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The Military Dimension

The Military Dimension. Excerpted from the book: The Messenger of God: Muhammad by Fethullah Gulen. THE MILITARY DIMENSION. Islam is derived from Arabic root s-l-m which means peace.

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The Military Dimension

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  1. The Military Dimension Excerpted from the book:The Messenger of God: Muhammadby Fethullah Gulen

  2. THE MILITARY DIMENSION • Islam is derived from Arabic root s-l-m which means peace. • The fundamental Islamic principle of Divine Unity is that the humanity must be in harmony with the surrounding world. • To harmonize our lives with nature, we first should realize our integrity.

  3. JIHAD • Jihad has the literal meaning of exerting our best and greatest effort to achieve something it is not the equivalent of war, for which the Arabic word is qital. • A related principle, that of enjoining good and forbidding evil (amr bi al-ma ‘ruf wa nahy ‘an al munkar) seeks to convey the message of Islam and establish a model Islamic community.

  4. THE GREATER AND LESSER JIHAD • Two aspects of Jihad: One is fighting to overcome carnal desires and evil inclinations which is the greater jihad. The other is encouraging others to achieve same objective which is the lesser jihad. • Prophet said when Muslim army was returning from battle: “We are returning from a lesser jihad to greater one” When companions asked what the greater jihad is He explained that it was fighting with carnal self.

  5. CONTINUED… • The aim of either Jihad is that the believer be purified of sins and so attain true humanity. The prophets were sent down for this purpose. God says in the Qur’an: “Thus We have sent unto you a Messenger from among you, who recites unto you Our revelations (and makes our revelations known to you), and who purifies you and also instructs you in the Book and in the Wisdom, and also instructs you in what you don’t know”. (2:151)

  6. Continued… • Jihad is the legacy of the prophets, and the prophethood is the mission of elevating men to God’s favor by purifying them. Jihad is the name given to this prophetic mission which has the same meaning as bearing witness to the truth. The Qur’an says: “God bears witness that there is no god but He and so do the angels and the people of learning, maintaining justice. There is no god save He, the All-Mighty, the Wise” (3:18)

  7. Continued… • The Lesser Jihad, usually taken to mean fighting in God’s cause, does not refer only to the military struggle. The term is comprehensive for it includes every action done for God’s sake. • The Messenger of God has taught us how to perform both forms of Jihad. He has established the principles of preaching the truth, which have application until the Day of Judgmenet.

  8. Continued… • All sacrifices made in fighting oppressive unbelievers, no matter how great, only constitute the lesser jihad of striving to discharge religious obligations as perfectly as possible. The greater jihad is much harder to accomplish, since it requires us to fight against our own destructive drives and impulses, such as arrogance, vindictiveness, jealousy, selfishness, self-conceit and the carnal desires.

  9. The Greater and Lesser Jihad: Continued… • The short period between the first revelation and the spreading of Islam, marked by verses such us 2:151, 73:1-5 was a preliminary stage for the Messenger. • Right after these revelations the Messenger is ordered to begin preaching Islam. He started with His family members and nearest relatives after “Warn your tribe of nearest kindred (26:214) was revealed.

  10. The Greater and Lesser Jihad: Continued… • Since Islam literally means “peace and submission”, it and the Prophet refrain from resorting to force as much as possible, never approve of injustice and forbid bloodshed: “Whoever kills someone, other than in retaliation for murder or corruption on the Earth, in effect has killed humanity, whoever saves a life in effect has saved humanity”. (5:32)

  11. The Greater and Lesser Jihad: Continued… • Islam allows using the force only in following cases: • If unbelievers ACTIVELY resist the preaching of Islam and prevent others from listening to its message. A person cannot by himself perform this, there needs to be a state to do it. (The Qur’an 22:39-41) • If there is INJUSTICE, Islam never approves of injustice.

  12. Some Rules related to the fighting • It must be done for the Pleasure of God. (9:111) • “Fight in the way of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress. God does not love transgressors (2:190)”. • When fighting cannot be avoided , Qur’an tells believers not to avoid it. Rather they must prepare themselves morally and spiritually, and take precautions.

  13. Those precautions include: • Keeping the spirit high: Strive for that spiritual stage when 20 Muslims can overcome 200 of the enemy. (The Qur’an 8:65, 2:249, 7128) • Believers must equip themselves with the latest weaponry. (The Qur’an 8:60) • When fighting is necessary, Muslims must report for duty. (The Qur’an 9:38-39, 61:4, 61:10-13

  14. Precautions continued… • Since community functions like a body, it needs a head. Therefore, obedience to the head is vital for communal prosperity. (The Qur’an 4:59, 8:45-46) • Believers must remain steadfast and are forbidden to flee the battlefield. (The Qur’an 8:15-16)

  15. MILITARY EXPEDITIONS • Background information after the Migration to Madina: A-Survival factors for Muslims in Madina B-The pact with Jews of Madina C-Rise of Hypocrisy

  16. MILITARY EXPEDITIONS CONTINUED… • The Prophet’s goals with expeditions: 1-He wanted to prove that Islam could not be exterminated. 2-He wanted to display Islam’s power and break the Quraysh’s dominance. 3-Since His mission was not restricted to one nation or a period, He wanted to convey the Message as far as possible. 4-With these expeditions He drove His enemies to unpremeditated actions.

  17. CONTINUED… 5-Madina is sitting on the way of Quraysh’s trade route to Syria. While dispatching these expeditions, the Prophet paralyzed Quraysh’s hopes and plans of defeating Him. 6-With these expeditions, He secured the area surrounding Madina in accordance with the word “mumin” which means the one who is in peace and also the one who gives security to the people around him.

  18. EXPEDITIONS • The first expedition led by Hamza was sent towards Sif al-Bahr. • Ubayda ibn Harith commanded the second one to Rabigh, a valley on the way to Makka. • The Prophet Himself commanded next two expeditions to Abwa and Buwat. • Shortly before the battle of Badr (624 AD), another expedition led by Abd allah ibn Jahsh was sent to Nakhla located a few miles from Makka on the way to Ta’if.

  19. A GENERAL EVALUATION • About 20 military expeditions preceded the Battle of Badr. • The Prophet formed an intelligence network to inform him of everything happening in the desert and in Makka. • Only emigrants participated in these expeditions. • The military genius of the Messenger showed itself in his choice of military commanders. • The Messenger agitated the Quraysh into an unpremeditated action by sending these expeditions.

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