Editor’s note: We had a wonderful conversation with Fatima and her father, Muhammad.
Fatima is a thirteen-year-old Muslim who lives in Tel Aviv, Israel. She loves her country and will do anything to protect it from harm caused by other Muslims. When she grows up, she hopes to find a peace initiative that will bring Jews, Muslims, and Christians together to find common ground.
We present her piece just as we received it. If you would like to share your voice with our readers, please email us at [email protected]
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Fatima Muhammad, Special to the Jerusalem Press
Upfront, I am a Muslim. I think I am a good Muslim in the sense that Yasser Arafat said in an interview, and one of the only good things he said was: “To be a good Muslim, you need to be a good Jew and a good Christian.”
I also live in Israel, have Israeli citizenship, and have the same rights as everyone else who is a citizen of this beautiful country.
As a Muslim, I support Israel in its fight against Hamas and any hate-filled group like Hamas.
Lately, there has been a call for Muslims to take up Jihad. I fear that many of my fellow Muslims do not know that there are different kinds of Jihad, and I want to share this with them and anyone who cares to read this article.
From the onset, let it be known that Jihad means a holy war, that is, the lesser Jihad. But we will get to that soon enough.
What you are about to read are the rules a Muslim needs to follow if they are fighting in Jihad of different kinds. You will read that if Hamas were true Muslims, then no Israeli women would have been raped. No baby would have been burned. No old people would have been killed. The first ceasefire offered by Israel would have been accepted.
I am a progressive kind of Muslim. I dislike the bad parts of my faith and hope to grow up and change them.
I ask Allah (swt) to remove Hamas soon and bring peace to my home, Israel.
Jihad bin Nafs (Spiritual Jihad)
This type of Jihad means “controlling oneself from sinning.” I struggle with this one every day.
Jihad bil Lisaan (Verbal Jihad)
This one is basically “ending anti-Islam preacher’s carriers with the mouth (i.e., debates like those of Zakir Naik, Ahmed Deedat, Muhammed Hijab, etc.)”
Well… as long as I am allowed to write the stuff down to say them aloud later, given that my memory of precise locations isn’t that good.
Jihad bil Qalam (Jihad by writing)
This is “writing against injustice” or “preaching Islam by writing.”
There is no hesitation here as I am prone to take up this type of Jihad to correct my fellow Muslims.
Jihad bil Maal (Jihad by wealth/property)
This is about helping the poor and needy and those who are fighting for the country you live in.
Read that latter part once more: and helping those who are fighting for the country you live in.
Jihad bil Qital (Jihad in which life and death are involved)
This is the one that is called “war.”
This is a last-resort defense against aggression if no other option is available.
This is the Jihad I am most hesitant about doing, considering that it is a last resort, but if I end up getting forced to do so (I am a minor as of writing this answer), then I would strictly adhere to these rules, the rules that Hamas refuses to follow, even if what they were doing was righteous and in the way of Allah (swt):
a) All Islamic wartime rules must be followed, and oppressing the enemy immediately makes one a sinner. In it, only those people are to be killed who fight the Muslims, and innocent civilians are NOT to be harmed.
b) Muslims must NOT kill anyone on their side (i.e., not betray). However, groups like Hamas, ISIS, and others betray each other all the time.
c) If the enemy asks for a ceasefire or a peace treaty, it becomes OBLIGATORY to grant them one.
As I said, I live in Israel. My parents and I live in Tel Aviv, and I love it here. I also love that the government of Israel keeps pressing for a ceasefire, and Hamas and Hezbollah must grant it. Now, Allah (swt) will judge them harshly.
d) Intentional killing of women and children is forbidden.
(Sahih Muslim)
e) Cutting of trees is only allowed if the enemy is taking advantage of them.
(Sahih Muslim)
f) Asking for help from a polytheist is NOT allowed.
I read another article in the Jerusalem Press that Hezbollah has allied with Christians. If they were true Muslims, then they would not have made this alliance.
(Sahih Muslim)
g) Once a peace treaty or ceasefire is done, Muslims must NOT fight anymore.
For me and my friends in school, we like to see the people of the West go mad when they learn that Israel gave the Gaza to the Palestinians back in 2005. There was a treaty, my dad says. Hamas broke the law of Allah (swt) by lobbing missiles toward us and attacking us in October of last year.
h) Forced conversion to Islam is NOT allowed
i) Fruit-bearing trees are NOT to be cut if the enemy is not taking advantage of them
j) Old people, animals, and monks are forbidden from being killed. Plus, war loot must be shared equally, and dead bodies must not be mutilated.
In a famous decree, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the first Caliph, told his military commander: “Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for guidance on the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies; do not kill a woman, a child, or an aged man; do not cut down fruitful trees; do not destroy inhabited areas; do not slaughter any of the enemies’ sheep, cow or camel except for food; do not burn date palms, nor inundate them; do not embezzle (e.g. no misappropriation of booty or spoils of war) nor be guilty of cowardliness…You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone.”
k) Using fire to punish, attack, or even kill is NOT allowed
l) Suicide is forbidden.
m) Destroying non-Muslim places of worship is forbidden.
My dad had told me that when they left Gaza after it was given to the Palestinians, they began to burn and destroy synagogues and churches left behind.
n) Cursing during battle is forbidden
o) If you want to take Qisas/revenge, take only the same amount as you received, and do not exceed it, though it is better to forgive (or take blood money)
p) Trying to fight repeatedly is not right, as it is not Jihad… it is only done as a last resort for defense.
“Do not wish for an encounter with the enemy; pray to God to grant you security; but when you [are forced to] encounter them, exercise patience.” (Sahih Muslim)
However, if it is to help the oppressed, there is no mercy to the enemy (unless the enemy asks for mercy). I am sure the cowards of Hamas ignored the cries of mercy. May Allah (swt) punish everyone involved with the October attacks.
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