Types of Jihad :

• Jihad against oneself
• Jihad against Satan
• Jihad against the Infidels and the Hypocrites
• Jihad against the Unjust, the Innovators and the Sinners

Jihad against oneself

This has four grades:
• First grade involves striving hard against one’s own self to learn the correct Islamic teachings.
• Second grade involves striving against one’s own self to abide by what one has learned.
• Third grade involves striving against one’s own self to teach what one has learned to others.
• Fourth grade involves one striving hard, Allah’s Sake, to patiently endure the difficulties and harm experienced while calling others to Allah.

Jihad against Satan

This has two grades:
• First grade involves striving to repel the doubts and suspicions regarding Faith that Satan places in one’s heart.
• Second grade involves striving to repel the temptations Satan places in front of mankind in the form of corrupt ideas and vain desires.

Jihad against the Infidels and the Hypocrites

This has four grades:
• Using the heart (by rejecting polytheism and polytheists)
• The tongue (words)
• One’s wealth
• One’s own self.

Jihad against the Unjust, the Innovators and the Sinners

• This has three grades and is done by enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil, using the means that are available to one:
• First grade involves practicing Jihad physically if one is able to do so.
• If not, then one practices the second grade, meaning using words.
• If one is not able, then one practices the third grade, using the heart.

Misconceptions about Jihad:

• Jihad means forcing people to accept Islam.
• Islam is a terrorist religion.
• Suicide attacks are forms of Jihad.
• Hijacking and Kidnapping are part of Jihad.


Jihad means forcing people to accept Islam

• Allah says in the Qur’an: There is no compulsion in religion. [2:256]. This one verse should be enough to end all dispute. There is no recorded incident in history where Muslims said, ‘either accept Islam or be killed’. These were statements made by Christian rulers of Europe to non-Christians, during the 12th and 13th centuries. There is clear evidence of this in history books taught in schools and universities!

Islam is a terrorist religion

• Terrorism is an outrageous attack carried out either by individuals, groups or states against the human being (his life, property, honor, etc). It includes all forms of intimidation, harm, threatening, killing without just cause and everything connected with any act of violence or threatening intended to fulfill a criminal scheme individually or collectively, so as to terrify and horrify people by hurting them. So according to this Proper English definition, even an armed robber is a terrorist! The word terrorist has nothing to do with a particular religion.

• Such a generalization can also be made about Christianity since some Priests sexually abuse children. Allah says in the Qur’an: But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of legal enjoyment in this world, and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidûn (oppressors, tyrants, corrupts). [28:77]. Muslims who have gone astray from the truth and Islam the religion, are completely two different things.

Suicide attacks are forms of Jihad

• Allah has said in the Qur’an: O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you. [4:29]. It is very clear from this verse that people who do things out of sheer incompetence and ignorance can no way be considered as “true believers” in the Islamic Faith.

Hijacking and Kidnapping are part of Jihad

• Such methods first appeared during WWII (in which no Islamic State was involved) and later adapted by everyone. There is no doubt that such actions are a crime. But people lacking in true knowledge justify these actions using their own misfortunes as an excuse. Allah says in the Qur’an: O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others to you make you fall into wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is well acquainted with what you do. [5:8]

What Islam says about these false Mujahideen (those who participates in Physical Jihad):

• The punishment for them is described in general about all those who do wrong and create some sort of chaos. Allah says in the Qur’an: The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off on the opposite sides, or be exiled from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and a great torment is theirs in the Hereafter.” [5:33]

Manners of the sincere Mujahideen (in Physical Jihad):


From Qur’an:

• And fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors. [2:190].
• And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression. [2:193]
• But if they incline to peace, you also incline to it, and put your trust in Allah. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. [8:61]

From Hadeeth {words and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)}

• Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever fights under the banner of a people whose cause is not clear (not for Allah), who gets flared up with family pride, calls people to fight in the cause of their family honor or fights to support his kith and kin, and is killed (for this cause) then he dies in a state of Jahiliyyah (Pre-Islamic Era of Paganism and Ignorance). Whoever indiscriminately attacks my Ummah (Muslims) killing righteous and the wicked among them, sparing not even those firm in faith and fulfilling not a pledge made with whoever was given a promise of security (non-Muslims under the protection of Islamic State), has nothing to do with me and I have nothing to do with him.”

• One of the companions, friend of the Prophet for 40 years, and the first Caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr, narrated, “Neither commit treachery, nor steal from the war-booty, nor commit betrayal nor mutilate dead bodies, nor kill a child, or any elderly person, or a woman, nor cut down or burn date-trees, nor cut down a fruit-bearing tree, nor kill sheep, or a cow, or a camel, except if you need to eat its meat (only if it belongs to combatants, otherwise it is forbidden). You will pass by some people and monks who have secluded themselves in places of worship, so let them do what they dedicated their time for.”

Aims of Jihad:

• Protection and preservation of religious freedoms and the lives, honor and property of Muslims and non-Muslims, who live under Muslim control, against all types of aggressors, Muslim or otherwise

• Permission to fight (disbelievers) is given to those (believers), who are fought against, because they have been wronged, and surely, Allah is Able to give them victory. Those who have been expelled from their homes unjustly only because they said: "Our Lord is Allah." - For had it not been that Allah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, wherein the Name of Allah is mentioned much would surely have been pulled down. Verily, Allah will help those who help His Cause. Truly, Allah is All-Strong, All Mighty.” [22:39-40]

Muhammad (peace be upon him) said
• “I have been ordered to fight the people until they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone (putting an end to polytheism)”

Only performed in the Cause of Allah:
• According to a Hadeeth previously given, war is not waged in Islam for material gain or benefit. In contrast, the wars waged by the West (non-Muslims) are in most part for the purpose of world domination, to secure materialistic bounties and to have free access to the riches of other people.

Freedom
• Jihad seeks to repel oppression and remove all barriers preventing Islam from being preached fairly and resist whoever prevents mankind from freely embracing Islam.

Monotheism
• Jihad seeks to raise the flag of Allah’s Islamic Monotheism above all other religions. However as has been stated, this does not mean forcing people to embrace Islam. People must be taught about Monotheism and then the people are free to choose whether to embrace or not.

Aims not accepted by the Islamic Jihad:

• Unjustified aggression.

• Initiating hostilities against non-Muslim citizens of the Islamic State and those with which have been made a peace agreement.

• Targeting non-Muslims who were given permission by the Islamic State to enter or reside.

• Initiating hostilities against neutral non-Muslims.

• War or otherwise, Muslims are not permitted to kill women, children, civilians, members of clergy, destroy property of non-combatants, kill animals without necessity or burn down trees and plants.

• Suicide missions are strongly forbidden.

• Hijackings and kidnappings are impermissible.

• The Islamic State under leadership of the Muslim Ruler is the only entity allowed to raise the flag of Jihad. Hence it is strictly not allowed for so called ‘Islamic Parties’ and other such groups within the state to make this call. Those who do this or support them are nothing but criminals.

• Forcing mankind to convert to Islam.

• Exterminating Christians and Jews.

• Fighting for material gain, world dominance, nationalistic and sectarian ideas and to establish tyranny.