Sheikh Moussa Kamara’s Islamic Critique of Jihadists

If peace is at the foundation of the Islamic message, then waging any types of jihad as a means of imposing change or gaining power will run counter to the nature of Islam. Politics is a self-serving arena most suited to those who desire fame; therefore, any call for jihad within a political context deprives jihad of its spiritual roots.

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Shaykh Moussa Kamara was one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century. His scholarship spanned many disciplines, including human civilizations, the ethnography of Sudanic Africa, theology, and poetry. His objection to jihad is one of his most pertinent works. As provided in this English translation and commentary, It expounds upon the futility of waging Jihād bis-Sayf since it could not be conducted without killing other Muslims or innocent civilians of any persuasion. By its violent nature, jihad breaches one of Islam's main principles which is preserving life. To support this argument, Kamara draws evidence from Prophet Muhammad’s social life, the bloody legacy of jihad among his companions after his death, the opinions of pious scholars and Sufi saints on the subject as well as his lived-experience of the economic devastation caused by the jihadists, or Pseudo-Jihadists to use his own words, of his time. Kamara goes further to showcase that, if self-defense in the name of Jihad is a must, then there have to be a balance of power with the enemy, a unified leadership among the Muslims, and a legitimate leader who can authorize waging jihad.