THE CALL TO JIHAD (FIGHTING FOR ALLAH’S CAUSE) IN THE QUR’ AN 

Part 16

Yes! They (the Muslims) used to be afraid : (1) of their sins, and (2) from the disobedience of Allah, more than they used to be afraid of their enemy or their enemy’s great number and mighty weapons, as we find ‘ Umar bin Al-Khattab saying :  (in his letter to the Commander Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas when he sent him for the conquest of Persia):

  “…Then after, I order you and all that troops that are along with you to be obedient to Allah in all circumstances as this ( being obedient to Allah) is better than the weapons against the enemy and a strong stratagem (device) in the war. I order you and the soldiers who are with you to be more cautions and afraid of your own crimes and sins ( and not commit them) than your enemy, as the crimes and sins of the soldiers are more dangerous to them than their enemy. The Muslims are victorious only because their enemies are disobedient to Allah and had it not been so, we have no power over them, because neither our number is equal to their number , nor our weapons are like theirs. If we commit crimes and sins as they do, then they (our enemies) will have superiority over us in power and we will not gain victory over them. We do not overpower them by our strength. And you should also know that in this marching of yours ( for Allah’s Cause) there are guards (angels) upon you from Allah ( to watch you) and they know all what you do. So be shy from them and do not commit Allah’s disobedience (crimes and sins) while you are going in Allah’s Cause and do not say: ‘Our enemy is worse than us, so they will not overpower us. Perhaps some people who are worse than the others may overpower the others as the (disbelievers) Magians overpowered the children of Israel when they (the later) involved themselves with Allah’s disobedience (crimes and sins) . So they (disbelievers, Magians) entered the very innermost parts of their homes and it was a promise (completely) fulfilled. And ask Allah the assistance over your ownselves, (to save you from crimes and sins) just as you ask Allah for the victory over your enemies….I ask for that, both for you and for us.”

 So the Muslim warriors (Al- Mujahidin) kept on clinging to what this rightly guided caliph (‘Umar) mentioned (as above) : And they (Mujahidin) were as they were described by a Roman to a Roman Chief; (he said) : “ I have come to you from the men, very precise in their manners; they rides swift race-horses, during the night they worship (Allah Alone) in seclusion, during the day they are cavaliers, if you speak to your companions something, your friend will not understand anything from you because of the high tone of their voices reciting the Qur’an and the mentioning much of Allah.” So he ( the Roman Chief) looked at his companions and said : “It has come to you from them that for which you have no power.” 

And there is the story of ‘ Uqbah bin Nafi’ : He (Uqbah) intended to take a place (town) in Africa, so as to be a place for the Muslim army and to protect their families and properties from revolt against them by the natives of the country. So he betook himself to the place of Al-Qirwan, and it was a muddy place, full of every kind of beasts of prey (lions,tigers,leopards,etc) and snakes…and  others, etc animals . So he (Uqbah)invoked Allah , and Allah answered to his invocation, he then said: “O snakes and wild beasts of prey! We are the companions of Allah’s Messenger (Muhammad , go away from us as we are landing here, and afterwards if we found any (of you wild beasts and snakes) we will kill you.” So the people saw that day, the (wild) animals and snakes carrying their offspring, shifting from that place….And a great number of natives (Al-Bar-Bar) saw (all) that and embraced Islam.

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