From an Islamic point of view, the goal of enmities is opposition to the basic guidelines which are valuable for human life. Those who are opposed to justice, those who are opposed to peace, security and tranquillity, and those who are opposed to purity, and the spirit of human warmth and transcendence are against the Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) invitation. It is for the sake of justice that Allah the Exalted has described jihad as an obligation. And this is not particular to Islam. Jihad has existed in all divine religions.
Those people who are opposed to the tranquillity and transcendence of society and those who are enemies of humanity's interests are against this invitation. This is the focal point which Islam aims at. From the beginning, the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.) established clear guidelines on the basis of the ayahs--which were sent down to him through divine revelation.
In the blessed Surah al-Alaq whose first ayahs are, apparently, the first ayahs sent down to the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.)--the other ayahs in this surah were sent down to him over time--God reveals:
"Let him beware. If he desists not, We will drag him by the forelock,
a lying, sinful forelock.
Then, let him call for help to his council of comrades.
We too will call on the angels of punishment to deal with him" [The Holy Quran, 96: 15-18].
Those who stand up against the invitation to mercy, dignity, tranquillity and security are threatened in the first surah [revealed] of the Holy Quran.
Another example is Surah al-Muddathir, which is also one of the first surahs sent down to the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). In this surah, there is an in-depth discussion about those elements which disrupt people's lives:
"Leave Me alone, with the creature whom I created alone. To whom I granted resources in abundance, And sons to be by his side.
To whom I made life smooth and comfortable.
Yet is he greedy that I should add yet more.
By no means! For to Our Signs, he has been disobedient. Soon I will make a distressing punishment overtake him" [The Holy Quran, 74: 11-17].
In these ayahs, it is pointed out that those who are opposed to the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.), to humanity's best interests and to the path of truth will face this great divine opposition. Therefore, jihad exists in Islam. But this jihad is against those who are opposed to people's tranquillity, justice, and happiness. When you look at the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) Sunnah, you will see, that since the day Islamic government was established, there were certain non-Muslims who lived a secure and peaceful life in the shade of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.).
The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) reached an agreement with the Jews who lived in Medina so that they could live a peaceful life under the shade of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). However, they conspired against him, and they opposed and betrayed him. They stabbed him in the back. Therefore, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) stood up against them. If the Jews of Medina had not opposed him, if they had not shown hostility, and if they had not betrayed the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.), perhaps the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) would never have confronted them. Therefore, the Islamic invitation is a spiritual and reasonable invitation. This invitation means presenting an enlightened and fulfilling lifestyle to human beings.
However, certain people emerge who oppose this lifestyle. Islam defeats these people because Islam never adopts a passive role. If there is someone who is opposed to human happiness and invitation to the truth, Islam will fight with and stand up against this person. Now compare this to what imperialist powers have done throughout history. They are committing acts of evil today as well. They wage wars in order to increase their power and promote injustice.
If you take a look at today's global events, you will see that dominant and arrogant powers of the world build weapons to threaten humanity, not to promote justice. They do this in order to promote injustice, not to provide the people with security. They build weapons to take away the security of those people who do not give in to them. Today, this is a major problem in the world.
This is the reason why we refer to this behaviour as modern ignorance. The era of ignorance is not over yet. Ignorance rejects the truth, monotheism, people's rights, and the path which God has opened for humanity's happiness.--This ignorance exist today. However, it has a modern form; it benefits from science, advanced technologies, nuclear weapons, and different other weapons for the sake of filling the pockets of the people in charge of destructive and devastating industries.
Ayatollah Khamenei, Jul 10, 2010
