Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (28/157)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

that they are indeed of you, but they are not of you; rather, they are a people who are afraid.”

“If they could find a refuge, caves, or somewhere to hide, they would turn towards it, rushing headlong.”

And His words:

“But when a clear, decisive surah is revealed and fighting is mentioned in it, you see those in whose hearts is disease looking at you with the gaze of someone overcome by death.”

And His words:

“Have you not seen those who were told, ‘Restrain your hands, establish prayer, and give zakah’? Then, when fighting was prescribed for them, some of them feared people as they feared Allah, or even more. They said, ‘Our Lord, why have You prescribed fighting for us? If only You would grant us a little more time!’ Say, ‘The enjoyment of this world is brief, and the Hereafter is better for whoever fears Allah. You will not be wronged in the least.’”

All the Quran’s exhortations and encouragements to undertake jihad, and its condemnation of those who shrink from it or abandon it, constitute a condemnation of cowardice.

Since human well-being in both religious and worldly affairs cannot be complete without courage and generosity, He, glorified be He, explained that whoever turns away from undertaking jihad in person will be replaced by someone who will undertake it. He says:

“O you who believe, what is the matter with you that, when you are told to go forth in Allah’s cause, you cling heavily to the earth? Are you content with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? Yet the enjoyment of this worldly life is but little compared with the Hereafter.”

“If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment and replace you with another people. You will not harm Him at all, and Allah has power over all things.”

Allah Most High also says:

“Here you are, being called to spend in Allah’s cause, yet some of you are miserly. Whoever is miserly is miserly only to his own detriment. Allah is free of need, while you are the needy. If you turn away, He will replace you with another people, who will not be like you.”

إنَّهُمْ لَمِنْكُمْ وَمَا هُمْ مِنْكُمْ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَفْرَقُونَ} {لَوْ يَجِدُونَ مَلْجَأً أَوْ مَغَارَاتٍ أَوْ مُدَّخَلًا لَوَلَّوْا إلَيْهِ وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ} . وَقَوْلُهُ: {فَإِذَا أُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ مُحْكَمَةٌ وَذُكِرَ فِيهَا الْقِتَالُ رَأَيْتَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ يَنْظُرُونَ إلَيْكَ نَظَرَ الْمَغْشِيِّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ} . وَقَوْلُهُ: {أَلَمْ تَرَ إلَى الَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهُمْ كُفُّوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ إذَا فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَشَدَّ خَشْيَةً وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبْتَ عَلَيْنَا الْقِتَالَ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنَا إلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ قُلْ مَتَاعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِمَنِ اتَّقَى وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا} . وَمَا فِي الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ الْحَضِّ عَلَى الْجِهَادِ وَالتَّرْغِيبِ فِيهِ وَذَمِّ النَّاكِلِينَ عَنْهُ وَالتَّارِكِينَ لَهُ: كُلُّهُ ذَمٌّ لِلْجُبْنِ. وَلَمَّا كَانَ صَلَاحُ بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَتِمُّ فِي دِينِهِمْ وَدُنْيَاهُمْ إلَّا بِالشَّجَاعَةِ وَالْكَرَمِ: بَيَّنَ سُبْحَانَهُ أَنَّ مَنْ تَوَلَّى عَنْ الْجِهَادِ بِنَفْسِهِ أَبْدَلَ اللَّهُ بِهِ مَنْ يَقُومُ بِذَلِكَ؛ فَقَالَ: {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انْفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إلَى الْأَرْضِ أَرَضِيتُمْ بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إلَّا قَلِيلٌ} {إلَّا تَنْفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا وَيَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُّوهُ شَيْئًا وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ} . وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {هَاأَنْتُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنْفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يَبْخَلُ وَمَنْ يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَاللَّهُ الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ وَإِنْ تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُمْ} .