If the enemy is killed in the battlefield, he considers that as defeat, but we do not. The conflict in its realities is a conflict of ideas that is translated into battles. If a person gives up these ideas, that is defeat.
The first form of defeat:
"Never will the jews nor the christians be pleased with you till you follow their way. Say: ‘Verily, the Guidance of Allāh is the (only) Guidance.’ And if you were to follow their desires after what you have received of (revealed) Knowledge, then you would have against Allāh neither any protector nor any helper." [2:120]
When a Muslim gives up what Allāh has given them, and follows any other way; Whether this following is partial or complete this is the greatest form of defeat. Following their way does not mean you declare it publicly, as this is rare. But the Āyah is referring to those whose actions and words are similar to those people mentioned in the Āyah, then you are following them. The Āyah is talking about adapting their method.
Proof of becoming a kāfir does not necessarily mean one has to declare it. We define Īmān to be; words, belief in the heart and actions. Kufr can be applied to all three of these. If someone’s words, beliefs or actions are that of the kuffār, then they are of them. Ibn Taymiyyah said, “The kuffār are pleased when the Muslimīn follow them, even in things that are classified as appearance.” We find that the kuffār are extremely happy when the Muslimīn don’t wear the hijāb. Even though is a matter of how we should dress.
Second form of defeat:
We should not compromise with the kuffār.
"So do not yield to the rejecters." [68:08]
There is a difference between Islām and the other religions. The leaders of the other religions are permitted to change their religion to suit their needs, but in Islām we are followers not innovators. Therefore we don’t have any room to play around with the rules of Islām, as they are from Allāh.
The kuffār came to Muhammad (saws) wanting to compromise with him. And this is also an example of how they can compromise in their religion, but we cannot. They asked Muhammad (saws), “How about we worship Allāh for a day, and you worship our ‘gods’ for a day?” Muhammad (saws) turned this down, so they said, “How about we worship Allāh for a weak, and you worship our ‘gods’ for a day?” He refused this so they came back and said, “How about we worship Allāh for a month, and you worship our ‘gods’ for a day?” Muhammad (saws) consistently said no, as this is the Deen of Allāh, and we have no right to change it.
The USA said they would be willing to sit down and work together with ‘Muslim fundamentalists’ if they are willing to accept one thing. Play the game with the rules of western democracy and to get involved in the war against terrorism. They have this ability to compromise, but the Muslim does not. There are some Muslimīn and Muslim movements, who listened to this. The justification for these Muslim movements was, they would do it for the benefit of da’wah. They are fighting the victorious group, and they are compromising the Deen of Allāh.
Al-Qurtabī says, “The kuffār of Quraysh came to Muhammad (saws) and said, ‘leave us alone and we will leave you alone.'” Allāh says, "And had We not made you stand firm, you would nearly have inclined to them a little." [17:74)] Allāh did not permit even this little inclination.
Third form of defeat:
Inclination towards the kuffār is a form of defeat.
"Verily, they were about to tempt you away from that which We have revealed (the Qur’an) unto you (O Muhammad), to fabricate something other than it against Us, and then they would certainly have taken you a friend." [17:73]
"And incline not to those who do wrong, or the Fire will seize you; and you have no protectors other than Allāh, nor shall you be helped." [11:113]
Fourth form of defeat:
Obeying them is a form of defeat.
"And obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost." [18:28]
Fifth form of defeat:
The fifth meaning of defeat is giving up on the victory of Allāh; to lose hope. It is a state of mind that is contrary to Iman. How can you believe Allāh is al- Qawī, and Al-‘Azīz and loose hope in victory? This is a characteristic of the kuffār. They are the ones who give up; but a Muslim should never give up. If your state of mind is to win, then eventually, you will win by the tawfīq of Allāh. This is a major sin to lose hope in victory. The huge military and media campaign that the kuffār have brought today have caused many Muslimīn to lose hope. Some of the Muslimīn have given up in supporting the Mujāhidīn because it is a lost cause. They say to themselves, “Why should I spend my money on these Mujāhidīn; they are never going to win against these powerful enemies that have nuclear weapons and standing armies? How can these Mujāhidīn win when the kuffār have a powerful media, and the Mujāhidīn don’t have a media to reach to the people?” These dark ideas show that these Muslimīn have lost hope in Allāh. These Muslimīn have only understood victory as victory in the battlefield, so they lose hope.
We have seen that many within the Ummah today have lost against the enemy without standing up and fighting. This media campaign which is spreading throughout the Ummah is making Muslimīn lose hope without even giving it a try. Then, when they are defeated mentally, they try to find Islamic justifications for that defeat. And they try to bring evidence to prove the correctness of their opinion.
No matter how strong an enemy is, a Muslim should never give up on victory; never. If we allow this defeat to enter into our hearts, then we have lost the superiority that Allāh has described to us as having even when we lose in the battlefield; as was in the case of Ghazwatul-‘Uhud when Allāh revealed, "So don’t lose heart, nor fall into despair; for you will gain superiority if you are true in belief." If we truly claim to be believers, then we are not allowed to lose hope in victory.
Sixth form of defeat:
Giving up the banner of Jihād is a form of defeat.
The enemy does not want you to stop praying, or other ‘Ibādah, but to stop Jihād. And they try to spread rumors that the moment you involve yourself in any form of Jihād, you will be under surveillance, and your life will be ruined. Giving up of Jihād in any form, whether it is ‘Aqīdah or going out, this is a defeat.
Seventh form of defeat:
Giving up hope on military victory. Giving up hope on military victory is defeat. This is similar to the fifth one.
Eighth form of defeat:
Fear of death is a form of defeat.
"So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are (true) believers." [6:131]
After military defeat, the Muslimīn should not complain of lack of preparation. Even though this issue needs clarification. We will assume that the Muslimīn did do their best to prepare. Numbers and preparation is not the reason for victory. We need to do our best in terms of preparation; the equation does not depend on what the enemy has. It depends on what Allāh has asked you to do. Even if our preparation is 1/10 of what the enemy has, then we have still fulfilled what Allāh has asked us to do.
These principles that we talked about, are the first steps to victory. The opposite of these principles are ideas that will kill the Ummah. Having this ‘Aqīdah is the first step to victory. As we know this is a battle of truth against falsehood.
We should not compromise with the kuffār.
"So do not yield to the rejecters." [68:08]
There is a difference between Islām and the other religions. The leaders of the other religions are permitted to change their religion to suit their needs, but in Islām we are followers not innovators. Therefore we don’t have any room to play around with the rules of Islām, as they are from Allāh.
The kuffār came to Muhammad (saws) wanting to compromise with him. And this is also an example of how they can compromise in their religion, but we cannot. They asked Muhammad (saws), “How about we worship Allāh for a day, and you worship our ‘gods’ for a day?” Muhammad (saws) turned this down, so they said, “How about we worship Allāh for a weak, and you worship our ‘gods’ for a day?” He refused this so they came back and said, “How about we worship Allāh for a month, and you worship our ‘gods’ for a day?” Muhammad (saws) consistently said no, as this is the Deen of Allāh, and we have no right to change it.
The USA said they would be willing to sit down and work together with ‘Muslim fundamentalists’ if they are willing to accept one thing. Play the game with the rules of western democracy and to get involved in the war against terrorism. They have this ability to compromise, but the Muslim does not. There are some Muslimīn and Muslim movements, who listened to this. The justification for these Muslim movements was, they would do it for the benefit of da’wah. They are fighting the victorious group, and they are compromising the Deen of Allāh.
Al-Qurtabī says, “The kuffār of Quraysh came to Muhammad (saws) and said, ‘leave us alone and we will leave you alone.'” Allāh says, "And had We not made you stand firm, you would nearly have inclined to them a little." [17:74)] Allāh did not permit even this little inclination.
Third form of defeat:
Inclination towards the kuffār is a form of defeat.
"Verily, they were about to tempt you away from that which We have revealed (the Qur’an) unto you (O Muhammad), to fabricate something other than it against Us, and then they would certainly have taken you a friend." [17:73]
"And incline not to those who do wrong, or the Fire will seize you; and you have no protectors other than Allāh, nor shall you be helped." [11:113]
Fourth form of defeat:
Obeying them is a form of defeat.
"And obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost." [18:28]
Fifth form of defeat:
The fifth meaning of defeat is giving up on the victory of Allāh; to lose hope. It is a state of mind that is contrary to Iman. How can you believe Allāh is al- Qawī, and Al-‘Azīz and loose hope in victory? This is a characteristic of the kuffār. They are the ones who give up; but a Muslim should never give up. If your state of mind is to win, then eventually, you will win by the tawfīq of Allāh. This is a major sin to lose hope in victory. The huge military and media campaign that the kuffār have brought today have caused many Muslimīn to lose hope. Some of the Muslimīn have given up in supporting the Mujāhidīn because it is a lost cause. They say to themselves, “Why should I spend my money on these Mujāhidīn; they are never going to win against these powerful enemies that have nuclear weapons and standing armies? How can these Mujāhidīn win when the kuffār have a powerful media, and the Mujāhidīn don’t have a media to reach to the people?” These dark ideas show that these Muslimīn have lost hope in Allāh. These Muslimīn have only understood victory as victory in the battlefield, so they lose hope.
We have seen that many within the Ummah today have lost against the enemy without standing up and fighting. This media campaign which is spreading throughout the Ummah is making Muslimīn lose hope without even giving it a try. Then, when they are defeated mentally, they try to find Islamic justifications for that defeat. And they try to bring evidence to prove the correctness of their opinion.
No matter how strong an enemy is, a Muslim should never give up on victory; never. If we allow this defeat to enter into our hearts, then we have lost the superiority that Allāh has described to us as having even when we lose in the battlefield; as was in the case of Ghazwatul-‘Uhud when Allāh revealed, "So don’t lose heart, nor fall into despair; for you will gain superiority if you are true in belief." If we truly claim to be believers, then we are not allowed to lose hope in victory.
Sixth form of defeat:
Giving up the banner of Jihād is a form of defeat.
The enemy does not want you to stop praying, or other ‘Ibādah, but to stop Jihād. And they try to spread rumors that the moment you involve yourself in any form of Jihād, you will be under surveillance, and your life will be ruined. Giving up of Jihād in any form, whether it is ‘Aqīdah or going out, this is a defeat.
Seventh form of defeat:
Giving up hope on military victory. Giving up hope on military victory is defeat. This is similar to the fifth one.
Eighth form of defeat:
Fear of death is a form of defeat.
"So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are (true) believers." [6:131]
After military defeat, the Muslimīn should not complain of lack of preparation. Even though this issue needs clarification. We will assume that the Muslimīn did do their best to prepare. Numbers and preparation is not the reason for victory. We need to do our best in terms of preparation; the equation does not depend on what the enemy has. It depends on what Allāh has asked you to do. Even if our preparation is 1/10 of what the enemy has, then we have still fulfilled what Allāh has asked us to do.
These principles that we talked about, are the first steps to victory. The opposite of these principles are ideas that will kill the Ummah. Having this ‘Aqīdah is the first step to victory. As we know this is a battle of truth against falsehood.
[Constants on the path of Jihād - By
ash-Shaykh al-Mujāhid Yūsuf al-‘Uyayrī (rahimahullāh)]
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