Interpretations of Jihad.
A Muslim Under Progress has devoted a lot of thought to the concept of Jihad in a two-part series. In the first part, he ultimately
disagrees with me about the meaning of jihad. It certainly won't come as a surprise to anyone that I remain unconvinced. This is why:
1. He agrees with the notion that of the Qur'an intended for jihad to mean qitaal, it would have used the word. The Qur'an supercedes all other authorities.
2. He believes that my interpretation is not valid because I represent a minority within a minority. Islam itself teaches that Truth is universal, my minority status is irrelevant when discussing the merits of my rational argument.
3. Having dismissed my interpretation, he invokes the Hanafi interpretations. Note that Hanafi himself was taught at the feet of Jafar al-Sadiq, the great Imam, descended from Ali AS, whose writings are at the core of the Ismaili interpretations. Therefore he has achieved little to advance his main point, apart from merely illustrating the existence of alternate interpretations of jihad.
I also want to point out that the ayats of the Qur'an that he referred to which ostensibly support the war interpretation of jihad, actually do no such thing. I am willing to do a joint discussion on specific ayats' meanings. The important thing to remember is to NOT take ayats out of context, but look at them as integral pieces of a larger pattern. Nowhere in the Qur'an is an offensive campaign ever justified.
A Muslim Under Progress then lays out an
analysis of "just war" from a Muslim perspective. Despite my disagreement with him on part one, I found this to be an excellent and carefully-thought-out analysis. The points are well-supported by Qur'anic references and it provides a valuable perspective. It is important to note that this technically has nothing to do with jihad. As to my own agreement, there are issues of contention, but his writing warrants a more thorough and considered response than what I can provide at this moment. I need to re-read the piece myself and reflect more on what he is trying to say.
(note: underprogress's permalinks are broken, until he republishes his archives. Go to the
main page and scroll down.)
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posted by Shi'a Pundit
