216 ISLAM AT WAR
Surah IV, 14. Lo!The hypocrites (will be) in the lowest deep of the fire
[italics added], and thou wilt find no helper for them.Under tradition, the jihad became afard alaÛl–kifaya,or duty, imposed
on all free, adult, male Muslims who were sane and had the means to
reach the Muslim army as it assembled for war. The qualifications about
sanity and ability had no meaning because not joining was considered, of
itself, a form of insanity. In addition, the lengths and privations expected
of any male to attempt to join the army were such that there was no
escaping it. The jihad eventually became what might be considered the
sixthrukn,or fundamental duty of the Muslims. This is the tradition of
the Kharidjis, members of the earliest of the religious sects of Islam. These
sects are not comparable to the various Christian monks or holy orders,
but more akin to such groups as Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox
Christians, where substantial theological differences separate them.
Islam is not just a religion, but a way of life that entails both the secular
and religious life of the fundamental Islamic state, that is, Islam is essen-
tially a theocracy. When implemented as interpreted by modern funda-
mentalists such as the Taliban in Afghanistan and the ayatollahs in Iran,
the concept of sovereignty becomes inseparable from the concept of Allah.
Indeed, passages in the Koran specifically address this issue and give all
sovereignty to Allah:
Surah III, 26. Say:O Allah! Owner of Sovereignty[italics added]! Thou
givest sovereignty unto whom Thou wilt, and Thou withdrawest sover-
eignty from whom Thou wilt. Thou exaltest whom Thou wilt and Thou
abasest whom Thou wilt. In Thy hand is good. Lo! Thou art Able to do all
things.Surah III, 189. UntoAllah belongeth the Sovereignty[italics added] of the
heavens and the earth. Allah is Able to do all things.Under these circumstances, to the true believer, rebellion against the
state becomes rebellion against Allah. This evolves, especially in light of
the second-class nature of thedhimmis(non-Islamic followers of Allah
allowed to live within the Islamic state). The Koran says that all men
should subscribe to the will of Allah, and those who do not are obviously
the enemies of Allah and to be subjugated or eliminated. Submission to
rule by an Islamic government is insufficient. It must be submission to
Allah and his one true prophet.
Some interpret the jihad as having ended because the modern Muslim
world exists and its expansion has stopped—that is, the Dar ul-Harb (land