Is Islam a Religion of Violence and Terrorism? A Study of Scriptural Texts and Historical Realities

• First, it highlights that Islam is a realistic faith that balances strength with mercy and acknowledges the necessity of force only for protecting justice and human rights.
• Second, it clarifies the objectives of warfare in Islam, showing that it is strictly limited to repelling aggression and defending the oppressed.
• Third, it presents the ethical principles of war in Islam, which preceded modern international laws by centuries.
• Fourth, it distinguishes between legitimate Jihad and forbidden terrorism, emphasizing that the worst acts of terrorism in history were committed by states, not by religious groups.

Introduction

"Islam is a religion of terrorism!"... "Islam promotes violence!"... "Muslims are extremists!"

These slogans are shouted across the world, repeated by those who have never read a single page about Islam! They claim to uphold civilization and human rights, yet they refuse to listen to the truth or acknowledge historical realities!

How strange is this hypocrisy! They accuse Islam of violence while ignoring the fact that nuclear bombs—which wiped out hundreds of thousands in Hiroshima and Nagasaki—were not dropped by Muslims!

They label Muslims as terrorists, yet conveniently forget the Nazi Holocaust, which exterminated millions!

They speak of Muslim extremism yet act as if the two world wars—where tens of millions perished—were somehow Islamic conflicts!

They say: "Islam is a religion of war!"

But they forget that Islam was the first to establish rules of warfare, over 1,400 years ago, ensuring the protection of civilians!

Islam is the faith that prohibited the killing of women, children, and the elderly!It is the religion that forbade the destruction of crops, the cutting down of trees, and the demolishing of places of worship!

Isn’t it ironic that a faith whose greeting is peace (As-Salamu ‘Alaikum) and whose Prophet ﷺ was sent as a mercy to the world, is accused of violence and extremism?

Let us examine Islam’s stance on war and violence, to see how it balances idealism with realism, how it combines strength with mercy, and how it laid down humanitarian rules of war that modern nations only recently acknowledged.

Facts About Islam’s Stance on Violence and Warfare: Between Divine Justice and Human Oppression

When we examine Islam’s position on violence and warfare, we find a comprehensive system of values, principles, and ethical guidelines. Islam is neither an idealistic religion that ignores human realities, nor a bloodthirsty ideology that calls for violence and killing, as its opponents claim. Rather, it follows a balanced approach, harmonizing moral excellence with practical realities, and balancing the necessity of power with the principles of mercy and justice.

Let us explore Islam’s stance on violence and warfare from various perspectives, highlighting how this great religion preceded all international treaties and conventions in establishing humane rules for warfare and how it set ethical limitations for combat long before modern legal systems.

1. Islam: A Religion of Strength and Mercy—A Realistic Perspective in an Imperfect World

It is a mistake to believe that Islam promotes absolute pacifism, just as it is false to accuse it of being a religion of violence and terrorism. Islam adopts a balanced methodology that suits human nature and the reality of life. It recognizes that the world is neither a utopian paradise where everyone coexists in peace, nor a jungle where the strong devour the weak.

Look at today’s world: Is there any nation without a military?

Do any people renounce their right to self-defense?

Even the countries that boast about peace and human rights spend billions on military advancements!

Why? Because they understand that power is necessary in a world that respects only the strong.

This is precisely what Islam established 1,400 years ago. Reflect on the precision of the Qur’anic command:

Prepare against them whatever forces you can muster, including steeds of war, to deter the enemy of Allah and your enemy.

al-Anfāl: 60

This is a divine instruction to build strength—not for aggression, but to prevent war before it even starts!

Here lies the wisdom of Islamic legislation: Strength in Islam is not an end in itself, but a means to uphold justice, protect the oppressed, and establish peace. It is power that is bound by ethics, guided by values, and directed toward the welfare of humanity.

Reflect on the life of the Prophet ﷺ:

• In Makkah, when Muslims were weak, they were commanded to endure and seek peace.
• In Madinah, when Muslims gained strength, the first thing the Prophet ﷺ did was establish treaties with neighboring tribes.
• When he conquered Makkah and held supreme power, he declared a general amnesty for his former enemies.

Is this not the ultimate model of strength guided by morality?

Islam recognized—long before modern theories—that true peace cannot be established through weakness and submission. Weakness invites aggression, and surrender to oppression encourages tyrants to escalate their oppression.

Thus, the divine command is clear: Be strong to establish peace, and possess power to deter war.

However, Islam did not leave this power unchecked. It laid down precise conditions for the use of force: When should it be used? How should it be used? Against whom should it be used?

Islamic teachings emphasize that force must be:

• Used for justice, not oppression
• Defending the oppressed, not empowering the oppressor
• Repelling aggression, not attacking the innocent
• Establishing peace, not spreading destruction

Through this balanced approach, Islam presents a unique model of power and peace—neither absolute pacifism leading to humiliation nor blind glorification of violence at the expense of morality.

Islam is the only system that harmonizes strength with mercy, realism with idealism, and justice with human dignity.

2. The Objectives of Warfare in Islam: A Contrast Between Islamic Principles and Modern-Day Wars

If we examine the history of human wars, we find a shocking reality:

Most wars have been fought for greed, control, expansion, and economic gain.

Even in today’s so-called "civilized era", powerful nations invade smaller countries under the pretext of “strategic interests”, wipe out entire populations for “oil”, and kill millions in the name of “democracy”!

Against this backdrop of human savagery, Islam presents a unique framework for just war.

Permission (to fight) has been granted to those who are being oppressed.

al-Ḥajj: 39

This is the first verse revealed about warfare in Islam, and it establishes a fundamental principle:

Fighting in Islam is defensive, not aggressive. It is a response to oppression, not an initiation of oppression.

Upon deeper examination of Qur’anic verses, we find three noble objectives of warfare in Islam:

1. Repelling aggression and resisting oppressionThis is a right recognized by every nation and legal system.Is there any country that does not defend itself when attacked?Would any people accept to be subjugated without resistance?Even the United Nations Charter affirms this right—1,400 years after Islam already established it!
2. Protecting the oppressed and defending human dignity"And why should you not fight in the cause of Allah and for the oppressed among men, women, and children?" (al-Nisā: 75)Compare this noble principle to what we see today:Superpowers watch as genocide unfolds worldwide yet do nothing—unless economic interests are at stake!
3. Ensuring freedom of spreading the Islamic message and preventing religious persecution"Fight them until there is no more oppression, and religion is wholly for Allah." (al-Baqarah: 193)Islam does not force anyone to believe, but it also does not allow people to be forced away from their beliefs.

Yet, despite these clear ethical guidelines, Islam still prioritizes peace over war:

And if they incline to peace, then incline to it as well.

al-Anfāl: 61

Compare this principle to modern warfare doctrines:

• Superpowers launch “preemptive strikes” against weaker nations!
• Entire countries are bombed based on “suspicion” of possessing weapons!
• Civilian casualties are dismissed as “acceptable collateral damage”!

Isn’t it ironic that Islam is accused of violence, when it is the only system that:

• Established ethical and humane objectives for war
• Made peace the default rule and war the exception
• Forbade aggression—even against enemies
• Ordered acceptance of peace—even from potential traitors

Islam’s legislation on warfare is a remarkable balance of realism and idealism.

It acknowledges the necessity of power, yet sets noble purposes for its use—something the modern world still struggles to achieve.

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3. The Ethics of War in Islam: When Mercy Extends Even to Enemies

The world today takes pride in the Geneva Conventions and the laws of war, as if they were an unprecedented civilizational achievement. Yet, history bears witness that Islam preceded these conventions by fourteen centuries, laying down ethical principles for warfare that humanity has yet to fully uphold.

Consider this striking paradox: in the 20th century—the so-called age of "civilization" and "humanity"—the world witnessed the most atrocious and bloodiest wars in history. Nuclear bombs wiped out entire cities, chemical weapons exterminated millions, and indiscriminate bombings razed villages and towns with their inhabitants still inside. And in the 21st century, we continue to see "great powers" bombing hospitals and schools, justifying the killing of civilians as "acceptable collateral damage."

In stark contrast to this modern brutality, reflect on the Prophet’s ﷺ instructions to his military commanders. Before every battle, he would remind them:

"March forth in the name of Allah, in the path of Allah. Fight those who disbelieve in Allah. Go forth, but do not embezzle [war booty], do not betray, do not mutilate, and do not kill a child." (Muslim: 1731)

A few concise words that lay the foundation for the greatest ethical framework of warfare known to mankind!

The rightly guided caliphs further elaborated on these commands. Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) instructed his army:

Do not kill a woman, nor a child, nor an elderly person. Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees, nor destroy inhabited places. Do not slaughter sheep or camels except for food. Do not burn palm trees, nor drown them. Do not be treacherous, nor cowardly.

Al-Sunan al-Ṣughrā by al-Bayhaqī: 3/387

Look at this comprehensive ethical framework:

• Protection of civilians: No elderly, women, or children are to be killed.
• Environmental preservation: Trees are not to be cut, and crops are not to be burned.
• Respect for religious sites: Churches and places of worship are not to be destroyed.
• Prohibition of mutilation: Even in the heat of battle, the dignity of the deceased is preserved.
• Safeguarding property: Inhabited buildings are not to be destroyed, nor homes set ablaze.

These are not mere theoretical guidelines—they were strictly implemented by Muslim armies. Khālid ibn al-Walīd, one of the greatest military commanders in history, adhered to these principles in the most intense battles. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Ayyūbī entered Jerusalem without shedding a single drop of innocent blood, whereas the Crusaders had massacred seventy thousand of its inhabitants eighty years prior.

Compare this to what we witness today:

• Cluster bombs that continue killing civilians long after wars end.
• Internationally banned weapons used against innocent people.
• Systematic destruction of infrastructure and civilian institutions.
• Sieges that deprive entire populations of food and medicine.
• Torture and the inhumane treatment of prisoners.

The Islamic ethical code of warfare reveals a profound truth: Islam does not sanction war for the sake of killing and destruction. Rather, it permits it only within strict moral confines and for noble objectives. How desperately does our world today need these Islamic ethics in warfare!

4. Jihād and Terrorism: When the Devil Wears the Garb of an Angel

It is one of the paradoxes of our time that regulated, ethical Islamic jihād is accused of being "terrorism"! What is even more ironic is that the term "terrorism" itself did not originate from Islamic teachings but was born out of the secular French Revolution. In 1793, what became officially known as the "Reign of Terror" began in France, during which tens of thousands were executed by the guillotine while slogans of "liberty, equality, and fraternity" echoed in the streets.

If we examine modern history, we find that the most horrific acts of terrorism were not carried out by small militant groups, but by so-called "civilized" states. Who dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, wiping out hundreds of thousands in moments? Who burned millions in the Nazi concentration camps? Who carried out the massacres and genocides in Gaza?

But this in no way diminishes the threat posed by terrorist groups that falsely claim to represent Islam. These groups are a grave danger to Islam and Muslims before anyone else. They violate sacred life, terrorize the innocent, and distort the pristine image of Islam. The reality that the world must acknowledge is that Muslims themselves are the greatest victims of these groups—and they are also at the forefront of resisting them, sacrificing martyr after martyr in a twofold struggle: confronting them militarily on the battlefield and refuting their corrupt ideologies in the realms of knowledge and scholarship.

Jihād in Islam is a structured system with well-defined principles, ethical constraints, and noble objectives. It protects civilians rather than targeting them, respects places of worship rather than demolishing them, and preserves the environment rather than destroying it. Even in the most intense moments of battle, a Muslim fighter remains bound by the instruction of the Prophet ﷺ: "Do not kill an elderly person, nor a small child, nor a woman."

Terrorism, whether perpetrated by states or militant groups, is the opposite—it is blind violence that does not distinguish between the innocent and the guilty. It deliberately targets civilians, seeks to spread fear in societies, and disregards all Islamic values. And when states engage in terrorism, it becomes even more lethal and destructive due to their vast resources, powerful weaponry, and political and media backing.

How, then, can Islam be accused of terrorism? How can a religion that forbids the killing of an ant—even in war—be labeled as violent? And how is it fair to associate terrorism with a nation that has lost thousands of its own people fighting against terrorism and its perverted ideologies?

Conclusion

After this careful examination of Islam’s stance on war and combat, one truth becomes crystal clear: Islam has never been a religion of violence or terrorism. Rather, it is a religion that balances strength with mercy, realism with idealism.

To the Western states who accuse Islam of violence: consider the irony! It was you who dropped nuclear bombs on civilian populations. You ignited the two world wars. You kill innocent people today in the name of "democracy"! Where do your devastating wars stand in comparison to the Islamic concept of jihād, which prohibits the killing of women, children, or the elderly? Where do your cluster bombs stand in comparison to the sword of Islam, which was only ever raised to defend the oppressed or repel aggression?

Islam was centuries ahead of humanity in establishing ethical guidelines for warfare. Fourteen centuries ago, Islam taught the world how war—if it must occur—should be conducted with mercy, even toward enemies. It forbade the killing of civilians before such a term was even coined, prohibited environmental destruction before environmental organizations existed, and commanded respect for places of worship long before freedom of religion was enshrined in law.

Let Muslims take pride in their faith, which upholds peace as the default and war as an exception. Let them honor their noble concept of jihād, which is founded upon the highest moral and ethical principles. And let them remain certain that Islam will always be a guiding light for humanity, teaching it how to balance power with justice and dignity with compassion.