Would Appropriate Ideas for Educating the Young Solve the Problem?
The appropriate ideas for the teaching of students in schools, colleges and universities to avoid the risk of radicalisation. Another website article of mine entitled “Experience of Haj” (www.angelfire.com/ok/mafazal/index.html) reads as follows:
SUICIDE BOMBERS AND THE CONCEPT OF JIHAD/HOLY WAR
The purpose of this section is to explore the question as to how those who commit suicide by bombing, claiming to be engaged in 'Jihad/Holy War' will be treated when they die, according to the Islamic faith. The first proposition is that SUICIDE IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN IN ISLAM. Thus it is stated in Hadith on the authority of Abu Huraira (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah [i.e. the Holy Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)] said “He who killed himself with steel (weapon) would be the eternal denizen of the Fire of Hell. He would have that weapon in his hand and would be thrusting that in his stomach for ever. He who drank poison and killed himself would sip that in the Fire of Hell where he is doomed for ever and ever; and he who killed himself by falling from the top of a mountain (or from a bridge over a river or sea) would constantly fall into the Fire of Hell and would live there for ever and ever" (Sahih Muslim, vol.1A, p.72, Hadith No.109. See also Hadith Nos. 109R1, 110, 110R1, 110R2, 111, 112, 113, 113R1, at pp. 71-74 of the same volume).
If a person engaged in war or struggle that does not qualify as Jihad/Holy War resorts to suicide bombing and kills himself or herself his or her act is liable to be judged by Allah as one of pure suicide. On the authority of this Hadith such a person would be blowing himself up by explosives eternally in the Fire of Hell in the next world and would not be eligible for the Mercy/Rahmat of Allah. However, those who resort to such actions would claim to be engaged in Jihad/Holy War and would expect to be treated as martyrs, rewarded accordingly and not punished. If the struggle/war in which such a person is engaged is classified by Allah as Jihad/Holy War then the person or persons killed in such actions would be treated as martyrs who would receive eternal life ( The Holy Koran, chapter 2, verses 154 & 169), would rejoice in glory (op.cit. chapter 3, verses 170-171), receive forgiveness and Mercy/Rahmat of Allah (op.cit. chapter 3, verses 157-158) and would be entitled to the best provision in Heaven (op.cit.chapter 12, verses 58-59). Such a person would desire to return to this life and be killed again and again in Jihad/Holy war for the merit of martyrdom that he has seen (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.1, pp.32-33, Hadith No.35; Sahih Muslim, vol.111A, pp.275-276, Hadith Nos. 1877-1885).
However, the most crucial question is whether the struggle/war in which that person commits suicide by detonating a bomb will be classed as Jihad/Holy War. That raises the question as to what is Jihad/Holy War? The question requires an analysis of the relevant verses of the Holy Koran and of Hadith - something that no one has done. As a result there is confusion and / or misunderstanding about the concept of Jihad/Holy War in the minds of some or possibly of many of the Muslims. MANY MUSLIMS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF JIHAD/HOLY WAR IN ISLAM. Some of them (including some of the countries) have on their agenda, the development of nuclear or even chemical and biological weapons. As a result someone bombing a wedding reception or an underground train carrying women, children, elderly and civilians going to work or Muslims praying at a mosque, thinks that he or she is engaged in Jihad/Holy War and expects to be treated as a martyr by Allah. Such a person has not even the faintest idea that his or her bombing might be an act of suicide pure and simple (for which the appropriate punishment has been articulated by the Hadith quoted above). The person does not realise that DIRE CONSEQUENCES ARE LIKELY TO FOLLOW FOR HIM OR HER FOR COMMITTING SUCH AN ACT FROM THIS MISTAKE WHEN HE OR SHE WILL DIE.
WHAT IS JIHAD/HOLY WAR?
As stated above, the answer to this question has to be ascertained by a reading of the relevant verses of the Holy Koran. Thus Allah says in the Holy Koran "... whoso fights in the cause of Allah and is killed or gets victory, we shall bestow on him a great reward" (chapter 4, verse 74). "And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women and children whose cry is:' Our Lord. Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors and raise for us from You one who will protect and raise for us from You one who will help" (chapter 4, verse 75).
If we reflect on the plight of the Muslims in Bosnia in the 1990s under attack from the Serb militia (who massacred the men, raped the women, pillaged their homes and starved them in concentration camps) in the context of these verses, their meaning will become both relevant and clear to us.
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT MUST BE FULFILLED FOR A STRUGGLE/WAR TO QUALIFY AS JIHAD/HOLY WAR?
It is the understanding of this author that there are three conditions that must be met for a struggle/war to count as Jihad/Holy War. They are as follows:
1. The first condition is that the struggle/war must have a just cause. Verses 74 and 75 of the Holy Koran quoted above make that clear. Anyone who fought for the defence of the oppressed Muslims under Serb attacks in Bosnia in the 1990s had a just cause to fight. Further authority for the proposition concerning the requirement of 'just cause' is provided by verses 39 and 40 of chapter 22 of the Holy Koran. Verse 68 of chapter 25 forbids inter alia killing of such persons as Allah has forbidden except for 'just cause'. Verse 32 of chapter 5 explains whose killings are forbidden by stating "... if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder nor for spreading of mischief in the earth, it would be as if he had killed all mankind…". If a person saves another life, he would be judged by Allah as if he had saved all of mankind. (Surah 5, Verse 32)
2. The second condition is that the struggle/war must not target non-combatant civilians, women, children and the elderly. The second condition seems to follow from the first. Verse 33 of chapter 17 of the Holy Koran states “And do not kill anyone whose killings Allah has forbidden except for a just cause..." The Hadith provides for the same by saying “To murder a human being is one of the great sins" (Sahih Al Bukhari, vol.9, Hadith No.10). The Holy Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited the killing of women and children in the course of war (Sahih Al- Bukhari, vol.1, Hadith Nos.257 and 258). Another aspect of the matter is that suicide bombers in Iraq (who are presumably Muslims) very often target the civilians. Islam's Holy Prophet condemned such acts by saying that killing of one Muslim by another is an act of Kafir (unbeliever). A Muslim committing such an act becomes an unbeliever ( Sahih Muslim,vol.1A, pp. 50-51, Hadith No. 64).
3. The third condition is that force used in the war/struggle must not be disproportionate or excessive. This condition would preclude the use of weapons of mass destruction such as chemical or biological weapons or nuclear bombs. In verse 190 of chapter 2, the Holy Koran states " And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but transgress not the limits. Truly Allah likes not the transgressors". The limits of war mentioned in this verse have been articulated above in the verses quoted there. When Islam's Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) deputed any of his companions on military missions he used to say to him " Give glad tidings (to the people of the land subject to the military campaigns), do not create in their minds aversions (towards Islam), show them leniency and do not be hard upon them"(Sahih Muslim, vol. 111A, p.164. Hadith Nos. 1732 & 1733). In the modern context the third condition stipulating the prohibition of disproportionate force should preclude the use of weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear weapons and /or chemical and biological weapons. SUCH WEAPONS BY THEIR VERY NATURE ARE LIKELY TO BREACH THE SECOND AND THIRD CONDITIONS IN THEIR IMPACT ON THE CIVILIAN POPULATION.
In order to explain the applicability of these three conditions and to clarify the concept of Jihad/Holy War we might ask ourselves the question: if the British and the Americans were Muslims, could they have justified their war against The Third Reich in the Second World War as 'Jihad/Holy War'. In order to proceed with this question it needs to be emphasised that all three conditions have to be met in order to make that war (or any other war for that matter) 'Jihad/Holy War'. Breach of any one of these three conditions would mean that their war against Hitler’s regime could not be classified as 'Jihad/Holy War'. We will now proceed to ask ourselves each one of those questions.
The first question is: did the Allied Powers have a just cause to fight the Nazi regime in Germany? In view of the doings of The Third Reich both within Germany and outside translated into the charges of the Nuremberg Trial in 1946 as (i) crime against humanity, (ii) crime against peace and (iii) crimes of war) the answer must be in the affirmative. The second question is: did the Allied powers target the civilians. The answer to this question is, as a matter of fact, 'yes'. In February 1942 the Head of the British Royal Air Force abandoned the policy of 'strategic bombing' i.e. of bombing specific targets and adopted instead the policy of 'carpet bombing' i.e. that of bombing everything and every one. The effect of that type of bombing on the German cities including Dresden (which was bombed on 13 and 14 February 1945 resulting in civilian casualties estimated to be as high as 135,000) is well known. Consequently he breached the second condition. The fact that Germany had bombed the civilians in the cities in Britain could not have given Britain the justification for bombing the civilians in Germany in Islamic law. The third question is: did the Allied powers use disproportionate force in the conduct of war. The answer seems to be in the affirmative (a) owing to the fact that the Americans used nuclear weapons against Japan and (b) by the effect of their bombing on German cities such as Dresden and other cities. Therefore it appears that the Allied Powers complied with the first condition but breached the second and the third condition. Since it is necessary to meet each one of those conditions they failed to pass the test. Consequently they could not have justified their war against Germany and Japan as 'Jihad/Holy War'.
To conclude, for the reasons given above, if the suicide bombers breach any one of three conditions necessary to render a war/struggle into 'Jihad/Holy War', their deaths are likely to be treated as acts of pure suicide for which the appropriate penalty has been specified in the hadith quoted above (i.e. Sahih Muslim, vol.1A, at p. 72, Hadith No. 109 and other Hadiths referred to).
