Captain Karrar

EME

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF ISLAMIC BATTLES

With the advent of Islam, the Muslims established their military schools.
The achievements of these schools in history are establishment of an Islamic
state with security and defeat of two great powers of their time, persians and the
Byzantine. In these schools also developed the following essential features of
the Islamic Military theories.

I. Military doctrine of Jehad.

II. The theory of deterrence.
III. The theory of combat readiness.
IV. Association of strategy with enemy.
V. Developing competence in military commanders.
VI. Military discipline.
VII. Psychological warfare.
VIII. Counter psychological warfare

I. Military doctrine of Jehad:- Military doctrine essentially encompasses

the following important subjects of rules of armed conflict, the nature of war,
purpose of war, method of directing the war and the art of preparing the country
and the armed forces for the war. Islamic military doctrine and its essential
features are sumned in the concept of “Jehad for Allah”. The Holy Quran has
laid down the following objective of Jehad in clear terms.

(a) It is waged only for Allah and for upholding the words of
Allah.
(b) It is waged for the defence of the country, honor and dignity
and for the preservation of cardinal values of Islam.
(c) It cannot be waged for aggression and usurpation.

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II. The theory of deterrence:- The strategy in Islam is to provide

deterrence by means of raising a deterrent force. The purpose of this strategy is
to dismay the enemy and strike far in his heart. The Holy Prophet
Muhammad(peace be upon him) applied this strategy in the nine battles of Badr,
Uhad, Khandaq, Bani Quraitha, Bani Mustaliq, Khyber, Conquest of Makkah,
Hunain and Taif that were fought under his command. The enemy in these
battles fled from the field. This strategy has become the key contemporary
strategy in the world. This strategy is developed by mastering the following
important elements of power that are co-ordinated by a joint machinery and a
council in a harmonious manner.

a. Political
b. Economic
c. Social
d. Ethical
e. Moral
f. Psychological
g. Military

III. The theory of Combat readiness. The verse Al-Anfal-60 of the Holy
Quran testifies to conspicuous emphasis on the theory of combat readiness by
prescribing a direct link between power and combat readiness through
deployment. The definition of the word deployment in modern times has
become a brand one and includes the following:-

(a) Entire territory of the state

(b) Air space
(c) Territorial waters
(d) Battlefield

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EME

(e) Vital installations

(f) Industries
(g) Dams
(h) Railways
(i) Airfields
(j) Urban areas

IV. Association of Strategy and Economy. Islam essentially associates

strategy with economy as their isolation does not create a harmonious war
effort. The role of economy is of great importance while dealing with strategic
readiness that requires money for expenditure. This association requires that
joint councils at the highest level be created to coordinate economic
development plans with the requirements of defence. Self sufficiency is a vital
factor for such an effort otherwise dependence on other countries may not be in
line with the fulfillment of these objectives of Islamic military power.

V. Developing competence in Military Commanders. Islam places great

emphasis on the development of competence in military commanders as
incompetent commanders cannot lead the forces to victory. Islam has laid down
the following principles for this purpose.

a. Muslim soldiers are inspired to inculcate the courage to face the

enemy by the noble examples set by the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) as a commander and a teacher. No one was ever close to
the enemy than he. Hazrat Ali has said ‘whenever the heat of battle
intensified and the pupils of eyes grew red, we took cover behind
the messenger of Allah”.
b. Evaluation of performance based on objective criticism of
performance with a view to rectifying weaknesses and shortenings

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EME

has been advocated by Islam so that soldiers and commanders alike

are motivated towards highest professional competence.
c. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) laid the foundation of
mutual consultation for planning and executive of war. He
encouraged others to express their views and took decisions by
consensus.

VI. Military discipline. Islam has inculcated the highest spirit of

commitment to duty through discipline by laying its foundation on rational
basis. Muslims are to be trained on the practical aspects of discipline. It has laid
emphasis on the following:-

a. Military traditions should be observed for the development of

character and obedience for the sake of discipline. Obedience in
Islam is not mere submission to authority but also functional
imperative for any community as a social obligation.
b. Islam has for the sake of discipline laid emphasis on clean and tidy
appearance by integrating these requirements with the rules of
worship.

VII. Psychological warfare. Islamic military doctrine has placed great

emphasis on the desirability and efficiency of the psychological warfare.
Following examples would illustrate this principle:-

a. Muslims adopted mottos and slogans in battles for mutual

identification and for inciting emotions of bravery and zeal among
them with a view to disheartening and frightening the enemy. The
Muslims shouted the battle cries of Ahad, Ahad(Allah is one) in
the battle of Badr; ‘Amat, Amat’ in battle of Uhud and Allah-o-
Akbar became the motto of every muslim in other battles.

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b. The conquest of Macca is a striking example of a brilliant

psychological warfare planning made by the Holy Prophet as a
result of which Abu Suffian was driven to tell his people that the
Muslims had come with a force to which the Quraish were not
equal. This psychological achievement played a significant part in
the conquest of Macca.

VII. Counter psychological warfare. It is equally important to counter the

psychological warfare measures adopted by the enemy. Islam has laid great
emphasis in raising the morale of the forces by countering such measures
through the following means:-

a. Clearing peoples hearts of emotional torment and restoring their

morale.
b. Giving them the proven facts so that they are not misled by the
false propaganda.
c. Removing the ill effects of warfare by means of military action.