(Part VII) Islam's Vision for the World: Jihad

It has often been said that throughout the history of time religious ideology has been the chief cause of war and death. The truth is, however, that more people were killed in the twentieth century at the hands of atheistic dictators than all the religious wars combined throughout history. Indeed, the twentieth century was the bloodiest century in human history. So much for the triumph of the Enlightenment ideas of reason and progress.

This bit of overlooked history provides a backdrop for discussion about religious violence, that is, holy war or jihad. Since 9-11 there have been seemingly endless discussions about the meaning and interpretation of jihad. Perhaps from the start we should accept the supposition that the word jihad has a broad range of meaning depending on which individual, sect, or group is using the term. That being said, jihad is now, and always has been, a part of Islamic strategy for world domination. Part of the reason for the confusion about jihad is the misunderstanding on the part of many that there are stages to jihad. In fact, if you look at the various countries around the world where Islam is on the move you will see that they are at one the three stages of Jihad.

In stage one, muslims are a living in countries where they are small minorities without much in the way of power or influence. At this stage Muslims follow the words of Muhammad in Surah 2:256, There is no compulsion in religion. This is an oft quoted verse to prove that Islam does not engage in forced conversions. It is usually mentioned in conjuction with Surah 5:105:

O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves, [do righteous deeds, fear Allâh much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allâh much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. If you follow the right guidance and enjoin what is right (Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden) no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. The return of you all is to Allâh, then He will inform you about (all) that which you used to do.

These verses were written in response to Muslims in Mecca who wanted to know how to deal with unbelievers around them. In essence it was telling them to just worry about themselves and not to be concerned about the unbelievers in their midst.

The second phase of jihad is when Muslims have a sizable, influential minority. In this phase, they prepare to infiltrate every possible arena: political, economic, business, military, etc. In this phase Mulims are making preparation for direct confrontation of the enemy.

Let not the unbelievers think that they can get the better (of the godly): they will never frustrate (them). Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly. Surah 8:59-60

The last phase of jihad is when Muslims are a strong and influential minority. In this phase it is the duty of every Muslim to work to overthrow the system of the non-Muslim country and establish Islamic authroity in every realm. This is based on Muhammad's final revelation concerning jihad in Surah 9:5:

But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

So it has already been noted above that individuals, sects, and groups may use the word jihad in different ways to mean different things. This may be because of ignorance on the part of some, or it may be an intentional effort on the part of others to try and put a better face on Islam in order to make the religion more acceptable to the modern world.

Even so, if you look at the countries around the world where Islam is gaining ground it is apparent that jihad is still a Muslim strategy to bring about world domination. The key is to understand jihad in phases or stages based on the writings of the Quran. This makes it easier to see and understand the various stages of progress of Islam in many countries around the world.

*I am indebted to Mark Gabriel for much of what has been said in this post. See Islam and Terrorism, chapter 11.