Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 185
— Part II 180 others, there would surely have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft commemorated. And Allah will surely help one who helps Him. Allah is indeed Powerful, Mighty. (S u rah al- H ajj; Ch. 22: Vs. 40-41) These verses form the cornerstone of the Islamic injunctions regarding Jihad of the sword. It was upon the revelation of these verses that Muslims were allowed to take up the sword for the first time. These verses clearly lay down the necessary pre-conditions under which Muslims are not only permitted but are actually commanded to undertake Jihad of the sword. Even a cursory study of these verses will prove that the sword is only permitted in defence and never as a weapon of offense. Primarily, the word Jihad does not mean an armed struggle. In the verses quoted above, even the defensive struggle is referred to as Qit a l and not Jihad. Qit a l is a term applicable to a situation where two parties are locked in battle. Muslims are only permitted to defend themselves with the same weapons which are used against them to suppress their rights of existence. The verses declare them to already be the target of aggression, so much so that they had been turned out of their homes and were long subjected to an offensive warfare, while they had never offered any cause for offence to the enemy, except their claim that God was their