Old Testament Violence vs. Islamic Jihad
For years, we have witnessed Jihadists committing acts of terrorism and mass murder all over the world, and all have cited their Islamic teachings as their source of motivation. Many people, who don't want to confront the reality of Islamic Jihad often try numerous tactics to try to shield the fact that it is the scriptures of the Qur'an & Islamic Hadith (oral traditions of Muhammad through which the Qur'an is interpreted) are the primary motivators of the ongoing Jihadist attacks on our world. One popular tactic is to try and claim that the within the Old Testament of the Bible, there are numerous acts of violence that are being committed. Acts such as God flooding the world, God raining fire on Sodom & Gomorrah, and God unleashing the 10 Plagues of Egypt. However, the most popular issue that is pointed to is the Old Testament Wars that were fought between the Israelis and their numerous enemies such as the Philistines, Canaanites, Amakelites, & Ammonites. Critics claim that both the Allah of the Qur'an and the God of the Bible encouraged numerous acts of violence and murder. However, many fail to realize that there are serious differences between Old Testament Violence & Islamic Jihad.
This same principle applies to the Old Testament Wars that the Hebrews fought in the Holy Land. In Genesis 15:13-16, God told Abraham that his descendants (the Hebrews) would have to wait 400 years for the sin of the Canaanites to reach full fruition before the Hebrews would go in and claim the land, punishing the Canaanites for their sin. For over 400 years, the Canaanites, who on numerous times witnessed the Power of God, had the chance to repent. They did not do so, and God gave the Hebrews authorization to carry out the Judgement. Many of those who attempt to whitewash Islamic Jihad claim that what the Hebrews did to the Canaanites constituted Genocide. However, they overlook many things. The first being that God gave the Hebrews authorization to carry out this campaign in order to carry out his Judgement on the sins committed by the Canaanite Nations. Such sins included child sacrifice, bestiality (ritual sex with animals), & slave trading/abuse. The Law of Moses forbade all of these things. Slavery under Mosaic Law was more like indentured servitude. The "slave" would serve for seven years, and then be freed. If the slave were abused, he would be granted freedom from his abusive master. Even war captives were provided mercy. Captive women were to be protected from sexual assault (Deuteronomy 21:10-14) and would only be granted to an Israeli if she willingly agreed to marry him, upon which she would be granted a full status and protection as a wife. This is very different from Islamic Jihad in which Allah repeatedly granted Muslim warriors permission to take all captive women, even married ones, as sex slaves (Surah 70:30, 23:6, & 4:34). One must understand, that in the time period of the Old Testament, laws protecting slaves & captive women from wars were unheard of in other ancient societies. Most importantly, God clearly illustrates in the Old Testament that he grants favor to nobody. He warns the Jews that the only reason they are being granted this Land is because of the wickedness of the Canaanites. However, God warns the Jews that they are also a "thick-necked people," (Deuteronomy 9:4-6), and that if they too fall into wickedness, that Land will vomit them out, just as it did to the Canaanites before them (Leviticus 18:28). This promise was kept, for as the Old Testament progressed, we witnessed the tribes of Israel falling into sin again and again, and each time they were punished. God would use the Philistines, Assyrians, & Babylonians to carry out his Judgement on Israel for their sin. In addition, one must understand that while the Canaanites were wiped out as a military power, their people were not exterminated. The Canaanites continue to be found throughout the Bible. Even in the New Testament, we see instances of Canaanites approaching Jesus (Matthew 15:21-28). Thus, the Canaanite population of the Holy Land were either driven out of Israel's domain, or subdued under Israeli Law, but there were not exterminated. There was no genocide committed by the Israelis in any of the Old Testament Wars.
Now we can clearly see that the reason for the Old Testament Violence was God punishing people for their sin, not for their ethnicity, race, or religion. God gave no command to the Israelites to fight people until they proclaimed the Jewish faith, he did not command them to fight the world until all the world was under Mosaic Law, nor did he ever state that the Jewish People were superior over all others. However, the same cannot be said with Islamic Jihad. When one reads the Qur'an and the Bible, one must realize that there is a very important distinction. The Bible's theme is that God despises sin, and repeatedly punishes people for their sin. Nobody, not even the Kings of Israel, are spared from such punishment. However, God loved mankind so much that he laid out his infinite plan to redeem all people from sin. The Qur'an on the other hand, does not focus on sin, but "unbelievers." The Qur'an makes it very clear throughout the book that Allah has no love for non Muslims (Surah 3:31-32, 30:43-45), and he considers "unbelievers" to be the enemy (Surah 2:98) as to sin. Throughout the Qur'an, Allah continually curses "unbelievers" (Surah 2:89-90, Surah 2:162, Surah 2:257, Surah 3:12, Surah 3:56, 3:131 & Surah 5:36).
Whereas the Old Testament Wars were about God punishing various nations, including Israel, for the sins of the people, Islamic Jihad is all about fighting people for not following Islam (Surah 4:100-102, Surah 9:29-30), and it demands that the entire world must be fought until Islam prevails over all (Surah 2:193). In addition, one recalls in the Old Testament that God shows no favor to the Jewish people. He warns in the Old Testament that the Jews, like the Canaanites, were also a thick-necked people, and if they fell into wickedness, they too would be punished. However, in the Qur'an, Allah proves to be very discriminatory. He proclaims that the followers of Islam (Muslims) are the best of people (Surah 3:110), and that those who do not follow, are the worst of people (Surah 3:85, Surah 4:114-116, Surah 98:6). The Qur'an is very clear that "unbelievers" are the enemy, and that they must be fought (Surah 8:12, 9:73).
In the Bible, the Old Testament Wars are descriptive, they were restricted to a specified time & place, and were part of God's long-standing plan to bring salvation to the world, a salvation that commands love, not war. In John 15:12, as Jesus told his Disciples "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." This commandment to love all people, even our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48), is reiterated throughout the Gospel. However, Surah 9, which is the final major revelation in the Qur'an, commands Muslims to fight all non-Muslims, and hypocritical Muslims (Muslims who do not follow all of Muhammad's commands) until the world is submitted to Islam. It is very clear that the overall message of the Qur'an is to fight. This is verified in the Hadith commentary. Sahih Bukari Book 2 Hadith 24-25 very clearly states that Muhammad ordered his followers to fight all until they proclaim Islam, and that next to proclaiming faith, engaging in this Jihad (religious fighting) is the greatest deed that a Muslim can do. When question as to whether or not there was a deed that equaled Jihad, Muhammad in Sahih Bukari Book 56 Hadith 4 that there is no other deed that equals Jihad in reward.
So to summarize the differences between the Old Testament Wars and Islamic Jihad, let us refer to this chart:
One must first realize that there are serious differences between the theme of the Bible and the theme of the Qur'an. First, let us focus on the Bible. The Bible explains how mankind fell into sin, and how sin is ultimately responsible for all of the world's evils. God, being a God of justice, must punish people for their sin, but God also gives the people the chance to repent. Take the story of Noah for instance. In Noah, God gave the people 120 years to repent and climb onto the Ark, but the people continued to sin, until God finally unleashed his Judgement. In Sodom and Gomorrah, God swore to spare both cities if he could find only 10 Righteous People there, he could not, and the Judgement was unleashed. On the other hand, God spared the Assyrians from a similar Judgement. In the Bible, God sent Jonah to the Assyrians of Nineveh to warn them or their impending Judgement unless they changed their wicked ways. When the Assyrians heeded the warning and repented, they were spared.
This same principle applies to the Old Testament Wars that the Hebrews fought in the Holy Land. In Genesis 15:13-16, God told Abraham that his descendants (the Hebrews) would have to wait 400 years for the sin of the Canaanites to reach full fruition before the Hebrews would go in and claim the land, punishing the Canaanites for their sin. For over 400 years, the Canaanites, who on numerous times witnessed the Power of God, had the chance to repent. They did not do so, and God gave the Hebrews authorization to carry out the Judgement. Many of those who attempt to whitewash Islamic Jihad claim that what the Hebrews did to the Canaanites constituted Genocide. However, they overlook many things. The first being that God gave the Hebrews authorization to carry out this campaign in order to carry out his Judgement on the sins committed by the Canaanite Nations. Such sins included child sacrifice, bestiality (ritual sex with animals), & slave trading/abuse. The Law of Moses forbade all of these things. Slavery under Mosaic Law was more like indentured servitude. The "slave" would serve for seven years, and then be freed. If the slave were abused, he would be granted freedom from his abusive master. Even war captives were provided mercy. Captive women were to be protected from sexual assault (Deuteronomy 21:10-14) and would only be granted to an Israeli if she willingly agreed to marry him, upon which she would be granted a full status and protection as a wife. This is very different from Islamic Jihad in which Allah repeatedly granted Muslim warriors permission to take all captive women, even married ones, as sex slaves (Surah 70:30, 23:6, & 4:34). One must understand, that in the time period of the Old Testament, laws protecting slaves & captive women from wars were unheard of in other ancient societies. Most importantly, God clearly illustrates in the Old Testament that he grants favor to nobody. He warns the Jews that the only reason they are being granted this Land is because of the wickedness of the Canaanites. However, God warns the Jews that they are also a "thick-necked people," (Deuteronomy 9:4-6), and that if they too fall into wickedness, that Land will vomit them out, just as it did to the Canaanites before them (Leviticus 18:28). This promise was kept, for as the Old Testament progressed, we witnessed the tribes of Israel falling into sin again and again, and each time they were punished. God would use the Philistines, Assyrians, & Babylonians to carry out his Judgement on Israel for their sin. In addition, one must understand that while the Canaanites were wiped out as a military power, their people were not exterminated. The Canaanites continue to be found throughout the Bible. Even in the New Testament, we see instances of Canaanites approaching Jesus (Matthew 15:21-28). Thus, the Canaanite population of the Holy Land were either driven out of Israel's domain, or subdued under Israeli Law, but there were not exterminated. There was no genocide committed by the Israelis in any of the Old Testament Wars.
Now we can clearly see that the reason for the Old Testament Violence was God punishing people for their sin, not for their ethnicity, race, or religion. God gave no command to the Israelites to fight people until they proclaimed the Jewish faith, he did not command them to fight the world until all the world was under Mosaic Law, nor did he ever state that the Jewish People were superior over all others. However, the same cannot be said with Islamic Jihad. When one reads the Qur'an and the Bible, one must realize that there is a very important distinction. The Bible's theme is that God despises sin, and repeatedly punishes people for their sin. Nobody, not even the Kings of Israel, are spared from such punishment. However, God loved mankind so much that he laid out his infinite plan to redeem all people from sin. The Qur'an on the other hand, does not focus on sin, but "unbelievers." The Qur'an makes it very clear throughout the book that Allah has no love for non Muslims (Surah 3:31-32, 30:43-45), and he considers "unbelievers" to be the enemy (Surah 2:98) as to sin. Throughout the Qur'an, Allah continually curses "unbelievers" (Surah 2:89-90, Surah 2:162, Surah 2:257, Surah 3:12, Surah 3:56, 3:131 & Surah 5:36).
Whereas the Old Testament Wars were about God punishing various nations, including Israel, for the sins of the people, Islamic Jihad is all about fighting people for not following Islam (Surah 4:100-102, Surah 9:29-30), and it demands that the entire world must be fought until Islam prevails over all (Surah 2:193). In addition, one recalls in the Old Testament that God shows no favor to the Jewish people. He warns in the Old Testament that the Jews, like the Canaanites, were also a thick-necked people, and if they fell into wickedness, they too would be punished. However, in the Qur'an, Allah proves to be very discriminatory. He proclaims that the followers of Islam (Muslims) are the best of people (Surah 3:110), and that those who do not follow, are the worst of people (Surah 3:85, Surah 4:114-116, Surah 98:6). The Qur'an is very clear that "unbelievers" are the enemy, and that they must be fought (Surah 8:12, 9:73).
In the Bible, the Old Testament Wars are descriptive, they were restricted to a specified time & place, and were part of God's long-standing plan to bring salvation to the world, a salvation that commands love, not war. In John 15:12, as Jesus told his Disciples "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." This commandment to love all people, even our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48), is reiterated throughout the Gospel. However, Surah 9, which is the final major revelation in the Qur'an, commands Muslims to fight all non-Muslims, and hypocritical Muslims (Muslims who do not follow all of Muhammad's commands) until the world is submitted to Islam. It is very clear that the overall message of the Qur'an is to fight. This is verified in the Hadith commentary. Sahih Bukari Book 2 Hadith 24-25 very clearly states that Muhammad ordered his followers to fight all until they proclaim Islam, and that next to proclaiming faith, engaging in this Jihad (religious fighting) is the greatest deed that a Muslim can do. When question as to whether or not there was a deed that equaled Jihad, Muhammad in Sahih Bukari Book 56 Hadith 4 that there is no other deed that equals Jihad in reward.
So to summarize the differences between the Old Testament Wars and Islamic Jihad, let us refer to this chart:
Old Testament Violence
|
Jihad
|
Geographically limited
|
Not Geographically limited
|
Historically limited
|
No Historical Limit
|
Called to punish people for wickedness
|
Aggression against Unbelievers
|
God loves all, & this was part of his plan for redemption of all.
|
God only loves those who worship him and obey ever single command without question
|
Compassion & Grace were the source of his commands.
|
Allah expressed as sheer will: commands what he pleases
|
True enemy is Satan, Jesus planned to defeat Satan
|
Military Aggression against non-Muslims is normative. Later violent verses outweigh earlier tolerant ones.
|
Canaanite Wars limited, not normative
|
Military Aggression and aggressive conquest to bring world under Islam is a normative command that is ongoing to this day.
|
So when one tries to compare Old Testament violence to Jihad, this is the ultimate truth: there is no comparison. The two are nothing alike.
Sources
The Holy Qur'an
The Holy Bible
Hadith of Sahih Bukhari
Copan, Paul. Is
God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Grand
Rapids, MI: Bakerbooks, 2011.
"Old Testament
Violence." YouTube Video: 1:47:57. Published by Philemon
1:3 on Oct. 24, 2011 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieIn6vyg3Rc.
Qureshi, Nabeel. Answering
Jihad: A Better Way Forward. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016.
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