Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) published this book on May 22, 1900, in which he elucidated at length the philosophy of Jihad in the light of the Holy Quran and Ahadith.
Recalling wars fought in the days of the Holy Prophet (sa), he stated that:
“All these wars were defensive and the Muslims were forced to take up arms in order to protect their religious freedom.”
Hazrat Maulana Jalaluddin Shams (ra), in the introduction to this book, stated: The mission of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) was to establish the superiority of Islam over all the world religions, and he was mainly motivated by the repeated attempts by Orientalists to paint Islam as a religion spread with the sword. Bishop Malcolm McCall writing in the issue December 1877, of The Twentieth Century, on page 832, says:
“Quran divides the whole world in two parts—(1) Darul-Islam, and (2) Darul-Harb (the enemy world). People who are not Muslim, all of them are against Islam, therefore it is an obligation on a Muslim that he should wage a war against the non-believers till the time they accept Islam or are killed—this is known as Jihad or Jang-e-Muqadass, and this can end only in one way: either the whole world accept Islam, or everyone is killed. And it is the holy duty of Khalifah that when an opportunity arises, he should declare Jihad.”
In his book Life of Mohammad, Sir William Muir says:
“As Mohammad arrives in Medina, intolerance took place of the freedom and force of persuasion... Slay the non-believers where ever you find them was the watchword of Islam.”
Hazrat Maulana Jalaluddin Shams (ra), on page 17 of the introduction, writes: The Promised Messiah (as), in accordance with the Holy Quran and Ahadith, did not put a ban on Jihad with sword forever, but on account of the conditions not prevailing for conducting the Jihad with the sword, he temporarily postponed it or put it off. In a letter to Mir Nasir Nawab, published in Durud Sharif, p. 26, the Promised Messiah (as) clarified: In the current age, Jihad has assumed a spiritual shape. The spreading of the Word of God and Islam and rebutting the objections of the opponents and expressing the beauties of Islam is the real way of Jihad till the time God, in His Majesty, does manifest any other way.
There were many reasons for writing this book: As Hazrat Ahmad claimed he is the Promised Messiah and Mahdi and according to the prevalent belief among Indian Muslims, it was thought that the Promised Messiah would wage war against non-believers. Some years before the Promised Messiah (as) announced his mission in March 1889, Mahdi Sudani appeared and declared Jihad against the British, but was defeated by the British in 1882. The British Government in India has not forgotten that event.
Many Maulavis of his time were engaged in dissemination about the Promised Messiah (as) and comparing him to the Mahdi Sudani. The Christian clergy who met repeated defeats at his hand were looking for some excuses to have him imprisoned.
As Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) was a Mughal, it was made out that Hazrat Ahmad has made this claim to demand the lost throne of Mughals, lost in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 in India. Therefore, it became necessary for Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) to propound the true stance of Islam on Jihad. Hence, this book. He stated that Islam does not allow Muslim to take up arms against a government that ensures complete religious freedom, a rule of law, and life and property is fully protected. Rebutting those critics who called the Promised Messiah (as) a sycophant he said:
“I do not flatter Government but the fact is that it is a government which does not interfere in matters of religion and does not raise sword for spreading their own religion. And he made it clear that his praise and loyalty to the government was prompted by three facts:
- This government has liberated Muslims in the Punjab from the tyranny of Sikhs.
- It established complete peace.
- It gave complete freedom of expression.
(Taken from An Introduction to the hidden Treasures of Islam)
