Jihad and Holy War

The use of the word Jihad in reference to a holy war is an entirely incorrect usage. Since the aggression of earlier Christians in the 11th century the term Holy War has been used in the Christian sense. A Holy War is waged without rational justification but by the warped vision of a religious leader to conquer the Promised Land (i.e. in the Crusader’s mind it was Palestine which was promised to the descendants of Prophet Abraham (a.s.)) and spread their religion. In the 4th century the standards for such wars was set by the Papacy (i.e. the Pope). The first criteria for a holy war was that it was to be violent. Killing was not seen as evil and was to be done deliberately or not. The second criteria for a holy war was the establishment of the Christian Republic. Christ was seen as a political figure who had political ambitions set for his people, i.e. the Christians. The Christian Republic was to be ruled by Christ whose representatives on earth were the Pope, bishops, emperors and kings. The Muslims in Palestine were seen as tyrants who occupied Christian territory which was sanctified by the presence of Christ. Pagans in the Balkans were seen as a threat to Christendom, as well as, Muslims in Spain. The Jews were viewed as a people rejected by God for murdering their Messiah.

Prior to the first millennia, the predominant thought in the Church was that Jesus (a.s.) second coming would come, along with the end of the world, which would occur at the turn of the first millennia. The calendar years were calculated according to the Roman calendar. One Christian writer wrote, “On new year’s eve, 1000, a crowd gathered at Rome, awaiting the end of the world. Midnight came, nothing happened and the pope, Sylvester II, blessed the crowd and sent them home.”¹ Not long afterwards came the crusaders.

At the request of various popes, beginning with Pope Urban II, between 1095-1270 A.D., military expeditions against the Pagans, Jews and Muslims were carried out from Europe. Christ was seen to have authorized the Crusades himself and the Pope, who exorcised his authority, was his representative on earth. Many Christians in Palestine, and elsewhere refused to join in on the wars even though the Crusades were seen as an international event. The crusaders believed that if they began to conquer Palestine then Jesus (a.s.) would return, fulfill the promises of the Bible and finish establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. This meant that they must launch a Crusade to liberate Palestine from Muslim rule and rid the land of the Jews who, in their opinion murdered Jesus (a.s.) and forfeited their right to God’s promises. The European Christians united under the belief that the conquest of Palestine would usher in the second coming of Jesus (a.s.), and the kingdom of God on earth (i.e. the Christian Republic), swept in massive force across Europe and Asia murdering and burning Jews in their synagogues and attacking Muslim and Pagan settlements. Those Jews who did not die and were found out were forced by the sword to abandon Judaism and confess Christianity. Those who did not….

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The Perfumed Garden

Has anyone heard of the work entitled “The Perfumed Garden” by an Islamic scholar named Shaykh Nefwazi?

He lived about 925 Hijra, which is roughly 16th century AD.

His work focused on healthy sexual relationships between Muslim couples. By todays standards, the book would be considered a mixture of sexual psychology and erotic literature.

It is something that many Muslims today who don’t delve into the importance of a healthy sexual relationship, let alone for the pleasure of their wives.

What do you guys think about a scholar doing a work like this?

Does anyone know about this scholar?

What do you think about his literary work and scholarship?

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