A Critical Exposition of the Popular 'Jihád': Showing that all the Wars of Mohammad Were Defensive; and; that Aggressive War, or Compulsory Conversion, is not; Allowed in The Koran - 1885Cherágh Ali
Islamic
A Critical Exposition of the Popular 'Jihád': Showing that all the Wars of Mohammad Were Defensive; and; that Aggressive War, or Compulsory Conversion, is not; Allowed in The Koran - 1885
Cherágh Ali
Islam -- Apologetic works; Islam -- Relations; Jihad; War -- Religious aspects -- Islam
"God hath indeed promised Paradise to every one. But God hath
preferred those who _fight for the faith_." (IV, 97.)
Surat-ul-Muhammad (XLVII).
"Those who _fight in the defence of God's true religion_, God will
not suffer their works to perish." (XLVII, 5.)[318]
The first verse quoted by Mr. Hughes appertains to the war of defence.
The verse in itself has express indications of its relating to the war
of defence, but Mr. Hughes was not inclined, perhaps, to copy it in
full. He merely quotes half a sentence, and shuts his eyes from other
words and phrases of the same verse. The verse has been quoted in page
20. It is as follows:--
"Fight then on the path of God: lay not burdens on any but thyself; and
stir up the faithful. The powers of the infidels, God will haply
restrain; for God is stronger in prowess, and stronger to
punish."--(Sura IV, 86.)
The severe persecution, the intense torture and mighty aggression of
the Meccans and their allies is referred to in the original word _Bass_,
rendered _prowess_ into English and referred to in the previous verse
77, which shows that the war herein enjoined was to restrain the
aggressions of the enemy and to repel force by force.
It is very unfair on the part of the Revd. T.P. Hughes to twist or
dislocate half a sentence from a verse and put it forth to demonstrate
and prove a certain object of his.
[Sidenote: 127. Meaning of Jihad.]
The second verse quoted by the same author is a mere mistranslation.
There is no such word in the original which admits of being rendered as
"fighting." The true translation of the sentence quoted above from Sura
IV, verse 97, is as follows:--
"Good promises hath he made to all. But God hath assigned to the
_strenuous_ a rich recompense above those who sit still at home."
The word rendered "_strenuous_" is originally "mojahid" (plural
"Mojahidin," from Jihad), which in classical Arabic and throughout the
Koran means to do one's utmost, to make effort, to strive, to exert, to
employ one's-self diligently, studiously, sedulously, earnestly,
zealously, or with energy, and does not mean fighting or warfare. It was
subsequently applied to religious war, but was never used in the Koran
in such a sense. (_Vide_ Appendix A.)
[Sidenote: 128. Sura XLVII, v. 5.]
The third instance quoted by Mr. Hughes is also a mistranslation of a
sentence in verse 5, Sura XLVII. The original word is "_kotelu_," which
means "those who are _killed_," and not "those who _fight_," as
explained and translated by the author. The correct rendering of the
sentence is this: "And those who are killed, their work God will not
suffer to miscarry."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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