Question: What
are the circumstances that make Jihad obligatory? What is the punishment
for not taking part in Jihad when it has become obligatory?
Answer: The
first part of your question can have two aspects:
i. When does Jihad become obligatory
on a state?
ii. When does Jihad become
obligatory on an individual?
As far as the first aspect is concerned,
the answer is that Jihad becomes compulsory on a state if in the
opinion of its rulers it has the military and moral might to curb the oppression
and injustice1 of
the country against which Jihad is to be waged. This inference is
based on the guidance provided by the Qur’an to the Prophet (sws)
and his Companions (rta). They were told that if they possessed a certain
level of military strength (ie number of combatants), it was imperative
upon them to wage Jihad. This principle is spelled out in the following
verses:
Prophet! Rouse the believers to wage war. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will subdue two hundred: if a hundred, they will subdue a thousand of the Disbelievers: for these are a people without understanding. [From] now, God has lightened your [task] for He knows that there is now weakness amongst you: But [ever so], if there are a hundred of you, patient and persevering, they will subdue two hundred, and if a thousand, they will subdue two thousand, with the leave of God: for God is with those who patiently persevere. (8:65-6)
It is evident from these verses that the
Prophet (sws) and his Companions (rta) were required to fight if they were
outnumbered by 1:10 and later by 1:2 because it was their inner strength
– the strength of faith which would compensate for their numbers. However,
since these ratios specifically pertained to the Companions (rta) whose
level of faith one can only imagine, in later times the rulers must exercise
their judgement in working out a ratio for themselves. What can be said
with certainty is that Muslim to enemy ratio should be at least 1:2.
Of course, a natural pre-condition
to waging Jihad is that all diplomatic level negotiations have failed.
As far as an individual is concerned, Jihad becomes
compulsory upon him if both the following conditions are fulfilled:
i. The rulers give a call to each
an every citizen of their country to participate in Jihad.2
ii. The individual himself is convinced
that his rulers are waging war on the only legitimate basis on which war
can now be waged: to uproot injustice and oppression perpetrated by a country.
If a person is convinced that his country has some other objective in mind,
he can of course refuse their call.
Now I come to the second part of your
query:
A study of the Qur’an shows
that there is no worldly punishment for either a state or an individual
if they do not undertake Jihad when it becomes obligatory upon them.
The reason for this is that the Qur’an does not mention any such
punishment. It seems that it is the Almighty Himself Who directly punishes
such negligence in this world or in the Hereafter.