FROM MAULANA'S DESK

Islamic Jihad If someone were to sit somewhere and move one’s hands about and stand up and then claim to be offering prayers in the Islamic way, his actions would not represent the Islamic form of prayer. The Islamic form of prayer has well defined conditions. Only if an action adheres to these conditions can it be said to constitute the Islamic form of prayer. The same holds true of Islamic Jihad (struggle in the way of God) which has clearly determined conditions or requisites. An action that fully observes these conditions would, in God’s eyes be a jihad. Anything else is meaningless agitation, certainly not a jihad in the true sense. Islamic jihad is engaging in the path of God. To unleash war for the sake of power, wealth and other worldly things and call it jihad, is nothing but strife or fasad. Involvement in such actions cannot, under any conditions, be credited as Islamic jihad. According to Islamic shariah only an established government has the prerogative of declaring war. An individual or a group has no authority to declare war on its own against anyone in the name of jihad. No matter what complaint an individual or a group may have, it must necessarily act within peaceful limits. It is in no way legitimate for it to resort to war and violence. Jihad, in the form of qital or war, is a wholly defensive action. Aggressive qital or offensive war is forbidden in Islam. Even if faced with an aggressive attack from another community, all possible efforts should be made to stave off war. War can be resorted to only when all efforts to stave it off or avoid it have failed. The opponents of the Prophet sought to entangle him in war and confrontation on more than eighty occasions, but he was able to avoid fighting through wise action. Only on three occasions (the battles of Badr, Uhud and Hunayn), when no option was left but war, did he participate in fighting. Another aspect of a legitimate war in Islam is that it should be an open affair. To engage in secret military actions is unlawful in Islam. Proxy war is also regarded by Islam as illegitimate, because in such a war the government uses a group to engage in violence by providing it covert assistance, but it does not directly participate in the war. The aim of a genuine Islamic movement is the Islamisation of individuals, not the Islamisation of the government or the state.