JIHAD AND ITS GRIP ON THE FAITHFUL

 JIHAD AND ITS GRIP ON THE FAITHFUL

The community of Muslims is also in a sense the army of Islam because the Qur'an mandates jihad for all Muslims as Islam, theologically speaking, is perpetually at war with the kafirs (infidels) till they are converted, subjugated or eliminated. The call for transformation of Dar-al-Harb (House of War) to Dar-al-Islam (House of Islam) necessitates willing and vigorous participation of all Muslims in jihad (Islamic war), failing which they are to be accused of being munafiq (hypocrite) worthy of the worst punishment in Jahannam. Here lies the inextricable problem for moderate Muslims who if they reject jihad openly or renounce faith will be persecuted as murtad (apostate) with death under the Sharia and if they stay within the fold and do not pull in their might for jihad will be labelled munafiq and incur Allah's displeasure and burning in Jahannam (Hell) which, indoctrinated from birth as they are with precepts of the Deen, they dare not. Thus, though the actual number of jihadi terrorists are relatively small, the vast community of passive Muslims are by default silent supporters of jihad in some sense, this so especially in Islamic states and very much less but still quite large at that in non-Islamic states. The verily is the scene.

Written by Sugata Bose