Note 9: Ibn Qudamah on killing non-combatants

 [Return to blog's homepage.]

Ibn Qudamah wrote on this issue: “As for the peasant who does not fight you, it is desirable that he should not be killed because of what is reported from Umar al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him), who said: 'Fear God regarding peasants who do not wage war on you.'”

قال ابن قدامة في المغني: فأما الفلاح الذي لا يقاتل فينبغي أن لا يقتل لما روي عن عمر الخطاب رضي الله عنه أنه قال: «اتقوا الله في الفلاحين الذين لا ينصبون لكم الحرب.»

Note 8: Imam al-Qurtubi on Q. 8:24

 [Return to blog's homepage.]

Imam al-Qurtubi stated: “This is a metaphorical revival because it is from the death of disbelief and ignorance. Mujahid and the majority have said the meaning is: 'respond to obedience and to what the Qur'an contains of commands and prohibitions, for in it is eternal life and endless bounty.' It has also been said that implied in His word {to what revives you} is 'jihad' as it is evidently the cause of life, since enemies, if they are not attacked will attack, and in attacking them there is death, and death in jihad is eternal life. God – may He be glorified – has said (Q. 3:169): {Do not consider those killed in the way of God as dead, rather they are alive.} The more general majority opinion is the correct one.”

قال الإمام القرطبي في الجامع لأحكام القرآن: «وقيل «اللام بمعنى إلى، أي إلى ما يحيي به قلوبكم فتوحدوه.» وهذا إحياء مستعار، لأنه من موت الكفر والجهل. وقال مجاهد والجمهور: «المعنى استجيبوا للطاعة وما تضمنه القرآن من أوامر ونواهي، ففيه الحياة الأبدية والنعمة السرمدية.» وقيل «المراد بقوله {لما يحييكم} الجهاد، فإنه سبب الحياة في الظاهر لأن العدو إذا لم يغز غزا، وفي غزوه الموت، والموت في الجهاد الحياة الأبدية. قال الله عز وجل {ولا تحسبن الذين قتلوا في سبيل الله أمواتا بل أحياء}.» والصحيح العموم كما قال الجمهور.»

Note 7: Imam al-Qurtubi on Q. 9:36

 [Return to blog's homepage.]

Imam al-Qurtubi said on this verse: Some of the scholars have said: “The purpose of this verse was directed at individuals; then that was abrogated, and it was made a sufficient [i.e. collective] obligation.” Ibn 'Atiyah said: “What he said is completely unknown in the law of the Prophet (PBUH), that he required the whole community to march forth.

قال الإمام القرطبي في الجامع لأحكام القرآن: قال بعض العلماء: «كان الغرض بهذه الآية قد توجه على الأعيان ثم نسخ ذلك وجعل فرض كفاية.» قال ابن عطية: «وهذا الذي قاله لم يعلم قط من شرع النبي صلعم أنه ألزم الأمة جميعًا النَّفْر.»

Note 6: Ibn Taymiyah on repelling aggressors

 [Return to blog's homepage.]

The context of this quotation from Ibn Taymiyah is: “As for repulsive fighting, it is the strongest form of repelling an aggressor against the sanctity [of life] and religion, and it is by consensus necessary. Regarding the aggressive enemy who corrupts religion and the world, after faith alone, there is nothing more necessary than to repel him. Nor is any condition to be imposed, rather he should be repelled to the extent possible. Our fellow scholars and others have stipulated that. So, it is necessary to distinguish between repelling an oppressive disbelieving aggressor and seeking him in his lands [by invasion]. Some jihad is by force, while some is by the heart, da'wah [inviting to Islam], proofs, discussion, giving opinions, planning, and industry.”

قال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية: «وأما قتال الدفع فهو أشد أنواع دفع الصائل عن الحرمة والدين فواجب إجماعا فالعدو الصائل الذي يفسد الدين والدنيا لا شيء أوجب بعد الإيمان من دفعه فلا يشترط له شرط بل يدفع بحسب الإمكان. وقد نص على ذلك العلماء أصحابنا وغيرهم فيجب التفريق بين دفع الصائل الظالم الكافر وبين طلبه في بلاده، والجهاد منه ما هو باليد ومنه ما هو بالقلب والدعوة والحجة واللسان والرأي والتدبير والصناعة فيجب بغاية ما يمكنه.»

Note 5: al-Kasani on individual obligation to fight jihad

 [Return to blog's homepage.]

Al-Kasani wrote in Bada'i' al-Sana'i' fi Tartib al-Shara'i': “As for explaining how jihad is becomes an obligation, there are only two possibilities: either the deployment is general, or it is not. If it is not general, then it is a sufficient [i.e. collective] obligation, meaning that it is an obligation on all who constitute the company of jihad; however, if some perform it, its [obligation] lapses for the remainder due to His Exalted Word (Q. 4:95): {God has favoured by degree those engaged in jihad with their wealth and souls over those who stay behind; to each, God has promised good.} Exalted God has promised good to those engaged in jihad and to those who stay behind; if jihad had been an absolute [i.e. individual] obligation in all cases, He would not have promised good to those who stay behind, because staying behind would be forbidden, and His Exalted Word is (Q. 9:122): {It is not for the totality of the believers to mobilise; rather let a group from each troop not mobilise in order to deepen their knowledge of religion...} [That is also] because the obligation of jihad on him, namely calling to Islam, elevating the true religion, and repelling the evil and coercive force of the disbelievers, is fulfilled when some perform it. Thus also the Prophet (PBUH) would send armed columns. If it had been an absolute individual obligation on every occasion, one could not have imagined his staying put on any occasion, nor his permitting anyone else to remain behind on occasion.”

قال الكاساني في بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع: «وأما بيان كيفية فرضية الجهاد، فالأمر فيه لا يخلو من أحد وجهين، إما إن كان النفير عاما (وإما) إن لم يكن فإن لم يكن النفير عاما فهو فرض كفاية، ومعناه: أن يفترض على جميع من هو من أهل الجهاد، لكن إذا قام به البعض سقط عن الباقين؛ لقوله عز وجل {فضل الله المجاهدين بأموالهم وأنفسهم على القاعدين درجة وكلا وعد الله الحسنى} وعد الله عز وجل المجاهدين والقاعدين الحسنى ولو كان الجهاد فرض عين في الأحوال كلها لما وعد القاعدين الحسنى؛ لأن القعود يكون حراما وقوله سبحانه وتعالى {وما كان المؤمنون لينفروا كافة فلولا نفر من كل فرقة منهم طائفة ليتفقهوا في الدين} الآية ولأن ما فرض له الجهاد وهو الدعوة إلى الإسلام، وإعلاء الدين الحق، ودفع شر الكفرة وقهرهم، يحصل بقيام البعض به. وكذا النبي صلعم كان يبعث السرايا، ولو كان فرض عين في الأحوال كلها لكان لا يتوهم منه القعود عنه في حال، ولا أذن غيره بالتخلف عنه بحال.»

Note 4: Imam al-Qurtubi on Q. 5:8

 [Return to blog's homepage.]

Imam al-Qurtubi wrote on (Q. 5:8): “{and let not the hatred of people drive you} to abandon justice and preferring enmity over truth. In this verse there is evidence that the judgement and testimony of one enemy against the other is admissible in God['s sight], because he has been commanded to do justice even if he detests [the latter]. If his judgement or testimony had not been admissible because of his loathing, there would have been no point in [God's] command to be just regarding him. The verse also indicates that: [a] the disbelief of a disbeliever should not prevent one from justice regarding him; [b] one should not become negligent regarding those who deserve to be fought or enslaved; and [c] mutilating them is not permissible. Even if they were to kill our women and children and so cause us grief, in killing them we do not have the right to mutilate them in order to cause them grief and anguish.”

قال الإمام القرطبي في الجامع لأحكام القرآن مفسرًا للآية الثامنة من سورة المائدة: «{ولا يجرمنكم شنآن قوم} على ترك العدل وإيثار العدوان على الحق. وفي هذا دليل على نفوذ حكم العدو على عدوه في الله تعالى ونفوذ شهادته عليه، لأنه أمر بالعدل وإن أبغضه، ولو كان حكمه عليه وشهادته لا تجوز فيه مع البغض له لما كان لأمره بالعدل فيه وجه. ودلت الآية أيضا على أن كفر الكافر لا يمنع من العدل عليه، وأن يقتصر بهم على المستحق من القتال والاسترقاق، وأن المثلة بهم غير جائزة وإن قتلوا نساءنا وأطفالنا وغمونا بذلك، فليس لنا أن نقتلهم بمثلة قصدا لإيصال الغم والحزن إليهم.

Note 2: Complete text of Q. 9:5-6

 [Return to blog's homepage.]

The whole verse, in its broader context, states (Q. 9:5-6): {Then, when the sacred months have past, slay the idolaters wherever you find them, seize them, surround them, lay in wait in every place of ambush. However, if they repent, perform the prayer and give zakat, let them go their way. God is Forgiving, Merciful. * And if one of the idolaters asks you for protection, grant him protection so that he may hear the Word of God, then convey him to a place of safety. That is because they are people who do not know.}

قال تعالى {فإذا انسلخ الأشهر الحرم فاقتلوا المشركين حيث وجدتموهم وخذوهم واحصروهم واقعدوا لهم كل مرصد فإن تابوا وأقاموا الصلاة وآتوا الزكاة فخلوا سبيلهم إن الله غفور رحيم * وإن أحد من المشركين استجارك فأجره حتى يسمع كلام الله ثم أبلغه مأمنه ذلك بأنهم قوم لا يعلمون}

Note 1: Imam al-Qurtubi on Q. 9:5

 [Return to blog's homepage.]

Imam al-Qurtubi wrote on this verse: “His Exalted saying {then slay the idolaters} is general on every idolater though, as explained previously in Surat al-Baqarah, the Sunnah made exceptions of women, monks, children and others. However, God the Exalted said concerning the People of the Book [i.e. Jews and Christians] (Q. 9:29) {until they pay the jizyah}, making it possible that the term 'idolater' does not include the People of the Book.”

قال الإمام القرطبي في الجامع لأحكام القرآن: «قوله تعالى {فاقتلوا المشركين} عامّ في كل مشرك، لكن السنة خصت منه ما تقدم بيانه في سورة البقرة من امرأة وراهب وصبي وغيرهم. وقال الله تعالى في أهل الكتاب {حتى يعطوا الجزية} إلا أن يجوز أن يكون لفظ المشركين لا يتناول أهل الكتاب.»

Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti wrote in al-Itqan fi 'ulum al-Qur'an, section 43 on clear-cut (muhkam) and allegorical (mutashabih) verses: “The allegorical [verses] from the two perspectives [expression and semantics] is of five types: first, in terms of quantity, as in generality and specificity, for example (Q. 9:5): {then slay the idolaters}.”

وقال جلال الدين السيوطي في الإتقان في علوم القرآن في النوع الثالث والأربعون في المحكم والمتشابه: «والمتشابه من جهتهما [أي من جهة اللفظ والمعنى] خمسة أضرب: الأول من جهة الكمية، كالعموم والخصوص، نحو {فاقتلوا المشركين}.»

Image of the 1998 fatwa as first published

 

[Return to blog's homepage.] 

image of the title banner of Al-Quds al-Arabi on 23rd February 1998, the day it published the article below

image of the "Text of the Declaration of the
World Islamic Front for Jihad on Jews & Crusaders"
as published in al-Quds al-Arabi on 23rd February 1998

The permission of Al-Quds al-Arabi to use these images and the text that they contained was sought by the author of this blog and kindly granted, insofar as it owned any copyrights therein, for the purposes of teaching.