Muhammad (saw) – The Perfect Man — Page 557
Muhammad sa The Perfect Man 557 This verse along with the verses that follow, clearly demonstrate the purpose of Islamic wars. 1- The non-believers initiated the war. 2- The Muslims were the oppressed ones. 3- The intention of the non-believers was to destroy Islam. 4. The Muslims were forced to raise the sword in their defence. A Christian nun, Professor Karen Armstrong writes in her book "Mu h ammad" and mentions the Islamic point of view of Jih a d. "The Jih a d is not one of the five pillars of Islam, It is not the central prop of the religion, despite the common western view. But it was and remains a duty for Muslims to commit themselves to a struggle on all fronts, moral, spiritual and political, in order to create a just and decent society, where the poor and vulnerable are not exploited in the way that God had intended man to live. Fighting and warfare might sometimes be necessary, but it was only a minor part of the whole concept of Jih a d or struggle. A well known H ad i th, describes this greater Jih a d, the difficult and crucial effort to conquer the forces of evil in oneself and in one's own society in all details of daily life. " 2