The rationale for Islamic thinking about war has its basis in the fundamental categorical structure of Islam itself. Because the world is divided between submission to God’s will and rebellion against God’s will, the fact of conflict is inevitable. (Note that I do not say between believers and unbelievers – that would be too Christian a categorization, and it would obscure the way that this conflict occurs even in the heart of the ordinary Muslim, as she or he struggles to be properly and fully submissive to God.) In this way, the fundamental logic of war is couched in theological terms of obedience to God. p.195
Those who still submit to God’s will must be prepared to fight to defend God ’ s order, and – when the requisite authorities deem it proper – to fight to expand the dominion of God across the whole globe. The ultimate aim and expectation is universal conquest; as one of the most historically significant verses in the Quran suggests, Muslims are enjoined to “ fight [the unbelievers] until there is no more persecution [or seduction] and worship [ din ] is devoted to God ” (Q. 2:193). p.195
War – literally, qital , or “ fighting ” – is simply the last step in the “ ladder of escalation ” in the effort to conduct jihad in the dar - al - harb ; it was the way in which Islam would be brought to non - Muslim lands, if those lands would not allow more peaceful means of bringing Islam. Jihad is in a way simply the reality of the tension and irresolvable conflict at the border separating the dar - al - Islam and the dar - al - Harb . p.196
Because the sword verses were revealed in Medina and later than the peace verses, which were revealed in Mecca, the sword verses are often taken to be normative, or even to have “abrogated ” (revoked) the peace verses. What is interesting, though, is how even in its more militaristic forms of the sword verses, the Islamic doctrine of jihad does not seem to have committed its faithful warriors to engage in wars of mass conversion. Historically, Islamic armies sought conquest but not conversion; in the early centuries especially, conversion seems to have been discouraged. Particularly with the other “ Peoples of the Book ” – that is, Jews and Christians – the economic benefits of taxing non - Muslims (the jizyah , tax on non - Muslims) meant that the early Islamic Caliphate stood to lose valuable streams of funding were too many of their subjects to convert to the religion of the Prophet. p.197,
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