What does Islam say about war?

• Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-

defence, in defence of religion, or on the part of
those who have been expelled forcibly from their
homes. It lays down strict rules of combat which
include prohibitions against harming civilians
and against destroying crops, trees and
livestock. As Muslims see it, injustice would be
triumphant in the world if good men were not
prepared to risk their lives in a righteous cause.
 What does Islam say about war?
The Qur’an says:
• ‘Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you,
but do not transgress limits. God does not love
transgressors.’ (2:190)
• If they seek peace, then you should also seek peace.
And trust in Allah for He is the One that hears and knows
all things. (8:61)
• War, therefore, is the last resort, and is subject to the
rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law.
• The term jihaad literally means’ struggle’, and Muslims
believe that there are two kinds of jihaad. The outer
struggle against the forces of evil and corruption and the
inner struggle which everyone wages against egotistic
desires, for the sake of attaining inner peace.
 Defense and War / A Biblical Perspective
by Ron McKenzie
Ron McKenzie is an economist in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is also a Presbyterian minister.

• The Bible gives a nation the right of self-defense. However there are a
number of principles which should control the civil government’s
exercise of this authority in the fulfillment of its responsibilities.
1. War is only justified for defense (Romans 13:1-8). It should not be used
to expand a nation's boundaries, or to take control of another nation, or
to extract trade advantages. This is a fundamental principle. A nation
should never need to establish military domination in another region or
nation.
2. The idea of a Christian Holy War has no basis in Scriptures. The nation
of Israel conquered and destroyed the nations. This was only done
after a specific and direct command from God (Deut 7:1,2). It is not an
example that can be followed by Christians or a Christian nation. We
should not use war to win people for the gospel. (We should be honest
and admit that the crusades were a mistake, however well-intentioned
the crusaders may have been).
 Defense and War / A Biblical Perspective

3. A Christian nation must not have a large "standing army"(Deut 17:16; 1

Kings 10:26-29). An army that is constantly training for war is dangerous,
because it will be tempted to find a situation where it can use its skills.
The military should not be given too much political power, as they will
have a tendency to use war to solve all problems.
4. The army of a Christian nation will not have offensive weapons (Deut
17:16). God forbade the king from acquiring great numbers of horses for
himself. The reason for this was that horses and chariots, at that time,
were offensive weapons used for attacking other nations. The defence of
the nation would not need large numbers of them. A modern defense
force should choose weapons that are best for defensive purposes.
5. Only the civil government has authority to declare war. Individuals or
companies do not have the authority to commit a nation to war. Any
declaration of war must be in accordance with correct legal processes
(Deut 20:10).
 Defense and War / A Biblical Perspective
6. War should always be the last resort. Before declaring war, the civil
government should try every means possible to obtain peace (Deut
20:10). We should never forget the horror of war. It is always costly in
terms of human suffering. Christians should never glorify war. While
it is an honour for a man to give his life to defend his family and
community, war is never an ideal solution. A Christian government
should be prepared for war, if it is attacked, but it should also hope
that it would never have to fight.
7. A Christian nation should always seek God’s will before declaring
war. A nation going to war, because it thinks it is right, is being
presumptuous (Deut 1:41-44). Presumption is a terrible sin. If the war
has God’s blessing, the army is more likely to have success.
8. A Christian government should only declare war if it thinks it has a
reasonable chance of success. Jesus said that before a king goes to
war, he should sit down and consider whether he can match the
army that is coming against him. If not he will send a delegation to
ask for terms of peace (Luke 14:31-32), even if this involves a loss of
freedom. For Christians freedom is not an absolute value. It may be
better to lose freedom to govern, than to lose a large number of lives
in an unsuccessful defence. In fact, because Jesus has set us free,
we cannot lose our freedom.
 Defense and War / A Biblical Perspective
11. Deut 20:1-5 declares that a small army with God on its side can
beat a large well-armed one. However, this promise should not be
used as a justification for foolish wars.
12. Total war, as it has been practiced in this last century, is
prohibited by the Bible. Those engaged in war are prohibited from
attacking and damaging the land (Deut 20). The same protection
would apply to women and children. Non-combatants should also
be protected.
13. This prohibition makes nuclear war unacceptable. Nuclear
weapons would harm the land and non-combatants. The same
principle would rule out many modern weapons. Only weapons
which can be targeted at combatants or other weapons can be
used by a Christian nation. On the other hand, anti-ballistic
missile defence systems may be justified, because they are
defensive.
 Defense and War / A Biblical Perspective

14. Military alliances are common in the modern world. However these are
forbidden over and over again in the Bible. A Christian nation has a
covenant with God. It cannot be totally committed to God, and place its
faith in another nation for defence (Is 31:1-3). Therefore, defence
alliances are not an option for a Christian nation.
15. God determines the appointed times of the nations and the timing of
their rule. (Acts 17:26). No nation has the authority to invade another
nation to change its government (even if it is evil). A nation cannot even
be invaded to establish democracy. (Democracy must come from the
hearts of the people, it cannot be enforced from the outside.) Most
attempts by great powers to establish "better" government by force in
other nations have failed, because the spiritual forces that control the
nation have not been defeated (Dan 10:13).
• The principles outlined here allow a nation to defend itself, but there are
very severe restrictions on which methods may be used. Likewise there
are very strict conditions which must be fulfilled before war may be
justified. Almost all modern conflicts would fail to meet these conditions.
 The current war in Afghanistan
• The Bible recognizes the horror of war. There are probably very few
situations that would justify the cost of war. It should be an extremely rare
event.
• The current war in Afghanistan does not fit with these principles. The
people who organized the attack on the World Trade Centre, committed a
dreadful crime and should be punished as criminals. However, the nation
of Afghanistan did not attack the United States. The Taliban did not attack
the United States. Afghanistan may be harboring the criminals who
organized the attack, but that is not a justification for war. We may dislike
the Taliban intensely, but that does not justify war against them. The
United States does not have the right to determine who should govern
Afghanistan. (The Taliban gained power through victory in a civil war. This
is the same way that the current federal system in the United States was
established). The United States is not defending itself against an attack
by Afghanistan, so it is not justified in attacking Afghanistan.
 The war against Iraq
• The war against Iraq cannot be supported from
biblical principles. Iraq had not attacked the
United States, so there is no justification for an
attack against it. The United States
intervention in Iraq was morally wrong.
• New Zealand should not be sending troops to
Iraq. We are not defending ourselves against
an attack by Iraq, so there is no justification for
us being involved in a war against the Iraqi
people.