This was followed by an open warfare with the Muslim armies moving far into the land of both the Byzantine and Persian Empires, leaving no pockets behind them. The areas that were now under Islam were united, having continuous borders. It was a vast land area with solid loyalty to one authority. Weakness only crept in after its divisions into different units, with artificial borders to allow government of certain ruling families of certain races and nationalities. This was the outcome of a plan that the enemies of Islam tried hard to bring to fruition, as they still do today. The different ethnic communities which Islam united in a single nation or community in the land of Islam, superseding the divisions of race, language and color, will continue to suffer from inherent weaknesses until they go back to their faith. Only when they are back following the guidance of God's messenger, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and allowing only a single banner to unite them shall they recognize the implication of divine leadership which will once again bring them power and victory. When that happens, it will ensure that they are held in awe by other nations and powers.

Let us now reflect on this verse: "Believers, fight those of the non-believers who are near you and let them find you tough; and know that God is with those who are God-fearing."

What we find here is an order to fight those non-believers who are near to the Muslim state, without specifying whether they have launched any aggression on the Muslims or their land. We understand that this is the final situation which makes the need to carry Islam forward the basis of the principle of jihad. That will ensure that Islam is available to mankind. It does not have a defensive outlook, as was the case with the provisional orders in the early days after the establishment of the Muslim state in Madinah.

Some of those who speak about the Islamic view of international relations or about the rulings that govern jihad, as well as those who write essays interpreting the Qur'anic verses speaking about jihad, try to show this verse, which is the final one, limited by the earlier provisional rules. Hence they impose on it a restriction, limiting its application to cases of aggression being launched or expected against the Muslim community.

But this statement is general and has no restriction attached to it. What is more is that it is the final one. What we have learned is that when the Qur'an lays down legal provisions, it states them in a clear and precise style, without referring one situation to another. It resorts to precision of expressions, adding at the same point any exceptions, limitations or restrictions it wants the Muslim community to observe.

However, those speakers and writers find it incomprehensible that Islam lays down such an order which commands the believers to fight those non-believers who are near to them, and to continue to do so as long as there remain non-believers in their vicinity. Hence they try to find limits restricting this general statement, but they can only find these in the earlier statement which were, by nature, provisional.

We understand why they find it so incomprehensible. They simply forget that jihad is meant to serve God's cause. It aims to establish God's authority and to remove tyranny. It liberates mankind from submission to any authority other than that of God.

"Fight against them until there is no more oppression, and all submission is to God alone." (8:39) Jihad does not aim to achieve the hegemony of one philosophy or system or nation over another. It wants the system laid down by God to replace the systems established by His creatures. It does not wish to establish a kingdom of anyone of God's servants, but to establish God's own kingdom. Hence it has to move forward throughout the earth in order to liberate the whole of mankind, without discrimination between those who are within the land of Islam and those outside it. The whole earth is populated by human beings who are being subjected to tyrannical authorities exercised by fellow human beings.

When they lose sight of this fact they find it odd that one system and one nation should move forward to remove all systems and dominate all communities. If things were such, that would be odd indeed. But the systems that exist today are all man-made. None of them has any right to say that it alone should dominate others.

The same does not apply to the divine system which sets out to overthrow all manmade systems in order to liberate all mankind from the humiliation of submission to other human beings so that they can submit to God alone and worship Him only without any partners. Moreover, they find it odd because they face a concentrated and wicked crusade which tells them that the Islamic faith managed to spread only because it used the sword. Jihad, it claims, wanted to force other people to accept Islam depriving them of the freedom of belief.

Had things been so they would have been odd indeed. But the truth is totally different. Islam lays down a rule stating that "No compulsion is admissible in matters of belief. The right way now stands clearly distinguished from the wrong way."

Why does Islam, then, move forward to fight, and why has God bought the believers' souls and property, so that "they fight for God's cause, kill and get killed"? The answer is that jihad has a reason which is totally different from compelling other people to accept Islam. Indeed jihad seeks to guarantee the freedom of belief.

As we have stated on several occasions, Islam is a declaration which liberates mankind throughout the earth from submission to human beings. As such, Islam always faces tyrannical forces and systems which seek to subjugate people and dominate their lives. These systems are backed by regimes and powers of different sorts, which deprive the people of the chance to listen to the Islamic message and to adopt it if they are convinced of its truth. Or they may force people, in one way or another, to turn away from the Islamic message. That is an ugly violation of the freedom of belief. For these reasons, Islam moves forward, equipped with suitable power, to overthrow these systems and destroy their forces.

What happens then? It leaves people entirely free to adopt the faith they like. If they wish to be Muslims, they will have all the rights and duties that apply to all Muslims. They will have a bond of real brotherhood with those who have been Muslims long before them.

On the other hand, if they wish to maintain their religions, they may do so. They only have to pay a tribute, i.e. jizyah which has a clear purpose: to acknowledge the freedom of movement for Islam among them, to contribute to the treasury of the Muslim state which is required to protect them against any outside aggression, and to look after those of them who are ill, disabled and elderly in the same way as Muslims are looked after.

Never in the history did Islam compel a single human being to change his faith. That is alien to Islamic beliefs and practice. On the other hand, crusades were launched to kill, slaughter and eliminate entire communities, such as the people of Zanzibar in recent history, in order to compel them to adopt Christianity. Sometimes even that would not be accepted from them. They were killed only because they were Muslims, or because they followed a brand of Christianity which was different from that of the dominating Church. For example, 12,000 Egyptian Christians were burned alive only because they differed with the Byzantine Church over matters of detail, such as whether the world originated with the Father alone, or with the Father and the Son together, or whether Christ had a single divine nature or a united divine and human nature.

These are basically the causes which make some writers about Islam find the general statement in this verse rather odd, and they try to explain it away by limiting the jihad movement in a defensive strategy only. [There is yet] another reason for such an apologetic attitude on the part of those writers.

The thought of moving forward to confront the non-believers who are near to the Muslim state sounds too awesome to those defeatists who look at the world around them today and find this requirement too hard to be practical. Are those who have Muslim names in communities that are weak, or subject to foreign domination, to move forth in the land, challenging all nations in open warfare, until there is no more oppression and all submission is declared to God alone? That is totally unrealistic. It cannot be imagined that God would give such an order.

All such people forget the timing and the circumstances leading to this order. It was given after Islam had established its state, and the whole of Arabia adopted the Islamic faith and started to organize its life on its basis. Prior to that a community was established which dedicated itself totally to its cause, with everyone in that community ready to sacrifice his life and property in order for Islam to triumph. This community was given victory in one battle after another, stage after stage. Today we are in a situation which is highly similar to that which prevailed at the time when Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was sent to call on mankind to believe in God's Oneness and to declare that "There is no deity save God, and Muhammad is His messenger." Together with the small band who believed in him, the Prophet strove hard until he managed to establish the first Muslim state in Madinah. The orders to fight the non-believers were modified state by stage, facing the prevailing situation at each stage, until it reached its final version.

The gulf that separates people today from the final version is such that they have to start with the declaration that "There is no deity save God, and Muhammad is His messenger." They will have to move forward on the basis of this declaration until they reach, in their own good time and with God's help, the final stage. At that time they will not be sort of powerless multitudes divided by a variety of creeds and desires, and declaring their affiliation to different races and nationalities, as they are today. They will be a united Muslim community that accepts no banner, or manmade creed or system. They will only move with God's blessings to serve His cause.

Encumbered with their pathetic weakness, people will not understand the rules of this religion. It is only those who strive in a movement dedicated to the establishment of God's sovereignty on earth, and the removal of false deities, that fully understand its rules. Understanding this religion in its true nature cannot be taken from those who deal only with books and papers. Academic study is not sufficient on its own to formulate any real understanding of Islam, unless it is coupled with striving in a movement. Finally, this verse, giving such a clear order, was revealed in circumstances that suggest that the first to be meant by it were the Byzantine, who belonged to an earlier religion, or, to use the Islamic term, People of the Book. The surah, however, has already made it clear that they had distorted their faith and obeyed man-made laws and systems, so they were truly non-believers. We should reflect there on the line of action Islam takes toward communities of the People of the Book who have turned away from their faith and adopted man-made laws. This line of action applies to all such communities everywhere. God has commanded the believers to fight those non-believers who are near to them, and to be tough to them, but then commented on this order by saying: "God loves those who are God-fearing." This is a significant comment on the order preceding it. The type of fear of God which He appreciates and loves those who have it is that which shows toughness in fighting the non-believers. That means that there is no compromise "until there is no more oppression and all submission is to God alone."

Nevertheless, everyone should know that this toughness is directed against only those who fight, and it remains controlled by Islamic ethics. Before Muslims fight, they give a warning and offer the other party a choice between three alternatives: To adopt Islam, or to pay the tribute, i.e. jizyah, or to fight. If there is a treaty between the Muslim state and another community and the Muslim state fears that there may be a treachery on the latter's part, then a notice terminating the treaty should be served on them. It is useful to mention here that treaties may be given only to communities which are ready to be bound by a peace agreement and to pay the jizyah. The only other situation where a treaty may be signed is that when the Muslim community is lacking in power. In this situation, some provisional rules are applicable to it.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, himself has set out the ethics of power with which the Muslim community may fight. Buraidah, a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, reports: "When the Prophet appointed someone to command an army or an expedition, he would recommend him to be God-fearing in his public and private affairs, and to take good care of those who were under his command. Then he would tell them: March by God's name and to serve His cause. Fight those who deny God. March on but do not be unfair, and commit no treachery. Do not disfigure the bodies of those (enemy soldiers) who are killed. Never kill any children. When you meet your enemies, call upon them to choose one of three alternatives. If they choose one of them, accept it from them and do not fight them.

"Call on them first to accept Islam. If they agree, accept their pledges and do not fight them. Then ask them to move over to the land of the Muhajireen, and tell them that they would then have the same duties and privileges as the Muhajireen. If they do not wish to move from their quarters, tell them that they would then be in the same position as the Bedouin Muslims. They will be subject to God's orders that are applied to all believers, but they will have no share in the booty that is gained through war or peaceful campaigns, unless they fight with the Muslims. If they refuse to accept Islam, then offer them the alternative of paying jizyah, or tribute. If they agree, accept it from them and do not fight them. If they refuse, then seek God's help and fight them."

If we take the linguistic meaning of the word jihad we find that it relates to the exertion of efforts. The effort is intended to accomplish a specific purpose, but the term jihad also implies the presence of strong opposition or resistance. Thus, a pre-Islamic poet may use the word jihad to describe his efforts to get his passion under his control after the departure of his beloved with her tribe, leaving him alone without any hope of reunion. His passion would be the source of resistance to his effort to control himself and try to live a normal life.

In its Islamic sense, the term jihad, does not differ greatly in implying the exertion of effort and the presence of resistance. However, the purpose of jihad is clearly defined as the furtherance of the cause of Allah. This means helping the message of Islam spread and helping it being implemented properly in an Islamic community. The sort of effort required in jihad differs according to circumstances and to the particular situation in which a Muslim finds himself. It could be a simple action, such as standing firm in defense of the cause of Islam. This may require speaking out in public, against ignoring Islamic principles, and writing articles or publishing books. It may also take the form of reminding people of their Islamic duties and motivating them to conduct their lives according to Islam. Its top and most noble form is to fight the enemies of Islam in battle in order to foil their attempts to smother the call of Islam.

It is this form of fighting which always springs to people's minds when the term jihad is mentioned. This is due to the fact that when a person fights, he demonstrates practically his willingness to sacrifice his life for the cause of Islam. His jihad no longer stops at making efforts which are not likely to cause him any harm. Here he is exposing himself to risks of injury and death. Because this form has been deeply rooted in people's concept of jihad, the word is associated generally with exerting strenuous efforts which could endanger a person's life. Hence, the term 'jihad' is often mistranslated as "holy war."

Perhaps it is appropriate to clarify at this point that there is nothing which Islam describes as "holy war". The very description will suggest that Islam approves of two types of war: one holy and the other unholy. This is certainly untrue. If a war is fought for a just cause, such as lifting injustice or freeing people from persecution, then it is a war which Islam approves of, hence, it is jihad. A war against imperialism can be described as jihad if its purpose is to free the Muslim community so that they may conduct their lives according to Islam. A purely patriotic war to achieve national independence cannot be described as jihad if its aim is to retain the secular system imposed by the imperialists, but will simply replace its administrators by nationals.

We see that the purpose is of utmost importance. This is perfectly in line with Islamic thinking, because Islam attaches the greatest importance to the intention behind every action. The Prophet says: "Actions are but intentions." This means that the value of any action is determined by the intention behind it and the purpose for which it is done. The Prophet was asked about people fighting the same war with the same army, but one of them is fighting simply because he wants to be with his people against their enemy, another is fighting for personal pride, and one fights simply because he is brave, and yet another in order to maintain appearances: which of them can be described as fighting for Allah's cause. His answer was most revealing: "He who fights in order to make Allah's law supreme fights for Allah's cause."

What this Hadith tells us is that it is the propriety of purpose which determined the act of an individual, a community or the state. In other words, the cause for which the war is being fought must be approved by Islam, and the intention of every single fighter must be the right one. In other words, it is possible that a campaign of jihad may be joined by people who cannot be described as mujahed. As you realize, the term mujahed means a person who makes the efforts to support Allah's cause. Some of those who would join a campaign of jihad may have other purposes for doing so. Therefore, they cannot earn the honor of being mujahed simply because they have joined such a campaign. Let me give you a very clear example. The war of liberation that the Muslim people of Afghanistan fought for over a decade was a war which Islam approves. Therefore, it was a war of jihad. The fighters called themselves Mujahedeen, and rightly so. However, in their ranks, there may have been people who did not consider the establishment of Allah's law in a land of Islam as their prime purpose. Those were not Mujahedeen despite the fact that they were fighting with the Mujahedeen.

A shaheed, which means martyr, is a person who is killed as a result of the efforts he makes in support of Allah's cause. Whether he is felled by an enemy bullet or assassinated or taken prisoner and executed is immaterial. As long as the prime reason for killing him is the effort he is making in support of Islam, then his death is martyrdom. He is a shaheed and a shaheed is admitted into heaven without having to account for his sins. Allah forgives him all sins that he may have committed previously.

A shaheed, however, need not be a fighter in the sense that he is a soldier taking part in war. He is a mujahed as he is making an effort for jihad to make the world of Islam triumphant. I will give you an example. The late Sayyid Qutb, one of the top contemporary Islamic scholars, never fought war and never fired a bullet. He, however, served and defended Islam in the way he knew best. He wrote books and articles making the principles of Islam absolutely clear to modern readers and wrote a commentary on the Qur'an which makes the meaning of its verses easy to grasp. As a result, many young men, all over the Arab world and beyond, turned to Islam advocating its cause, after having been previously semi-ignorant of their faith. He used his powerful style to instill in people's minds the thought that unless a community conducts all its affairs according to Islamic law, it cannot be described as a Muslim community. This was a direct challenge to the authorities in Egypt where Sayyid Qutb lived. At that time, Egypt was writhing under a brutal dictatorship. Sayyid Qutb was arrested and imprisoned for ten years, then released. One year later, he was imprisoned again and his interrogators asked him mainly about his latest book, entitled 'Milestone.' When he was put to trial, his writing of that book was a central issue. He was sentenced to death and executed in 1966. Sayyid Qutb was a mujahed and a shaheed. I say so advisedly because the Prophet says: "The best form of jihad is a declaration of the truth in front of a despotic ruler." He also says: "The master of all martyrs is Hamza ibn Abdul Mutalib (the Prophet's uncle); and a man who stands up to a tyrant, ordering him to do what is right and to desist from doing what is wrong." That was exactly what Sayyid Qutb did and for which he had to sacrifice his life.

The disbelievers among the jinn are the devils, or shaitans. They are man's worst enemy because it was shaitan who worked hard to cause man to be thrown out of heaven. Shaitan or Satan cannot do to man anything worse than trying to persuade him to abandon the path which draws him nearer to Allah and to indulge in sin.

Many people ask me about the spirit and I prefer not to answer any question on that because Allah instructs the Prophet in Qur'an to say: "Knowledge of the true nature of the spirit belongs to My Lord."

If Muslims turn away from their faith, they incur Allah's anger and make themselves open to His punishment. This may take any shape or form Allah chooses. Allah can call on any of His creatures to carry out His orders. When He wants to punish any of His creatures, He may employ any agent for inflicting it. Allah may punish those who challenge His authority with floods, storms, volcanoes, catastrophes of every variety or He may allow any nation to subdue them. Whether He employs the jinn or not is a matter open to Him.