What Is Pre-emptive Jihad?: Exploring Militant Islam (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798257102608)

Muslims are experiencing trauma. Not a few follow Islamism rather than Islam without realizing it. The umma turned from the "path of Allah" or revelation to follow the ways of its forefathers, recorded in traditions. As a result, the umma became "political." This was a reorientation that turned out to be a disorientation. The turn was assisted by the recording of traditions, carried out under political pressure and in defiance of the prohibition of "adding" to revelation in the Book of Allah (Quran, 69:44-46). The reorientation was justified by an alleged "requirement" to "clarify" and "detail" revelation. These would be furnished by tradition. These perceptions treat revelation as in parts "unclear," "insufficiently detailed" and "contradictory." But the Book of Allah presents itself as "clear," "fully detailed" and "free of contradictions." Why would a Book that is "clear" and "fully detailed" require further "clarification" and "detailing"? The characterization of revelation as "unclear," "insufficiently detailed," and "contradictory" presupposes rejecting - disbelieving in - all verses that teach the contrary. It treats the Book of Allah as a work of a person prone to error, forgetfulness and confusion. This is anthropomorphism. It gets worse. The "clarification" and "detailing" of revelation corrupted the knowledge of revelation. Islam was reinvented as Islamism, a religion of war. The reinterpretation of Islam was buttressed by the persecution of thinkers, the prohibition of ijtihad and recourse to taqlid. The "intellectual suicide" or repression of reason engendered a lingering "tradition of intellectual retardation." Its reluctance to engage reason to understand revelation crippled the ability of the umma to understand and follow the Book of Allah. The repression of reason "disconnected" the umma from its religion by preventing it from understanding the Book of Allah and by connecting it to tradition. Exegesis and jurisprudence were weaponized to justify the territorial enlargement of the realm. For hawkish rulers required a justification for enlarging the realm in ways prohibited by revelation, wars of aggression. To enable their rulers to bypass the prohibitions against aggression in revelation, hawkish jurists replaced fighting in self-defense with preemptive jihad. Wars would be waged in the "clash" between the realm of peace or dar al-salam and the realm of unbelief or dar al-kufr. Fighting non-Muslims became a requirement even when non-Muslims were not fighting Muslims. But the Book of Allah permits fighting exclusively in self-defense or against persecution. The justification of the propagation of Islam by force, prohibited in revelation, was furnished by recourse to the "abrogation" of all "peace verses" by the verses of the sword. This transformed Islam from a teaching of reconciliation into a religion of war. The justification of jihad al-talab was erected on a string of gaffes. These encompass the reorientation from revelation to tradition, the repression of reason, the treatment of tradition as revelation, and recourse to the abrogation of all verses of reconciliation by the verse of the sword. These practices defy the teaching of revelation. Regrettably, the errors resulted in the emergence of despotism and even a "jurisprudence of terror." This requires attention. Islamism is an aberration unjustly associated with Islam. The treatment of tradition as revelation "equal" and able to "replace" revealed laws is an expression of scriptural as well as juristic shirk. It also encroaches on tawhid. Penal legislation was also corrupted. Revealed rulings on apostasy, blasphemy and adultery were summarily replaced by rulings from manmade traditions. Allowing rulings from traditions to replace rulings in the Book of Allah transformed penal legislation into a "license to kill." This defiance of tawhid enabled persons to become "lawgivers," which is the exclusive prerogative of Allah.

Author: Leslie Terebessy
ISBN-13: 9798257102608
Publisher: Independently Published
Language: English
Published: 04/12/2026
Pages: 216
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.46d