The Non-Conditionality of the Balance of Power in the Legitimacy of Preemptive Defense in Security Jurisprudence

Mohammadi, Mohammad Javad; PoorAli, Yasin

doi:10.30497/sj.2026.250600.1585

The Non-Conditionality of the Balance of Power in the Legitimacy of Preemptive Defense in Security Jurisprudence

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohammad Javad Mohammadi ¹

Yasin PoorAli ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Iranian Studies, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

² Researcher, National Security Research Institute, National Defense University, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author).

10.30497/sj.2026.250600.1585

Abstract

1. Introduction and Objective
The legitimacy of preemptive defense in the absence of a balance of power constitutes a fundamental challenge in security jurisprudence. The enemy’s military superiority often gives rise to the concern that such action may amount to self-endangerment. This study seeks to answer whether, under conditions of power asymmetry, preemptive defense is jurisprudentially legitimate or constitutes an instance of self-destruction.
2. Methods and Materials
This study employs a descriptive–analytical method based on library research. Through an examination of jurisprudential evidence and an analysis of the Prophet’s conduct, it elucidates the relationship between the components of the balance of power and the legitimacy of defensive jihad.
3. Research Findings
The findings indicate that the absence of a balance of power does not, in itself, preclude the legitimacy of defense. Material inequality alone does not constitute self-endangerment, since such endangerment arises only where an action lacks any rational basis and leads to certain destruction. Defense undertaken to repel a real threat and safeguard the Islamic community remains religiously legitimate, even in the presence of an imbalance of power.
4. Discussion and Conclusion
The legitimacy of preemptive defense rests not on the requirement of a balance of power, but on the establishment of a credible threat and the jurisprudential evidence supporting the repulsion of an aggressor. By redefining the jurisprudential foundations in the age of emerging threats, including cyber and long-range threats, this study presents asymmetric defense as a rational and legitimate model for safeguarding the existence of the Islamic community.

Keywords

Balance of Power

Security Jurisprudence

Defensive Jihad

Preemptive Defense

Self-Endangerment

Repulsion of an Aggressor