. I '/ } (cont.)

; ; \ ..r- ; .r-+"- ࢑; l...r J࢒ ; '-; ' • ; 1'-+_a, ! if & \"' ; .&\ J 2I I -:. ǿ Y)f= ; r--" ࣾ "Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is able to give them victory. [They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without rightonly because they say, 'Our Lord is Allah.' And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned" (al-Hajj 39-40). Today, the disbelievers of the West have tried to convince Muslims that it is uncivilized and incorrect to fight in the name of religion. They claim that religion is a matter of personal conviction and, therefore, no one should be forced to follow a specific religion. Islam does accept that fact and, in general, does not coerce people into following Islam. However, these same people of the West send their troops all over the world to defend "democracy" and to fight against the opponents of "democracy". It is as if they are saying that it is acceptable to fight in the name of an ideology but not in the name of a religion. Actually, in essence, there is no difference between an ideology and a religion. (In both cases, one is accepting or implementing a specific way of life.) The disbelievers of the West are fighting in the name of that ideology because, they claim, it is the best way for mankind and it gives everyone their true rights. Actually, their claim about democracy is false. Islam is the best way of life for mankind and it is the only way that gives everyone their true rights. Hence, it is Islam that must be fought for. And the disbelievers of the West have no logical ground to stand upon if they consider fighting in the name of "democracy" acceptable while fighting in the name of Islam not acceptable. "until they testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer and give the zakah" Here, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated the acts that one must fulfill for his wealth and life to be considered protected and inviolable. For this hadith to be understood properly, each one of these acts are discussed separately. Hadith #8: "I have been ordered to fight..." Making the Testimony of Paith When a person first becomes Muslim, the testimony of faith protects his life and wealth. This can be proven through many hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). One time the Companion Usaama ibn Zaid was fighting in jihad. He came across a man and was about to kill him. Just before he killed him, the person testified that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. Usaama went ahead and killed him because he believed that he was just saying that to protect his life. The Prophet (peace be upon him) rebuked Usaama. He repeatedly asked him what he would do about the person's statement, "There is none worthy of worship except Allah." Therefore, as soon as a person makes the statement of faith, that will be accepted from him. He will be protected and not fought against at that time. This is the explicit meaning of those narrations that only mention the shahaadah as protecting a person's life and wealth. However, after he has embraced Islam, he must fulfill some conditions. This can be seen in the hadith of Muaadh. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sending him to Yemen to call the people to Islam, he told him to call them to the testimony of faith. Then he told him that if they accepted that, they must then be taught that they have to pray. If they accept that, they must then be taught that they have to give the zakah. (Recorded by Muslim.) However, whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) was simply asked about Islam, he would not only mention the testimony of faith but he would also mention the other pillars of Islam. This was true in the hadith of Gabriel as well as other hadith. 1 Establishing the Prayer 2 and Paying the zakah In this narration, the Prophet (peace be upon him) explicitly mentioned both of these acts. These acts are also explicitly mentioned by Allah in the Quran: 1 See ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 1, p. 230. 2 There are a number of narrations that imply that the Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted the Islam of some people on the condition that they did not have to pray, or they had to perform only two prayers or they would not have to pay the zakah. Although al-Amaoot seems to accept one such narration, this author is not convinced of the authenticity of those narrations. lbn Rajab does not seem to consider them authentic.