Jihad is a communal obligation (fard kifayah), and in three situations jihad becomes an individual obligation (fard ayn)
➊ When the armies meet one another in battle, it is an individual obligation on every person present to stand firm against the enemy, and at that moment turning one’s back and fleeing is forbidden, as it is in the Qur’an:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبَارَ – وَمَن يُوَلِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفًا لِّقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَيِّزًا إِلَىٰ فِئَةٍ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ
“O you who believe! When you meet the disbelievers face to face, do not turn your backs to them. And whoever turns his back to them on that occasion, except one who is maneuvering for battle or joining another company (of his own), he is exempted. As for anyone else who does so, he will incur the wrath of Allah, and his abode will be Hell, and it is a very evil destination.”
And in the hadith it is said: “Avoid seven destructive things (one of them is):
التولى يوم الزحف
“Turning one’s back on the day of battle.”
➋ When the disbelievers attack a city, fighting them in order to defend against them becomes an individual obligation. Imam Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
إذا نزل الكفار ببلد تعين على أهله قتالهم و دفعهم
“When the disbelievers descend upon a city, fighting them and repelling them becomes (an individual obligation) on the people of that city.”
➌ When the ruler of the time commands everyone to march out, jihad becomes an individual obligation on all. As it is in the Qur’an:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ
“O you who believe! What is the matter with you that when it is said to you, ‘March forth in the way of Allah,’ you cling heavily to the earth?”
And in the hadith it is said:
إذا استنفرتم فانفروا
“When you are called to march out, then march out.”
The jurists are agreed on this.
Definition of fard ayn and fard kifayah
Fard ayn (individual obligation):
هو الفرض الذى يجب على كل مسلم أن يفعله بنفسه كالصلاة والصوم
“Fard ayn is an obligation that every Muslim is required to perform himself, such as prayer and fasting, etc.”
Fard kifayah (communal obligation):
الذى إذا قام به من يكفى سقط عن سائر الناس وإن لم يقم به من يكفى أثم الناس كلهم فالخطاب فى ابتدائه يتناول الجميع كفرض الأعيان ثم يختلفان فى أن فرض الكفاية يسقط بفعل البعض وفرض الأعيان لا يسقط عن أحد بفعل غيره
“Fard kifayah is that which, when a sufficient number of people perform it, is lifted from all the rest of the people, and if a sufficient number do not perform it, all the people are sinful. At its outset the command is addressed to everyone. The difference between the two afterwards is that fard kifayah is lifted from everyone else by some people’s performing it, while fard ayn is not lifted from anyone by another’s performing it.”
An example of this is the funeral prayer. That is, if some people perform the funeral prayer, it is not necessary for everyone to attend it; but if not even that many attend as would suffice for the affairs of preparing the body and shrouding, then all the Muslims will share in the sin of not fulfilling the obligation.
Evidences of those who say jihad is a fard kifayah:
➊ Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:
إِلَّا تَنفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
“If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment.”
مَا كَانَ لِأَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُم مِّنَ الْأَعْرَابِ أَن يَتَخَلَّفُوا عَن رَّسُولِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَرْغَبُوا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ عَن نَّفْسِهِ …..
“It was not proper for the people of Madinah and the Bedouins around them to stay behind the Messenger of Allah, nor to prefer their own lives to his life.”
These verses were abrogated by this verse:
وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُوا كَافَّةً ۚ فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ
“And it is not for the believers to go forth all together. So why should not a small group from every large group of them go forth, so that they may gain understanding of the religion, and so that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware.”
➋ Imam al-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said that it is possible that this verse:
إِلَّا تَنفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
is specific (to the Prophet ﷺ), that is, when he calls them to go out for jihad and no one goes out (then this punishment will come upon him).
➌ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said that what is clear to me is that this verse is specific, not abrogated.
➍ Among the evidences for it being a collective obligation is also that the Prophet ﷺ sometimes went out for jihad himself, and sometimes only sent out detachments and did not go himself.
➎ لَّا يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ ۚ فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ دَرَجَةً ۚ وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَىٰ
“Those believers who sit back, other than those with a valid excuse, are not equal to those who strive in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has given those who strive with their wealth and their lives a rank above those who sit back. And to each Allah has promised the best reward.”
From this verse it is known that those who stay behind will also not be sinful for not engaging in jihad.
➏ It is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من آمن بالله ورسوله وأقام الصلاة وصام رمضان كان حقا على الله أن يدخله الجنة جاهد فى سبيل الله أو جلس فى أرضه التى ولد فيها
“Whoever believes in Allah and His Messenger, establishes the prayer and fasts Ramadan, it is a right upon Allah to admit him into Paradise, whether he engaged in jihad in the cause of Allah or stayed in the land in which he was born.”
It is proven that there is the glad tidings of Paradise even without jihad, therefore it is not an individual obligation.
➐ It is narrated from Zayd ibn Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من جهز غازيا فى سبيل الله فقد غزا ومن خلف غازيا فى أهله فقد غزا
“Whoever equips a fighter in the way of Allah has indeed fought, and whoever takes good care of the family of a fighter has indeed fought.”
➑ It is narrated from Sahl ibn Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من سأل الله الشهادة بصدق بلغه الله منازل الشهداء وإن مات على فراشه
“Whoever asks Allah for martyrdom with sincerity, Allah will make him reach the ranks of the martyrs, even if he dies on his bed.”
(The Hanbalis and Shafi’is): Jihad is a collective obligation.
Evidences of those who say it is an individual obligation:
➊ انفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ
“March forth (in the way of Allah), whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives.”
➋ إِلَّا تَنفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
“If you do not march forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment.”
➌ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ
“Fighting has been made obligatory upon you.”
➍ There is a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ:
من مات ولم يغز ولم يحدث به نفسه مات على شعبة من نفاق
“Whoever dies without having fought and without his heart having formed the intention of it, will die upon a branch of hypocrisy.”
(Sa’id bin al-Musayyib) Jihad is obligatory upon every individual.
Summary:
The word jihad is used in the Qur’an and Sunnah mostly in two meanings.
➊ Jihad in the sense of qital (fighting): as in the Qur’an:
انفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ
“March forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives.”
In this verse jihad is used in the sense of qital.
➋ Jihad in the sense of effort and striving for the dominance of the religion:
As in Surah al-Furqan:
فَلَا تُطِعِ الْكَافِرِينَ وَجَاهِدْهُم بِهِ جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا
“So do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with it (the Qur’an) a great striving.”
This verse is Makki, and the command of qital had not yet been revealed. So the meaning of jihad here is that one should explain the commands and prohibitions of the Qur’an clearly, and make plain the warnings, rebukes and threats that are for the disbelievers.
In a hadith, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Prophet ﷺ said:
جاهدوا المشركين بأموالكم و أنفسكم والسنتكم
“Strive against the polytheists with your wealth, your lives and your tongues.”
Obviously, war cannot be waged against the enemies with the tongue; however, the plots and propaganda of the disbelievers and hypocrites can be exposed and the proof established against them.
Moreover, in one verse the word jihad is used in both of the above meanings, and that verse is:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ جَاهِدِ الْكُفَّارَ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ وَاغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ
“O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh upon them.”
Imam al-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “What is meant by jihad against the disbelievers is fighting against them, and what is meant by jihad against the hypocrites is (not fighting against them but) establishing proof and evidence against them.”
It is known that jihad is used in the Qur’an and Sunnah for fighting, and is also used for effort and striving for the dominance of the religion through other means and resources. So let it be clear that if jihad is in the sense of qital (that is, fighting against the enemies), then apart from the three previously mentioned situations in which it becomes an individual obligation, it is a communal obligation (fard kifaya). And if jihad is in the sense of effort and striving, by any means, for the elevation of the religion, then it is an individual obligation upon every Muslim for the whole of life, like prayer.
Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
والتحقيق أيضا أن جنس جهاد الكفار متعين على كل مسلم إما بيده وإما بلسانه وإما بماله وإما بقلبه والله أعلم
“The verified and accepted position is that the general category of jihad against the disbelievers is an individual obligation upon every Muslim, whether this jihad is by hand or by tongue, by wealth or by heart.”
Note: Even a communal obligation, as long as it is not being fulfilled, becomes an individual obligation. Imam al-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “The evidences that have come in the Qur’an and Sunnah regarding the obligation of jihad are so many that there is no room to write them here, but it is obligatory only as a communal obligation (ala al-kifaya). When some people are fulfilling it, it is dropped from the rest, and as long as some do not fulfil it, it is an individual obligation upon every person who is accountable.”
For example, if someone is drowning in water and some swimmers are present there, then if even one of them rescues him, the obligation is fulfilled for all of them; and if none of them rescues him and they say, ‘This is a communal obligation, not an individual one,’ this would not be acceptable.
