A Critical Exposition of the Popular 'Jihad' Part 33

[Sidenote: (16) Mohammad, XLVII, 33]

28. "And We will surely test you until We know (_Mojahideena_) who did their utmost, and who were the steadfast among you; and We will test the reports."

Sale ... "Who fight valiantly."

Rodwell ... "Valiant."

Palmer ... "Fought valiantly."

"_Mojahid_" is not synonymous with "_Mokatil_"

[Sidenote: (17) Battle Array, LXI, 11.]

29. "Believe in G.o.d and His Apostle and (_Jahidoo_) do strive in the way of G.o.d with your wealth and your persons!"

Sale ... "Who fought valiantly."

Rodwell ... "Who fought valiantly."

Palmer ... "Fight strenuously."

Devotion or worship has been divided into two kinds,--bodily, which also includes mental; and pecuniary or monetary, and the believers are exhorted here to worship G.o.d both bodily and mentally.

[Sidenote: (18) Women, IV, 97.]

30. "Those believers who sit at home free from trouble and those who (1, _Mojahidoona_) toil in the way of G.o.d with their substance and their persons shall not be treated alike. G.o.d has a.s.signed to those who (2, _Majahadoona_) strive with their persons and with their substance a rank above those who sit at home. Goodly promises hath He made to all; but G.o.d hath a.s.signed to those (3, _Mojahadina_) who make efforts a rich recompense above those who sit at home."

Sale: _1st_ ... "Those who employ their fortune and their substance for the religion of G.o.d."

_2nd_ ... "Those who employ their fortune and their substance."

_3rd_ ... "Those who fight."

Rodwell: _1st_ ... "Those who fight valiantly."

_2nd_ ... "Contend earnestly."

_3rd_ ... "Strenuous."

Palmer: _1st_ ... "Strenuous."

_2nd_ ... "Strenuous."

_3rd_ ... "Strenuous."

I have already explained the two sorts of worship or service of G.o.d--bodily and mental. The same applies here too.

[Sidenote: (19) Light, XXIV, 52.]

31. "And they swore by G.o.d with their utmost oath...."

Sale ... "Most solemn oath."

Rodwell ... "Most solemn oath."

Palmer ... "Most strenuous oath."

[Sidenote: (20) The Forbidding, LXVI, 9.]

32. "O Prophet, (_Jahid_) do thy utmost with the unbelievers and hypocrites, and be strict towards them."

Sale ... "Attack the infidels with arms and the hypocrites with arguments."

Rodwell ... "Make war."

Palmer ... "Fight strenuously."

[Sidenote: (21) The Immunity, IX, 74.]

33. The same verse, word for word.

Sale ... "Wage war."

Rodwell ... "Contend against."

Palmer ... "Strive strenuously."

The word _Jahid_ is the same in both the pa.s.sages, yet the translators differ in their interpretation of it. As there had been no war against the hypocrites, the word cannot be held to bear the construction they put on it, even if we deprived it of its proper signification. In one place Sale takes _Jahid_ to mean "attacking with arms," and in another he takes it in the sense of attacking with arguments.

There is no signification of "attacking" in _Jihad_, but only that of "exerting," and the verse simply means, "exert thyself in preaching to, and remonstrating with, the unbelievers and hypocrites, and also be strict towards them,"--_i.e._, not to be smooth with them, nor to be beguiled by them.[332]

[Sidenote: (22) The tried, LXI.]

34. "O Ye believers! take not my foe and your foe for friends: ye show them kindness although they believe not that truth which hath come to you: they drive forth the Apostle and yourself because ye believe in G.o.d your Lord! If ye have come forth[333] (_Jihadan_) labouring in my cause, and from a desire to please Me, ye show them kindness in private, then I well know what ye conceal and what ye discover! And whoso of you doth this hath verily, therefore, gone astray from the even way."

Sale translates _Jihadan_ as meaning "to fight in the defence of my religion."

Rodwell ... "To fight on my path."

Palmer ... "Fighting strenuously."

The translators quoted above say that Hatib had informed the Meccans of an intended surprise of Mecca on the part of Mohammad with the view of making terms for his own family, which had been left there. On this occasion the pa.s.sage was revealed. This shows that the campaign of Mecca is termed _Jihad_. But Sir William Muir does not agree with them. He says in a footnote:--"The opening verses of the sixtieth Sura are said to refer to Hatib; but they appear to have a general bearing against too great intimacy with the Coreish during the truce and to be, therefore, of a prior date."[334]

35. Hatib's story. The story regarding Hatib's revelation of the intended attack upon Mecca by Mohammad, is not supported by authentic and trustworthy traditions. The authentic tradition of Bokhari[335] only states that the occasion of the verse being revealed was in the case of Hatib, but does not say that it was during the campaign of Mecca, nor that the information contained anything about the intended campaign. The authentic tradition only says that the report contained information regarding some of the affairs of the Prophet.

Besides this, it is wrong to translate _in kun tum kharajtum Jihadan fi Sabili_, as "if ye go forth to fight in defence of my religion," or "if ye go forth to fight on my path," or "if ye go forth fighting strenuously in my cause." It simply means, "if you have come out striving in my cause," and the sentence is a complement or correlative of the verse, meaning, if you have come out of Mecca, striving, or to strive, in my cause, suffering from exile and undergoing the afflictions and distresses of living homeless, leaving your family and property unprotected, and all these pains (_Jihad_) you have taken to please me, then you should not make friends with my foes and your foes, who do not believe in the truth which has come to you, and have driven out the Prophet and yourselves (from Mecca, your home) only for the reason that you believe in G.o.d your Lord.

[Sidenote: (23) The Apartment, XLIX, 15.]

36. "The true believers are those only who believe in G.o.d and his Apostle and afterwards doubt not; and who (_Jahadoo_) strive with their substance and their persons on the path of G.o.d. These are the sincere."

Sale here translates _Jahadoo_ those "who employ their substance and their persons in the defence of G.o.d's true religions."

Rodwell ... "Contend with their substance and their persons."