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The Truth About the Alleged Denial of Jehad

fter presenting the pertinent excerpts from the writings of the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, we would now like to produce a few excerpts about Jehad, from the writings of some of the saintly personages of Islam who lived prior to his time. Followed by these would be a few excerpts about Jehad from the renowned scholars who lived in the era after him. All these strongly corroborate the viewpoint of the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, and this reality is clearly brought to the fore that according to the writings of the earlier scholars of those sects—whose present breed of scholars today are levelling the allegation of denying the belief in Jehad on the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at—the position of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at is in strict accord with the Law (i.e., Shariah) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa, and from which even a minor deviation cannot be alleged.

1. The Verdict of Hadhrat Sayyed Ahmad Barelvi (may Allah be pleased with him)

“The British Government—although a disbeliever in Islam—does not treat the Muslims with any cruelty or high-handedness, nor does it prevent them from attending to their religious obligations or observing the obligatory acts of worship. I preach and propagate (the Faith) in their kingdom but they never impede or oppose it. Rather, if someone commits any excess against us, they are ready to punish him. Our real task is the propagation of Tauheed—the Unity of God—and the renaissance of the Sunnah—precepts—of the Chief of all the Messengers—which we perform without let or hindrance in this country. So why should we wage a Jehad against the British Government and, contrary to the principles of our Faith, needlessly shed blood on either side.” [Swaaneh Ahmadi, by Maulvi Muhammad Ja'afar Thanesari, p. 71]

2. The Edict (Fatwa)of Hadhrat Maulana Shah Isma’eel Shaheed (may Allah be pleased with him)

“Maulana Isma’eel Shaheed waged Jehad against the Sikhs on account of their intervention in the religion of Islam. He composed that particular sermon to motivate others for Jehad. He neither declared Jehad against the British Government, nor does this sermon contain any explicit, or inplicit, reference to waging Jehad against this Government. As a matter of fact, he did not consider it legitimate to wage Jehad against this Government.” [Isha'at-us-Sunnah, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 11-12]

3. The Edict (Fatwa) of Maulvi Nazeer Ahmad Dehlvi

“Since the condition precedent to Jehad is extinct in this land, therefore embarking upon Jehad, here, would be suicidal and sinful.” [Fataawa Nazeeriyyah, vo. 4, p. 472]

4. The Edict (Fatwa) of Khaleefa-tul-Muslimeen

Murtaza Ahmad Khan Maikesh writes in his “Taareekh-e-Aqwaam-e-Aalam” (History of the Nations of the World):

“The Khaleefa wrote down a fatwa, and handed it over to the British authorities. It stated that the Muslims of India should not fight against the British because the latter has proved itself to be an ally of the Islamic Caliphate (Khilafat-e-Islamiyya) and its helper.” [Taareekh-e-Aqwaam-e-Aalam by Murtaza Ahmad Khan Maikesh, p. 639; Published by: Majlis-e-Taraqqi-e-Adeb, No. 2, Narsingh Das Garden, Club Road, Lahore, Pakistan]

5. The “Fatwa of the Scholars of Islam” (Fatwa Ulama-e-Islam), Dukhani Publishing House, Lahore

The title of this publication bears the following verse of the Holy Quran:

[1]

In this edict the British Government is declared to be Ulil Amr (“those in authority”) and obedience to the British Government is consequently declared to be obligatory.

This fatwa has the signatures of the following ulema:

		Mufti Maulvi Muhammad Abdullah Tonki, President Majlis Mustashaar-ul-Ulema, Lahore.
		Maulvi Ghulam Muhammad Bagvi, Imam of Shaahi Masjid, and Rukn-e-A'azam, member-in-chief Anjuman-e-Mustashaar-ul-Ulema, Lahore.
		Saayyid Maulvi Nazeer Hussain Muhaddith, Dehlvi.
		Abul Safaa Maulvi Qazi Meer Ahmad Shah Rizwani Peshawari..
		Maulvi Muhammad Ludhianvi..
		Maulvi Abu Muhammad Abdullah al-Ansaari, Naazim, Department of Deeniyaat, Madrasa-tul-Uloom, Aligarh..
		Maulvi Abdul Hyee Ameenabadi Lakhnavi, Organizer, Darul Uloom Nadva-tul-Ulema, Lucknow..
		Mufti Muhammad Abdul Rahim Peshavari..
		Maulvi Ghulam Muhammad Hoshiyarpuri, Rukn-e-A'azam, Nadva-tul-Ulema, Lucknow..
		Mullah Haafiz Izzat Ullah, resident of Zekhi, District Peshawar..
		Abul Haamid Maulvi Abdul Hameed Lakhnavi..
		Qaadhi Zafr-ud-Din, resident of Gujranwala..
		Abu Sa'eed Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalwi..
		Mullah Haafiz Haamid Shah, Khateeb of Jaam'e Masjid Mahabat Khan, Peshawar..
		Maulvi Abu Muhammad Ghulam Rasool Amritsari..
		Maulvi Abdul Rahman ibn Maulvi Ghulam Ali Qusoori (deceased)..
		Maulvi Abdul Aziz Ludhianvi..
		Maulvi Ghulam Ahmad, Mudarris Awwal, Madrassah No'amaaniyyah, Lahore..
		Maulvi Sayyed Ahmad, Imam of Jaam'e Masjid Delhi..
		Qaadhi Rafiullah, resident of Budni, District Peshawar..
		Maulvi Abdul Jabbaar Ghaznavi Amritsari..
		Sayyed Muhammad Abdus Salaam Dehlevi, grandson of Hadhrat Shams-ul-Ulema Sayyed Muhammad Nazeer Hussain, Al-Muhaddith, Dehlvi..
		Maulvi Muhammad Ibrahim Dehlvi, son of Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Faqir..
		Sayyed Muhammad Abul Hasan Dehlvi grandson of Hadhrat Shams-ul-Ulema Sayyed Muhammad Nazeer Hussain, Al-Muhaddith, Dehlvi..
		Maulvi Maddaah-e-Basheer wa Nazeer, ibn Maulvi Muhammad Hussain alias Faqeer..
		Maulvi Khalil Ahmad, Mudarris Awwal, Madrassah Saharanpur..
		Maulvi Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi..
		Mahmood Hasan, Mudarris Awwal, Madrassah Deoband..

This fatwa which was issued by the above-named ulema in response to a query by the Anjuman Islamia, Punjab, states unequivocally that:

(1) "According to the religion of Islam, extrajudicial killing of any human being is not legitimate, it is unlawful (haraam), and counted among the most heinous sins; regardless of whether that human being is Muslim or non-Muslim, Christian or Jew, Hindu or Paarsi, etc. etc."

(2) "A definitive accord between the British Government and all of its subjects does exist in regard to mutual protection and peace, whether explicitly formalised or only implicitly so."

(3) "It is a matter of certainty that whoever would kill anyone who is from the ethnic group of the Government or part of its subjects, he would be deprived of the fragrance of Paradise, in the light of the Hadith:

viz. Whoever kills a person who is protected by an accord will be deprived of the fragrance of Paradise.

6. The Fatwa of Ahle Hadith Leader, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi

(a)   "For Muslims of India, opposition to or rebellion against the British Government is unlawful (haraam)." [Risaala Isha'at-us-Sunnah, vol. 6, no. 10, p. 287]

(b)   "Those Muslims who participated in the Mutiny of 1857 A.D., they acted very sinfully and, under the injunctions of the Holy Quran and Ahadith, they were promoters of disorder, and were rebellious and of evil character." [Risaala Isha'at-us-Sunnah, vol. 9, no. 10]

(c)   "Fighting against this government, or in any way aiding and abetting those who are fighting it (even if they are our Muslim brothers) is clearly mutinous and unlawful (haraam)." [Risaala Isha'at-us-Sunnah, vol. 9, no. 10, pp. 38-48]

7. The Fatwa of Maulvi Ahmad Reza Khan Barelvi

"This humble one has proved with conclusive arguments in "I'alaam-ul-I'alaam be-Anna Hindustaan Daar-us-Salaam" that India is "Dar-us-Salaam" (peaceful territory) and it is certainly not correct to call it "Dar-ul-Harb" (territory under war). [Nusrat-ul-Abraar, p.29; Published by Sahafi Publishers, Aitcheson Ganj, 17 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1306H, 1888 A.D.]

8. A Statement by Sir Sayyed Ahmad Khan

Sir Sayyed Ahmad Khan, the founder of Darul Uloom Aligarh, wrote in his book Asbaab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind (The Causes of Indian Mutiny):

"While the Muslims were under the peaceful protection of our Government, they had no right to wage Jehad within the lawful jurisdiction of the Government. Some twenty to thirty years ago a renowned Maulvi Muhammad Isma'eel preached the message of Jehad in India and motivated people to embark on Jehad. At that time he declared clearly that the residents of India who live under the peaceful protection of the British Government, had no right to conduct Jehad within India." [Asbaab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind, p.4; Published by Urdu Academy, Sind, Mission Road, Karachi, Pakistan]

9. The Fatwa of the Muftis of Mecca

(1) Jamal-ud-Din bin Abdullah Sheikh Umar Hanafi, Mufti of Holy Meca.

(2)   Hussain bin Ibrahim Maaliki, Mufti of Holy Mecca,

(3)   Ahmad bin Zahni Shaafi'ee, Mufti of Holy Mecca,

issued the fatwa, declaring India to be Daar-us-Salaam" (territory in peace)." [Sayyed Ata'ullah Shah Bukhari, p.31, a book by Shorish Kashmiri]

10. Maulvi Zafar Ali Khan, Editor of Zameendaar, Lahore

"If a wicked Muslim has the audacity to rebel against the Government even in the presence of religious freedom and peace, then I declare it aloud that he is not a Muslim." [Newspaper, Zameendaar, Lahore, 11 November, 1911 A.D., quoted in "Zafar Ali Khan Ki Giriftaari" (The Arrest of Zafar Ali Khan) by Khan Kabuli]

1.	Surely Allah is with those who restrain themselves and those who are benevolent. (16:129) [Translator].