Muslims and the Ukraine War

This is Sheikh Balser, and welcome to the Middle Nation. Are you a Russian? So yes. I just wanted to say something briefly about the issue of Muslims participating in the war in Ukraine because I've seen some Muslims online, on social media, and so forth actually making on Muslims who are pro Russian or being very critical of the Chechens, for example, because they're fighting on the side of Russia. And I've seen people who just believe that Muslims have no justification whatsoever of participating in any way in a conflict between two non Muslim countries.

Any Muslim who's fighting in Ukraine on either side is participating in a conflict which they believe involves matters of justice and oppression. For Muslims like the Chechens who are fighting on the side of Russia, undoubtedly, they have looked at the oppression that was taking place in the Donbas against innocent people and believe that they are defending them and that they are combating a hateful neo Nazi regime in Ukraine. They may also consider NATO expansion and the status of the Ukrainian government and Ukraine itself as a US client state as symptomatic of a campaign of American Western imperialism that needs to be confronted. They have their reasons, and I'm sure that their is to advance a just cause. For Muslims in Ukraine, it's clearly a matter of self defense.

The country they live in is being invaded and occupied, and they're in a battle for their lives and property. We hope for any of them. If they do not survive this conflict, they will be resurrected according to their intention and that their intention is a good one, and Allah will judge which of them was on the right side, and we hope that all of them will be forgiven and admitted into Jannah. Now this position applies also to Muslims around the world who are not actively participating in the conflict, but who have an opinion about it and sympathize more with one side than the other. We know that when the Romans were fighting against the Persians in the time of the Muslims hoped that the Romans would win, and of course, they did.

Even though both sides were non Muslims, we hoped that the Romans would win because they were at least the people who follow the book. So you certainly have the prerogative to pick a side in a conflict involving two parties of Kufar if you believe that one party is more just than the other and that ultimately their victory will be in one way or another better for the Ummah. Now in a matter like Ukraine, I don't see why there can't be differences of opinion about this. There's a case to be made on either side. There are certainly more Muslims in Russia than there are in Ukraine, and there are certainly more Muslims worldwide who are impacted by the health or otherwise of the Russian economy.

And you could also argue, of course, that more Muslims around the world have suffered at the hands of America and the Western European nations than have suffered at the hands of Russia. But Russia is not innocent, and in this war, many, many innocent Ukrainians will die. Ukraine is vastly outgunned, and they are the weaker party in this conflict. So it can certainly be argued that they are being oppressed and tyrannized, and Muslims should be on the side of the weak and the oppressed. But this is all a matter of perspective, and we don't all have to agree.

By no means should this become a divisive issue between Muslims. Your stance on the war in Ukraine is not a litmus test for your iman. Support whichever side you think is more just and ultimately more favorable to the Muslims, and give the benefit of the doubt to any brother or sister in Islam who disagrees with you, assuming that they are also doing the same. Just supporting whichever cause they think is right and better for Islam and the Muslims.