Yesterday I said, "when Muslims fight, we fight by the rules." Unfortunately, that's not entirely true. There are plenty of examples where Muslims, misguided by emotions and misunderstanding, who don't follow the rules.
What I should have said is that when Muslims properly conduct jihad we fight by the rules. The rules of jihad were established in the Qur'an as well as in the practice of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). These rules dictate that fighting, when necessary, should be conducted with dignity. These rules include no killing of civilians. No unnecessary damage to property. No killing by fire. Proper treatment of prisoners of war. Honoring treaties.
War is not something to be celebrated or promoted. Sometimes it is necessary--the only way to fight oppression. But usually it is not. Most wars have been fought for wealth and power. Jihad is conducted to promote the rights of women and men.
Jihad means struggle, not war. The Arabic word for war is "harb." And the greatest jihad is to struggle against our own negative desires.
Jihad can be fought with the will, the tongue, and the pen. Jihad is not war.
What is war good for, anyway?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment