islam denounces terrorism

the meaning of the concept of "jihad"

one concept that deserves clarification is that of 'jihad'.

the exact meaning of 'jihad' is 'effort'. thus, in Islam, 'to carry out jihad' is 'to show effort, to struggle'. the Prophet Muhammad explained that 'the greatest jihad is the one a person carries out against his lower soul'. what is meant by 'lower soul' here is selfish desires and ambitions.

assessed from the Qur'anic point of view, the word 'jihad' can also mean a struggle carried out on intellectual grounds against those who oppress people, treat them unjustly, subject them to torture and cruelty and violate legitimate human rights. the purpose of this struggle is to bring about justice, peace and equality.

apart from these ideological and spiritual meanings, struggle in the physical sense is also considered as 'jihad'. however, as explained above, this has to be a struggle carried out solely for defensive purposes. the use of the concept of 'jihad' for acts of aggression against innocent people, that is for terror, would be unjust and a great distortion of the true meaning of the term.

killing oneself (committing suicide) is forbidden in the Qur'an

another important matter that arose in the wake of terrorist assaults is that of suicide attacks. some people who are ill-informed on Islam have made utterly erroneous statements to the effect that this religion of peace allows suicide attacks, whereas in Islam killing oneself and killing other people are both prohibited. in the words, "Do not kill yourselves" [QS an-Nisaa 29], God has declared suicide to be a sin. in Islam it is forbidden for anyone to kill himself or herself, for no matter what reason.

the Prophet reveals suicide to be a sin in a parable, when he says that those who commit suicide will be punished:
"Indeed, whoever (intentionally) kills himself, then certainly he will be punished in the Fire of Hell, wherein he shall dwell forever." [Bukhari and Muslim Hadith]

as this makes clear, committing suicide, and thus carrying out suicide attacks, and causing the deaths of many innocent people while doing so, is a total violation of Islamic morality. God says in the Qur'an that it is a sin to put an end to one's own life. for that reason, it is quite impossible for someone who believes in God and says he abides by the Qur'an to do such a thing. the only people who can do such things are those who have a very mistaken perception of religion, have no idea of true Qur'anic morality, fail to use their reason and conscience, are under the influence of atheist ideologies, and who have been brainwashed with feelings of hatred and revenge. everybody must oppose such actions.

uniting against terrorism

according to the Qur'an, it is a great sin to kill an innocent person, and anyone who does so will suffer great torment in the Hereafter:
...If someone kills another person—unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth—it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind. Our Messengers came to them with Clear Signs, but even after that, many of them committed outrages in the earth. [QS al-Ma'idah 32]

the ideological fight against terrorism, therefore, must be started with great urgency. this fight will be fought on the level of ideas—between people who believe in God, who are loving, forgiving, compassionate and in full possession of their conscience; and those who draw their strength from ignorance and violence. in one verse, our Lord reveals, "Why were there not people with good sense among the generations of those who came before you, who forbade corruption in the earth..." [QS Hud 116]. believers should possess the virtue that God describes in that verse. while terrorists hope to achieve their aims by violence, believers know that true success can be achieved only by clinging tightly to the religion of God, and acting accordingly.

terrorist ideology is built on sand. its foundations can easily be swept away by mobilizing a proper education campaign. sincere believers in all parts of the world can help end the ignorance that breeds terrorism by searching for solutions, writing books and articles, promoting educational activities and disseminating their own cultural heritage. the prevalence of tolerance, peace and security on the Earth, as commanded by God, will make terrorism disappear into the pages of history forever. adopting a defeatist, pessimistic attitude in the face of terror is unacceptable. our hope is that this suffering will not be repeated, and that all measures will be adopted to that end.

may God have mercy on those who died in many hateful attacks, and may He heal the injured. our sincere condolences to all mankind.