question which has now seared there is no more tumult or oppres- into the collective conscience of the nation sion, and there prevail justice and is clear: Were these men acting upon the faith in Allah.” This is in addition to the words of wild rantings of a cultic leader who has Almighty Allah, “And why should bastardized the peaceful religion of Islam, you not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are or are they in fact acting upon orthodox ill-treated and oppressed—women Islamic doctrine? and children, whose cry is—‘Allah It is the purpose of this paper to present rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for the central thesis that Islam does in fact us from thee one who will help!’” have an essential and indispensable tenet We—with Allah’s help—call on of militaristic conquest at its heart. In both every Muslim who believes in Allah and wishes to be rewarded to com- the teachings of the Qur’an and the ply with Allah’s order to kill the Hadith, the infidel (kafir) must either be con- 33 verted or conquered, and the Muslim who dies In M. M. Azami’s Studies in Hadith Meth- in such a struggle (Jihad) is promised immedi- odology and Literature, the following defi- ate translation into the highest level of Para- nition of a hadith is given, dise. While the core of the work will exam- ine Hadithic admonitions and injunctions, According to Muhaddithiin [schol- ars of hadith] it stands for ‘what was we shall also offer Quranic foundations to transmitted on the authority of the the midrashic nature of the Hadith. Prophet, his deeds, sayings, tacit approval, or description of his sifaat (features) meaning his physical The Hadith as Islamic Midrash appearance. However, physical The Qur’an is the highest authority in appearance of the Prophet is not Islam, having been transmitted to Muham- included in the definition used by the jurists.’2 med from Allah through the angel Gabriel.