Islam As It Is January-February

declared that no aggressive war is permitted in Islam. Muslims can engage themselves only in a defensive, not in an offensive war, irrespective of the circumstances. (2:190) According to Islam, peace is the rule and war is only an exception. Even in defensive war, we have to see the result. If the result is doubtful, Muslims should avoid war, even in a defensive situation. Stray acts of aggression are not enough for Muslims to rush into war. They have to assess the whole situation and adopt a policy of avoidance when war is not certain to achieve a positive result. There are several examples of this kind in the early period of Islam. In Islamic history, one such example is that of the battle of the trench. In this event there was clear-cut aggression on the part of the antagonists, who travelled as far as 300 miles from Makkah to Madinah only to attack the Muslims. But the Prophet dug a trench in order to prevent an armed confrontation and thus avoided engaging in a defensive war. It is true that jihad is one of the most important teachings of Islam. But jihad is not synonymous with war. In Islam another word is used for war and fighting. This word is ‘qital.’ When the Quran refers to war or fighting, it uses the word qital and not jihad. Jihad literally means to strive or to struggle. So jihad actually means peaceful struggle, especially for dawah work. The Quran says: Do great jihad with the help of the Quran. (25:52) The Quran is simply a book, and not a sword, “so do great jihad with the Quran” means, do great jihad with the ideological power of the Quran. In fact, jihad is only another name for peaceful activism. And peaceful activism is the only weapon by which Islam wants to achieve all its aims and objectives.