Through Force or Faith? — Page 157
Chapter 2 — Islamic Teachings about Jihad 157 such, it was his responsibility, in his capacity as a king and a ruler of the land, to effectively deal with the hooligans and the miscreants of the land and to rescue the oppressed that had been devastated by their mischief. Thus it should be understood that he had two offices. One the office of prophethood that he would convey to people whatever commands he received from God, the Exalted. And the second was the office of the ruler and vicegerent by virtue of which he would punish every miscreant and trouble- maker and restore general peace in the land. In those days the condition of the land of Arabia was such that, on one hand, majority of the Arabs were robbers and gangsters and criminals of all kinds; and, on the other, those who were called ‘People of the Book’ were also extremely evil and devoured the wealth of others by unlawful means. If Arabs robbed at night, these people would slaughter the poor in broad daylight. Thus, when God gave the Holy Prophet s as the sovereignty of the land of Arabia, it was undoubtedly his responsibility to deal with the felons, the criminals, the thieves, the gangsters and the miscreants and punish those who did not desist from crimes. And everyone can appreciate that it is necessary for a ruler to do so. For instance if people rob the subjects of a king and plunder or steal their belongings or kill people with selfish motives, would it not be the responsibility of that king to attack such noxious people and, by duly punishing them, restore peace in the land. Thus the battle with the ‘People of the Book’ was not to convert them to Islam but was for