Contact
Abrogation of Jihad?
18819
page-template,page-template-full_width,page-template-full_width-php,page,page-id-18819,page-child,parent-pageid-18213,bridge-core-1.0.6,do-etfw,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,side_area_uncovered_from_content,qode-theme-ver-18.2,qode-theme-bridge,disabled_footer_top,qode_header_in_grid,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.13.0,vc_responsive
 

Abrogation of Jihad?

The next allegation is also one of the most popular allegation against Ahmadas. The allegation is that he abrogated jihad, and this is just another deception of the anti Ahmadi Muslims. They quote the passage of Ahmadas, where he stated:

 

“We believe that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and Seyyidna Hadhrat Muhammad Mustaphasa is His Messenger and is the Seal of Prophets. We believe that the angels, the resurrection of the body, the day of judgment, heaven and hell are a reality. We also believe that whatever God, the Lord of the Hosts has stated in the noble Quran and whatever our Prophetsa has said in relation to these is true. We believe that whosoever subtracts the smallest particle in from the law of Islam, or adds to it, or lays the foundation of neglecting obligations and indifference towards them, is without faith and is turned away from Islam. I admonish the members of my community that they should, in true sincerity, have faith in the KalimahLaa ilaaha ila1laah Muhammadur Rasuulullaah and they should die in this faith. They should believe in all prophets and books, the truth of which is affirmed by the noble Quran. They should observe the fast and perform the salat and pay the zakat and perform Hajj and carry out all that God Almighty and His Messenger have prescribed and also abstain from all that has been forbidden and thus conform in every respect to Islamic commandments. They should accept all that is supported by the consensus of the righteous ones who have passed away and all that is considered as part of Islam by the consensus of the Ahle Sunnat. We call to witness the heavens and the earth that this is our religion” (Ruhani Khazain, Volume 14, Page 323, Ayyamus Sulh Page 87)

 

The anti Ahmadi Muslims try to state that because Ahmadas has not mentioned Jihad in the summary of his beliefs, prove that the Ahmadi Muslims do not believe in Jihad and are totally against it. This simply shows us that the anti Ahmadi Muslims do not read the ahadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsaw. A hadith of Bukhari, in the Book of Belief states:

 

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو حَيَّانَ التَّيْمِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَارِزًا يَوْمًا لِلنَّاسِ، فَأَتَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ فَقَالَ مَا الإِيمَانُ قَالَ ‏”‏ الإِيمَانُ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَبِلِقَائِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ، وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْبَعْثِ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالَ مَا الإِسْلاَمُ قَالَ ‏”‏ الإِسْلاَمُ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ وَلاَ تُشْرِكَ بِهِ، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةَ، وَتُؤَدِّيَ الزَّكَاةَ الْمَفْرُوضَةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالَ مَا الإِحْسَانُ قَالَ ‏”‏ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالَ مَتَى السَّاعَةُ قَالَ ‏”‏ مَا الْمَسْئُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنَ السَّائِلِ، وَسَأُخْبِرُكَ عَنْ أَشْرَاطِهَا إِذَا وَلَدَتِ الأَمَةُ رَبَّهَا، وَإِذَا تَطَاوَلَ رُعَاةُ الإِبِلِ الْبُهْمُ فِي الْبُنْيَانِ، فِي خَمْسٍ لاَ يَعْلَمُهُنَّ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ ‏”‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ تَلاَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏{‏إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ‏}‏ الآيَةَ‏.‏ ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ رُدُّوهُ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَلَمْ يَرَوْا شَيْئًا‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ هَذَا جِبْرِيلُ جَاءَ يُعَلِّمُ النَّاسَ دِينَهُمْ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ جَعَلَ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ‏.‏

 

Narrated Abu Huraira:

 

One day while the Prophet (ﷺ) was sitting in the company of some people, (The angel) Gabriel came and asked, “What is faith?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, ‘Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, (the) meeting with Him, His Apostles, and to believe in Resurrection.” Then he further asked, “What is Islam?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, “To worship Allah Alone and none else, to offer prayers perfectly to pay the compulsory charity (Zakat) and to observe fasts during the month of Ramadan.” Then he further asked, “What is Ihsan (perfection)?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, “To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you.” Then he further asked, “When will the Hour be established?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, “The answerer has no better knowledge than the questioner. But I will inform you about its portents.

 

  1. When a slave (lady) gives birth to her master.
  2. When the shepherds of black camels start boasting and competing with others in the construction of higher buildings. And the Hour is one of five things which nobody knows except Allah.

 

The Prophet (ﷺ) then recited: “Verily, with Allah (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour–.” (31. 34) Then that man (Gabriel) left and the Prophet (ﷺ) asked his companions to call him back, but they could not see him. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “That was Gabriel who came to teach the people their religion.” Abu ‘Abdullah said: He (the Prophet) considered all that as a part of faith.(Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, Hadith #48)

 

Another hadith states:

 

حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا حَنْظَلَةُ بْنُ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَالْحَجِّ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ ‏”‏‏.‏

 

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:

 

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Islam is based on (the following) five (principles):

 

  1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ).
  2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
  3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity) .

 

4.To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca)

  1. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.

(Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, Hadith #8)

 

All of these ahadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsaw, which are only a few of many more narrated, speak about the belief in relation to Islam and ones faith and none of these differ from Ahmadas‘s statement. I ask the peope who raise suchquestions whether they believe they know more about the articles of faith and pillars of Islam than the Holy Prophet Muhammadsaw and the Angel Gabriel? Yes Jihad is not mentioned in Ayyamus Sulh by Ahmadas but neither has it been mentioned by the Holy Prophetsaw or by Allah for an article of faith or a pillar of Islam. This does not mean that Jihad is not important as Ahmadaswrote hundreds of pages on ihad and in fact dedicated an entire book towards this subject as well. The only difference between the opponents of the true Islam is they do not understand what the true meaning of Jihad is. Thye believe that the meaning of Jihad is the wielding of a sword and killing the innocent people while we believe in the Qur’an and that there is no compulsion in religion.

 

Ahmadas has stated:

 

“As to the means and arrangements to be used, whether for physical warfare or spiritual warfare, whether the battle is by sword or by the pen, the following verse is sufficient for our guidance: ‘Make ready for them whatever force you can.’ In this verse God empowers us to employ against the enemy all suitable means and to use the method which we consider to be most effective.”(Ruhani Khazain Volume 14, Page 454, Haqeeqatul Mahdi page 28)

 

Ahmadas has beautifully explained that during his time Islam was being attacked by the pen, so it was the duty of the Muslims to reply with the pen and subtle arguments against the anti Islamists, rather than waging as war against them. The pen is a weapon for Muslims and it is our duty to do this Jihad of pen as well and it is the Jihad of our time today. Taking up the sword against people who take it against Islam is only allowed.

 

Heas stated:

 

“The Jihad of this age is to propagate Islam and refute the allegations of the critics; to spread the beauty of the true religion, Islam, in the world, and to manifest the truth of the Holy Prophetsaw to the world” (Letter to Mir Nawab in Ruhani Khazain)

 

It should be remembered that Ahmadas did not abrogate the Jihad of the sword at all. He clearly stated that it is the conditions that matter and stated:

 

“This is Jihad, until God produces different circumstances in the world” (Letter to Mir Nawab In Ruhani Khazain)

 

Ahmadas also stated:

 

’The Holy Quran clearly forbids the use of force for the spread of the faith and directs its propagation through its inherent qualities and good example of Muslims. Do not be misled by the notion that in the beginning the Muslims were commanded to take up the sword. The sword was not taken up for the spread of the faith, but in self defense against the enemies of Islam and for the purpose of establishing peace and security. It was no part of the purpose of taking it up to have recourse to coercion in the matter of faith.”(Ruhani Khazain Volume 15, Pages 120-121)

 

He also stated:

 

“Because the conditions for the jihad with the sword do not currently exist, the jihad with the sword is not permissible these days.”(Haqiqatul Mahdi, Page 19)

 

And:

 

“And we are so commanded that we prepare ourselves against the disbelievers as they do against us, or we treat the disbelievers in the same manner as they do to us. And until they draw the sword against us, we too should not draw the sword against them.”(Ibid, Page 28)

 

A statement of the Promised Messiahas which is taken out of context is:

 

“I have brought you a commandment which is that Jihad with the sword has been ended but the Jihad of the purification of your spirit must continue to be waged. I say this not on my own part but in order to proclaim the design of God. Reflect on the hadith of Bukhari wherein it is stated that the Promised Messiah would put an end to fighting for the faith. Accordingly, I command those who have joined my ranks that they should discard all such notions. They should spread peace on the earth, for this would cause their faith to spread.”(Ruhani Khazain Volume 17 page 15, British Government and Jihad)

 

In this statement, the hadith of the Prophet Muhammadsaw is being discussed where it states that the Messiah would end religious wars. He is explaining that hadith and it is clear that during the time of the Messiah there would be no need of religious war according to this prophecy.

 

Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmadra stated:

 

“As the Salat is obligatory so, when the need arises, is fighting for the faith obligatory… It should be remembered that of the matters which have prescribed as the principal constituents of faith, one is Jihad… He who turns away from Jihad when it becomes obligatory is condemned to hell. ” (Report Of the Majlis Musawarat 1950)

 

It is also important to note that many Muslims throughout the history of Islam have had similar views to Ahmadas on the concept of Jihad. We will now provide their statements.

 

Hazrat Imam Fakhr Ud Din ar-Razirh the writer of the great tafsir called Tafsir-e-Kabir stated:

 

“As for the verse, Strive against them a great Jihad, some say that it refers to efforts in preaching while others say it refers to fighting. Some others say it includes both. The first meaning is most accurate because this verse was revealed at Mecca and the command to fight came after the emigration.”(Razi, Hadhrat Imam Fakhr ud Din Razi, Tafsir Kabir, Volume iv, page 330)

 

The famous scholar of India named Maulana Abul Kalam Azad stated:

 

“There is a serious misconception regarding what Jihad is. Many people think that Jihad means only to fight. The critics of Islam too labor under this misunderstanding whereas to think thus is to utterly narrow the practical scope of this sacred commandment. Jihad means to strive to the utmost. In the Quran and the Sunnah terminology, this utmost exertion, which is undertaken for the sake of truth rather than personal ends, is indicated by the word jihad.”(Azad, Maulana Abul Kalam, Masala Khilafat, page 47)”

 

This exact view was also held into account by Sayyid Sulaiman Nadwi of Deoband who himself stated that Jihad is generally taken to mean qital and fighting but this limitation of significance is entirely wrong. (Nadwi, Sayyid Sulaiman, Sirat an Nabi Volume V, Page 199)

 

He also stated:

 

“It means striving and effort. Its technical meaning is also close to this, that is, to undertake all kinds of struggle and exertion for the supremacy, propagation and defense of the truth and to make sacrifices and employ in the way of God all physical, material and mental resources which He has given to His servants, so much so as to sacrifice one’s own life and that of one’s family and nation. To oppose the efforts of the opponents of the truth and foil their plans; counter their attacks and be ready to fight them in the field of battle is also Jihad. Regrettably, our opponents have reduced the scope of this important and broad significance without which no movement in the world has or can succeed to merely war with the enemies of the faith” (Nadwi, Sayyid Sulaiman, Vide. Sirat an Nabi Volume V, Pages 200-201)

 

Maulana Muhammad Hasan Rampuri was also of this opinion, that war is not Jihad but qital and only arises now and then while Jihad is to strive to proclaim the word of Allah. (Hasan, Maulana Muhammad, Sawani Ahmadi Page 108)

 

Maulvi Abu Ala Maududi also had a similar opinion since he declared that in the terminology of Shariah, qital and Jihad are two different things (Maududi, Abul Ala, Finality of Prophethood)

 

A person of the Jamiat Mile Sunnat stated:

 

“Jihad is derived from Jahd, meaning literally effort and striving. In the technical sense, it is used for proclaiming the word of God and the supremacy of the success of Islam (Dawat, 13 November 1964)

 

One of the ings of Saudi Arabia, named Faisal Ibn Saud stated:

 

“You have been called to raise the banner of jihad in the way of God. Jihad is not taking up the guns or raising the sword. Jihad is to invite to the Book of God and the example of the Prophet; to hold fast to them and to stick to them despite all kinds of difficulties,distress and affliction (Saud, Faisal Ibn Umm al Quran, 24 April 1965)

 

The famous Muhaddith of Delhi, Allama Abdul Haq Haqqani also stated:

 

“To debate and argue with the heretics is also Jihad” (Haqqani, Abdul Haqq Tafsir Haqqani Volume IV Page 112)

 

Maulvi Sanaullah Amritsari, another maulvi who was against Ahmadiyyat stated:

 

“As at that time our ulama had declared Jihad with the sword to be rebellion and insurrection, and to be haram, and the opponents of Islam were waging war by the pen, the need then was for Jihad with the pen” (Amritsari, Maulvi Sanaullah Iman 1948)

 

Allama Muhammad Iqbal also stated:

 

“The powers of Islam are not limited. There was an age of the sword. Today is the age of the pen. It attacks from within and without and compels you from every angle to accept it” (Iqbal, Muhammad, Paigam e Sulh, 4 January 1928)

 

Maulvi Zahid Al Hussaini stated:

 

“This is the age of Jihad by the pen. Today the pen has spread much trouble. The person who does Jihad by the pen is the greatest Mujahid” (Husaini, Maulvi Zahid al Khuddum Ud Din Lahore, 1 October 1965)

 

The director general of the Islamic Foundation Of Leicester stated:

 

“The war of aggression, Islam rules out, because Islam has come to bring an end to aggression and establish peace” (Ahmad, Prof Khurshid, International Review of Missions, October 1976, Volume IXV Page 252)

 

We end the answer to this allegation with a beautiful statement of Ahmadas. He stated:

 

“No true Muslim has ever believed that Islam should be spread by the sword. Islam has always been propagated through its inherent qualities. Those who, calling themselves Muslims seek to spread Islam by means of the sword are not aware of its inherent qualities and their conduct resembles the conduct of wild beasts” (Ruhani Khazain, Volume 16, Page 167, Tiryaqul Qulub, Page 21)