Islamic marriage advice and family advice

I want to become a female fighter against ISIS

A traditional female Peshmerga fighter

A traditional female Peshmerga fighter.

I have decided to join the Kurdish Peshmergas and become a female fighter in Syria or Iraq AGAINST terrorist ISIS.

As a Kurdish woman I am very impacted by the attrocities committed by ISIS against innocent people...humanity! I can't sit back and do nothing anymore. I need to be out there and do my bit to help destroy ISIS, and help create peace, harmony and safety.

Before I inshallah take off, I hope to get some advice and Islamic information.

1. How do I best break the news to my family and friends that I'm becoming a fighter? That they may not see me again? It's not exactly easy news to break.

2. Should I be in a situation where ISIS surrounds me and I am unable to defend myself from being captured by them, and most likely destined to a life of slavery, abuse and torture...would it be haram to either commit suicide or blow myself up to spare myself from such destiny? There is absolutely no way I will accept being a slave of ISIS. No way.

3. If I should be in a situation where an ISIS member's life is in my hands, would it be haram to torture and kill him or her as a punishment for all the torture and killings THEY have committed? I would prefer to at least kill them, but is that the right thing to do, Islamically? Or should I let them live and take them as prisoners?

I know the Peshmergas will have very specific rules, but I want to make sure I'm not doing anything haram in the battlefield. I hope no one is going to tell me to not fight ISIS because they are my 'brothers and sisters' in Islam. They are definitely not. I have no heart or feelings for any ISIS terrorists. A sewer rat has more value to me than all ISIS terrorists put together.

-Leylani


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54 Responses »

  1. Dear sister,

    Prophet MOHAMMED PBUH warned us about a fitna and description of those who are called ISIS. Do not join the fight on either side and stay put.

    http://youtu.be/smj4n8m3O30

    • I'm sorry, but I'm not going to stay put 🙂 I literally haven't slept or really eaten anything for days, because I'm so bothered by what's happening. I think enough Muslims stand passively by whilst their brothers and sisters in Islam, Christianity, Yazidism, etc. are being massacred. How many more must pay with their lives before society wakes up and understands how big of a threat ISIS is to the entire world? These types of rats don't stop until they have taken all that they can take - both in form of human lives and land.

    • Completely off topic, Shaykh Rami, how is your mother doing?

  2. The US and its allies created the name “Islamic State” for this terrorist group ISIL in order to discredit Islam, an analyst tells Press TV.

    Kevin Barrett, an editor for Veteran’s Today, told Press TV in an interview Monday, “They've created the name 'Islamic State' (IS) for this group to try to discredit political Islam and the Islamic Awakening. They have pretended that it’s an enemy, but it’s an enemy they created and it’s serving their interests.”

    “They are training the Western people to hate Islamic State – they use Islamic State as the reason for stepped-up US intervention," the commentator said.
    The comment comes as warfare between Kurdish fighters and the ISIL Takfiri militants rages on inside the strategic Syrian border town of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani.

    Over 400 people have reportedly been killed in weeks of heavy battle in Kobani. The reports also say that intense fighting over the strategic town has forced over 200,000 people to take refuge in neighboring Turkey.

    The United States and its allies started airstrikes against the ISIL bombing the outskirts of Kobani last month. However, there is growing concern over the effectiveness of the military operation with many Kurdish officials saying the air raids are not working.

    Barrett wonders if the US is sincere about stopping ISIL, noting that ISIL was created by the US and its allies in the Middle East region.

    “There is the question of whether ISIL is playing a role to provoke this kind of intervention allowing the US and its regional allies – you could call them its regional puppets – to move in and try to overthrow the government of Syria,” he further stated
    .
    http://www.presstv.in/detail/2014/10/14/382213/islamic-state-name-meant-to-shame-islam/

    • Brother, no matter who created them, they are killing Muslims. Even if they were created to provoke war, we still have a responsibility to act. Just throwing that out there. Salam.

      • Exactly. This is so not the point, who and what created ISIS. The issue is what ISIS is actually doing right now. That needs to be stopped.

      • @Moose

        A disease cannot be cured completely if its root causes are ignored.

        Much like Al Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS) is made-in-the-USA, an instrument of terror designed to divide and conquer the oil-rich Middle East and to counter Iran's growing influence in the region. Snowden released the info back in Aug in an attempt to prevent war, that isis is a US/Israel/UK creation. His Intel fell on deaf ears

        The fact that the United States has a long and torrid history of backing terrorist groups will surprise only those who watch the news and ignore history.

        The CIA first aligned itself with extremist Islam during the Cold War era. Back then, America saw the world in rather simple terms: on one side, the Soviet Union and Third World nationalism, which America regarded as a Soviet tool; on the other side, Western nations and militant political Islam, which America considered an ally in the struggle against the Soviet Union.

        The director of the National Security Agency under Ronald Reagan, General William Odom recently remarked, “by any measure the U.S. has long used terrorism. In 1978-79 the Senate was trying to pass a law against international terrorism – in every version they produced, the lawyers said the U.S. would be in violation.”

        During the 1970's the CIA used the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as a barrier, both to thwart Soviet expansion and prevent the spread of Marxist ideology among the Arab masses. The United States also openly supported Sarekat Islam against Sukarno in Indonesia, and supported the Jamaat-e-Islami terror group against Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Pakistan. Last but certainly not least, there is Al Qaeda.

        Lest we forget, the CIA gave birth to Osama Bin Laden and breastfed his organization during the 1980's. Former British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, told the House of Commons that Al Qaeda was unquestionably a product of Western intelligence agencies. Mr. Cook explained that Al Qaeda, which literally means an abbreviation of "the database" in Arabic, was originally the computer database of the thousands of Islamist extremists, who were trained by the CIA and funded by the Saudis, in order to defeat the Russians in Afghanistan.

        .
        And now they are fooling the world by bombing their own guns(ISIS) in Iraq which as expected is not working, even the Kurds realised it. Its just an excuse to get back in Iraq ,create a Sunni vs Shia conflict,overthrow Assad in Syria and then get to Iran.

        Note: I have my doubts about Op,whether she is really is what she is claiming to be, as Hasbara(Jewish) trolls are all over the internet scaring people about fake ISIS threat with the sole aim to demonize Islam and Muslims.

        • I'm not a "Jewish troll", I'm Shia Muslim (actually, my father is Sunni and my mothr is Shia - I CHOSE the Shia path) and Kurdish from Iraq - and I think it's only natural that, with my background, I'm impacted by what's happening in "my area" 🙂

          Of course you will think the internet is packed with "Jewish trolls" when you are paranoid and think anyone who is against your own beliefs must be "Jewish". I'm indeed Muslim, and I come from a Muslim family. Stop making false accusations out of your own paranoia and disbelief that someone can be Muslim and not actually share your views.

          • Lelani,
            You are a brave woman to take a stand and fight oppression. It does not matter what is behind the killing of many people. Something has to be done to stop this group from slaughtering people. To stand silent and do nothing is just as bad as oppression. People often seem to say when Muslims are being oppressed and killed that the groups are from the cia or funded by the USA. The groups still are horrible and need to be stopped and the people being hurt and killed need protection. I believe in non violence, but when people are getting killed then fighting is necessary.

          • Well said, Merva. And the killings of innocent people is exactly my motivation. And it should be everyone else's, too, not the story behind ISIS. Frankly, I don't care where they come from, at this point. I care about stopping them from committing more crimes against humanity.

        • It isn't the Jews, and it isn't the US that are committing takfir and murdering Muslims, and violating the rights of the People of the Book.

          There is no excuse for the behavior of IS.

        • BTW, the CIA had nothing to do with funding, training, or otherwise supporting bin Laden. There was one article in a British paper that was later completely discredited.

          • Thank you, Anonymous!

            I'm so tired of people giving more attention to who's REALLY behind ISIS than all the people who are butchered by them every day in Islam's and Allah's name. These innocent people are MY focus. My own family faced massacres, butcherings and discriminations during Saddam, and had all of their property stolen (and thankfully given back after the fall of Saddam).

        • @Recovering, I do understand your intentions, and I really do feel a strong sense of warmth towards your insistence to stand up and make sure that everyone knows just what began this whole mess. Trust me, as a born caucasian American revert myself, who majors in both Anthropology and Sociology and studies Social Development, also being interested in history and world politics, I am very aware of the issues at hand, how they started, why they persist, who is funding them, and where this is heading.

          However, even as we watch the world plunged into the next world war over global resources and power management, the onset of this crisis has opened a deeper, hidden problem. The problem of our fractured Muslim community across the globe, separated by both colliding interests and sectarianism. For a person who was raised under a certain belief sector or sect of Islam, it may be difficult to ask them, or tell them that sectarianism is simply a method to divide and conquer our people, keeping them fighting over trivial things until the day the earth plunges into darkness. Would prisoners in a jail train the guard dogs to sit down and obey so they could escape to freedom? No, they'd rather throw in a steak and escape while the dogs fight over the bones. That's what's happening here, and unfortunately the formulation of ISIS has brought out of the cracks and crevices, all the "bad dogs" of our religion. Men and women who do no compassionate thing, have not a soft hand, consider mankind disposable, and have no respect or love for the common bond of the love for Allah that is supposed to unite us all. These people are not acting out of leadership. These people are acting on the morals and values they hold deep inside them. It has unfortunately only been made worse by the fact that their countries have been decimated, leaving corrupt military forces or no leaders at all to provide a path to success after seeing their culture and way of life completely destroyed. Of course, the US and Israel, backed by Saudi and the other allies etc etc have carefully planned and supported this plight, both culturally and financially. We all know this. However, like a wound that needs to be BOTH bandaged and the person given internal medication, our wound requires both a superficial and internal strategy to cure it. Our leaders and governments must become compassionate, and have the interests of humanity at the heart of all their actions, as well as everyone's right to live and practice their faith. It's up to you to decide for yourself how long this will take, or if it's even possible. The superficial wound however needs to be met head-on, on the battle field where the worst atrocities are taking place as children, women, men and faithful muslims are all being indiscriminately executed, their bodies disregarded as rubbish laid on the road. No compassion had for their deaths, no respect had for their corpses.
          ISIS uses fear, threats, physical violence, rape and murder as their weapons. To insist that we should all sit back and reflect on what "started all of this" or what is fuelling it, does not help the poor child screaming for his life at this very moment. If you were there, you would swallow all your words of waiting and reflecting, just to save that poor childs life who has the gun at their face. Let's not forget that this war may have begun in Capital Hill, but it's being fought in the dirt among our families. Have respect please, and show honour and gratefulness for those who chose to fight against these atrocities. After all, our very prophet pbuh fought in the very same way, against some very bad people.

          • You said it all well, mashaAllah, especially the sectarianism part. That's the reality of our Ummah today, which is very difficult for many of us to understand. Only the people who participated in the so called Arab springs could have been enough to free Gaza.

          • Excellent post, thanks Moose! Mashallah, I love everything you write 🙂

  3. Leylani,

    Sister first I just want to commend you on doing what so many of us are not doing, either out of obligation to someone in our lives, or for fear. While we are either afraid to fight, or can not leave our husbands and children to partake in fighting ISIS/ISIL, you are choosing to go and fight this horrible terrorist organization.

    I am choosing not to say anything like Don't go, etc. etc. I will both respect your wishes, and actually say something that helps rather than cause you to wish I'd have. How will me saying useless things contribute to your success in either staying alive, understanding any aspect of this battle, or making it to Jennah, InshaAllah?

    So let me start from here. When I read your post, I read it to my husband. He is very, very educated. One Doctorate in a field of medicine, one Ph.D. in a hard sciences field. You can imagine a man so knowledgable has a natural affinity for knowledge... one gets educated by going to school, but one has the motivation to go that far by simply being interested in "knowing"... anything. When I read your post, and then read the title of the Youtube video that brother Rami replied to, my husband seeing the videos title "Black Flag a Prophetic..." etc. he immediately mentioned the Khawarij, and asked me to look up the flag or symbol of this army. You probably know, but if you do not, the Khawarij were formed from some not so distant relatives who ultimately rejected the teachings of the prophet, and developed a very hardline doctrines that set them far apart from mainstream shi'a and sunni's of Islam. Their practices and views were VERY much like those of ISIS, and they terrorized, and slaughtered many muslims for similar beliefs. Ali went to war with this army, and it is known that Ali himself was killed in retaliation by a stroke to his head while in the sajuud position of prayer.

    It is I would imagine no coincidence, that if the prophet PBUH warned about a black army/black flag, that BOTH the Khawarij, and ISIS share symbols of white calligraphy on a black base. Who's to say if the prophet, when warning of a "black flag" as brother Rami is suggesting, was in fact referring to the Khawarij, or of ISIS, or even both, if they are possibly simply just a reoccurring evolution of this view. It could be argued that ISIS even took their cue to use the colours from the Khawarij symbol. You can see it here:

    Either way, my point is, I believe that in the face of injustice and such blatant human rights violations, fighting is the ethical, the sane and even the obligatory thing to do if one can. Surely sister, you are showing more courage than many men, who while somehow waiting for the epic battle of Armeggedon against Al'Dijjal, are in fact missing a very important time to step up right now.

    Ok, onto your questions, please keep in mind I am no scholar but upon reading your questions, there were some things I found to say that seemed like good sense to say, if not that I am also obligated to tell you these things as a sister;
    1. Breaking the news to your family is not something any of us can help you with. ONLY YOU know the various variables of your family (tolerance to such an idea, levels of conservatism in the light of a woman/daughter going to fight in a war, firm grasp on world issues and passion for the topic as you have, etc.) that will either make such a conversation one of kind words and tears of pride and sorrow, or a complete disaster that will blow up in your face as they call you insane or ridiculous, or acting out for attention... or any of the many possibilities a mother and father, siblings, etc. might say in this situation. I can tell you, it will be hard, and they will not be happy. I can also tell you that, not knowing your personal life, you must either be unmarried and of age to do this, or have your husbands consent before doing this if you are married. Once you are married, your obligation to your family comes prior to your desire to be a helping hand in the battle against ISIS. I suppose the best way to tell them, would be with as little dramatization as possible, and it may be a good idea to be mostly packed before you say anything, and have travel plans, etc. before you say anything so that you don't torture your mother with these formalities while she grasps the idea of you dying in war and spends her hours sobbing desperately trying to keep you home. That would just be cruel. Have a place to stay, have your clothes packed, remember what you will need to wear in such a situation, remember that your objectives are not fashion, but practicality in war.

    Also, remember that if you do not already have some good training with a weapon, you will need it. Walking amidst a battle that is in the heat of conflict might not be as fantastical or romantic as you may envision it to be. Sure, the movies would have you congratulating each other around desert campfires and praying on the cool night time soil for the lost souls of your brothers and sisters, but the reality is most fighters will be strangers, exhausted, afraid, and too busy to train you or too busy training others whom they have a personal invested interest in. Make sure you have that all nailed down before you talk to your parents. Also, you'll have answers when they demand them, as I'm sure they will. They will take you more seriously, and it will make things go over smoother if they don't see you as impulsive and unprepared.

    2. On committing suicide, I'm not sure what to say here. You know it's not right, and I'm in no position to tell you that you will or will not go to Jennah. Sure, we all know there is an understanding that committing suicide is a big no-no, but I read and hear too many times people who "Know" that you will burn in hell should you do such a thing even in the face of great atrocity or abuse. The fact is, no one knows what Allah swt will decide for your fate, and no one has the right to proclaim such a thing. But I will say this: Suicide is wrong, because until you're dead, you are not dead. This means that even if you've been captured, no matter the tribulations your path will see, you will never, NEVER fully realize Allah's true and final plan for you until HE choses to take you from this earth. What if you live, survive capture, and turn around to change history? It's happened, so my answer to you, is no, this would be wrong. I hear you say "I will never be a slave to ISIS"... but watch your pride sister, there is no room for it, certainly not in the battle field, and it will cloud your judgement... Just knowing by those words that you are a prideful woman (there are many of us who are!), it could even be clouding your judgement on your decision to leave to fight. Make sure that a good, well planed, well timed execution of your idea is realized, and not a decision birthed from pride that you have to go "kill ISIS" because of what they are doing. I respect you and your decision, but do yourself a favour, sit in silence, allow yourself to be honest with yourself, and just reflect on that for a bit.

    3. The answer to your third question is much more simple... Yes, torture is wrong, and no, their actions do not justify torture. Even if they have tortured, it is Allah's swt job to exact punishment, not yours. And by doing so, you take all the honourability out of your decision, and your actions. Remember that the founders of our religion showed great mercy on the battle field, and in fact Islam gained many followers from converted enemies who changed their hearts while the grips of their swords were still wet with blood. Miracles will happen with or without you on the field, sister. And so will atrocities. Your job is to do neither. Your job is to follow what you know is right, represent Islam well, protect the innocent, remain honourable, show mercy, and leave the atrocities to the atrocious and the miracles to Allah swt.

    I hope this helps, and good luck InshaAllah! Jazakalaheir, no matter what you chose! Remember just having the intentions to do this gains you the deeds, whether you do it or not, and even if you do not go, to me, you have already gone and are a hero. <3

    Sister Stacy

    • It seems my URL did not paste, but in any case you can google the Khawarij and see their symbol.

    • Dearest sister Stacy,

      I very much appreciate every single one of your words, thank you very much 🙂 You have indeed given me food for thought. Especially in regards to what I should do in difficult situations that should arise. I have also arranged to speak to a scholar in my hometown about this matter, I'm really looking for as much outside prespective on this matter as I can gain in the little time I have left before I leave. You are right, I need to sit down and think in different ways instead of making decisions out of pride and frustrated, angry emotions. In the end of the day, I don't want to leave this Earth with more sins on my shoulder than I should.

      I also appreciate your words about what I should expect from going in to battle. My grandfather and father were both in the Kurdish army, as are other family members, so the concept of joining it and going in to battle is not a new thing to me. I indeed know what to expect. I know it's going to be extremely difficult on every possible level. However, I'm sure those innocent people being chased out of their homes in fear of being killed, beheaded and captured as slaves are even more frightened than I will ever be.

      Pretty much everything about my departure and joining the battle is planned out, I only need to finalize a few details - one of them being telling my family and friends I'm going. My father having been in the Kurdish army himself, I'm sure he will be proud that I'm going down the same route (although, he's very protective, so I'm not sure he will be happy that I'm going). I know my mother is going to be my main problem, she's a woman who is extremely fearful. In the 70's and 80's, when the Kurds AGAIN were the target of several massacres, butcherings and discrimination she, unfortunately, had some really bad experiences - so I understand why she is such a nervous, fearful person. But I hope she will accept my decision...

      Thank you also for the other references. I have indeed done as much homework as I can, but as long as I'm here in Europe, I can still do more :).

  4. Nice video

  5. [Please note: This website is not a political organisation. Any views expressed are the opinions of the individual, and not of the editorial team.]

    Assalaamualaikam

    Sister, I pray that Allah watches over you. This is a huge decision to make, so I'd advise praying istikhara before making any final decision. It's a good idea to discuss this with a scholar as well - they may well be better placed to answer some of the questions you have, inshaAllah.

    Our brothers and sisters in the Middle East are in desperate need of aid - but we need to make sure that we provide the right sort of aid. Think about your skills and resources, as it may be that you could make a bigger difference through helping provide food, shelter, medical assistance, etc to people... rather than picking up a weapon. Only you can make that decision.

    Another issue to consider may be the legal consequences of going to a war zone. In some countries, leaving to travel to that part of the world means you can't go back without facing charges and possibly prison. Make sure you are aware of what travelling to that region could mean for you and your family.

    The only one of your questions which I know the answer to is the 3rd: Torture is wrong. Regardless of the charges against a person, it cannot be right to respond to that with torture. That would just make the torturer as bad as those he or she hates.

    So long as hate is met with hate, it's going to be hard to find peace. Hate doesn't bring people together to build something new - it only brings destruction. We might be able to make a bigger difference to the world by working towards dialogue between all the parties in this chaos, trying to understand what is driving people to take up arms against fellow Muslims and against innocent people of all faiths, and helping work towards a longer term solution.

    You may wish to consider whether there are ways you could make a difference without picking up a weapon - humanitarian aid, for example, or campaigning in your home country to raise awareness and encourage politicians to take action to help people in need.

    Before doing anything that cannot be undone, you need to be sure in yourself that you believe your course of action to be right. You alone will be accountable for your actions on the Day of Judgement: make sure that on that Day you will be able to say "I did what I believed to be right in Islam".

    Midnightmoon
    IslamicAnswers.com editor

    • Wa salam.

      Thank you for your advice and your prayer, it's much appreciated and needed 🙂

      A lot of the things you mentioned I have already taken care of; I'm seeing a scholar next week to talk to him about this matter - and I have already talked to a local imam, too, but I think he was sort of misogynistic, he basically got angry and told me I should stay at home as an (unmarried) woman, and focus on getting married. That annoyed me, because he didn't answer any of my questions. It will be interesting to see what the scholar will say.

      I have also been in close contact with the authorities in my country for months to let them know about my plans to travel to the Middle East, and even shared all the documents I have been able to gather so far, since June, with them. Because I don't want to be in any sticky situation once I leave and once I'm able (hopefully) to come back at some point. I'm constantly taking their advice onboard and listening to the warnings and suggestions they give to me. So I feel like I'm as prepared as I can be.

      I do have an education within the military in my country, so weapons are something I'm used to handling, and that's why I decided fighting is what I want to do instead of other things such as humanitarian aid. But, of course, I will help with anything I can once I'm over there...

      I must admit I'm disappointed to hear so many of you say torture isn't right. I know you are probably right, and I shall not do that to anyone since it's not allowed in Islam. It's going to be hard, though, because I have a lot of anger inside of me towards ISIS and anyone supporting them in any way.

      • Salaams,

        Umar ibn Al Khatab RA said: "Do not depend upon the morality of a person until you have seen him behave while in anger". What someone does in the heat of their emotions defines the essence of their soul. That's why it's so important we do not make choices based on emotion or passion, but on wisdom and guidance. This holds true for big choices and small ones; choices planned in advance and choices made on a moment's notice without warning.

        -Amy
        IslamicAnswers.com Editor

  6. 1. Why fight ISIS and not Israel?

    2. Can we also live in Europe or America and freely be planning to go fight against Israel for their killing of innocent people in Gaza?

    3. Why is everyone (including most western and eastern leaders) against ISIS, and not Israel?

    Just curious honestly, and Allah is the Knower of the unseen.

    • I don't think it's fair to ask this question as if Palestinians have first right to be fought for over any other Muslims, or people. Everyone oppressed, I feel extremely bad for. In the end of the day, we all prioritize and choose our battles, because we can't possibly carry the burden for every oppressed nation. And I have chosen this battle, because it's close to my heart, as a Kurdish woman.

      No one is saying Israel is an innocent angel...

      • I now understand why you chose this particular battle.

        If there is good in it for the Ummah, may Allah help you throughout it, but if not, then may He soothe your heart, bless you for your good intention, and guide you towards something better. Ameen!

  7. Assalamu'alaikum,

    ISIS are evil and they are murderers of Muslims. They have been declared Khawarij by the ulama. May Allah Destroy them and their allies.

    Regarding your question, a woman does not take part in wars in the Islamic perspective, but she has full right to self defence or defence of Muslims when there is need. I will mention two ahaadeeth to support this:

    Narrated `Aishah ﺭَﺿِﻲَ اﻟﻠﻪُ ﻋَﻨْﻬَﺎ (that she said), ``O Allâh's Messenger! We consider Jihâd as the best deed. Should we not fight in Allâh's Cause?'' He said, ``The best Jihâd (for women) is Hajj-Mabrur (i.e., Hajj which is done according to the Prophet's Sunna and is accepted by Allâh).''  [See Hadith No. 1861, Vol. 3] (Sahih Bukhari; The book of Jihad, The superiority of Jihâd. Hadith No:2784)

    It was narrated from Anas that on the day of (the batttle of) Hunain, Umm Sulaim kept a dagger with her. Abû Talhah saw her and said: ``O Messenger of Allâh, Umm Sulaim has a dagger with her.'' The Messenger of Allâh ﺻﻠﻰ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ said to her: ``What is this dagger (for)?'' She said: ``I am keeping it so that if any of the idolaters come near me, I will rip his belly open with it.'' The Messenger of Allâh ﺻﻠﻰ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ smiled and she said: ``O Messenger of Allâh, kill all those, other than us, whom you set free, because they are the ones who deserted you.'' The Messenger of Allâh ﺻﻠﻰ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ said: ``O Umm Sulaim, Allâh is sufficient and He has been kind to us.'' (Sahih Muslim; The Book Of Jihad And Expeditions , Women Participating In Military Expeditions With The Men Hadith No:4680)

    I hope these ahaadeeth are clear. You could refer to this for more details: http://islamqa.info/en/45618

    Coming to your questions in specific, if ISIS surround you, you can try and injure them and even kill them out of self defence, but not kill yourself because that is a major sin in itself.

    For specific fatwa, I asked Shaikh Muhammad Bazmool (May Allah Preserve him) about your question. I asked if a woman can fight the ISIS. He responded with the response Allah's Messenger ﷺ gave to his wife Aaishah Radiyallahu Anha, that the Jihad for a woman is an accepted Hajj.

    As I have mentioned regarding a hadith about Umm Sulaim, a woman can defend herself and her family and fight when there is need.

    Wallahu A'lam

    Muhammad Waseem
    IslamicAnswers.com Editor

  8. Sister Leylani, May Allah help you and bless you Ameen.
    You have already been advised well.

    Regarding your first Q , it will be hard on your mother,
    My dad went to war despite my mother requested him not to go. He had passion for his country so he denied any plea and went. Died in blast .
    Till to date after so many years my heart still ache and eyes go wet for him.I miss him so much, no one can even imagine it.

    It will be very devastating for your mother, especially if she has bad past war experiences.
    Is there a Hadith that one cannot go to jihad if parents donot give permission for it??I think there is one.

    Good wishes.

  9. Salam everyone,
    First of all, before anyone judges what IS does, we need to look at if it is haram according to the islamic rules what they do. When this whole conflict began, the kurds decided to cooperate with the coaltion of the crusaders against the Islamic State. IS has every right to establish a caliphate in which the sharia rules are applied. It is simply a right muslims all over the world have. In my opinion, the kurdish secular way of life is the real disease here, hence the kurds are the real rats here. They do not even want to live under sharia law!?? Further, kurds are also known to be quite fanatic when it comes to nationalism. As a muslim should know, Islam should always come at number one, not culture or nationalism. Because the kurds chose to fight on the crusaders side, they are being punished every day by IS, and I really think they deserve that. And by the way, those yezidis were not just killed by IS, during the sieges they rebelled against IS. And it permitted by islamic laws to retaliate against the kuffar (in this case yezidis). Leylani, you really need to do some serious research before you draw a conclusion. Of course the kurdish/western media propaganda will try to convince as many people as possible around the world that IS poses a so called threat. It is simply because their interests are at stake.

    • Please ignore Imad, he has no idea what's going on. He doesn't pay any attention to the horrible human rights violations that ISIS is committing against muslims, both Kurdish and non-Kurdish all across the Middle East, and if he does, he is choosing to narrow down his view to a needle so he can troll this website. It seems to me one of three things is true here... either Imad is an ISIS supporter which he obviously is, in which case we can all expect anyone with his views to spit this filth, or he learned a few things about the onset of the battle and choses to view these statistical facts as the entirety of what's going on at the hands of ISIS with no regard to any other factors encompassed therein, or he just happens to think that Muslims have absolutely no obligation to human life or compassion or to justice or responsibility when in battle which we all know is not the case. We all know ISIS rapes innocents in retaliation for them not having the money to avoid being victimized, we all know ISIS kills children which is not permitted period, and many, many other horrible war crimes involving the mutilation of the corpses killed in battle, etc. Not only does this disgusting modelling of behaviour run completely opposite to every wonderful and awe inspiring thing Prophet did in the interest of spreading Islam as a compassionate and wise religion, but I really feel he's just trying to stir the pot.
      Please don't give him his 10 seconds of fame, and avoid responding to him at all concerning this post. I really don't think he deserves all the attention. thanks <3

    • Caliphate must be established based on knowledge of Islam and its rules. The ISIS have violated the principles of sharia and jihad all together, and therefore are deviated from the straight path. May Allah guide them. Ameen!

    • I think your views are totally unislamic, inhumane and wrong on every level. ISIS do NOT have the right to establish a "caliphate" on the lands of other people. They do not have the right to steal the property of other people. They do not have the right to kill innocent people - Muslim or non-Muslim - in order to get what they want. Only to establish some sort of perverse, psychopatic rule that has nothing to do with Islam. They just abuse the name of Islam to attract people like yourself to their horrific ideology.

      YOU do your research, mate! Instead of blinding yourself to what's really going on. I don't understand how your reply was even allowed to be posted, it's disgusting.

  10. Salam Leylani,

    I know that one of the shia muslims major specifity is that they are following their spiritual guides, called "Ayatollah".
    "Imam" therm for Suni and Shia peoples in both sides is applicable for different type of peoples.

    Which Ayatollah are you following?
    If you really choose the Shia path, you should try to take informations from the Ayatollah you are following.
    It is the best you can do.

    Good luck,
    Salam
    Silver99

    • You are right. But as far as I know, in Shiism you are allowed to take on other points of views than the ones from your own scholar if you find more logic and proof in them. Not that I necessarily do that, but I've always been the kind of person to investigate multiple options, opinions, etc. to be able to be as informed as I can be, and get an outlook on things from different perspectives. That's why I have asked for advice on here AS WELL asking my own scholar.

  11. Hello, sweetie what part of Kurdistan Are you from? I'm kurdish too is good to meet you here we all very said for what is happening back home insallah Allah help all of them fighters and good luck with what ever u decide what is best for you and your family!! I live in the USA and you?

    • Nice to meet a fellow Kurd :). Where are you from? My father is Kurdish from Slemani and my mother is Kurdish from Yerevan in Armenia. I was born in Moscow, but I'm a citizen of Denmark...I grew up in Copenhagen. But I have been living mostly in Armenia and Russia for the past 5 years.

      • Selam alekum Leylani Its nice to meet you. I lived in Turkey for a long time and their were many Kurdish people there. They are also very oppressed in Turkey. It is very sad and unjust and people I met in Turkey were very prejudiced against the Kurdish people. My husband was Kurdish and very abusive and violent. My friends said it was because he was Kurdish but I do not believe that is true as abuse is in all different groups and I know it was just his own harshness as a person. But Turkish friends tried to tell me it was the Kurdish culture. It is sad when people generalize like this. I was very interesting in learning about the Kurdish culture and so said to see so much prejudice towards Kurdish people in Turkey although it is getting better and Kurdish people can speak their language there. I did divorce that husband because he was very abusive, but sadly then got involved with another abusive man and divorced. Im happy to say now I will stay abuse free and be very careful and wise if I ever get married again! I am independent now marshallah and only depend on Allah!. I admire your courage in standing up for the Kurdish people's rights and actually doing something in action to help people who are being tortured rather then just words. Many Muslims make the mistake of doing nothing , as they think everything is destiny, even injustice or torture and that is furthest from the truth of what Allah wants I believe. But they use Islam to be passive in the face of their brothers and sisters being hurt and tortured. I value your courage as a strong woman that you are.! Being a Musliö woman is not just cleaning some mans house and hiding at home but being brave and courageous and helping others as you are.

        • I'm sorry to hear what you have been going through. It is definitely not normal in Kurdish culture to abuse women, on the contrary it's considered a very shameful thing for a man to do as I'm sure it's considered in most other cultures. But as you say, abusive husbands have no nationality, they can come from every part of the world. I just hope you will find a husband who will respect you and be kind to you 🙂

  12. Hello, again nice to meet you too Zor sopas, from Duhok city I came to states when I was alittle girl I usually go visit Kurdistan twice I been there !!! Is good to see a kurdish person here I always come to this web sit just to read what people are saying because they help me a lot with everything too.,

  13. As-salamu alaykum sister Leylani,

    1. Let me be clear: I do NOT support ISIS. Some of them may be sincere, but many are murderers, some might be considered terrorists, and their leadership are fools and cowards. They could have turned their energies against the Syrian regime that has slaughtered 200,000 Syrians to date, but instead they have killed Shi'ah Iraqis, Kurds, and religious minorities. Meanwhile they have given a bad name to Islam and the very idea of a true Islamic state. I am against helping them in any way.

    With that said, the situation is not as black and white as you make it out to be. ISIS did not come from a vacuum. They arose in response to the suffering and marginalization of Sunni Arabs in Syria and Iraq, and a feeling among the Muslim youth that Islamic politcal power is being attacked in many places. When you have millions of people who are being oppressed, and have no leadership, someone is bound to rise up, sword in hand, and it might not be someone the world expects or likes. That's what happened here.

    2. You need to ask yourself who is picking your battles for you. The media has hyped the "ISIS threat" as if they are the coming of the antichrist.

    Where were Western air strikes when Bashar Al-Asad was killing 200,000 innocent Syrians, dropping barrel bombs on them, and torturing children? (And he is still doing so!)

    Where is the world's outcry over the genocide of the Muslim Rohingya people in Myanmar (Burma)? Where are the Rohingya's defenders? Where is the outrage?

    Where is the outcry over the massacres of Muslim villagers in the Central African Republic? Where are the news shows, commentators, coalitions, air strikes, U.N. interventions and foreign aid? Where?

    Where is the intervention to aid the Palestinians, the Chechens, or the Muslims of China?

    Instead, what we get is a wall of silence, while the Western governments and media blow ISIS up into the biggest threat since Hitler. So you should ask yourself why, and you should really question whether you trust Western leaders and media to define for you who is evil and who is good, and whether you want to be on the same side as American bombs falling from the sky.

    The truth is that the ISIS threat has been exaggerated and hyped because they arose in an area that has oil, and that is within striking range of Israel. And perhaps because the West fears the rise of Islamic power in general.

    3. As you have already been told, the best response in a time of fitnah - where Muslims are killing Muslims - is to stay out of it and seek refuge with Allah. It would be a disaster to appear in front of Allah on Yawm Al-Qiyamah carrying the sin of having killed someone who says, "Laa ilaha il-Allah."

    4. As brother Waseem said, the jihad of the woman is Hajj. A woman has been given certain gifts by Allah that make her suited to other things besides war. Killing people is not something to aspire to.

    5. I question your intentions, and you should as well. In your comment you said, "I must admit I'm disappointed to hear so many of you say torture isn't right. I know you are probably right, and I shall not do that to anyone since it's not allowed in Islam. It's going to be hard, though, because I have a lot of anger inside of me towards ISIS and anyone supporting them in any way."

    This is not the attitude of a Muslim. To hunger to torture people is evil. And to fight out of anger is far from any kind of sincere jihad. In fact, that is exactly what Al-Qaeda do. They kill and torture out of anger. If you were to go to war on such an intention, and kill people, you would likely appear before Allah as a murderer, not a mujahid.

    6. On a practical note, if you tell your family of these intentions, they might take extreme measures to stop you - maybe even reporting you to the police, confiscating your passport and ID, or having you placed in a mental institution. If somehow they let you go, and you survive, you might find yourself banned from re-entering your home country, or facing some kind of criminal charges.

    I strongly advise you to stay out of this conflict. Focus on helping people - including your own people - in ways that do not involve violence. Anyone can pick up a gun, even a child. But not everyone has the ability to speak eloquently, educate others, raise money, and raise awareness.

    Lastly, as midnightmoon said, these opinions are my own and do not represent any official stance of this website, which has no political positions.

    Wael
    IslamicAnswers.com Editor

    • Excellent points, brother, Wael, mashaAllah. I am on the same page with you. JazakAllahu khair al-Jaza.

    • Wa salam, Wael

      As I mentioned in another post, we all pick the battles that are most important tot us, and to me, as a Kurd, this is the battle that is close to my heart, not the Chechens' issues, or others'. Don't get me wrong, I feel for anyone who is oppressed and treated unjustly, but in my experience Muslims tend to do very little, and even minimize, the suffering of the Kurds. We are always accused, by Muslims, to be nationalistic when we fight for our basic human rights. Whenever the Kurds are mentioned to most Muslims, the response I get is exactly the one you gave me: "what about the Palestinians? The Burmese? The Chechens". As if everyone else in the world is worse off than the Kurds and therefor more worthy of being fought for. It's fine that we don't get the support we need from other Muslims, but at least be supportive when we Kurds go fight for ourselves. Instead, we are asked to fight for other people. To YOU, ISIS may be hyped up to be worse than they are, but to me, I can't think of a bigger world threat. Because these terrorist rats turn up constantly from nowhere. I just learned this week that someone living literally 5 km away from my parents, my family home in Copenhagen, has joined ISIS. Proudly posts the heads of the people he has beheaded on Facebook. My friend literally knows the sister of a guy who has been in Syria to fight for ISIS, and regularly posts threats to slaughter people in Denmark. They are not empty threats, an ISIS supporter tried to kill a Danish man last year. That's the thing, ISIS aren't just a threat for people "somewhere afar". They are a threat on our doorsteps in the West, too

      I'm not going because of the media. I'm going because I hear first hand from my family and friends, who are actually in Iraq and Syria now, how things are over there. I'm not worried about my intentions of going and defending them in front of Allah, because I know I'm going for the right reasons. Yeah, I may have a desire to do unislamic things like torturing ISIS supporters, but I'm not going to do it now that I know it's haram. It's not haram to want to do something as long as you don't do it

      Thanks for your opinions and advice, they were definitely useful 🙂

      • I was not suggesting that you fight for other people. If that's what you got from my post then you missed my point or you simply fell back into pre-conceived arguments.

        Wael
        IslamicAnswers.com Editor

  14. To many people go on Hajj and do not help others that are being hurt and killed. People could spend their resources on helping their brothers and sisters and not turning a blind eye to suffering. Women are strong in the Quran and not so weak as Muslim men portray them to be only meant to stay indoors and cleaning and serving a husband. A woman can fight if she has the ability and if it is necessary. I also believe in non violence and helping people in better ways , but sometimes when people are getting killed then one has to fight. It does not matter what group it is. Her people are being killed and she wants to fight against that and stop it. As Muslims we are not suppose to just stand idle and turn the other way when others are suffering. Hajj is a pillar of Islam and we are suppose to go to Hajj if we are able to. But what about hungry and starving people and people being killed in war? We should help those people before spending our resources for hajj. Allah does not say be passive . But to many people as Muslims I believe are passive just staying suffering is destiny so we can not do anything for others. We should always try to help people, and then after that we can say what ever happens is Allah's destiny.

  15. Salam sister Laylani, masha Allah you are one fearless women!

    Isis make my blood boil! What they are doing is atrocious, and I cry for all the innocent people, but then again I feel the same anger with Israel and other nations torturing and killing any human being regardless of them being Muslim or not.

    We also have to think about our purpose in life which is for Allah. It is our responsibility to protect others and defend them, but this applies to the whole ummah! Not just one nation! So I don't know whether you will be rewarded for this act and if it will be counted as jihad? You will have to ask the scholer.

    Please think very carefully before you embark on this journey sister. I am really worried for you as you are a women. If you are captured by ISIS they will surely torture you by Rape or selling you as a slave to other men! This is worse then death!

    Please pray isthikara before deciding. May Allah help and keep you safe in whatever you decide to do.

  16. Assalamu Alaikkum Sister,

    First of all I commend you on taking a clear stance on this matter and mustering the courage to take such a momentous decision. ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh, as they are identified in different media outlets, are No Angels and Upholders of Islam. Notwithstanding the Arguments and Counter Arguments on who has and is supporting them or not is immaterial at this present Juncture. They have shown that they are the modern epitome of evil, by their actions and that is only what we, the Ummah needs to understand. By No yardstick, is it Islamic, to butcher Innocent Non Combatants, only because they proscribe to Ideals not in Line with someone else's.

    If history has to be examined, the Noble King, of whom I am a namesake, had fought valiantly and with much brutality, to save Jerusalem and the greater Levant area, from the clutches of the Crusaders. Even during that medieval period of bloodshed and atrocities,he had chosen to let the Christian civilians leave without harming them. In fact the surrendered combatants were also allowed to leave, if my meager knowledge on that episode is true.

    So in short, even though Islam prescribes peace and tolerance, has also advised never to be an indifferent onlooker in the face of evil and Injustice.

    As for your dilemma;
    1. Breaking the news to your parents has to be done either by you or a trusted second party (to bth you and your parents). In what words should it be done, is up to you, since it is you, who knows their temperament in full. But highlighting the Nobility of the cause is important.
    2. Consult a Local and Trusted Imam on the same. I am sorry to confide that I have mixed knowledge on the same, from Islam's Perspective.
    3. In No ways is torture justified. If that has to be done, then there wont be much difference between you and IS. If information has to be extracted, there are much subtler and effective chemical techniques, of which, I am sure, the Peshmerga are aware.

    Remember: If an enemy poses to be a threat to our own and society-at-large 's peaceful existence, then eliminating him/her would never Incur Allah's Wrath. But if the enemical ideals could be crushed without eliminating the individual, then I am sure that will be the path, that Allah will be pleased, to see you take.

    • Thank you very much for your advice and wise words. Though I didn't get to respond to your message, I did read it and take your words in to account before speaking to my family and finalizing the last details of my venture to Kobane 🙂 My family were not happy about being told of my plans, and they still try to change my mind about going, but I will be off in the start of December, inshallah 🙂 Weirdly enough with the man I'm going to get married to next weekend 🙂 I would appreciate your du'as for everyone fighting ISIS's safety...

      • Selam alekum Sister Leylani, How are you? I hope your ok and your mission of fighting the Isis is going well. May Allah guide you and may you protect
        Kurdish sisters and all people suffering there! Your a very brave and strong sister!

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