THE COMMAND OF WAR IN ISLAM

~ 66 ~ Invoking the Qur’anic exhortation to do battle against fitna in order to validate acts of war which had quite other aims is highly improper. This verse could be cited only if the same state of affairs as existed at the time of its revelation, were to prevail once again. The biographers of the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, have put the number of ghazwah (battle) at more than 80. This gives the impression that the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, in his 23-year prophetic career waged about four battles in a year. But this impression is entirely baseless. The truth is that the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, in his entire prophetic life, engaged in war only on three occasions. All the other incidents described as ghazwat were in actual fact examples of avoidance of war and not instances of involvement in battle. For instance, in the books of Seerah, the incident of Al-Ahzab is called a ghazwah (battle), whereas the truth is that on this occasion the armed tribes of Arabia, twelve thousand in number, reached the borders of Madinah with all intentions of waging