Permission to Fight against Unjust Regimes

وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا

And why should you not fight in the way of God and for the ones taken advantage of due to weakness among the men and the women and the children, those who say: Our Lord! Bring us out from this town whose people are the ones who are unjust and assign for us a protector from Thy Presence and assign for us a helper from Thy Presence?
[Al-Quran 4:75, Translation: Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar] 

The Quran questions the reluctance of the Believers to defend the weak. Important to note in this ayat are:

1. the purpose of the battle is to fight in the cause of Allah 
2. the purpose of fighting unjust regimes is to protect the weak who cannot defend themselves 
3. the objective is to evacuate the weak who are suffering injustice to somewhere safe  
4. the objective is NOT to conquer the land of the oppressors  
5. the weak are praying for a single protector/helper implying a Head-of-State  

Reading the above ayat in context, (tenth ruku of the fourth surah: anNisa`):  

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا خُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ فَانفِرُوا ثُبَاتٍ أَوِ انفِرُوا جَمِيعًا

وَإِنَّ مِنكُمْ لَمَن لَّيُبَطِّئَنَّ فَإِنْ أَصَابَتْكُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالَ قَدْ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيَّ إِذْ لَمْ أَكُن مَّعَهُمْ شَهِيدًا

وَلَئِنْ أَصَابَكُمْ فَضْلٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ لَيَقُولَنَّ كَأَن لَّمْ تَكُن بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُ مَوَدَّةٌ يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنتُ مَعَهُمْ فَأَفُوزَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا

فَلْيُقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ يَشْرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا بِالْآخِرَةِ وَمَن يُقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيُقْتَلْ أَوْ يَغْلِبْ فَسَوْفَ نُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ الطَّاغُوتِ فَقَاتِلُوا أَوْلِيَاءَ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا

O those who believed! Take your precautions. Then, move forward in companies of men or move forward altogether.
And, truly, among you is he who lingers behind. Then, if affliction lit on you, he would say: Surely, God was gracious to me that I not be a witness to them.
And if the grace of God lit on you, certainly, he would say, as if there be not any affection between you and between him: Would that I had been with them so that I would have won a triumph, winning a sublime triumph!
Then, let fight in the way of God those who sell this present life for the world to come. And whoever fights in the way of God, then, is slain or is vanquished, We will give him a sublime compensation.
And why should you not fight in the way of God and for the ones taken advantage of due to weakness among the men and the women and the children, those who say: Our Lord! Bring us out from this town whose people are the ones who are unjust and assign for us a protector from Thy Presence and assign for us a helper from Thy Presence?
Those who believed fight in the way of God. And those who were ungrateful fight in the way of the false deity. So fight the protectors of Satan. Truly the cunning of Satan had been weak.
[Al-Quran 4:71-76, Translation: Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar] 

Examples from The Quran 

Liberating the Weak from an Unjust Regime
Historically, Moses was sent to demand the release of the Bani Israel from the Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. The Quran relates the story of the Bani Israel in great detail. Moses was to lead the Bani Israel out of Egypt, not battle with the Pharaonic forces. Eventually, the Bani Israel were evacuated, and their oppressors destroyed by an act of God. 

Fighting in the Cause of Allah 

1. Talut (Saul) led the Bani Israel into war against Jalut (Goliath) and his forces. Daud (David) killed Goliath. Through sending believers into battles, Allah contains corruption. 
2. When Daud (David) became Khalifa, iron was made pliable for him. He was taught to make coats of mail, and calculate the links precisely. He was commanded to do acts of reform. 
3. The Quran, Surah anNaml, relates the story of the Prophet-King Sulaiman (Solomon) who used his authority to turn away the Sun-worshipping Queen of Saba from her false-worship and convinced her into submitting to Allah. In Allah's name, Solomon invited her to visit him; he refused to accept any gifts in lieu of submission, and instead threatened to wage war. She visited him in compliance to his request, and upon witnessing his wondrous kingdom, she was convinced about the truth of Solomon's beliefs, and submitted willingly to the worship of Allah alone.   

Last updated on: May 17, 2022