THE PEACE AND JUSTICE FOUNDATION
4 Dhul
Qidah 1428 AH
(November 14, 2007)
Troubling Interpretations of Jihad fi sabililah
Assalaamu Alaikum
(Greetings
of Peace):
Special note: What follows
is an online response to an e-mail that I received this morning. After reading
the e-mail and briefly visiting the website connected to the association from
whom the e-mail was sent, I felt compelled to respond to the ideas being
promulgated in the name of Islam, for a couple of reasons.
First, the information is deeply flawed (and open to debate), and
serves to reinforce the negative images being promulgated about Islam and
Muslims via the malicious propaganda campaigns of our enemies.
Secondly, such [mis]information greatly
facilitates the TRAPS being set - especially those aimed at gullible young
Muslims who are not firmly established in their deen.
El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan
Director of Operations
The Peace And Justice Foundation
_____________________
Assalaamu Alaikum:
This
comes in response to an e-mail from you and your association,
that promulgates a very strange interpretation of jihad fi sabililah (from my humble
view). What makes this interpretation so troubling is that it is put forward
as the
"Islamic" position on the matter, while ignoring fundamental
principles from Qur'an and Prophetic Sunnah which call this interpretation into question. I
reference your three opening paragraphs to illustrate my point:
The
Islamic state is unique in history; it is the only state that did not tax its
population. Why did it not tax its population? It had income that came from Jizyah, Kharaaj[Tax on agricultural land], Ghaneema,
and Fay’[Fay’ is what is taken from the disbelievers without a fight. Such as
the disbelievers fearing the Muslims and running away from their positions and
they leave behind booty, or if they surrender without a fight, or they pay Jizyah]. The distribution of the fay’
is up to the Imam.. (Reported
by Ahmad and At-Tabarani. Classified
Saheeh. Saheeh Al-Jaami’ As-Sagheer No. 2828)
All of
these are income that comes from Jihad; so the government does not have to tax
the population anymore. But now that the Muslim Ummah
is not doing Jihad fe Sabeelillah,
they end up taxing the population and Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) said ‘Taxes is haraam
and the one who deals in any job related to taxes is cursed.’So
the solution is right there it just needs people to wake up and read the simple
hadith and follow its meanings.
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbal (rahimahullah)
mentioned that one of the Salaf [Pious Predecessors]
was asked ‘Why don’t you get yourself a farm for you and your family?’ He said
‘Allah ‘Azza wa Jall has sent me to kill the farmer and take his farm.’When ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiyallahu ‘anhu) had heard that
the Sahabah were busy cultivating the very fertile
land that they won through Ghaneema[Spoils of War]from Jihad fe Sabeelillah in Jordan, he waited until the time of harvest
and then ordered that all of the farms be burned down to the ground. So some of
the Sahabah came complaining and he said ‘This is the
job of the people of the book; your job is to fight Jihad fe Sabeelillah and spread
the religion of Allah.’
To begin with, while arguing that
the Islamic state "is the only state that did not tax its
population," you define Kharaaj as "Tax
on agricultural land," and you fail to mention (or provide an
adequate description of) one of the five foundational principles of
Islam, ZAKAT, which would apply to a fixed percentage of one's wealth (not
simply the agricultural land that one may or may not have in his or
her possession).
Would it not be more
accurate to argue that the Islamic State (the truly Islamic State)
was the only state in history wherein its citizens were not excessively (or
oppressively) taxed, and wherein the taxes that were gathered were
used for the betterment of the community and all of its citizenry (both Muslim
and non-Muslim)? A state wherein the administrators of the state's resources
were held to a high standard of honesty and accountability (unlike what we see
today throughout the global community)?
Secondly, I am deeply troubled by
your description of the character of one of the "Salaf
[Pious Predecessors]" - who you relate was reportedly asked, "Why
don’t you get yourself a farm for you and your family?" And
according to your sources, he replied: "Allah Azza wa Jall
has sent me to kill the farmer and take his farm."
Excuse me, but this does not sound
like a "pious predecessor" - it sounds more like a common thief, or
robber bandit, of any historical period (including the modern era). This
was not the minhaj (the way, the example) of our
beloved Prophet (may ALLAH have mercy on him and grant
him peace), nor was it the example of the four Rashidun
(Rightly Guided) Caliphs - Abu Bekr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (may ALLAH
be pleased with them all).
I also briefly visited your
website < www.alkhilafah.net/jihad.html > and read some of what you had to
say concerning The
Islamic Legitimacy of The "Martyrdom
Operations" - and needless to say, I am compelled to disagree with your point
of view on that matter as well. Among highly reputable
"scholars," both past and present, there are different points of
view on this debate. You provide only one point of view, and only from those
who you
recognize as "scholars."
The strongest disagreement that I have with your view on this
matter, however, revolves around the present day application of your
point-of-view. I am left to infer that your arguments on this matter
apply to what is taking place in the Muslim
world today - i.e.,
(And for the moment we can leave aside what ALLAH Ta'Ala, thru His Prophet, saaw,
mandated concerning well defined classes of non-combatants from among the
enemy's population.)
In Sahih Muslim, Volume 3 (Kitab Al-Jihad Wa'l-Siyar), one can find the
following unambiguous hadith from the Prophet (saaw) himself:
"He who is killed under the banner of a man who is blind (to
the cause for which he is fighting), who gets flared up with family pride and
fights for his tribe, is not from my Ummah; and whosoever, from my
followers, attacks my followers (indiscriminately), killing the righteous and
the wicked among them, sparing not even those who are staunch in faith, and
fulfilling not his promise made with those who have been given a pledge of
security - he has nothing to do with me, and I have nothing to do with
him!"
And then we have the following admonition from the FIRST SOURCE of
guidance for committed Muslims the world over:
"If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is
Hell, to abide therein forever; the wrath and the curse of ALLAH are upon him,
and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him."
Al-Qur'an (Suratul-Nisaa,
4:93)
I believe I've said enough to register my concern regarding your
interpretive analysis on such a weighty issue. I sincerely believe that I am
right, with the possibility
I may be wrong; and I sincerely believe you are wrong, with the possibility you may be
right. (Surely ALLAH knows best.)
What I do know, beyond any shadow of doubt, is that traps are
being laid by the enemies of Islam and committed Muslims (both here
and abroad) to target the community in very repressive ways - and
this type of communication (especially when it reaches the
hearts and minds of blind
following, shallow
thinking, naive
and emotional young
Muslims) greatly facilitates the effectiveness of our enemies'
intrigues.
May ALLAH, Subhanahu wa Ta'Ala, protect us
from our enemies (from the enemies within, and from the
enemies without). Ameen.
El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan
"Civilization is
rooted in justice, and the consequences of oppression are devastating.
Therefore, it is said that ALLAH aids the just state, even if it is non-Muslim;
yet withholds His help from the oppressive state, even if it is Muslim." -
Sheikh
ibn Taymeeyah (r)