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Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah Archives



July 24, 2007 9:19 AM

Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Answer (1)

Jihad in Islam (The violent confrontation of the enemy) is the fighting movement that aims at preventing the enemy from forcing its hegemony over the land and the people by means of violence that confiscates freedom, kills the people, usurps the wealth and prevents the people's rights in self-determination and running their own affairs. Therefore, Jihad is confronting violence by means of violence and force by force, which makes it of a defensive nature at times and a preventive one at others. And this is what the Glorious Qur'an has maintained in the following verses. Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loves not aggressors. (02:190 ) ; Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed Able to give them victory(22:39 ) and “If thou fears treachery from any group, throw back (their covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms”(08:58)

In the light of this, Jihad is no different than any human and civilized concept of self-defense.
It expresses the innate human nature of self-defense, or preventing the others from building the ability for a sudden aggression. Islam meets in this with all human values of all civilizations.
There is also the case of defending the downtrodden who are prosecuted by the arrogant and who have no means of defending themselves. Muslims have to defend these people if they ask them to. The humanitarian content of Islam makes it responsible for facing the injustice the downtrodden are subjected to by freeing them of this injustice.

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