An Islamic View of the Battlefield

Abstract

Islam rejects all conceptions of holy war. Muslims are not allowed to engage in any aggressive war to spread Islam or to impose its faith or laws on others. Muslims do not believe that God is at war with Satan, nor that He needs human help to win this battle. Any such belief is contrary to God's Unity and Sovereignty. God is above all human conflicts, and He has no conflict with Satan or any other force in the universe. God is Supreme and in complete control of all things that exist or belong to the world of the unknown. Wars occur when human beings shun the path of peaceful spirituality and pursue their inclinations for warfare. Muslims are permitted to enter the battlefield to fight oppression and occupation. They fight hard to defeat the enemy. While a religion of peace and spiritual submission, Islam is also a pragmatic religion that recognizes the existence of satanic nations with their corrupt ideologies of shahawaat and predations. Against such satanic nations, Muslims are utmost vigilant.

Keywords: God, Satan, war, natural inclinations, spiritual submission, laws of war