Permission, Justice, and Standing Against Oppression: A Reflection on Surah Al-Hajj (22:38–41)
After calling mankind toward the sacred journey of Hajj…
After teaching believers about sincerity, sacrifice, and reverence…
Surah Al-Hajj now turns toward another reality of faith:
The cost of standing for truth.
Because faith is not only private spirituality hidden inside the heart.
True iman eventually demands courage.
The believers in Makkah suffered for years.
They were tortured.
Mocked.
Driven from their homes.
Killed for saying:
“There is no god but Allah.”
Yet for a long time, they were commanded to remain patient.
To endure.
To restrain themselves.
But now…
Allah gives permission.
Permission not for aggression.
Not for conquest.
Not for revenge.
But for justice.
These ayahs reveal one of the most important principles in Islam:
Fighting is never glorified for its own sake.
War is never the objective.
Power is never the goal.
The purpose is to defend truth, protect the oppressed, and preserve the ability to worship Allah freely.
And perhaps these ayahs are deeply misunderstood today because people often see Islam through the lens of politics, violence, or history detached from revelation.
But the Qur’an makes something very clear:
Islam does not permit oppression.
And Islam does not permit believers to become oppressors themselves.
Allah Defends the Believers
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدَافِعُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ خَوَّانٍ كَفُورٍ
“Indeed, Allah defends those who believe. Surely Allah does not love any treacherous and ungrateful person.”– Qur’an 22:38
Before speaking about fighting…
Allah first speaks about Himself.
Allah defends the believers.
What a powerful beginning.
Because the believer is never truly alone.
Even when oppressed.
Even when abandoned by people.
Even when the world appears against them.
Allah sees.
Allah knows.
Allah defends.
And notice carefully:
Allah does not begin by commanding believers to attack others.
Instead, He reminds them that He Himself is their Protector.
Because Islam never builds believers upon arrogance or blind rage.
The believer fights only when commanded by Allah…
Not because of ego.
Then Allah says He does not love the treacherous and ungrateful.
Because oppression itself is a form of betrayal.
Betrayal of justice.
Betrayal of truth.
Betrayal of the rights Allah gave His creation.
And this sets the foundation for all the ayahs that follow:
The coming permission to fight is not rooted in hatred.
It is rooted in justice.
Permission to Defend Against Oppression
أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَاتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا ۚ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ
“Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is fully capable of granting them victory.”– Qur’an 22:39
This was among the first permissions for armed struggle revealed in Islam.
And notice the wording carefully.
Not:“Fight because you desire power.”
Not:“Fight because others are different.”
Not:“Fight to force belief.”
Allah says:
Because they were wronged.
This is دفاع — defense.
The believers were tortured in Makkah.
Some were martyred.
Some were starved.
Some were forced to flee their homes.
Only now are they given permission to fight back.
And even then…
The ayah calls it “permission,” not obligation.
Because Islam does not romanticize violence.
War in Islam is treated as a necessity in certain circumstances…
Not something beloved.
And perhaps this ayah destroys one of the greatest misconceptions people hold about Islam today.
The Qur’an did not permit fighting to spread oppression.
It permitted fighting to stop oppression.
To defend life.To defend dignity.
To defend faith.
And even victory itself is not attributed to human strength.
Allah reminds the believers:
He alone grants victory.
Because power does not belong to armies.
It belongs to Allah.
The Pain of Being Driven From Home
الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِم بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّا أَن يَقُولُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ۗ وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا ۗ وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ
“Those who were expelled from their homes without right only because they said, ‘Our Lord is Allah.’ And were it not that Allah checks one people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques — wherein the name of Allah is mentioned much — would have been demolished. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Mighty.”– Qur’an 22:40
This ayah reveals the depth of the ظلم committed against the believers.
They were expelled from their own homes…
Simply for believing in Allah.
Not for crimes.
Not for corruption.
Not for injustice.
Only because they said:
“Our Lord is Allah.”
And this has always been the way of falsehood.
Truth threatens tyranny.
Because tyrants cannot control hearts connected to Allah.
Then Allah reveals something extraordinary:
If oppression were never resisted…
Places of worship themselves would be destroyed.
Notice the ayah carefully.
Allah mentions:
Monasteries.
Churches.
Synagogues.
Mosques.
Because Islam came to protect the right to worship Allah.
This is profound.
The Qur’an does not present believers as people who destroy worship.
Rather, believers are described as protectors against corruption and tyranny.
And throughout history, whenever oppression spreads unchecked…
The sacred becomes vulnerable.
Faith becomes silenced.Truth becomes feared.
Worship becomes dangerous.
This is why justice matters so deeply in Islam.
Because oppression destroys both lives and souls.
Then Allah promises:
He will support those who support Him.
Not those who seek power for themselves.
Not those driven by arrogance.
But those who stand sincerely for His truth.
And Allah ends the ayah with two Names:
The Powerful.
The Mighty.
Because no tyrant remains forever.
No oppression escapes Allah.
And no injustice is forgotten by Him.
The Qualities of Those Worthy of Victory
الَّذِينَ إِن مَّكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ
“Those who, if We establish them in the land, establish prayer, give zakah, command what is right, and forbid what is wrong. And with Allah rests the outcome of all matters.”– Qur’an 22:41
Allah now describes the believers who deserve victory and authority.
And notice what He does not say.
He does not describe them through wealth.
Military strength.
Status.
Power.
Instead, Allah describes their character.
When they are given authority…
They pray.
Because true believers do not become distant from Allah after gaining power.
Then:
They give zakah.
Because justice includes caring for society.
Then:
They command good and forbid evil.
Because leadership in Islam is moral responsibility…
Not domination.
And perhaps this ayah is among the clearest proofs that power itself is a test.
Some people worship Allah while weak…
But become corrupt when powerful.
But the righteous become even more humble when Allah grants them authority.
Because they understand:
Victory itself is an amanah from Allah.
Then Allah ends the passage by reminding believers:
The final outcome belongs to Allah alone.
Not to tyrants.
Not to empires.
Not to worldly systems.
Everything returns to Him.
Justice, Not Aggression
These ayahs completely dismantle the idea that Islam promotes blind violence.
The permission to fight came only after:
Oppression.
Persecution.
Exile.
Torture.
And denial of basic human dignity.
And even then…
The purpose remained justice.
Not revenge.
This is why Islamic teachings repeatedly prohibit:
Transgression.
Oppression.
Betrayal.
Killing innocents.
Destroying without right.
Because a believer is never allowed to become the very evil they oppose.
And perhaps the modern world deeply needs this balance.
Some people justify oppression in the name of security.
Others justify cruelty in the name of justice.
But Islam teaches something higher:
Stand firmly against oppression…
Without becoming oppressive yourself.
Because justice without mercy becomes brutality.
And mercy without justice allows corruption to spread.
Islam came with both.
Victory Beyond Power
These ayahs reveal that Islam is not a religion of passivity in the face of ظلم.
Nor is it a religion of aggression.
It is a religion of balance.
A religion that teaches believers to remain patient…
But also to stand for truth when oppression spreads.
To defend the weak.
To preserve justice.
To protect worship.
To resist tyranny.
And perhaps the most beautiful part of these ayahs is this:
Even while speaking about struggle and conflict…
Allah continuously pulls the heart back toward worship.
Salah.
Zakah.
Humility.
Sincerity.
Because victory in Islam is never merely political or worldly.
The true victory is remaining faithful to Allah.
And perhaps that is the greatest lesson of all:
A believer does not stand against oppression merely to win power.
The believer stands because justice matters to Allah.
And in the end…
Every tyrant fades.
Every worldly force weakens.
Every empire disappears.
But Allah remains.
And the final outcome always belongs to Him.