God's Messenger (peace be upon him) used to say the following words to his troops before sending them to war: Go forward in the name of God. Do not kill an elderly person, nor a child, nor a woman, and do not exceed the bounds. [Muwatta]
From all this, it is easy to see Islam's position on terrorism. Terrorism is a form of warfare whereby innocent people are specifically targeted to instill fear in a population. Therefore, Islam's view on terrorism comes from the Islamic position on warfare. It is clear from what preceded that even during war, when the Muslims are fighting an aggressive enemy, they are never allowed to target civilians. This is strictly prohibited by Islamic Law. The killing of innocents is murder, even during times of war. The one who intentionally kills these innocent people is a murderer who deserves the punishment for murder. Terrorism is categorically prohibited in Islam.
Throughout Islamic history, the Muslim's treatment of others in times of war was exemplary. Abu Bakr, a Companion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the first Caliph that came after him, sent an army to Syria to fight the aggressive Roman legions and went out to give them words of encouragement. He said: 'You are going to find a group of people who have devoted themselves to the worship of God (i.e. monks), so leave them to what they are doing.
When `Umar, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the second Caliph, drove the Roman legions out of Jerusalem, the Muslims were welcomed as liberators. Even though the Muslims had conquered the land, they were not allowed to look upon the inhabitants of the land as their enemies. Their enemies were only the Romans who had aggressed against them. When `Umar entered Jerusalem as a conqueror, he came humbly and instead of dictating harsh terms to the people, brought a treaty that guaranteed the people of Jerusalem, who were predominantly Christian, their safety and freedom from all persecution. The following is from the treaty that he drafted for them: This is what `Umar, the Commander of the Faithful, grants to the people in peace. He grants them the safety of their persons, their churches, and their crosses their churches will not be shut down nor destroyed. Nothing will be taken from them or from their crosses. They will not be compelled to abandon their faith nor shall any one of them be abused.
There is no such thing as a holy war in Islam. Muslims are not allowed to force their religion on anyone. The word jihad means struggle. This struggle can be of a military nature. When it is, the differences between a jihad and a normal war become clear. Jihad can never be fought for worldly gain, for conquest, or even for revenge.
War must only be fought to protect the lives, property, and freedoms of people. Muslims must fight to protect the freedom of people to worship God when that freedom is forcibly attacked. They are never allowed to attack innocent people, even when they are themselves attacked. Any people that go against this established principle of Islamic Law are fighting against Islam and everything that it stands for. It is ludicrous for them to call this fighting a jihad, a word that means striving in the cause of Islam. They are in fact murderers in the light of Islamic Law and should be treated as such.
