A Difficult Ruling in the West

The ninth is a long discussion of jihād: of defending oneself against one's enemies and dealing with them, of preparedness, of the benefits in it, and of not being weak in that regard.

SubḥānAllāh, living in the West, this is a very difficult ḥukm. It stands in the Qur'an, and it is difficult for people even to understand what they are to do with it. For this reason there are many who take advantage of people's feelings about jihād — feelings roused by a message repeated again and again in the Qur'an — and manipulate them into doing what is wrong, and what is no true jihād at all.

We need to sit down and come to terms with the frustration people feel over this: with what jihād truly means, and how it might rightly be undertaken. That is an important and profound discussion, and one that will have to be had as we continue to live in the West. This is not the occasion for it.