the second research

fight legislation stages:

islam is not a message enforcing people to accept it or believe in; it is rather a self-power propagation relying upon clear-cut facts and supreme instructions. allah the almighty said: {there is no compulsion in the religion; right-mindedness has already been evidently (distinct) from misguidance. so whoever disbelieves in the taghû‍t (i.e. false gods, idols, devils and seducers) and believes in allah, then he has already upheld fast the most binding grip, with no disjunction (ever); and allah is ever-hearing, ever-knowing.} (al-baqara: 256). however, the old customs and traditions in addition to the fancies of people are the main obstacles which prevent people from accepting the right and rejecting the false. not only this, the boasting of certain haughty persons who enslave people may lead them to announce the war against the people who are propagating the right and defending it, and will also incite people to fight them by all ways. therefore, due to this war against the people who propagate the right, it is not reasonable that the propagators remain like bystanders, do not face the tyrants or fight the enemies.

accordingly, allah the almighty has legislated fighting on four stages:

the first stage: preventing muslims from fighting:

this stage continued as long as the stay of the prophet, peace be upon him, in makka for thirteen years suffering from injustice, persecution, restriction and boycott. the companions was approaching the prophet

– peace be upon him – to take his permission for fighting the injustice but he was preventing them and telling them to be patient in order to complete the stages of the right faith education which is compulsory on those who will be the pioneers of the islamic propagation. in this regard, the companion khabbab bin al-arat – may allah be pleased with him - one of the first people who embraced islam and suffered from the bitterness of this stage, narrated the following being an eyewitness. he said: (we have complained to the prophet – peace be upon him – while he was sitting beside the kaba and said: o prophet of allah, support us, supplicate to allah the almighty to help us? the prophet – peace be upon him – replied: ((in the previous eras, the tyrants was bringing the faithful man, digging a pit in the ground, putting him inside, then they saw him by the saw into two halves in order to change his belief but he remains determined, firmed and insisting on his faith. they were tearing his flesh into pieces but he remains firmed and insisting on his faith. i swear by allah the almighty that allah will perfect this religion to the degree that the passenger will walk from sana'a to hadramount fearing nothing except allah the almighty and the wolf from eating his sheep but you are anticipating matters)) (1). even the prophet – peace be upon him – was not spared the harm and torture of his people. he was suffering with his companions alike but allah the almighty did not permit prophet – peace be upon him – and his companions to fight even for the purpose of defending themselves.

the second stage: the permission to fight

this stage commenced after hijra (immigration) to medina. the muslims in this stage were allowed to fight for the purpose of defending themselves from injustice, increasing their number and obtain enough weapons. allah the almighty said: {to those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged;- and verily, allah is most powerful for their aid;-} (hajj: 39). the heads of disbelievers in quraish were still wishing to undermine the islamic propagation. dr. mahdi risquallah ahmad said in this regard: (when allah the almighty permitted his prophet and the believers to fight, the started building their force in order to defend themselves from quraish and their supporters. the tribe of quraish wanted to show the muslims that it has a support in the madina; therefore, the muslims wanted to show quraish that the muslims are not weak as quraish is thinking and that they are able to defeat quriash and break its legal and economic boycott and recover their usurped rights) (1). moreover, the purpose of allowing muslims to fight in this stage was to put an end to the hypocrites in the medina who were headed by abdullah bin ubai; the person who was looking for domination. in this stage, the battle of bader and uhud took place and were preceded with military maneuvers in the form of brigades.

the third stage: permitting muslims to fight who fight them

allah the almighty in this stage revealed this verse: {and fight in the way of allah the ones who fight you, but do not transgress; surely allah does not love the transgressors.} (baqara: 190). it was the right stage to achieve the progress and prosperity of the islamic nation, develop the same and form its organized and trained army, especially after the battle of badr & uhud.

the fourth stage: the order to fight all disbelievers

in this stage, allah the almighty has revealed this verse: {fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together. but know that allah is with those who restrain themselves} (at-tawba: 36). the order of fighting all disbelievers has came as a response to the international aspect of the islamic propagation then, and to the kings who heard about the islamic propagation and insisted on standing against its noble aims like freeing the nations from injustice and persecution (1). it is worth mentioning here that these stages did not supersede each other because each stage has its own conditions, circumstances and justifications concerning the power and weakness, the change of the position of the enemy in war and peace, the kind of disbelievers and the other things to be detailed in another place. mustafa as-siba'i, may allah has mercy on his soul, said: (the history of the prophet – peace be upon him – in the wars is the most clear-cut proof for the noble aim behind the wars and battles of the prophet who did not announce the war except after the torture and persecution faced by them, and after exiling them from their homelands; therefore, the battle of bader and the following ones came for the purpose of achieving the religious liberty and attaining the security & stability in the arabian peninsula. this sought peace was violated by the arab pagans who changed the lands of makka into fields for slaughtering the believers, torturing them, exiling them from their land and confiscating their properties). (1)