Allah (swt) said,

[كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ وَاللّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ]

“Fighting has been obligated for you, though you dislike it. It may be that you dislike a matter while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a matter while it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know” [TMQ Surah Al-Baqarah: 216].

The noble verse begins by announcing that fighting has been ordained for Muslims, using the passive verb kutiba (كُتِبَit was ordained). This form of informing (إخبار ikhbaar) conveys a Shariah ruling—specifically, a command to fight. Thus, the meaning of [كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ] “Fighting has been ordained for you” is qaatiloo (قاتلواFight!) an imperative command evidencing Shariah obligation. This is further reinforced by the contextualizing clause describing the state of the believers, [وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ]“though you dislike it”; the obligation is underscored by the fact that the command is contextualized with hardship (مشقّة mushaqqah) and dislike (كُرْه kurh).

This is not the first instance where fighting was permitted or commanded. Permission to fight had already been granted following the Hijrah (هجرةMigration)—that is, with the establishment of the first Islamic state in Al-Madinah—as stated in the words of Allah (swt) Who said,

[أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَاتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا]

“Permission has been given to those who are fought against, because they have been wronged” [Surah Al-Hajj: 39], among other verses. Prior to the Hijrah, however, they had not been permitted to fight. “Dislike” (كُرْهkurh) refers to that which the soul finds repugnant and from which one’s nature recoils. Fighting is inherently distasteful to the soul because it disrupts one’s peace of mind, pleasures, sleep, sustenance, family life, and domestic stability. This is in addition to the hardship and exhaustion it entails, as well as the potential loss of life, bloodshed, and the destruction of homes and infrastructure. Yet, as the remainder of the noble verse evidences, it can ultimately be a source of good.

Allah’s (swt) saying,

[وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ]

“But perhaps you hate a matter and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a matter and it is bad for you”—serves as a concluding remark to the previously legislated obligation of fighting, an act naturally disliked by the soul. It establishes the truth that what is disliked may actually be beneficial, while what is loved may be harmful. The verse begins with the word ‘asa (عسىperhaps), which typically evidences human hope. However, when attributed to Allah (swt), it evidences certainty and inevitability. This part of the verse defines the standard by which humans must gauge good and evil. Left to their own devices and lacking correct understanding, humans tend to view what they love and what benefits them as khair (خيرgood), and what they dislike and what harms them as shar (شرevil). Yet, this standard is flawed; how often have people perceived some matter as evil when it held good, or viewed some matter as good when it harbored evil? The verse concludes with the words,

[وَاللّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ]

“And Allah knows, while you know not,” clarifying the reason for this: Allah—Glory be to Him—possesses absolute knowledge, whereas human knowledge is limited and pales into insignificance before the knowledge of Allah (swt).

Numerous Shariah texts reflect this concept. Among them is the saying of Allah (swt) regarding the treatment of women,

[وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ فَإِن كَرِهْتُمُوهُنَّ فَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَيَجْعَلَ اللّهُ فِيهِ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا]

“And live with them in kindness; for if you dislike them—perhaps you dislike a matter and Allah makes therein much good” [TMQ Surah An-Nisaa’: 19]. Allah (swt) commanded that women be treated well, even if feelings of dislike arise; for dislike is not the standard by which actions should be determined, since—as previously mentioned—what is disliked may actually hold great good. Another example is the saying of Allah (swt) regarding the Incident of the Slander (al-Ifk). Allah (swt) said,

[إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاؤُوا بِالْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّا لَّكُم بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ]

“Indeed, those who brought the slander are a group among you. Do not think it bad for you; rather, it is good for you” [TMQ Surah An-Nur: 11]. Despite the harm this incident caused the Messenger (saw) and his pure, chaste wife, Aisha (ra), Allah—Glory be to Him—described it as a source of good for the believers.

This description and standard apply to the believers. The underlying reason for this is Iman in Allah (swt). This is evidenced by the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (saw) who said, «عَجِبْتُ لأمرِ المؤمنِ، إنَّ أمرَهُ كُلَّهُ خيرٌ، إن أصابَهُ ما يحبُّ حمدَ اللَّهَ وَكانَ لَهُ خيرٌ، وإن أصابَهُ ما يَكْرَهُ فصبرَ كانَ لَهُ خيرٌ، وليسَ كلُّ أحدٍ أمرُهُ كلُّهُ خيرٌ إلَّا المؤمن» “I am amazed by the affair of the believer; his entire affair is good. If he experiences some matter he loves, he praises Allah, and it is good for him; and if he experiences some matter he dislikes, he shows patience, and it is good for him. No one’s entire affair is good except the believer’s.” The ruling of khair (خيرgood) here is linked to the term al-mu’min ( المؤمنthe believer)—which grammatically is faa’il (فاعلٍ the doer subject) as the derived participle (مشتقّmushtaq). In Arabic, linking a ruling to a derivative form indicates that the root (مصدر masdar) of that derivation (اشتقاق ishtiqaqq) is the reason (علّة illah) of the ruling. Thus, the reason (علّة illah) of goodness in all the believer’s affairs is Iman itself—stemming from the believer’s certainty in Allah’s absolute knowledge, profound wisdom, and wondrous providence.

Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah (may Allah preserve him)—the eminent alim and Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir—explains this verse as follows, ويكون المعنى: عسى أن تكرهوا ما في الجهاد من مشقة وهو خير لكم فهو طريق النصر والعزة ونشر الإسلام، وهو طريق الحسنيين النصر أو الشهادة. وعسى أن تحبوا الدعة وترك القتال وهو شر لكم فهو السبيل إلى الذلّ والمهانة وتجرؤ العدو عليكم والطمع فيكم. فإن تركتم الأمر لهواكم ضللتم، وإن اتبعتم فرض الله فزتم والله سبحانه هو علام الغيوب“The meaning is: You may dislike the hardship involved in Jihad, yet it is good for you; for it is the path to victory, honor, and the spread of Islam, and the path to one of the two excellent outcomes: victory or martyrdom. Conversely, you may love ease and the avoidance of fighting, yet it is evil for you; for it is the path to humiliation, disgrace, and emboldening the enemy to target and covet you. If you abandon the matter to your own whims, you will go astray; but if you follow Allah’s command, you will triumph. And Allah (swt) is the Knower of the Unseen.”

Thus, all good lies in the believer’s adherence to the commands of Allah (swt) and in avoiding what He has forbidden. Allah (swt) says,

[وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُواْ واتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّه خَيْرٌ لَّوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ]

“And if they had believed and feared Allah, the reward from Allah would have been of more good, if only they knew” [TMQ Surah Al-Baqarah: 103], and He (swt) also says,

[وَأَن تَصُومُواْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ]

“And to fast is of more good for you, if you only knew” [TMQ Surah Al-Baqarah: 184], among many other verses. Conversely, all evil lies in disbelief and disobedience to Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He. Allah (swt) said,

[وَلاَ يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ بَلْ هُوَ شَرٌّ لَّهُمْ]

“And let not those who greedily withhold what Allah has given them of His bounty ever think that it is of more good for them. Instead, it is of more evil for them” [TMQ Surah Aal-e Imran: 180].

It is important to note here that, while Shariah texts establish the correct standard for good and evil—as has been shown—the terms khair and shar are also used in their linguistic sense in certain contexts. Allah (swt) says:

[وَنَبْلُوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ]

“And We test you with evil and with good as a trial; and to Us you will be returned” [TMQ Surah Al-Anbiya: 35]. This is because a person may be tested with matters they dislike and perceive as harmful; in such instances, one must view matters through the correct Shariah standard. For Allah alone is the All-Knowing, the All-Aware, and the Master of benefit and harm; He tests the believer only with that which holds good for them.

The noble verse we have examined in this issue affirms the obligation of fighting in the Path of Allah (swt). This constitutes Jihad—an action obligated by Allah (swt) and established as the legitimate method for conveying and propagating Islam among the people. Islam is an ideology (مبدأmabda’), and an ideology comprises both an idea and a method. Allah (swt) sent His Messenger Muhammad (saw) to all of humanity and mandated that Muslims carry out this mission through the prescribed Shariah method—namely, Jihad for the Path of Allah (swt), just as the Messenger of Allah (saw) did. This encompasses inviting people to Islam through a Dawah that resonates within their minds and souls. Should they refuse, we offer to govern them according to Islam and provide them with protection in exchange for the jizya (جزيةtribute). If they refuse this as well, then the recourse is fighting and war. Consequently, the foreign policy of the Islamic State—the Khilafah (Caliphate)—was founded upon conveying the Islamic Risaalah message to all people. The Islamic State established its relations with others based on this principle, undertaking political actions to achieve this objective and resorting to war only when political measures proved ineffective. Thus, war served as the statesman’s final instrument for realizing goals and attaining objectives.

We ask Allah (swt) to hasten the victory and empowerment of the Deen for this Ummah, so that it may resume its historic role of bearing the torches of light, guidance, and justice for all humanity.