A Critical Exposition of the Popular Jihád

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A Critical Exposition of the Popular 'Jihád', by

Moulavi Gerágh Ali This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: A Critical Exposition of the Popular 'Jihád' Showing that all the Wars of Mohammad Were Defensive; and that Aggressive War, or Compulsory Conversion, is not Allowed in The Koran - 1885
Author: Moulavi Gerágh Ali
Release Date: March 29, 2007 [EBook #20927]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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A
CRITICAL EXPOSITION
OF THE
POPULAR "JIHáD."

A
CRITICAL EXPOSITION
OF THE
POPULAR "JIHáD."
SHOWING THAT
ALL THE WARS OF MOHAMMAD WERE DEFENSIVE; AND THAT AGGRESSIVE WAR, OR COMPULSORY CONVERSION, IS NOT ALLOWED IN THE KORAN.
WITH APPENDICES PROVING THAT THE WORD "JIHAD" DOES NOT EXEGETICALLY MEAN 'WARFARE,' AND THAT SLAVERY IS NOT SANCTIONED BY THE PROPHET OF ISLAM.
BY MOULAVI GHERáGH ALI,
Author of
"REFORMS UNDER MOSLEM RULE," "HYDERABAD (DECCAN) UNDER SIR SALAR JUNG."
CALCUTTA: THACKER, SPINK AND CO.
1885.
CALCUTTA: PRINTED BY THACKER, SPINK AND CO.

NOTE.
I here take the opportunity of removing a wrong idea of the alleged injunction of the Prophet against our countrymen the Hindús. The Hon'ble Raja Sivá Prasad, in his speech at the Legislative Council, on the 9th March, 1883, while discussing the Ilbert Bill, quoted from Amir Khusro's Tarikh Alái that, "Ala-ud-dín Khiliji once sent for a Kází, and asked him what was written in the Code of Mehammadan law regarding the Hindús. The Kází answered that, the Hindús were Zimmis (condemned to pay the Jízya tax); if asked silver, they ought to pay gold with deep respect and humility; and if the collector of taxes were to fling dirt in their faces, they should gladly open their mouths wide. God's order is to keep them in subjection, and the Prophet enjoins on the faithful to kill, plunder and imprison them, to make Mussulmáns, or to put them to the sword, to enslave them, and confiscate their property....'" [Vide Supplement to the Gazette of India, April 21, 1883, page 807.]
These alleged injunctions, I need not say here, after what I have stated in various places of this book regarding intolerance, and compulsory conversion, are merely false imputations. There are no such injunctions of the Prophet against either Zimmis, (i.e., protected or guaranteed) or the Hindús.

TO THE HONORABLE SYED AHMED KHAN BAHADUR, C.S.I., THIS BOOK IS, WITHOUT EVEN ASKING PERMISSION. AND WHOLLY WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE. DEDICATED AS A SLIGHT BUT SINCERE TESTIMONY OF ADMIRATION FOR HIS LONG AND VARIOUS SERVICES IN THE CAUSE OF ISLAM AND IN RESPECT OF HIS RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL REFORMS IN THE MOSLIMS OF INDIA, AND OF GRATITUDE FOR MUCH PERSONAL KINDNESS AND FRIENDSHIP, BY THE AUTHOR.

[Transcriber's Note: All errata listed below have been corrected in the e-text. Mistakes not listed below have been left as they appeared in the printed book, although missing or misplaced punctuation marks have been corrected.]
ERRATA.
Page Line For Read
v 21 them Omit " 22 them it xvii f.n. Maaddite Moaddite xxxiv 21 Morra Murra " 22 Soleim Suleim xlii 9 Kauuka Kainuka xliii 22 f.n. Mozeima Mozeina xlv 25 Khusain Khushain liv 1 Ban Bani " 10 Ghassianide Ghassanide lxxxviii 30 Khalips Khalifs xci 30 Caliphater Caliphate 11 10 Kurzibn Kurz-ibn 18 9 God[2] God: " " desist[3] desist " 16 persecution persecution[2] " 17 (fitnah (fitnah[3]) 27 5 liberty and liberty, any of " 6 brethern merely brethren, merely " 6-7 such a manner such manner " 8 Society or Society, or " 9 of it materially of it, materially " 12 deserve pity deserve only pity 34 6 Ibu Ibn 61 6 Rafi Rafe 72 24 ibu ibn " 25 ibu ibn 73 4 bil bin 90 1 as stallions for breeding purposes 135 28 Durar Dinar 136 16 Sirni Sirin 192 1 Jihad does not mean {Read this as a the waging of war marginal gloss " 3 Jahad Jahd. " 14 Katal and Kital Read this as a marginal gloss. " 20 Conclusion Ditto, ditto.

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS.
Introduction i-civ Note cv Genealogical Table of the Arabs cvi-cvii
I. The persecutions suffered by the early Moslems 1-11 II. The Meccans or the Koreish 11-16 III. The defensive character of the wars of Mohammad 16-34 IV. The Jews 34-40 V. The Christians or Romans 40-41 VI. The intolerance 42-51 VII. The ninth chapter of Sura Barát 51-55 VIII. The alleged interception of the Koreish caravans by the Moslems 55-60 IX. The alleged assassinations by the command or connivance of Mohammad 60-76 X. The alleged cruelty in executing the prisoners of war 76-91 XI. Some miscellaneous objections refuted 91-114 XII. The popular Jihád or Crusade 114-161
Appendix A. The word Jihad in the Koran