Does Islam teach violence?

Maybe you saw it on the news. A man shouts "Allahu akbar" and then hurts innocent people. Then a video says: "Look, the Quran tells Muslims to kill unbelievers wherever they find them." A friend asks you: "Is your religion a religion of war?"

You may feel ashamed, angry or confused. You may even ask yourself: what if they are right?

This is a fair question. Asking it is not a sin. Islam asks you to look for real answers, from real sources (see How to look for answers). This chapter looks at what the Quran and Nabi ﷺ actually teach, and at the verses that are often quoted without the verses around them.

The short answer

• Jihad means striving. Most of it is the daily struggle to be a better person. Fighting is only one kind of jihad.
• Islam allows war, but only a just war. Like most nations and laws in the world, Islam allows a people to defend themselves and to stop oppression.
• Only a state can lead it. No person or group may declare war on their own.
• War has strict rules. Women, children and people who are not fighting must not be killed. No betrayal and no cruelty.
• Terrorism is haram. Killing innocent people, and attacks where the attacker kills himself on purpose, go against the Quran and the Sunnah. Scholars agree on this.

What does jihad really mean?

The Arabic word jihad means to strive hard, to make a great effort. The Quran and Sunnah use it for many kinds of effort for Allah. War is only one of them.

• The fight with yourself. Nabi ﷺ said: the mujahid (the one who does jihad) is the one who strives against his own self¹. Waking up for Fajr and controlling your anger is jihad.
• Jihad with the Quran. In Makkah, years before any fighting was allowed, Allah told Nabi ﷺ to strive against the disbelievers with it, the Quran, a great striving². This jihad was words, not swords.
• Speaking the truth. Nabi ﷺ said: the best jihad is a word of justice in front of an unjust ruler³.
• Serving your parents. A man asked to go out and fight. Nabi ﷺ asked: are your parents alive? He said yes. Nabi ﷺ said: then strive in serving them⁴.
• Hajj. Aisha asked if women should go out to fight. Nabi ﷺ said: the best jihad for you is a Hajj that is accepted⁵.

Allah promises: those who strive for Us, We will surely guide them to Our ways⁶.

A famous saying that is weak

You may hear that after a battle Nabi ﷺ said: "We have come back from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad", meaning the fight with yourself. This is very famous, but its chain of narrators is weak, so we do not quote it as his words. The fight with yourself does matter a great deal, as the sound hadith above shows⁷. But fighting in a just war is real jihad too. Each has its place and its rules.

When does Islam allow fighting?

For 13 years in Makkah, the Muslims were mocked, beaten and starved, and some were killed. In all that time they were not allowed to fight back. They were told to be patient.

Only after they moved to Madinah did Allah give permission: permission is given to those who are being fought, because they have been wronged. They were driven out of their homes unjustly, only because they said: our Lord is Allah⁸.

The same verse says that if Allah did not hold back some people by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques would have been pulled down⁹. So a just war also protects places of worship, not only mosques.

The main rules from the Quran

• Fight only those who fight you. Fight for Allah those who fight you, but do not go beyond the limits. Allah does not love those who go beyond the limits¹⁰.
• When they want peace, choose peace. If they lean toward peace, then lean toward it too, and trust in Allah¹¹.
• Be kind and fair to those who do not fight you. Allah does not stop you from being kind and just to people who did not fight you over your religion or drive you from your homes¹².
• No one is forced to believe. There is no compulsion in religion¹³.
• Stay fair even with people you hate. Do not let your hatred of a people make you unjust¹⁴.

Islam does not love war

Nabi ﷺ told his army: do not wish to meet the enemy, and ask Allah to keep you safe¹⁵. And only the one who fights so that Allah's word is highest is fighting for Allah, not the one who fights for money or fame¹⁶. Revenge and hate are not reasons Allah accepts.

What about wars a Muslim state started?

To be honest: in history, Muslim states also fought wars that were not only self-defense, against hostile empires, in a world where every empire fought its neighbors. Classical scholars set limits on these wars: the ruler decides, treaties must be kept, and only fighters may be fought.

Many scholars today say that where countries have peace agreements with each other, Muslims must keep them. Allah says: keep your treaty with them until its end. Allah loves those who are mindful of Him¹⁷.

What are the rules of war in Islam?

Even in a just war, soldiers may not do whatever they want. Nabi ﷺ gave clear rules, centuries before modern laws of war:

• Do not kill women and children. In one battle, a woman was found killed. Nabi ﷺ forbade the killing of women and children²⁰.
• Do not kill people who are not fighting. When Nabi ﷺ saw a woman who had been killed, he said: this one was not fighting. He sent word to the army leader, Khalid ibn al-Walid: do not kill a woman or a hired worker²¹. Only people who fight may be fought.
• No betrayal, no cruelty to bodies. Nabi ﷺ told his armies: do not betray, do not steal from what you capture, do not cut up bodies, and do not kill a child²².
• No burning people. Nabi ﷺ said: only Allah punishes with fire²³.
• Old people, monks, farmers and trees. Scholars also protect old people, monks and farmers who do not fight, and tell armies not to destroy crops and buildings without real need. This comes from the reason above (they are not fighting), and from the well-known advice of Abu Bakr to his armies, reported by Imam Malik.

Who can declare war?

Many people get this wrong. Fighting in Islam is led by the ruler of a state, not by a person or a group on its own. Nabi ﷺ said: the leader is a shield. People fight behind him and are protected by him²⁸.

• No person may declare jihad on his own. Not a young man who watched videos, not a preacher online, not a secret group.
• The four schools agree (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali): declaring war and making peace is for the ruler. The one exception they mention is a sudden attack on a town: then the people there defend themselves at once.
• Agreements must be kept. Nabi ﷺ said: whoever kills a person who has a treaty with the Muslims will not even smell the scent of Jannah²⁹. Everyone who betrays an agreement will have a flag raised on the Day of Judgement to show it³⁰.

What does this mean today? Many scholars explain that when you live in a country, or enter it with a visa, you have an agreement with it. You agreed to live in peace with its people, and they agreed to let you in. Harming them is betrayal, and Islam forbids it.

Is terrorism ever allowed in Islam?

No. Bombing a market, a train, a school, a church or a mosque, and killing people who are just living their lives, is haram. It breaks almost every rule above.

Allah tells us what He wrote for the Children of Israel, and scholars teach it as a lesson for all of us: whoever kills a person, unless it is for murder or for spreading corruption in the land, it is as if he has killed all of humanity. And whoever saves one life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity³¹.

• A life is sacred. Allah forbids taking a life He made sacred, except by the right of justice³².
• Blood is judged first. Nabi ﷺ said: the first cases judged between people on the Day of Judgement will be about blood³³.
• Killing closes the door of ease. Nabi ﷺ said: a believer stays in a wide space in his religion as long as he does not shed blood that is forbidden³⁴.

Scholars from every school and every part of the Muslim world have spoken out against terrorism, many times. On this there is agreement: killing innocent people to spread fear is a major sin.

What about suicide attacks?

Killing yourself is haram. Allah says: do not kill yourselves. Allah is Most Merciful to you³⁵. Nabi ﷺ warned very strongly about anyone who kills himself, by any means³⁶.

Being brave in battle does not change this. One man fought so hard that the Companions praised him. Then, badly wounded, he killed himself with his own sword, and Nabi ﷺ had already said he would not end well³⁷. So a person who kills himself to kill others is not a shahid (martyr). He has joined two great sins.

"Kill them wherever you find them": what does it mean?

This is the line quoted most. It is from Surah at-Tawbah:

When the sacred months are over, kill the idol worshippers wherever you find them, capture them, surround them, and wait for them at every lookout. But if they repent, pray and pay zakat, let them go their way. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful³⁸.

On its own, it sounds frightening. Now read the verses around it:

• Who is it about? The surah begins by speaking about the idol-worshipping tribes of Arabia who had made treaties with the Muslims³⁹. Many of them broke their oaths, plotted to drive Nabi ﷺ out, and started the fighting first⁴⁰.
• Those who kept their treaty were safe. Just before it, Allah says: the ones who kept their treaty, keep your treaty with them until its end⁴¹. And: as long as they are straight with you, be straight with them⁴².
• The very next verse gives protection. If any of the idol worshippers asks you for protection, protect him so that he can hear the words of Allah. Then take him to a place where he is safe⁴³.

So this verse is about one war, against people who had broken their treaties and attacked first. It was an order to an army led by Nabi ﷺ, not an order for anyone today to attack people in the street.

The same words appear in another verse⁴⁴. They come right after fight those who fight you⁴⁵. Again, they are about people already at war with the Muslims.

Scholars' views on these verses

• Some early scholars said the war verses of Surah at-Tawbah replaced the earlier verses about peace.
• Many other scholars, then and now, said no: each verse applies to its own situation. Peace verses apply when there is peace. War verses apply in a just war.

Both groups agree on what matters most here: these verses were about war led by Nabi ﷺ and the Muslim state, with all the rules of war. None of them gives a person or a group the right to kill innocent people. If this is a big question for you, ask a scholar you trust.

Then why do some Muslims do these things?

Some people who call themselves Muslims have done terrible things in the name of Islam. Only Allah knows their hearts. But some common reasons are clear:

• Real pain and anger. War and injustice in Muslim lands are real, and they hurt. But Islam never allows answering injustice by killing innocent people⁴⁶.
• Very little knowledge. Many never studied with real scholars. They learned from short clips and angry speeches.
• Verses cut from their context. They use the same few lines as the critics, without the verses around them.
• Recruiters online. Some groups look for young people who feel lonely, angry or lost.

Many of the people killed in these attacks have been Muslims too. A religion is judged by its Book and its Messenger, not by what some followers do (see When Muslims let you down).

We do not call these people kafir (disbelievers). Only Allah judges where a person ends up. But we can say clearly: what they did is haram, and it is not Islam.

What do you do with this doubt?

• Read the whole passage. When a clip quotes a verse, look it up. Ask: who was it about, and when?
• Do not let the news make you hate. Turn anger at injustice into dua, charity, honest speech and lawful action, never into hate for whole peoples.
• Walk away from anyone who pushes violence. If someone online or near you talks about "jihad" against ordinary people, step away. Tell a parent, an imam or another adult you trust.
• Do the jihad in front of you. Fight your laziness, your anger and your ego. Serve your parents. Speak the truth kindly⁴⁷. See Who is truly strong in Islam?
• Answer calmly when asked. You do not need to win. Share the rules of war, Quran 5:32 and Quran 9:6. Invite with wisdom and good advice⁴⁸.

If a hard verse or hadith still troubles you, that is all right. Ask someone with knowledge. See Can we trust the hadith? and, for questions about the law, Punishments and leaving Islam.

Common questions

Is jihad a sixth pillar of Islam?

No. Islam has five pillars: the shahadah, salah, zakat, Hajj and fasting in Ramadan⁴⁹. Striving against your own self is part of every Muslim's life. Fighting is a duty only when a just war is needed, and the state carries it, not each person on his own.

Does the Quran tell Muslims to fight until the whole world is Muslim?

No. People quote fight them until there is no more fitnah. The Companion Ibn Umar explained it: in the early days, a Muslim was killed or chained for his faith. The fighting was to end that persecution⁵⁰. And Allah says: there is no compulsion in religion⁵¹.

Did Islam spread by the sword?

Muslim states did fight wars and grow, like other empires. But people were not forced to change their religion⁵². Christians, Jews and others lived in Muslim lands for centuries and kept their faith. Islam also reached many lands, like large parts of Southeast Asia and East Africa, mainly through traders and teachers, with no army at all.

Someone online says I must go and fight in another country. What do I do?

Do not go. War is for a state to decide⁵³, not a stranger online. Nabi ﷺ even sent a man back to serve his parents instead of fighting⁵⁴. Talk to your parents and a scholar you trust. If someone is pressuring you, tell an adult you trust.

Do I have to apologize every time someone does something terrible in Islam's name?

You are not guilty of another person's sin. Allah says: no soul carries the burden of another⁵⁵. You can still say clearly that it was wrong, and show by your own life what Islam teaches.