Voices of Jihad - RAND Corporation

CHAPTER THREE
Seeds of Jihad
The concept of jihad as “holy war” goes back to the beginnings of Islam and Muhammad’s
battles with the pagan 1 tribes that controlled Mecca and the Arabian Peninsula.
Allah’s revelations to Muhammad by the Angel Gabrael as set forth in the Qur’an
addressed many of the practical, military, moral, ethical, and religious issues that
emerged from those conflicts. Scholars and proponents of jihad quoted in this book
cite these Qur’anic 2 statements (and Hadith) to justify and explain jihadi philosophy.
Islam developed in a time of war against not only pagans, but also Byzantines
and Persians. Initially, when Muhammad was in Mecca, his revelations contained many
admonitions to practice tolerance and peace. Later, when he was driven to Medina
by persecution and then began to unify the tribes of Arabia, the revelations became
more militant. Some of these later passages from the Qur’an and Hadith constitute
the touchstones of jihadi ideology.
Many of the quotations are used without the context of the original revelation
or story. Jihadis frequently reinterpret the texts and distort their original meaning.
For example, the idolaters and polytheists who are the subjects of hostile references
are freely translated as Jews, Christians, Americans, Westerners in general, and Muslims
who disagree with the jihadis.
Equally important, jihadis also often provide only part of a quotation. For example,
the Verse of the Sword (9:5), perhaps the most quoted Qur’an excerpt (cited on
p. 38), is often truncated to “Kill the idolaters (polytheists) wherever you find them
. . . lie in wait for them at every place of ambush,” leaving out the tempering phrase
“But if they turn [to God] . . . let them go their way.”
The quotations presented in this chapter are in the form the jihadis most often
use and therefore do not include the additional material that might change their
meaning. However, sources are noted for those interested in exploring the full texts.
1 Non-Muslim; typically also not Christian or Jewish.
2 Qur’anic quotations, not within other citations, are from the translation of S’Abul a’la Maududi (1967a,b).
A’La Maududi’s interpretation and commentary were chosen on the basis of an online recommendation from the
“USC–MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts,” undated.
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