The Prophet Muhammad A simple Guide to his Life
The Power of Peace
~ 249 ~
THE COMMAND OF WAR IN ISLAM
Certain verses of the Qur’an give the command to
do battle (22:39). Here are a few points on this
subject that we learn from our study of the Qur’an.
1. The first point is that to initiate aggression or
armed confrontation is absolutely forbidden for
Muslims. That is why the Qur’an clearly states:
Fight in the cause of God those who fight against
2. Islam allows only a defensive war. That is, when
aggression is resorted to by others, Muslims may
engage in war only in self-defence. The initiation
of hostilities is not permitted for Muslims.
Combat may be engaged in only when “they (the
opponents) were the first to commence hostilities
against you.” (Qur’an, 9:13)
Furthermore, even in the face of aggression,
Muslims are not immediately to wage a
defensive war. Instead they are to employ all
possible means to prevent a carnage from taking
place. They are to resort to fighting only when it
becomes totally unavoidable. All the battles that
took place during the life of the Prophet provide
