My son made this brief but bold presentation on Jihad, a subject which is widely misunderstood as holy war. here's the clarification and some explanation. Hope you like it.

1. The
Jihad
Myth vs. Truth
Presentation by: Maaz Hamid
Muhammad Umair
Shayan Chaudhry

2. Jihad - Meaning
Jihad is an Arabic word which literally means:
“striving or struggling, especially
with a praiseworthy aim”
It therefore means any effort to make personal and social
life to conform with Allah's guidance, such as struggle
against one's evil inclinations, spreading message of Islam,
or efforts toward the moral betterment of the ummah.

3. • Association with concept with “War”
• The reason why Jihad is most frequently associated with war is
that in Islamic history, the word has been used for fights
undertaken by Muslims in self defence when wars were waged
against them by the idolaters for harming them only because
of their faith.
• Modernist Islamic scholars generally equate military jihad with
defensive warfare by the state and not at an individual level.
Neither the concept of Jihad means starting a war, unless it is
waged against an Islamic country.
Jihad

4. With respect to war, Allah says in the Holy Quran:
“To those against whom war is made, permission is
given (to fight), because they are wronged; and verily,
Allah is most powerful for their aid; (They are) those
who have been expelled from their homes in defiance
of right, (for no cause) except that they say, “our Lord is
Allah”. Did not Allah check one set of people by means
of another, there would surely have been pulled down
monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in
which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant
measure…”
(Chapter 22, Verses 39-40)
Jihad – QuranicMeaning

5. The word jihad appears frequently in the Quran with and
without military connotations, often in the idiomatic
expression, such as:
“Striving in the path of Allah”
In another verse in the Holy Quran, Allah says:
“And those who perform jihad for Us, We shall
certainly guide them in Our ways, and God is surely
with the doers of good”
(Quran 39:69)
Jihad – QuranicMeaning

6. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said to his companions when they
returned from war:
“You have returned from the inferior jihad to the greater
jihad.”
The concept is actually derived from the root jhd whose
primary meaning is to strive or to exert oneself. It therefore
means that the greater Jihad is the fight with one’s own self
whilst the lesser form of Jihad is the active warfare, which is
allowed only in self defence and dire circumstances.
Jihad –Explainedin Hadith

7. Elaborating the significance of “Jihad with sword” or “Jihad bil-
saif” the Holy Prophet (PBUH) developed an elaborate set of
rules pertaining to war including following stringent conditions:
- Not to start the War;
- Not to attack unannounced;
- Not to attack at night;
- Not to harm those who are not actively engaged in combat;
- Not to harm those who surrender;
- Not to damage standing crops or trees;
- Not to harm women, children and elderly, even animals;
- Not to damage water wells and resources.
Jihad –Explainedin Hadith

8. Where the concept of war came in?
The Arabic term jihad, usually translated into European
languages as “holy war”, more on the basis of its juridical usage
in history rather than on its much broader universal meaning in
the Quran and the Hadith
Reasons of this wrong association:
Its translation into holy war combined with the misconception
and misunderstanding of Islam in the West has helped to eclipse
its inner and spiritual significance and to distort its real
connotation and meaning.
Jihad –Is it only a Holy War?

9. The recent distortions and even total reversal of the meaning
of jihad as understood over the ages by Muslims have made it
more difficult than ever before to gain insight into this key
religious and spiritual concept.
To understand the spiritual significance of jihad and its wide
application to nearly every aspect of human life as understood
by Islam, it is necessary to remember that Islam bases itself
upon the idea of establishing equilibrium within the being of
man as well as in the human society where he functions and
fulfills the goals of his earthly life.
Jihad –HistoricalPerspective

10. Greater Jihad
• The phrase internal Jihad or greater Jihad refers to the efforts
of a Muslim to spend his life in a manner advised by Allah
almighty and explained by the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and to
spread Muslim faith.
Inferior Jihad
• Inferior Jihad is participation in armed struggle for the sake of
Islam in self defence only when war is waged by disbelievers
against Muslims only due to their faith.
Jihad –Conclusions

11. Thank you
Qs?