Those saying Islam is a deen of peace deny offensive jihad i.e. initiating fighting with the disbelievers. They confirm the defensive war and deny the offensive war (qital ut-talab) i.e. initiating the attack. Some of them believe there is no necessity for this matter since it is possible to overcome the material obstacles and convey the da'wah to disbelievers without colliding with these obstacles, by using the internet, media, books, leaflets, building mosques and Islamic centres in the heart of the countries of disbelievers, and live contacts with individuals to make them enter the deen of Allah (SWTH). They claim that this takes the place of offensive war. This view collides with the texts of the Book, Sunnah and Ijmaa Us-Sahabah that all command that we initiate fighting against them, even if they do not initiate against us, if they do not accept Islam or pay the jizyah and submit to the rule of Islam. These texts are not reasoned with the reason (illah) that Jihad is only obliged in the situation of inability to convey verbally. As for the Book, it is His (SWTH) saying:

"Fight those who do not believe in Allah northe Last Day, nor forbid what Allah and His Messenger forbid nor follow the deen of the People of the Book until they pay jizyah readily and they are humbled" [TMQ At-Taubah: 29].

And His (SWTH) saying:

"Fight the polytheists collectively as they fight you collectively. And remember that Allah is with the pious" [TMQ At-Taubah:36].

And His (SWTH) saying:

"O Prophet, fight the disbelievers and hypocrites and be harsh against them. Their abode is Hellfire, a wretched destination!" [TMQ At-Taubah:73].

And His (SWTH) saying:

"Verily Allah (SWTH) purchased from the believers their souls and property so that Paradise is for them. They fight in the way of Allah, they kill and are killed. A promise binding upon Him in the Torah, Bible and Qur'an, and who is truer to his covenant than Allah (SWTH)? Then rejoice in the bargain that you have concluded. And that is the supreme success" [TMQ At-Taubah:111].

And His (SWTH) saying:

"O you who believe, fight those are close to you among the disbelievers and let them find harshness in you. And know that Allah is with the pious" [TMQ At-Taubah: 123]. These are aayaat from At-Taubah which is among the last which was revealed without anything coming to specify, restrict or abrogate it, so it is evidence that Jihad encompasses defensive and offensive war i.e. the fighting of defence and offence. As for His (SWTh) saying:

"And if they incline to peace, then you incline to it" [TMQ Al-Anfal: 61] and His (SWTH) saying:

"Fight in the way of Allah those fighting you and do not transgress. Verily Allah loves not the transgressors" [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 190] and His (SWTH) saying:

"Permission (to fight) has been given to those who were fought because they were oppressed. Verily Allah is Able to support them" [TMQ Al-Hajj: 39]. These aayaat and their like are not suitable to specify the generality of the aayaat of At-Taubah, nor restrict those which are unrestricted (mutlaq) because they were all revealed before the aayaat of At-Taubah, and the precedent (text) does not specify the later (text) nor restrict it. This is because specification is equivalent to abrogation of a part of the general (text) as it diverts the rule from its generality, by invalidating it in a part of it and putting another rule in its place. As long as specification is equivalent to abrogation, and it is stipulated in abrogation that the abrogator (nasikh) is later than the abrogated (mansukh), then these aayaat are not suitable to specify the aayaat of At-Taubah because they are precedent to it in revelation. The aayaat of At-Taubah are among the last of what was revealed in Jihad, so specification does not arise. What is said regarding specification is likewise said regarding restriction, as it is necessary for the restricting text to be later than the unrestricted text or accompanying it, so as to be a restriction for it, or so as to apply the unrestricted text upon the restricted one. Therefore the general remains upon its generality due to the absence of any specifying text to specify it; and the absolute remains upon its unrestricted nature due to the absence of any restricting text that the unrestricted can be restricted with it or applied on it.

As for the Sunnah, this is due to what the two Sheikhs reported from the hadith of 'Abdullah bin 'Umar who said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:

"I was commanded to fight the people until they bear witness that 'La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasul-Allah' (PBUH), establish the prayer and pay the zakat. If they do that, they safeguard their blood from me except with its due right, and their accounting is with Allah (SWTH)." And in another narration:

"I was commanded to fight the people until they say 'La ilaha illa Allah.' If they say that, they safeguard their blood and property from me except with its due right, and their accounting is with Allah." And what Muslim reported from Sulayman bin Buraydah from his father: "When the Messenger (PBUH) would command an Amir over an army or expedition, he advised him to fear Allah in himself and goodness for the Muslims with him. Then He (PBUH) would say:

'Attack in the name of Allah in the way of Allah. Attack and do not misappropriate (from the booty), betray, mutilate or kill children. When you meet your enemy, invite them to three matters (khisal) or (khilal), so whichever they respond to, accept from them and desist from (fighting) them. Invite them to Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from them. Then call them to move from their homeland to the homeland of the Muhajireen. Inform them that if they do that, then for them (in rights) is what is for the Muhajireen, and against them (in duties) is what is against the Muhajireen. If they refuse to move, inform them that they are like the bedouin Muslims; the rule of Allah that apply upon the believers apply upon them but there is no spoils of war or booty for them except if they fight together with the Muslims. If they refuse, ask them for the jizyah; if they respond to you, accept from them and desist from them. If they refuse, seek assistance in Allah against them and fight them." These two hadith are explicit that Jihad is initiating the fighting. And the Messenger of Allah
initiated fighting Hawazin at Hunayn, Thaqif at Taif, and the Byzantine Romans in Mu'tah and Tabuk. And he went forth to fight twenty seven ghazwat (battles led by the Messenger) in nine years apart from the expeditions (led by companions).

As for Ijma'a Us-Sahabah that Jihad is fighting in the way of Allah to spread Islam, and that it is initiating the fighting, the conquests of Iraq, Persia, Ash-Sham, Egypt, North Africa, Khurasan, Kabul, Sijistan etc, suffice to prove it. The Copts of Egypt did not attack the Muslims, and the Berbers and Dailem did not attack them. All of these countries were conquered at the time of the Sahabah, and they initiated the fighting against them and conquered these lands. After that, is there room for saying that Jihad is only defensive war and that there is no offensive war in Islam?