Nature Of Jihad Of Sahaba After Prophet Muhammad (SWS)
Following is the summary of the military policy of the Khulfa-e-Rashideen in the light of the historical evidence: – Their aim in jihad and combat was not the unlimited expansion of the Islamic Empire, but rather, their main targets were only the Roman and Persian empires. – Even with permission to fight against the Roman and Persian empires, they did not intend to capture all their territories; their primary focus was on the regions of Syria and Iraq, and they did not wish to advance beyond them. – The decision to halt the war after conquering these areas was not based on temporary circumstances; rather, they wanted a barrier to prevent enemy forces from reaching the Muslims and vice versa. The decision to stop fighting was not due to numerical inferiority, weakness, or fear of defeat, as Muslims had clear promises of victory and had conquered all Persian territories when needed with the same military capability. – They resumed fighting only when they were certain that without it, continuous provocations and hostilities from the enemy could not be ended. – They took action against other nations outside the influence of Rome and Persia only if they aided the enemy against the Muslims or engaged in battle on their behalf.