Interfaiths: Faith, Force, and Fiqh- Evaluating Hamas through Classical Islamic Law

In this episode, we undertake a rigorous examination of the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel through the lens of classical Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). While Hamas invokes religious doctrines such as jihād to justify its military operations, many scholars argue that its tactics represent a political manipulation of religion rather than authentic practice.

Drawing on the research of leading scholars like Ahmed Al-Dawoody, Karima Bennoune, and Nesrine Badawi, we explore two critical dimensions of Islamic war law:

• Jus ad Bellum (The Right to Wage War): We discuss why classical jurists traditionally required legitimate political authority (such as a state ruler) to declare jihād, a condition Hamas lacks as a non-state actor. We also examine the scholarly consensus that jihād is fundamental ...