War
A state of open, armed and often prolonged
confl ict between states, tribes or
parties, frequently mentioned in the
Qur_ān. It is usually referred to by derivatives
of the third form of q-t-l, “fi ghting”
(q.v.), sometimes with the qualifi cation fī
sabīl Allāh, “in the path of God” (see path
or way); but we also hear of _arb, “war,”
both against God and the messenger (q.v.;
e.g. q 5:33; 9:107; cf. 5:64) and by or for
them (q 2:279; 8:57; cf. 47:4). Derivatives of
j-h-d are used for efforts which include
fi ghting without being reducible to it (see
jihAd).
Wars mentioned
Past wars are rarely mentioned (see
history and the qur_An). The vanished
nations are destroyed by brimstone, fi re
and other natural disasters (see
punishment stories), not by conquest
(q.v.), though the messenger expects to
punish his own opponents by military
means (q 9:14, 52). Of the Israelite conquest
of the holy land we are only told that
when Moses (q.v.) ordered the Israelites
(see children of israel) to enter this
land, all except two refused on the grounds
that it was inhabited by mighty men
( jabbārīn); the Israelites thus had to wander
in the desert for another forty years
(q 5:21-6; cf. Num 13:31-14:34). But elsewhere
we learn that many prophets were
accompanied in battle by large numbers,
who never lost heart when they met disasters
(q 3:146). There is also an obscure
reference to thousands who went out from
their homes: God told them to die (so they
did), whereupon he revived them. This is
told in encouragement of fi ghting in God’s
path (q 2:243f.), followed by an account of
the Israelite demand for a king (q 2:246-51;
see kings and rulers): they wanted a king
so that they could fi ght in the path of God
(cf. 1 Sam 8:5, 19; Judg 8:22), having been
expelled from their homes and their families;
but when fi ghting was prescribed for
them, they turned back, except for a small
band. Worse still, when their prophet announced
that God had appointed _ālūt,
i.e. Saul (q.v.), as their king, they disputed
his authority (q.v.); and when Saul set out
to fi ght Goliath (q.v.), most of them failed
the test he set for them (cf. Judg 7:4-7; see
trial; trust and patience); but the
steadfast uttered the famous words, “How
many a small band has vanquished a
mighty army by leave of God,” and David
(q.v.) slew Goliath. No further Israelite
wars are mentioned down to
Nebuchadnezzar, whose destruction of
Jerusalem (q.v.) is briefl y alluded to, as is
the Roman destruction of the Temple, in
both cases without any names being
named; the two disasters are presented as
punishment for Israelite sins (see jews and
judaism), with a period of wealth and
power in between and a possibility of better
times ahead (q 17:4-8). Another sūra
(q 30:2-4) notes that the Byzantines (q.v.)
have been defeated, predicting that they
will soon win (over the Persians) or, alternatively,
that the Byzantines have been
victorious, predicting that they will soon be
defeated (by the believers).
Most warfare in the Qur_ān is conducted
by the believers in the present. One verse
regulates fi ghting among the believers
themselves: one should make peace (q.v.)
between the two parties or fi ght the wrongdoers
(q 49:9; see arbitration). Another
threatens war against the believers when
they take usury (q.v.; q 2:278f.). But most
encourage the believers to fi ght others, variously
identifi ed as “those who fi ght you”
(q 2:190), unbelievers (e.g. q 4:84; 9:123;
47:4), the polytheists altogether (q 9:36),
People of the Book (q.v.) who do not believe
in God and the last day (q 9:29; see
last judgment), hypocrites (q 9:73),
friends of Satan (q 4:76), and imāms of
unbelief (q 9:12), without it being clear
how far these groups are identical or
distinct. The hypocrites side with the believers
when the latter win but not
when they lose (q 4:141) and once appear
in alliance with unbelieving People of the
Book (q 59:11). All war is assumed to involve
religious issues.