Fifth Reflection

Jihad against the unbelievers—engaging them in battle and even initiating hostilities, as the Sunnah relates—has been instituted only as a matter of necessity. Should the unbelievers refuse to acknowledge this faith as the rule among them—so that religion belongs to Allah alone and His word is exalted, allowing Muslims to proclaim it to all peoples—or should they decline to pay the jizya in humble submission, then nothing remains but combat. After those two alternatives, Muslims have no other option than direct confrontation, an outcome compelled by reality and dictated by necessity.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (1), may Allah have mercy on him, said: “Fighting was prescribed only for cases of necessity. Had people accepted the truth on the basis of proof and signs, there would have been no need for warfare. Presenting the signs and proofs of Islam is an unconditional, primary obligation, whereas jihad is legislated only when necessity demands it.”