Military Review English Edition March-April 2016 | Page 23

DAESH

the Centre on Religion and Geopolitics
found that 87 percent of jihadist propaganda included “justifications from the Quran,
Hadith, or scholarship.”30 For example, the
study analyzed one statement that contained
twenty-four Quranic references, with thirteen different suras, or chapters, mentioned.31
Therefore, to understand Daesh, one must
become familiar with the Quran, Islam’s holy
book, which is believed to be the literal word
of God.
According to Masood Farivar, a former Taliban leader, some Muslims do not
know the meaning of the word quran, and
some have expressed surprise to learn that
it means to “read or recite.”32 Some Muslims
are unaware that one chapter in the Quran
is missing the bismillah (an invocation
meaning in the name of Allah, or God). As
these examples suggest, the Quran is not an
easy book to read or understand, and when
translated, it loses the rhythmic quality for
which it is famous. For example, the first sura,
titled “The Opening” or “Al-Fatiha,” is recited by all Muslims. The verses rhyme, which
adds additional significance to the words.
Numerous suras begin with random letters,
(Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
their meaning said to be known only to God.
An image from a manuscript of the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), considered
One such chapter begins with the letters, alif,
the national epic of Greater Iran, depicts Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas leading the
laam, and meem, which in Quranic recitation is armies of the Rashidun caliphate during the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah.
sung, with the letter and word meem rhyming
with the word that precedes it, raheem.33
the heinous acts Daesh has committed, including beAnother difficulty in understanding the Quran is
headings, drownings, and burning of individuals, have
that suras are arranged by length, not chronologicalprecedents in Islamic history.36
ly, with the longest suras at the beginning, except for
Daesh has designed its black flag based on one
“Al-Fatiha” being followed by the shortest. The ninth
described in books about Islamic history. The original
sura, believed to have been revealed shortly before
was called Okab, or Black Eagle, and was carried into
Mohammad died, appears near the beginning of the
battle in the days of Mohammad.37 It was a “black flag
Quran, while a sura about Qasim, which would have
… bearing the inscription, ‘there is no God but God.
been revealed early, appears near the end.34
Mahomet [Mohammad] is the messenger of God.’”38
As stated earlier, numerous revelations came during Ibn Ishaq, author of one of the earliest biographies
or after key events in Islamic history, including various
of Mohammad, whom he sometimes calls the aposbattles; therefore, readers wishing to understand the
tle, discusses it: “The apostle set out in the month of
Quran should develop an understanding of Islamic
Ramadan. He gave the flag to Mus’ab …. The aposhistory. As Hassan Hassan, coauthor of a book on
tle was preceded by two black flags, one with Ali
Daesh, says, “when ISIS burns someone alive, they do it
called al-Uqab [Okab] and the other with one of the
because someone in Islamic history did it.”35 Many of
Ansar.”39 Ishaq writes, “The apostle said, ‘Tomorrow
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