A Critical Exposition of the Popular 'Jihád'/Chapter 12/126

[Sidenote: 126. The Revd. T.P. Hughes quoted.]

The Revd. T.P. Hughes in his Notes on Muhammadanism writes:&mdash;


 * "Jihád (lit. 'an effort') is a religious war against the infidels, as enjoined by Muhammad in the Qurán."


 * Súrat-un-Nisa (VI.)


 * "Fight therefore for the religion of God."


 * "God hath indeed promised Paradise to every one. But God hath preferred those who fight for the faith." (IV, 97.) Súrat-ul-Muhammad (XLVII).


 * "Those who fight in the defence of God's true religion, God will not suffer their works to perish." (XLVII, 5.)

The first verse quoted by Mr. Hughes appertains to the war of defence. The verse in itself has express indications of its relating to the war of defence, but Mr. Hughes was not inclined, perhaps, to copy it in full. He merely quotes half a sentence, and shuts his eyes from other words and phrases of the same verse. The verse has been quoted in page 20. It is as follows:&mdash;

"Fight then on the path of God: lay not burdens on any but thyself; and stir up the faithful. The powers of the infidels, God will haply restrain; for God is stronger in prowess, and stronger to punish."&mdash;(Sura IV, 86.)

The severe persecution, the intense torture and mighty aggression of the Meccans and their allies is referred to in the original word Báss, rendered prowess into English and referred to in the previous verse 77, which shows that the war herein enjoined was to restrain the aggressions of the enemy and to repel force by force.

It is very unfair on the part of the Revd. T.P. Hughes to twist or dislocate half a sentence from a verse and put it forth to demonstrate and prove a certain object of his.