ROPMA

Update

02/20/12: The demise of tafsir.com broke the links to Tafsir Ibn
Kathir.  The links have been changed to point to equivalent text
at Islam-Universe.Relevant  references to Shari’ah have been added
because they confirm the obvious better than anything else can.

So Islam is “a great religion of peace” ? Explain these topic titles from Ibn Kathir‘s
Tafsir. Click them and read their contents.  Why did Allah
command and order Muslims to commit aggression?

• The Command for Endurance when the Enemy Engaging
• The Command for Jihad against the
  Disbelievers and the Hypocrites
• The Command to fight Those Who fight Muslims and killing Them wherever They
  are found
• The Command to strike the Enemies’
  Necks, tighten Their Bonds, and then free Them either by an Act
  of Grace or for a Ransom
• The Order to fight People of the
  Scriptures until They give the Jizyah
• The Order for Jihad against the
  Disbelievers, the Closest, then the Farthest Areas
• The Order to fight to eradicate Shirk and Kufr
• The Order to fight until there is no more Fitnah
• The Order for Jihad against the Disbelievers and Hypocrites

So terrorism is haram? Explain these tafsir which explain 8:60 and 8:12!!

• Making Preparations for War to strike Fear in the Hearts of the Enemies of Allah
• Muslims invoke Allah for Help, Allah sends the Angels to help Them

In Tafsir Ibn Kathir, you see the ayat which enjoin
offensive warfare and the ahadith which confirm them, but you do not
see their practical application.  For that you must turn to
Shari’ah: Islamic law which is based on the Qur’an & hadith.

Reliance of the Traveller is the most well known
codification of Shari’ah. It reflects the fiqh of the Shafi’i school of
Islamic law.  It is divided into books, each of which bears a
letter as its name. Book O codifies the laws related to justice,
including the definition, communal obligation & performance of
jihad.

Reliance defines Jihad as “war against non-Muslims”.
It is a communal obligation, binding on all eligible male Muslims until
a sufficient number have responded to the front.  Jihad must be
performed in every year, and it is performed against disbelievers while
they are in their own countries, peacefully minding their own affairs.

The caliph makes war against Jews, Christians and
Zoroastrians until they are subjugated and submit to annual extortion
payments called jizya.  He fights all other peoples until they
become Muslims.

That is not my opinion, I did not pull it out of any
orifice, it is plain and clear on the face of the text of Reliance of
the Traveller, which is certified authentic and accurate by sheikhs
of  al-Azhar University at Cairo.

• http://www.islamicbulletin.com/free_downloads/resources/reliance_complete.pdf#page=617

Would you like a second opinion? Try Risala, the
handbook of fiqh belonging to the Maliki school of Islamic Law.
Risala defines jihad as ” a technical term for the Muslim fighting the
unbelievers who have no treaty with the intention of elevating the word
of Allah or presenting Islam”. Muslims must invite disbelievers to
Islam. If they reject Islam, they must demand jizya. If  refused,
they must wage war.

• http://www.baytulislam.org/Documents/fiqh/imammalik/The-Risala-A-Treatise-on-Maliki-Fiqh.pdf#page=284

Would you like a third opinion?  Try Hedaya,
the handbook of fiqh belonging to the Hanifi school of Islamic
Law.  From Hedaya, we learn that jihad must be undertaken at all
times by some party of the Muslims.  We learn that “destruction of
the sword is incurred by infidels even though they be not the first
aggressors”.   We also learn that jizya is a punishment for
infidelity and a payment in lieu of destruction.

• http://ia700204.us.archive.org/10/items/hedayaorguideac00hamigoog/hedayaorguideac00hamigoog.pdf#page=154