Its Shari'ah, Stupid #14

This is the fourteenth in a series of posts on Jihad in Fiqh.

Shykh Zeenu’d-Din, 1500-tal. Tuhfat-ul-Mujahideen, övers. M.J. Rowlandson (London 1933), s. 3-5, 15-21.

Further, the Imam-Ahmud (on whom be peace!) has related on the authority of Al-Mikdad that he heard the Prophet (for ever blessed) to exclaim: There shall not remain a dwelling in the city, or on the plain, on which Allah shall not cause to descend the word of Islamism, which shall dignify him [who is] already righteous, and condemn him who lives in sin, to the salvation of the one, and the everlasting ruin of the other. For those whom Allah would exalt, will he make of the number of true believers, whilst, those whose destruction has been predetermined, shall seal it by rejecting this holy faith, which indeed, said I, has Allah for its author and its end. Now be it known, that Allah most high bath willed, that the faith of Islamism should flourish throughout the chief of the inhabited regions of the earth; in some countries making the sword and compulsion the means of its dissemination, in others preaching and exhortation. […] Know then, that infidels shall be regarded in two distinct points of view. And first: those who are dwelling peaceably in their own countries, and against whom if one person only from any party of Moslems shall go forth to war, the divine co d on this subject will have been sufficiently observed, and the remainder of his brethren are not called upon to proceed against them. But should no one be found thus to offer himself as the holy champion of his party, then it becomes the duty of all to arm. Secondly: The case of infidels who shall invade the territories of the Moslems, as is now the case in the contest in which we are engaged. Now to attack these, becomes an act of paramount duty for every pious Mahomedan, and for all who would support their religion, whether bond or free, male for female, of the city or of the plain, without being dependent on or guided by the consent or refusal of master, husband, father or creditor, or of any other person to whom he or she might in other matters owe obedience; since to engage in this warfare is imperative on every person whether within three days’ journey of the position of the infidels or beyond that distance; should the forces of the faithful not be sufficiently strong to admit of their services being dispensed with.

Take note of the clauses I have emphasized; how Islam is to be spread: by the sword. The concepts of fard kifaya & fard ayn are discussed but not explicitly named in this quote.

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Its Shari'ah, Stupid #13

This is the thirteenth in a series on Jihad in Fiqh.

Molla Khosrew, d. 1480, hanafi. Kitab al-Gihad, övers. Nicola Melis, Trattato sulla guerra (Cagliari, Italien 2002), s. 95-6.

[…] jihad is a fard al-kifaya, that is, that one must begin the fight against the enemy, even when he [the enemy] may not have taken the initiative to fight, because the Prophet […] early on […] allowed believers to defend themselves, later, however, he ordered them to take the initiative at certain times of the year, that is, at the end of the haram months, saying, ”Kill the idolaters wherever you find them” (Q9:5). He finally ordered fighting without limitations, at all times and in all places, saying, ”Fight those who do not believe in God, and in the Last Day” (Q9:29); there are also other [similar] verses on the subject. This shows that it is a fard al-kifaya.

He finally ordered fighting without limitations, at all times and in all places

Got a clue yet? Islam ain't peaceful! Islam is violent by design, Jihad is the standard, not a deviation from standard Islam.

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Every Day Heroes

Meet 1st Sgt Jean-Paul Courville:

In April 2004, Gunnery Sergeant Jean-Paul Courville not only proved his leadership skills but also his courage and tactical abilities as he led a team during battles in Karmah Iraq.

The New Orleans native was responsible for providing ammunition and water resupply to K Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, First Marine Division in Fallujah/Karmah. However, during several hours of fighting to suppress and destroy enemy fighters with F-15 Eagle 20mm gun runs that were dangerously close, Courville fearlessly led a team of heavy machine gun high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles and two amphibious armored vehicles to support Company K with casualty evacuation and machine gun fires.

With this success in al Karmah, the urban combat was far from over. Courville repeatedly entered the most dangerous areas of the battle to provide support, direct machinegun fire, ammunition, and water resupply. On April 13, during more than eight hours of fierce urban fighting, four fellow Marines were shot and a reinforced squad was thrown from their overturned 7-ton vehicle. During the ensuing battle, Courville personally rescued the squad during the night insertion. He led the team through more than 200 enemy fighters to conduct four separate missions to evacuate Marines wounded during the fighting. His bold action and rapid care under fire enabled all Marines to survive even though helicopter evacuation was not feasible.

Kilo Company (reinforced) was then tasked to attack and clear into the eastern flank of the city of al Fallujah. Manpower was short but Courville was undaunted. He assumed the difficult dual role as Company first sergeant and Company gunnery sergeant and was instrumental in preparing the Company for the task. Approximately 500 meters into the city, Kilo Company encountered an entrenched enemy who was determined to fight to the end. During an extensive battle with this enemy, Courville disregarded his own safety as he ensured his fellow Marines were adequately supplied with ammunition, water and motivation.

Later during the assault, Courville saw a family trapped within a building that was covered with flames and smoke. Somehow the family, weakly waving a white flag from a window, had managed to survive. He quickly assessed the situation as desperate and led his team to the burning building to lead the family to safety one by one. Bringing up the rear, Gunnery Sergeant Courville picked up two of the children and sprinted across the danger area that was regularly raked by enemy machine gun fire.

For these heroic achievements, Gunnery Sergeant Courville received the Bronze Star Medal Combat Distinguishing Device.

Excerpt from Bronze Star citation

For more links on this hero's story, go to Defenselink.mil here


Also for Warriors of the Week - written by CJ - go here:

Army Warriors of the Week - CPT Merrill & 1SG Meltz

January 16, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized, Why We Serve

On Nov. 11, 2008, CPT Joseph Merrill and 1SG James Meltz, Company Command Team, D Co., 27 Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, were awarded the Bronze Star for Valor for their actions south of Kabul on the night of May 25, 2008....

Go read their story here.

Thank you ALL for your service.

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Those who forget history...

*cross-posted from Assoluta Tranquillita*

...are doomed to repeat it.

I have often reminded readers about Iran 1979, and pointed out that when the Ayatollah Khemeini returned to Iran from exile in Paris, the west really was not paying attention. That was so evident when "students" stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took American hostages. Those "students" were the forerunners - I believe - of our current problems with Islam.

Yes, it was thirty years ago today that the Shah of Iran, who some see as a puppet of the west, left Iran, and Iran began its overt journey to what we deal with globally today:

1979

January The ailing Shah leaves Iran. He dies in Cairo in 1980.

February Ayatollah Khomeini returns as leader of the revolution. The armed forces announce their neutrality and the monarchy collapses. The Ayatollah takes power with Mehdi Bazargan as his prime minister.

Ayatollah Khomeini returned to an ecstatic welcome

November Radical students occupy the American Embassy and hold 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days.

December The new Islamic constitution is ratified by a referendum.

1980 The Iraqi forces attack Iran on 20 September beginning a war that lasts until 18 July 1988.

What I most remember about those days was the role of the Canadian Ambassador, Ken Taylor. Away from the media spotlight, he worked to help the Americans, and was later recognised for that. I also remember how the Iranians held the Americans until the very end of Jimmy Carter's time in office. There has been much written about those days, and as always, what I find most interesting are the first person accounts. Never mind the political rhetoric, and the congratulatory chest thumping, it is always those most intimately affected by the events of history, who share the most compelling stories. Within their reminiscences are the markers of history, which we would all do well to pay attention to. One man from Iran 1979 is Robert C. Ode. Quite apart from the typically bland retelling of events that I found on the Jimmy Carter Library and Musem site (yes, there really is such a thing, and you can find that here,) I found a synopsis about Mr Ode, and also links to some of his writings:

Robert C. Ode was one of the fifty-two American citizens taken hostage by Iranian students in November 1979 at the American embassy in Tehran. They were held for a total of 444 days and finally released, after lengthy negotiations, on January 20, 1981.

Ode (pronounced Odee) was the oldest of the hostages and was in fact retired from diplomatic service. He had taken a special assignment to go to Tehran and expected to be there only a few months when taken with the other embassy staff.

He was allowed to keep a diary after a few months as captive, when conditions under which the hostages lived were loosened, although the conditions were never good. The hostages were separated into small groups that were not allowed to communicate. They were cut off from outside news and contact with the American government, while letters to and from their families were delivered late or not at all. They were blindfolded when taken outside their rooms to take showers or exercise. Moreover, the students were very amateurish jailers, so that essential supplies frequently ran out, meals were often late and improvised and frequently inadequate, and onerous security restrictions far in excess of what was needed were arbitrarily applied. More serious was the problem that medical attention was extremely inadequate, while many of the hostages were senior embassy staff with serious health worries. Above all, there was the psychological pressure of never knowing when they would be released or what the American government was doing to help them.

Ode's journal consists of 115 pages. What is presented here are selected pages illustrating either significant changes or problems in the conditions of his captivity, along with some typical days where the main problems were boredom or food. The full diary is available to the public. For information, contact the Jimmy Carter Library in Atlanta at (404) 865-7100 or e-mail carter.library@nara.gov

Although many of their letters were not delivered to each other, a mainstay of Ode's captivity was the correspondence of his family and friends, especially his wife, Rita Muth Ode, who was under great strain herself but cheered Ode with accounts of the new home she was preparing for his retirement, occasionally receiving advice about the new house from her captive husband.

After months of negotiations, the Iranian government released the hostages in January 1981. The negotiations had been conducted by the Carter administration, while the release was made the first day of the Reagan administration. President Reagan asked Carter to fly to Germany to welcome the released hostages, while Reagan announced their return to Congress and the world.

Ode died on September 8, 1995 in Sun City West, Arizona, where he had lived in retirement with Rita in the home that she had described to him in her letters while he was captive in Iran....

Go here to find links to Mr. Ode's diary entries.

Also on this day? As the BBC puts it:

1991: 'Mother of all Battles' begins

The Gulf War Allies have sent hundreds of planes on bombing raids into Iraq, at the start of Operation Desert Storm.

The American, British, French, Saudi and Kuwaiti aircraft took off at 2330 GMT last night.

Their bombs were aimed at military and strategic targets, including an oil refinery and Baghdad airport.

At least 400 raids took place. Latest reports say all the Allied aircraft have returned home safely, although France says four of its planes were hit.

One Tornado was shot down
Read the navigator's story

US Defence Secretary, Dick Cheney, said the operation appeared to have gone "very well".

Two hours after the raids began, President George Bush made a televised address.

He said the military objectives were clear - force Iraqi troops out of Kuwait and restore the legitimate government.

In Baghdad, Saddam Hussein remained defiant. He said the "Mother of all Battles had begun". He urged the Iraqi people to "stand up to evil".

First news of the bombing came from reporters in Baghdad working for the American TV network, CNN. They reported hearing air raid sirens shortly before the bombs hit.

President Bush said: "Our operations are designed to best protect the lives of all the coalition forces by targeting Saddam's vast military arsenal.

"Initial reports from General Schwarzkopf are that our operations are proceeding according to plan."

The British Prime Minister, John Major, came out of Number Ten shortly before 0800 GMT to make a statement to reporters.

"No-one wanted this conflict. No-one can be pleased about the fact this conflict has been necessary," he said.

"I hope now it is clear to Iraq that the scale of the Allied operation is such that they cannot win....

Lots of interesting links to the events on the BBC here. There are a few first person accounts there, too. Some of the pictures from Desert Storm here:

A Kuwaiti soldier with a machine gun stands silhouetted on the skyline

British Army soldiers are given injections against the effects of a possible chemical atteck

British and US forces prepare to launch laser-guided bombs on Iraq

A US soldier examines the wreckage of a missile, believed to be a Scud, which landed in Saudi Arabia

A cow stands in front of burning oil wells, set alight by retreating Iraqi forces in the al-Ahmadi oil fields near Kuwait City

French soldiers patrol under a mural of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Southern Iraq

An Egyptian soldier guards Iraqi prisoners in the Kuwaiti desert

A Kuwaiti raises his arms in celebration as Allied forces arrive in Kuwait City

Saddam Hussein speaks on television for the first time after Iraq's defeat

Kuwait City celebrates after the liberation

New Yorkers celebrate the end of the Gulf War

What did we learn from history? I suggest one was that when we go out to do a job, we better finish it. The historians will, no doubt, be pontificating for years about the success of the mission dubbed The "Mother of all Battles", and I don't need to add my two cents' worth. What was obvious to even this non military observer was that the job was unfinished. And so it was:

On 27 February, President George Bush declared victory. Kuwait was liberated but Saddam Hussein remained in power in Baghdad.

On 20 March 2003, President George Bush junior led a "coalition of the willing" on an invasion of Iraq with the aim of toppling the Bagdad regime....(here)

As history shows, the "coalition of the willing" DID give Baghdad - and Iraq - back to the Iraqi people. The history which still remains to be written is whether or not we managed to eradicate the scourge of Islam and their Religion of Death globally. Our battle against the madmen of Islam continues to this day. As a new President gets set to lead America, it will be interesting to see if the 44th President has learned anything from history. The evidence of all that Islam means to do on a worldwide scale has been writ large for many decades. Only time will tell if this next President will ignore all the signs. We ignore the lessons of history at our peril.

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Its Shari'ah, Stupid #12

In this twelfth installment of exploring Jihad in Fiqh, we return to Reliance of the Traveller.

al-Misri, d. 1367, shafi’i. Umdat al Salik (Reliance of the Traveler), 09.1.

Jihad is a communal obligation. When enough people perform it to successfully accomplish it, it is no longer obligatory upon others […] If none of those concerned perform jihad, and it does not happen at all, then everyone who is aware that it is obligatory is guilty of sin, if there was a possibility of having performed it. In the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) jihad was a communal obligation after his emigration (hijra) to Medina. As for subsequent times, there are two possible states in respect to non-Muslims. The first is when they [i.e. Muslims] are in their own countries, in which case jihad is a communal obligation, and this is what our author is speaking of when he says, ”Jihad is a communal obligation,” meaning upon the Muslims each year. The second state is when non-Muslims invade a Muslim country or near to one, in which case jihad is personally obligatory upon the inhabitants of that country, who must repel the non-Muslims with whatever can.

Jihad is a communal obligation,” meaning upon the Muslims each year.

In this quote, we learn that the communal obligation to perform Jihad is annual. Jihad is not an anachronism which can be ignored, it must be performed every year until the entire world is conquered.

If none of those concerned perform jihad, and it does not happen at all, then everyone who is aware that it is obligatory is guilty of sin, if there was a possibility of having performed it.

You should understand that Jihad is mandatory, and that neglecting it is sinful.

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