This beautiful word “jihad” has been subject to extreme points of view at both ends.

What does the concept of jihad literally and technically mean and what are its reasons in the Noble Quran?

The word Jihad is an infinitive of the verb jahada. It means to do one’s utmost and exert one’s effort to reach an end that is usually desirable.

In Islam, as al-Raghib said in his al-Mufradat, there are three kinds of this concept according to his words:

1. Jihad against a manifest enemy.
2. Jihad against the Satan.
3. Jihad against one’s soul.

The last two meanings are found in ahadith reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad and Abu Dawoud in his Sunan on the authority of Fudalah ibn `Ubayd that he said, “The [true] striver is the one who strives against his soul in obedience to Almighty Allah.”

In another weak hadith reported by al-Bayhaqy on the authority of Jabir, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said after returning from his last march to Tabuk “We returned from the minor jihad to the major one.”

He also interpreted it to mean combating one’s whims. Moreover, serving parents is a sort of jihad. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said “Strive for their sake.”

Ibn Taymiyyah defined jihad saying: It comprehends all sorts of worship, whether inward or outward, including love for Allah, being sincere to Him, relying on Him, relinquishing one’s soul and property for His sake, being patient and austere, and keeping remembrance of Almighty Allah. It includes what is done by physical power, what is done by the heart, what is done by the tongue through calling to the way of Allah by means of authoritative proofs and providing opinions, and what is done through management, industry, and wealth.

As for the first meaning, which is striving against people, this is the most widespread meaning. It is jihad against non-Muslims in the sense of fighting and engaging in war. There are many qur’anic verses and Prophetic ahadith concerning its merits, conditions, and regulations. Its practices through history between Muslims and others have been echoing. Up until now we still hear discussions over this subject ranging from acceptance to rejection, admiration to condemnation. Many have justified aggressive wars and worldly greed under the pretext of jihad. Others neglected jihad and refrained from driving back aggression and resisting the enemy and thus the results were grave. There are many movements that do not abide by the regulations of jihad and thus distorted the image of Islam and caused hardship and loss to Muslims.

Many unjustly accuse Islam considering jihad as something that needs no justification and that it is a call to constantly fight the non-Muslims as Priest Hanz Fu-King, quoted by Murad Huffman, said.

There are many examples like this one in the statements of orientalists by which they justify waging an aggressive war against Muslims to civilise and subdue them.

The truth is that the concept of jihad in Islam is not always synonymous with fighting. Jihad is a wider concept. It is a sort of defending the truth and calling to it through the tongue. Almighty Allah said in the chapter of al-Furqan “Persevere in impelling them with this [Quran], with a mighty impelling”; that is, establish the compelling arguments and present to them the proofs one after the other. Obviously, reciting the Quran does not involve military actions. Hence, not every jihad is fighting and not every fighting is jihad. Jihad is also a call for freedom.

Jihad could be a military action. There are military actions that are not jihad. Ibn Khaldun divided wars into four kinds according to their motives. He said that the origin of all wars is the desire for revenge. But two kinds of wars constitute transgression and turmoil: competitive war (expansive war) and transgressive war waged by brutal nations.

The other two kinds are just wars: one waged out of anger for the sake of Almighty Allah and His religion, which is the meaning of jihad, and the other waged against those who rebel against authorities, which is a war to safeguard the regime as he called it.

In the next article, we will continue talking about the illusions related to the concept and ruling of jihad in Islam.