Is it a condition of jihaad that there be a leader?
Is it a condition of jihaad that there be a leader (imaam, in the sense of a head of state) , whether that jihaad is defensive or offensive? Imaam ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan (may Allaah have mercy on him) said that no scholar mentioned this as a precondition; do you know of any scholar who did describe this as a condition for jihaad?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not a
condition of jihaad that there be a leader, whether that jihaad is defensive
or offensive. With regard to defence, this is very clear, because if
the enemy attacks a land, everyone who is able is obliged to defend
it, even the women who are also obliged to fight. This was stated by
the fuqahaa’, because this is an individual obligation; the role of
the leader is to organize. If there is an leader, all well and good;
if there is no leader, the Muslims are still obliged to fight.