First: Offensive Striving

First: Offensive Striving

This form of striving is a duty incumbent upon the believing community that bears the banner of God’s vicegerent on His earth in its own time. It involves attacking and fighting all nations and peoples who do not recognize the religion of truth and God’s vicegerent on His earth in that age, until they are called to the word “There is no god but God” and to the true religion pleasing to God, and until they hand over the reins of their affairs to God’s vicegerent on His earth in their time.

Many of God’s prophets and messengers undertook this form of striving, and the heavenly scriptures mention it, while the books of history record it in a way that leaves no room for doubt. They waged offensive campaigns to spread monotheism and uphold the word “There is no god but God.” Joshua son of Nun, David, Solomon, Muhammad, and Ali all did so. Their conduct stands as conclusive proof, and they fought by the command of God.

Therefore, there is no basis for denying these acts of the prophets and messengers or describing them as ignorance, backwardness, tribalism, sectarianism, or barbarism under the various labels of culture, civilization, and freedom. Nevertheless, I will, God willing, discuss these claims concerning civilization, culture, and freedom.

This striving has conditions and restrictions that may not remain fixed in every detail across all religions and in every age. Rather, they may change within the same religion from one period to another according to the commands brought by the prophets and messengers from God. However, the general principle remains constant.

Perhaps the most important condition people regard as essential, and the first excuse some use for refraining from striving and fighting in the path of God, is adequate equipment and numbers. A second excuse is division within the believing community, and a third is its lack of awareness. Although the latter two are included within the broader question of equipment and numbers, I will address all three separately.

Equipment and Numbers

There is no doubt that equipment and numbers play a role in every armed confrontation. If sufficient numbers and equipment are lacking, such a confrontation will be difficult, perhaps even impossible. Even so, according to modern military doctrine, offensive operations generally require the attackers to outnumber the defenders by two to one. Naturally, the greater the attackers’ superiority in arms, the more that ratio can be reduced in their favor, according to purely material calculations.

For believers, however, the matter takes on another dimension, because the military equation for them includes the unseen, since they believe in the unseen. God said: “When you said to the believers, ‘Is it not enough for you that your Lord should reinforce you with three thousand angels sent down? Yes indeed, if you remain steadfast and are mindful of God, and they come upon you at once, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand marked angels.’”^[30]

Believers also possess a great weapon that the other side does not have: supplication and seeking the help of God, the Mighty, the Exalted. “When you were seeking help from your Lord, and He answered you: ‘Indeed, I will reinforce you with a thousand angels following one another.’”^[31]

God, to whom believers cry for help and in whom they believe, is the Creator of hearts, and hearts are in His hand. He is the one who fills hearts with strength and steadfastness, and He is the one who empties them until nothing remains except terror and defeat: “When your Lord revealed to the angels: ‘I am with you, so make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. So strike above the necks and strike every fingertip of theirs.’”^[32]

Thus, the military balance of the confrontation is completely reversed here. For an offensive attack, it is enough for the attacking force to be half the size of the defending disbelievers. Indeed, in the early days of Islam, it was enough for the believing attackers to number a tenth of the defenders.

O Prophet, urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are one hundred among you, they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people who do not understand. Now God has lightened your burden, for He knows that there is weakness among you. So if there are one hundred steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are one thousand among you, they will overcome two thousand by God’s leave. God is with the steadfast.^[33]

God supports the believers with angels and casts terror into the hearts of their enemies even before they supplicate to Him and seek His help. This is because they set out in His cause, seeking His good pleasure and the victory of His religion and His prophets and messengers. Indeed, God is the first to support His religion and His prophets and messengers. Moreover, He tests His creatures through obedience to Him, and grants them victory through that obedience, so that He may make known those who obey Him and support Him in the unseen:

We sent Our messengers with clear proofs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance so that people may uphold justice; and We sent down iron, in which there is great strength and benefit for people, so that God may know who supports Him and His messengers in the unseen. Indeed, God is Powerful and Mighty.^[34]

Thus, those who support Him and His messengers without seeing Him are strengthened with steadfastness and supported by the angels, while terror is cast into the hearts of those who disbelieve. All these are unseen weapons in which the believers have faith and which they perceive with their inner sight.

When your Lord revealed to the angels: “I am with you, so make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. So strike above the necks and strike every fingertip of theirs.”^[35]

We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they associated with God that for which He sent down no authority. Their refuge will be the Fire-what an evil abode for the wrongdoers.^[36] He brought down those who supported them among the People of the Book from their fortresses and cast terror into their hearts-some you killed, and some you took captive.^[37]

He is the One who expelled those who disbelieved among the People of the Book from their homes at the first gathering. You did not think they would leave, and they thought that their fortresses would protect them from God. But God came upon them from where they had not expected and cast terror into their hearts. They destroyed their houses with their own hands and the hands of the believers. So take heed, O people of insight.^[38]

As mentioned earlier, the believers who fought alongside Joshua son of Nun were far fewer in number and equipment than the disbelieving peoples they faced. The same was true of Saul and the group of believers with him. Indeed, the story of Saul and his followers contains a sign from God: David, though still a youth, and the youngest of the people, armed with nothing but a sling and stones, dealt the decisive blow to Goliath’s army and killed him. The principal reason for the defeat of Goliath’s army was: “So they defeated them by God’s leave, and David killed Goliath.”^[39]

In this story, it was not only that a small believing group, few in number and scant in arms, overcame a large disbelieving group, numerous and well armed. Rather, what secured victory in this battle was something even slighter in number and weaker in means: David and his stones. None of the people, not even the believers, gave any weight to David-still a youth-or to his stones in this battle. But God spoke through David and his stones. Through this lesson, God intends to say that there is no power except in God.

It is narrated from Imam Abu Abdullah that he said:

Those few who neither drank nor scooped up any water numbered three hundred and thirteen men. When they crossed the river and saw Goliath’s forces, those who had drunk from it said: “We have no strength today against Goliath and his troops.” But those who did not drink said: “Our Lord, pour patience upon us, make our footsteps firm, and grant us victory over the disbelieving people.”^[40]

Then David came forward until he stood opposite Goliath. Goliath was mounted on an elephant, with a crown on his head containing a ruby whose light shone from it, and his troops were drawn up before him. David took one of his stones and hurled it toward the right flank of Goliath’s army. It flew through the air, fell among them, and scattered them. Then he took another stone and hurled it toward the left flank of Goliath’s army. It flew through the air, fell among them, and scattered them. Then he struck Goliath with a third stone, which split the ruby on his forehead, reached his brain, and brought him dead to the ground. That is the meaning of His saying: “So they defeated them by God’s leave, and David killed Goliath, and God gave him kingship and wisdom…”^[41]

Thus, when fighting is in the path of God, the balance of troop numbers and military resources must be assessed differently. These factors should be given their proper weight, but not treated as a permanent obstacle to striving and fighting in the path of God. Rather, they are required to prepare against their enemies whatever they are able, while leaving the rest to God. God said: “Prepare against them whatever force you can, and steeds of war, by which you may terrify the enemy of God and your enemy, and others besides them whom you do not know, but God knows them. Whatever you spend in the path of God will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.”^[42]

They believe and are certain that victory comes from God alone: “How many a small group has overcome a large group by God’s leave. God is with the steadfast.”^[43]

Thus, God makes clear the rightful claim of the messengers and their followers when they are few and oppressed, then grants them victory over His and their enemies, though they are arrogant, overbearing, and great in numbers.

God always purifies His religion and His call of any worldly or power-seeking motives, so that only those who want nothing but God and the Face of God enter His religion and strive in His path. This has always been the way of things: Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and Hell is surrounded by desires. The true religion of God is surrounded not by desires, but by hardships. So take heed, O people of understanding.

The Messenger of God said: “Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and Hell is surrounded by desires.”^[44]

The Messenger of God also said: “The truth is heavy and bitter, while falsehood is light and sweet.”^[45]

Unity

Unity is essential to any community engaged in fighting. Otherwise, division within such a community leads inevitably to defeat: “Obey God and His Messenger, and do not dispute, lest you lose courage and your strength depart; and be patient. Surely God is with the steadfast.”^[46]

The need for unity becomes all the more pressing when facing an enemy superior in numbers and equipment. Yet such unity was not always achieved in the past. The Children of Israel were not united behind Moses, or Joshua, or David and Solomon. On the contrary, a great many hypocrites were among them, and even Moses was not spared their tongues, let alone others: “When Moses said to his people, ‘O my people, why do you hurt me when you know that I am God’s messenger to you?’ Then when they deviated, God caused their hearts to deviate. God does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.”^[47]

Despite these difficulties, the prophets did not abandon striving and fighting in the path of God. In a similar way, the Muslims with the Messenger of God were not completely united. Some were dissatisfied with one thing, and others were hypocritical about something else, even while they fought alongside him.

A particular recitation of this verse was even reported from Imam al-Sadiq: “O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers by having the hypocrites [fight them], and be harsh with them; their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination.”^[48] God also said: “Among the Bedouins around you are hypocrites, and among the people of Madinah as well. They have persisted in hypocrisy. You do not know them; We know them. We will punish them twice, then they will be returned to a tremendous punishment.”^[49]

Even with Ali ibn Abi Talib, the problem of division and disunity was plain for all to see. They caused him untold suffering, and he lamented their disunity time and again: “I am amazed at how those people are united in support of their falsehood, while you are divided over your truth.”^[50] When Ibn Muljim (may God curse him) struck him, Ali said: “By the Lord of the Kaaba, I have triumphed.”^[51]

This triumph was not merely the triumph of attaining God’s good pleasure and Paradise. It was also the triumph of deliverance from those people who claimed to be his followers yet made him swallow grief after grief through their disagreements, their scattered views, and their failure to unite behind the word of their Imam.

The conclusion, then, is that complete unity was not achieved in the past. What is required is the unity of a substantial group, agreement on the truth, and for that group to possess the numbers and equipment needed for striving and fighting in the path of God, even if a group of hypocrites joins it later, namely those who entered Islam while faith had not entered their hearts: “The Bedouins say, ‘We believe.’ Say: You have not believed. Rather, say, ‘We have submitted,’ for faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey God and His Messenger, He will not diminish anything of your deeds. Surely God is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”^[52]

The Faithful Community That Is Aware of the Idea of the Divine Revolution

The faithful community that is aware of the divine revolution must not contain so large a number of hypocrites that they can influence the believing community in a way that leads it into complete deviation, especially during moments of military engagement in striving to uphold the word of God. Rather, there must be a sufficient number of believers who are aware of the idea of the Islamic revolution and who have influence within the believing community that accepts them.

This is achieved by presenting the truth in a sound and well-grounded manner and acquainting the believing community with the truth and the people of truth. In this way, the danger posed by hypocrisy is reduced through the awareness of the truth and its people among many within the believing community, while avoiding complete deviation through hypocrisy and its adherents. This, of course, cannot be realized while division exists, the people of falsehood dominate, and the people of truth are few.

God said: “None believed with him except a few;”^[53] “Few of My servants are grateful;”^[54] “Those who believe and do righteous deeds-and they are few.”^[55]

He also said: “What has been sent down to you from your Lord is the truth, but most of the people do not believe;”^[56] and “Yet perhaps you would grieve yourself to death over them if they do not believe in this message.”^[57]

Yet, by God’s grace, the necessary level of awareness within the believing community can eventually be achieved through continued striving and fighting to exalt the word of God. Sometimes it comes after a considerable length of time, as was the case with Imam Ali and Imam al-Hussain. A community’s limited awareness of the idea of the divine revolution does not prevent striving and fighting to exalt the word of God. Instead, it poses an obstacle whose effects gradually disappear over time. In fact, it is a test for the believers: of their patience, the depth of their certainty, and the firmness of their faith in fighting to uphold the word of God alongside God's guardian and vicegerent on the earth, or the individual appointed by the vicegerent to carry out his commands.

Standing against the current is never easy. Such is the usual state of affairs for all the prophets and messengers and the believers who follow them. No people ever welcomed a prophet with open arms, as the Quran and the revealed scriptures make clear. Nor did a prophet’s people rise with him to fight and uphold the word of God. Rather, only a few believed in him, and only a few supported him, the very few believers whom dysfunctional scholars disparage in terms such as these: “But the eminent ones who disbelieved among his people said: ‘We see you as nothing but a human being like ourselves, and we see that the only ones who follow you are the lowliest among us, acting on first impulse. Nor do we see you as superior to us in any way. Rather, we think you are liars.’”^[58]

With Saul, only 313 men crossed the river. That was also the number who were with the Messenger of God at Badr,^[59] and it will also be the number of the companions of the Riser. God said:

When Saul set out with the soldiers, he said: “God will test you with a river. Whoever drinks from it is not with me, and whoever does not taste it is with me, except one who scoops up a handful with his hand.” But they drank from it, except for a few of them. Then, when he crossed it, he and those who believed with him said: “We have no strength today against Goliath and his troops.” But those who were certain they would meet God said: “How many a small group has overcome a large group by God’s leave. God is with the steadfast.” When they came out against Goliath and his troops, they said: “Our Lord, pour patience upon us, make our footsteps firm, and grant us victory over the disbelieving people.”^[60]