According to the Qur’an, war represents an
"unwanted obligation" which has to be carried out with strict observance
of particular humane and moral guidelines and which must not be resorted
to except when it is absolutely inevitable.
In one Qur’anic verse, it is explained that
those who start wars are the disbelievers and that God does not approve of
wars:
…Each time they kindle the fire
of war, God extinguishes it. They rush about the earth corrupting it.
God does not love corrupters.
(Qur’an, 5:64)
In the case of a conflict, before engaging
in a war, believers must wait until fighting becomes compulsory. Believers
are allowed to fight only when the other party attacks and no other
alternative except war remains:
But if they cease (fighting), God
is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
(Qur’an, 2:192)
A closer examination of the Prophet
Muhammad’s life reveals that war was a method resorted for defensive
purposes only in unavoidable situations.
The revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet
Muhammad continued for a period of 23 years. During the first 13 years of
this period, Muslims lived as a minority under a pagan order in Mecca and
faced much oppression. Many Muslims were harassed, abused, tortured, and
even murdered, their houses and possessions plundered. Despite this,
however, Muslims led their lives without resorting to violence and always
called the pagans to peace.
When the oppression of the pagans escalated
unbearably, the Muslims emigrated to the town of Yathrib, which was later
to be renamed Madinah, where they could establish their own order in a
freer and more friendly environment. Even establishing their own system
did not prompt them to take up weapons against the aggressive pagans of
Mecca. Only after the following revelation, the Prophet commanded his
people to prepare for war:
Permission to fight is given to
those who are fought against because they have been wronged – truly
God has the power to come to their support – those who were expelled
from their homes without any right, merely for saying, "Our Lord is
God"…
(Qur’an, 22:39-40)
In brief, Muslims were allowed to wage war
only because they were oppressed and subjected to violence. To put it in
another way, God granted permission for war only for defensive purposes.
In other verses, Muslims are warned against the use of unnecessary
provocation or violence:
Fight in the Way of God against
those who fight you, but do not go beyond the limits. God does not
love those who go beyond the limits.
(Qur’an, 2:190)
After the revelation of these verses,
several wars occurred between the Muslims and the pagan Arabs. In none of
these wars, however, were the Muslims the inciting party. Furthermore, the
Prophet Muhammad established a secure and peaceful social environment for
Muslims and pagans alike by signing the peace agreement of Hudaybiya which
conceded to the pagans most of their requests. The party who violated the
terms of the agreement and started hostilities once again were the pagans.
With rapid conversions into Islam, the Islamic armies mustered a great
force against the pagan Arabs. However, Muhammad conquered Mecca without
bloodshed and in a spirit of tolerance. If he wished, Muhammad could have
taken revenge on pagan leaders in the city. Yet, he did not do harm to any
one of them, forgave them and treated them with the utmost tolerance. In
the words of John Esposito, a Western expert on Islam, "eschewing
vengeance and the plunder of conquest, the Prophet instead accepted a
settlement, granting amnesty rather than wielding the sword toward his
former enemies."
Pagans, who would later convert to Islam of
their own free will, could not help admiring such nobility of character in
the Prophet.
Not only during Mecca’s conquest, but also
in the course of all the battles and conquests made in the time of the
Prophet Muhammad, the rights of innocent and defenseless people were
meticulously protected. The Prophet Muhammad reminded believers numerous
times about this subject and by his own practice became a role model for
others to follow. Indeed, he addressed believers who were about to go to
war in the following terms: "Go to war in adherence to the religion of
God. Never touch the elderly, women or children. Always improve their
situation and be kind to them. God loves those who are sincere." The
Messenger of God also clarified the attitude Muslims must adopt even when
they are in the middle of a raging battle:
Do not kill children. Avoid
touching people who devote themselves to worship in churches! Never
murder women and the elderly. Do not set trees on fire or cut them
down. Never destroy houses!
The Islamic principles God proclaims in the
Qur’an account for this peaceful and temperate policy of the Prophet
Muhammad. In the Qur’an, God commands believers to treat the non-Muslims
kindly and justly:
God does not forbid you from
being good to those who have not fought you over religion or driven
you from your homes, or from being just towards them. God loves those
who are just. God merely forbids you from taking as friends those who
have fought you over religion and driven you from your homes and who
supported your expulsion...
(Qur’an, 60:8-9)
The verses above clarify how Muslims should
behave towards non-Muslims: A Muslim should treat all non-Muslims kindly
and only avoid making friends with those who show enmity towards Islam. In
a case where this enmity causes violent attacks against Muslims, that is,
where they wage a war against them, then Muslims should respond to them
justly by considering the humane dimensions of the situation. All forms of
barbarism, unnecessary acts of violence and unjust aggression are
forbidden by Islam. In another verse, God warns Muslims against this and
explains that rage felt towards enemies should not cause them to fall into
injustice:
You who believe! Show integrity
for the sake of God, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred
for a people incite you into not being just. Be just. That is closer
to heedfulness. Heed God (alone). God is aware of what you do.
(Qur’an, 5:8)
