The Gulf Crisis and New World Order — Page 175
The Gulf Crisis & The New World Order comments I have made on this situation are in accordance with the teachings or Allah. Otherwise such comments would not have found support both verbally and in writing in various countries. The present crisis is a difficult time for the Muslims. At this difficult time you should be in control of your sentiments, emotion and thoughts, and keep them within the peaceful confines of Islam. The moment you step outside this circle of Islam, you will face danger. DEFlNITION OF JIIIAD The second question which is being frequently raised at the present time is about Jihad. Ahmadis from various countries ask me what reply should they give. Is this war a Jihad i. e Holy-War according to lhe teachings of Islam? I will respond to this question through this sennon because one cannot explain all the details in letters. As far as the definition of the concept of Jihad in Islam is concerned, the most comprehensive definition has been given in the Chapter Al-Haj of the Holy Quran in the verse which I have mentioned a number of times. "Pennission to fight is granted to those against whom war is made because they have been wronged. " (Al-Haj:40) That is, those people are granted permission to raise their sword against those who are engaged in fighting against them. They can raise their swords only against those who first commenced hostilities against them, not because of any justifiable cause but because they are oppressed and have been wronged. This verse develops this subject further and it is not possible to give a finer or more perfect definition of Jihad than this. If we apply this definition to the present situation then it is definitely not Jihad in the Islamic sense. It is a political war. A political war, whether it be between Muslims and non-Muslims or between one Muslim nation and another Muslim nation, does not become a Jihad. In fact some people misconstrue a just war to be Jihad and since each party believes that it is in the right, it declares that such a war is in the name of God for the sake of truth and therefore, it is Jihad. This may be a secondary definition of Jihad but however, as Jihad is defined in Islamic terminology, its 175