By Filza Asim

In every era, those who lust for power cloak their rebellion in the garb of religion. Today, Pakistan faces that same malignant phenomenon in the form of Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK), an ideology that uses Islam to justify bloodshed and chaos. The FAK, and groups inspired by it, represent not merely a security threat but a theological rebellion against both the state and the very foundations of Islam.

This is not ordinary violence. It is an insidious campaign that manipulates language to confuse, recruit, and radicalize ordinary people, presenting rebellion as piety and murder as martyrdom. Their self-proclaimed “jihad” against Pakistan is, in truth, fasād fil-ardh — disorder on earth — condemned unequivocally in Islam.

Pakistan’s Frontline Sacrifice

For over two decades, Pakistan has stood on the frontlines of a brutal war imposed by terrorists who seek to dismantle the state under religious pretenses. The Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies have waged historic campaigns, Zarb-e-Azb, Radd-ul-Fasaad, and now Azm-e-Istehkam not merely as military operations, but as a moral and national struggle to reclaim the soul of the nation.

The cost has been staggering. Over 80,000 Pakistani soldiers, police officers, and civilians have embraced martyrdom in this fight. From the Army Public School in Peshawar to the mosques of Quetta, the FAK have attacked the heart of our society. Yet the resilience of Pakistan’s soldiers and citizens has remained unbroken. Every drop of their blood is a sacred testament that this nation will never surrender to those who raise arms against it.

The FAK claims to fight for Islam, but it is the Pakistan Army and the people who have truly defended it, protecting mosques, schools, and the integrity of an Islamic state against those who wage war upon it.

The True Doctrine of Jihad

The FAK’s entire narrative collapses under the weight of Islamic law. The Islamic principles establish clear conditions for lawful warfare, and these conditions rest solely under legitimate state authority.

“Permission ˹to fight back˺ is ˹hereby˺ granted to those being fought, for they have been wronged.1 And Allah is truly Most Capable of helping them ˹prevail˺.” (Qur’an 22:39)

Jihad, according to classical jurists such as al-Māwardī and al-Ghazālī, is not an individual adventure; it requires authorization from a lawful ruler (Imam). Ibn Taymiyyah warned that rebellion brings greater harm than benefit and this wisdom has never been more relevant.

FAK’s self-declared jihad violates every Islamic boundary. It lacks state authorization, targets Muslims, and spreads fear among civilians. Islam commands believers to obey those in authority (Qur’an 4:59) and forbids transgression even in war (Qur’an 2:190). The Prophet ﷺ explicitly said: “Whoever carries arms against us is not from us.” (Sahih al-Bukhari).

There can be no clearer condemnation. Those who wage war on their own Muslim state are not mujahideen, they are transgressors, condemned by both the Islam and history.

Historical Parallels: The Khawarij Then and Now

The FAK are not a new phenomenon; they are the modern heirs of the Khawarij, the first extremists in Islamic history. In the 7th century, the Khawarij declared takfir (excommunication) on fellow Muslims and rebelled against the Caliph ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (RA), causing immense bloodshed in the early ummah.

Their descendants today follow the same pattern: they misuse defense to justify aggression, they kill Muslims in the name of purity, and they brand legitimate governments as “corrupt” to mask their own lust for power. The resemblance is undeniable. Outwardly pious, inwardly subversive, the Khawarij then and the FAK now are two faces of the same heresy.

The State’s Religious and Constitutional Mandate

Pakistan’s Constitution embeds Islam within its legal and political framework. Article 227 explicitly requires that all laws conform to the Islamic principles. This means that Pakistan, as an Islamic state, possesses exclusive authority to define, regulate, and if necessary, wage jihad within lawful, ethical, and state-sanctioned limits.

Institutions such as the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and prominent seminaries like Darul Uloom Karachi have repeatedly declared that no individual or group can declare jihad on its own. Fatwas from leading scholars categorically denounce attacks on Pakistan’s soldiers and citizens as harām and acts of rebellion.

Therefore, Pakistan’s military operations against terrorists are not only constitutionally justified, but they are also religiously mandated. The elimination of fasād and protection of civilian life are among the highest obligations in Islam. When our soldiers fight terrorists, they are not suppressing religion; they are upholding it.

The Sanctity of Life: Islam’s Core Principle

“That is why We ordained for the Children of Israel that whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity.1 ˹Although˺ Our messengers already came to them with clear proofs, many of them still transgressed afterwards through the land.” (Qur’an 5:32)

FAK’s violence targeting mosques, schools, and marketplaces stands in direct violation of this divine command. Islam values life as sacred. Any ideology that glorifies death for political ends has no place in the religion of mercy.

In truth, the Pakistan Army’s counterterrorism struggle is the real jihad — the defense of innocent lives, the restoration of order, and the preservation of faith.

Conclusion

The ideology of Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK), though cloaked in the dialect of religion, fundamentally contradicts Islam’s teachings on jihad, state authority, and the sanctity of life. By usurping divine sanction and defying the lawful governance of Pakistan, FAK replicates the pathology of the early Khawarij, sowing discord under the pretense of piety.

The Pakistani state, backed by its constitutional mandate and the unanimous consensus of its religious scholars, stands on the solid ground of Islamic theology. The sacrifices of the Pakistan Army and the nation’s citizens in this long war are not in vain; they represent a collective defense of both the nation and the true, peaceful spirit of Islam. In theological, legal, and strategic terms, the fight against FAK is a jihad in its true sense, a struggle to uphold order, justice, and the divine law against the forces of corruption and chaos. By defeating this violent ideology, Pakistan safeguards its sovereignty and restores Islam’s authentic image as a faith of peace, justice, and order.