Chapter Two

The Concept of Jihad in Islam happened by adhering to non-violent methods and peaceful activism, from start to finish. According to a well-known principle of fiqh or Islamic jurisprudence, certain rules can or should be modified to suit the change of time and place. This generally accepted principle of fiqh demands that when the conditions have changed, then, if need be, one must seek the re-application of the relevant shariah commandments so that they may be brought into harmony with the prevailing conditions. Indeed, this principle of fiqh applies as much to issues of war as it does to many other matters. It, too, demands that violent methods should now be discarded and only peaceful methods should be considered to be in conformity with the shariah. Contemporary Jihadi Movements In present times, in many countries Muslims are engaged in armed conflicts in the name of ‘Islamic jihad’. But the fact is that no movement can turn into a jihad simply because its flag-bearers give it that label. An action can be considered an Islamic jihad only if and when it is fully in accordance with the conditions that Islam has laid down in this regard. Without fully meeting these conditions, it will not be a real jihad, but, rather, fasad, or strife. Those who are engaged in such actions will not earn the rewards they would have had for participating in a true jihad. Rather, they will deserve only God’s punishment. I have discussed in considerable detail in several of my books the various conditions necessary for jihad in the sense of qital or physical war. Here I wish to clarify just one point. And that is, that the status of jihad in the sense of qital is not the same as that of actions performed by individuals such as prayer and fasting. Rather, it is such an action as has wholly to do with the government. This status of jihad in the sense of qital is clearly evident in