Slide jihad- meaning and purpose

JIHAD
Research Paper

Submitted to: Dr. Gharib Khalil
Presented by: Maha Youssuf
The Higher Institution of Islamic Studies in Foreign Languages

Introduction
 Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, remained in Mecca for 13 years,
bearing the most daunting of challenges and difficulties his mission ever faced, before he was given
permission by Allah to engage in combative Jihad, or armed Jihad against enemies of Islam- yet
nobody can argue that it was some of the toughest periods he or the Muslim community ever endured-
it was a phase of serious Jihad, that didn‟t witness armed struggle or engagement in military offence
whatsoever.

 Similarly, the end of his mission, peace be upon him, marked a new phase of striving and Jihad for the
Muslim Nation, one that requires employment of all Muslim talents and capacities to exploit all forms of
Jihad to serve the Ummah, call to the message of Allah, enjoin what is good, and fight against evil, as
explained in one Prophetic Hadith, reading;

“There is no more Hijra after the Conquest [of Mecca], but there is jihad and intention.
When you are called to it then go."‟- Noble Hadith of The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him), related by Lady Aicha (may Allah be pleased with her)-
Agreed upon Hadith.

 The concept of Jihad has always been mistakenly defined as “religious militancy” and using weapons
to annihilate followers of other faiths.

 Opposite to widespread misconception about Jihad, Islam doesn't call for armed struggle except to
defer attacks by the enemy, on the contrary, it discourages initiating wars or put the lives of the
innocent in jeopardy.

 The faulty affiliation between Jihad and armed struggle and “terrorism” – what anti-
Muslim critics call “Militant Islam” is strictly politically motivated, and used as a means to
intervene in nations‟ domestic and foreign policies.

 Quite often the term „Jihad‟ is employed as some sort of a ploy used as a pretext for
launching military campaigns, and having temporary or even military presence in some
country or another.

 At a time where media is deployed and has absolute capability of launching war of words
between nations, words and their meanings are themselves being manipulated to serve
political motives and hidden agendas of super powers- and when it comes to war against
Islam, „Jihad‟ is best used, or rather abused, as a potential tool of defamation, with its
meaning confused with terrorism, and its causes and effects tailored and exploited in a
way that suppresses the natural and fast=paced spread of Islam, the world‟s fastest
growing religion.

 While many of us don‟t have the channel or means for meaningful political representation
we‟ve got to remain alert to what‟s being said through the media, and what we‟re being
fed through its various channels- Especially that we‟re living an unprecedented
communications revolution that has indeed facilitated an open platform to all for all sorts
of representation and reporting, and has, as well, brought the specter of confusion and
misconception.

Lexical Meaning of
Jihad
Definition of „Jihad‟ from a linguistic perspective

 Jihad is an Arabic word derived form
the root verb "Jahada”
1- Arabic root

verb „Jahada‟ and
Linguistically it means to "struggle"
and struggle takes various forms
and is driven by a variety of
implications motivations: either spiritual, physical,
or mental- a group or individual
struggle.

 John L. Esposito, Professor of Religion
and International Affairs and of Islamic
Studies at Georgetown University, known
for his open mindedness and objective
view of Islam reflected in almost all of his
writings, penetrated the limiting
boundaries of the widespread subjective

2- John Esposito‟s definition of Jihad.

 In the Oxford Dictionary of Islam he
Dictionary of authored a few years ago, Esposito
described the exact meaning of Jihad as
depending on the context.
Islam  In his „Oxford Dictionary of Islam‟,
Esposito says that Jihad “may express a
struggle against one‟s evil inclinations,
and exertion to convert unbelievers, or a
struggle for the moral betterment of the
Islamic Community. Today often used
without any religious connotation, with a
meaning more or less equivalent to the
English word crusade (as in „‟a crusade
against drugs‟‟). If used in a religious
context, the adjective Islamic or holy is
added.”

 Most Western Media and educational
institutions fall victim to the limited
definition of many Islamic and religious
terms, and certainly Jihad is not an
exception. However a thorough research
of linguistic sources and dictionaries
rendered an opposite understanding of
the term, generally accepting a broader

3- Merriam view of it.

 Merriam Webster‟s definition of Jihad
Webster focuses on the widespread
misinterpretation of Jihad, the very same
limited and largely subjective view of
„‟Jihad‟‟ that affiliates it with armed
struggle, violence and aggression.

 According to Merriam Webster Jihad is “a
holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a
religious duty; also: a personal struggle in
devotion to Islam especially involving
spiritual discipline”.

 And in another option Merriam Webster
listed was „‟a crusade for a principle or
belief‟‟.

 Encyclopedia Britannica is perhaps more
comprehensive in this regards than Merriam
Webster, yet mixing its definition with the same
widespread definition of Jihad (“struggle,” or
“battle”).

 Encyclopedia Britannica says that Jihad is “a
religious duty imposed on Muslims to spread
Islam by waging war; jihad has come to denote
any conflict waged for principle or belief and is
often translated to mean “holy war.””

4- Encyclopedia  However, it argues that “Islam distinguishes four
ways by which the duty of jihad can be fulfilled:
by the heart, the tongue, the hand, and the
Britannica sword. The first consists in a spiritual purification
of one‟s own heart by doing battle with the devil
and overcoming his inducements to evil.”

 So it does recognize Islam‟s listing of other types
of Struggle, or Jihad to be accurate, that may as
well include Jihad of the heart, mental Jihad,
spiritual Jihad, verbal Jihad, in addition to armed
Jihad or militant Jihad as explained above.

 Besides the pretty narrow-
minded interpretation of
Jihad, as “ war or struggle
against unbelievers: he
declared a jihad against the
infidels [mass noun]: the
importance of jihad as a
uniting force,” Oxford
5- Oxford Dictionary offered what it
termed as “greater jihad”,
Dictionary saying that in Islam it is “the
spiritual struggle within
oneself against sin”. So it
other types and forms of
Jihad.”
 It also accepted the origin of
the word “Arabic Jihad,
literally 'effort', expressing, in
Muslim thought, struggle on
behalf of God and Islam.”

 The Quranic Arabic Corpus explains
that the trilateral root jīm hā dāl ( )
occurs 41 times in the Quran, in five
different derivatives or forms:

 27 times as the verb form jāhada ( )

 four times as the noun jihād ( )
6- The Quranic  once as the noun juh'd ( )

Arabic Corpus  five times as the verbal noun jahd ( )

 four times as active participle
mujāhidīn ( )

 90% if not more of the translations
offered of the verb and its derivatives,
including Jihad, are translated into
‘Strive’.

Technical Meaning of
Jihad
What Scholars Say

 The Hanafi jurists;
According to the Hanafis, Jihad is
defined as the state of exerting one‟s
1-Fours Schools utmost effort in fighting in the cause of
Allah either by taking part in battle or
by supporting the army financially or by
of Fiqh: the tongue.

 The Malikis;
According to the Malikis, Jihad means
exerting one‟s utmost effort in fighting
- Hanafis against a non-Muslim enemy with
whom Muslims have no peace accord
in order to raise the word of Allah, i.e.,
- Malikis to convey or spread the message of
Islam.
- Shafiis
 The Shafiis;
- Hanbalis define Jihad as fighting in the path of
Allah.

 As for the Hanbalis;
they simply define Jihad as fighting
against unbelievers.

 Armed fighting or combative Jihad is surely
endorsed as an essential kind of Jihad that
nobody can argue about or deny. But Jihad
cannot be limited to just armed fighting, as it
would deny a good share of the Ummah the
permission to engage in Jihad, for not all
Muslims are capable or eligible to engage in
armed fighting, especially women.

2- Ibn Abbas,  The coming lines will list a few views of some
renowned scholars about non-combative

father of the Jihad, to explore its different forms and
purposes.

discipline of  About the noble verse, “(So obey not the
disbelievers, but strive hard against them
with it.),” Ibn 'Abbas said that “with it” refers
Quranic Exegesis to the Holy Quran (Tafsir Ibn Kathir). As for
“with the utmost endeavor”, Ibn Abbas says it
refers to the duty of preaching and
exhortation as the greatest of all kinds of
Jihad. “Thus Jihad here considered as most
essential by Ibn 'Abbas, cousin and
associate of the Prophet and foremost
exegete of the Quran, is the call to the Word
of Allah”

 In his book al-Minhaj, Imam
Nawawi defined Jihad and its
different categories, saying:
3- Imam Nawawi “…one of the collective duties of the
community as a whole (fard kifayah)
is to lodge a valid protest, to solve
problems of religion, to have
knowledge of Divine Law, to
command what is right and forbid
wrong conduct.”

 In his masterpiece, Fiqh as-
Sunnah, Dr. Sayyid Sabiq, says:

“Allah sent His Messenger to all of
mankind and ordered him to call to
guidance and the religion of truth.
While he dwelled in Mecca, he called
to Allah by using wisdom and the best
exhortation. It was inevitable for him
to face opposition from his people
4- Sayyid Sabiq who saw the new message as a
danger to their way of life. It was
through the guidance of Allah that he
faced the opposition with patience,
tolerance and forbearance.

“The Prophet did not engage in
repulsing the aggressive attacks
against the Muslims by his tribesmen,
but sought to avoid conflict and avoid
their persecution by means of
migration.”

 In his Zad al-Ma‟ad, Imam Ibn Al
Qayem al-Jawzyyah says that
Allah commanded what he refers
o as „Jihad of Education‟ when He
revealed:
“If We willed, We could raise up a
warner in every village. Therefore
listen not to the Unbelievers, but
strive against them with the
5- Ibn Al- Qayem utmost strenuousness, with the
(Quran).”
al-Jawzyyah  And given the fact that this is a
Makkan verse, or a verse that was
revealed in Mecca, before the
Prophet was permitted to engage
in armed fighting against the
enemies of the Muslims, then it
means that Allah command the
Jihad against non-Muslims by
argumentation, as a means of
conveying the Quran.

 In his book Al Jihad Fil Islam, Imam Al Buti
says that “the most significant category of
Jihad was the one established
simultaneously with the dawn of the Islamic
Dawah (calling for Islam) at Mecca. This
was the basis for the other resulting kinds
accorded with the situations and
circumstances.”

 “Removing all misconceptions and
stereotypes in clarifying the image of Islam
held by non-Muslims, building a trusting
relationship and working with them in ways
that accord with their way of thinking, are all
6- Dr. Said primary forms of Educational Jihad.
Similarly, establishing a strong community
and nation which can fulfill all physical
Ramadan Al- Buti needs of its people, thereby creating for
them conditions in which the message will
be heard, rather than being lost in the strife
and struggle of everyday life, are
requirements and form a basic building
block of the Jihadic concept. These
foundations fulfill the Quranic injunction:

 “Let there arise out of you a band of people
inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is
right, and forbidding what is wrong: and
these it is that shall be successful.”

Purpose of Jihad
According to its different Categories

Purposes and Categorization of
Jihad basically according to
A- Imam Raghib B- Ibn Al Qayem
Al-Asfahani al-Jawzyiah
 In his book; Mu‟jam Mufradat Alfadzh  In his book; Za‟d al-Ma‟ad, Imam Ibn Al
Al-Quran, dictionary of the Holy Quran, Qayem, the famous scholar from the
Imam Raghib, Hanbali school of Fiqh, explains that
an expert in Quranic interpretation, Jihad has four statuses:
categorizes Jihad as mentioned in the
Holy Quran into three meanings: 1) Jihad against self
2) Jihad against Satan
1) Struggle against a clear enemy, 3) Jihad against non-believers
2) Struggle against Satan and 4) Jihad against the hypocrites
3) Struggle against Nafs (Oneself)

Main Categories and
Purposes discussed
 1) Jihad against self
- Imam Ghazali‟s explanation of Jihad Al Nafs
(„‟Know that the body is like a town and the intellect of the mature human being is like a king ruling that town.‟‟)

- Imam Nawawi‟s explanation of Jihad Al Nafs
"Only the sincere one (mukhlis) knows hypocrisy (riya')." This means that it is impossible to know the reality of hypocrisy and see its hidden shades
except for one who resolutely seeks (arada) sincerity. That one strives for a long time (yajtahidu azmanan) searching and meditating and examining
at length within himself until he knows or knows something of what hypocrisy is. “

- Imam Al Tirmidhi‟s explanation of Jihad Al Nafs
(Two kinds of God Seekers and the stains of the heart)

- Imam Ibn Al Qayem‟s explanation of Jihad Al Nafs
(Striving “to learn guidance and the religion of truth” and striving even harder to practice and keep fast to what he learned.)

 2) Jihad against Satan
- Imam Ibn Al Qayem on Jihad Al Shaytan (Satan)
(“Fighting him defensively against everything of false desires and slanderous doubts in faith that he throws towards the servant.”)

 3) Jihad against the Enemies of Islam of Hypocrites and Disbelievers
- Sayed Abul Alaa Mawdudi
(“A man who exerts himself physically or mentally or spends his wealth in the way of Allah is indeed engaged in Jihad. But in the language of the
Shariah this word is used particularly for a war that is waged solely in the name of Allah against those who practice oppression as enemies of
Islam.”)

- Imam Ibn Al Qayem on Jihad against Hypocrites and
Disbelievers.
(1. By heart2. By tongue 3. By wealth 4. By person. )

Misconceptions
Limiting its meaning to Combative Jihad, and affiliating it with
aggression and terrorism

Misconceptions
 The Concept of Holy War (contentious misconception)
- Western Media always translates Jihad as „Holy War‟.
- Misinterpretation of Jihad from both sides, Muslims and Non- Muslims.
- There‟s no mentioning in the Quran of war as being Holy.)
- Lives are holy and not war…

 Jihad Vs. Terrorism (faulty perception of the notion of Jihad from both sides)
- Dying for freedom to reign
- Dying to Let nations live.
- “Jihad on Terrorism” (Documentary)
- Listing views about Jihad of: Dr. Jamal Badawy, a renowned author, preacher and speaker on Islam and
member of Islamic Society of North America also a member of the board of trustees of Bridges Foundation, Dr.
Robert Pape, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, Dr. Philippe Sands, Professor of
International law at University College London, Imam Suhaib Webb, an active member of the Muslim American
Society, Fadel Soliman, Director of Bridges Foundation, Dr. Gunnar Westberg-Nobel Prize Winner, Dr. Abdullah
Hakim Quick, a popular Muslim scholar, writer, historian and social activist of Native American origin, Aishah
Schwartz, Founder and Director of the Washington, D.C.-based Muslimah Writers Alliance, Dr. Samuel Pierce
Clinical Psychologist, and Petrina Higgs, a UK-based peace activist.--- (All speakers in the documentary)

Misconceptions
 No Compulsion
- “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become
clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the
most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.”
- - Quran (2:256)
- “…”I have been ordered to fight” .. Explanation of the Hadith in light of this context.
- Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had to fight disbelief out of people‟s minds and hearts, yet not
through the use of force, which was used only to ward off offence and injustice launched and
practiced against Muslims back then.

 Daniel Pipes on Jihad
- According to Pipes; “Jihad is "holy war." Or, more precisely: It means the legal, compulsory,
communal effort to expand the territories ruled by Muslims at the expense of territories ruled by
non-Muslims.”

 Paul Marshal on Jihad
- Paul Marshal, General Editor of "Religious Freedom in the World; discusses about what he described
as “radical Islam, or Islamism, or Islamofascism.”

Conclusion
 A deep look into the teachings of Islam would render a totally different understanding of
this noble doctrine than what's sometimes said about it being an ideology that's
dangerous and prejudiced against other faiths. Islam, as the word means in Arabic, is
one derivation of the root Salam, or peace. And indeed it promotes peaceful-coexistence
and warding off whatever that may inflict harm on human beings. Allah says in the
Qur'an:

 "On account of [his deed], We decreed to the Children of Israel that if anyone kills a
person– unless in retribution for murder or spreading corruption in the land– it is as if he
kills all mankind, while if any saves a life it is as if he saves the lives of all mankind. Our
messengers came to them with clear signs, but many of them continued to commit
excesses in the land." -- Qur'an (5:32)

 Islam's truthful message lays strict rules that safeguard people's rights, sanctity of their
lives and dignity, setting sever punishments for acts or sin that violate their safety or their
well- being. So Jihad is a methodology of Islam, itself an ideology that fights terror rather
than promoting it.

 Allah certainly doesn‟t need people‟s force to assert His power or His word.

References
 1. Daniel Pipes, New York Post, December 31, 2002
http://www.danielpipes.org
2- Oxford Dictionary of Islam, by John Esposito
3- Imam Ghazali‟s Ihyaa Ulum Al Din- Revival of Religious Sciences
4- Understanding Jihad, by David Cook, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
PRESS - BERKELEY LOS ANGELES LONDON
5- Bridges Foundations‟ Documentary; Jihad on Terrorism
6- Imam Suhaib Webb‟s official website: http://www.suhaibwebb.com/
7- Militant Islam Reaches America, by Daniel Pipes
8- Encyclopedia Britannica
9- Oxford Dictionary
10- The Quranic Arabic Corpus- www.corpus.quran.com
11- Merriam Webster
12- The Future of Islam, by John Esposito
13- Dictionary of the Holy Quran, Mu‟jam Mufradat Alfadzh Al-Quran
14- Game‟e Al Ulul wal Hikam, by Ibn Rajab Al Hanbaly
15- Understanding Jihad- Dissertation by Ustaz Haji Ali Haji Mohamed,
http://www.rrg.sg/edisi/data/Understanding_jihad.pdf
Ustaz Haji Ali Haji Mohamed is a Council Member of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), a member of the Fatwa Committee of the Islamic Religious
Council of Singapore (MUIS). He is one of the Core Personnel of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), and a member of the Inter- Agency Aftercare Committee
(Aftercare Group). He is also the Chairman of the Accreditation of Asatizah (Religious Teachers) of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) and the
Chairman of Khadijah Mosque Management Board
16- WAR IN ISLAMIC LAW: JUSTIFICATIONS AND REGULATIONS By: Ahmed Mohsen Al-Dawoody- - A thesis submitted to University of Birmingham for the
degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/382/1/Aldawoody09PhD.pdf
17- Islamic Supreme Council of America, Jihad, Terrorism and Suicide Bombing: The Classical Islamic Perspective - Page 5,
http://www.islamicsupremecouncil.org/understanding-islam/legal-rulings/21-jihad-classical-islamic-perspective.html?start=4
18- Assunah Foundation of America: www.sunnah.org (help with translation of excerpts of text books)
19- Aadaab al -muridin' [Rules of Conduct for the Seekers of God] Ed. Abdulfattah Abdullah Baraka, Cairo: Matbaàt as-saàdat, 1976.
20- Imam Nawawi's 'Bustan al-àrifin' (The Garden of Gnostics), Beirut: Dar al-kitab al-àrabi, 1405/1985 p. 53-54.
21- Jihad on Terrorism Documentary- Bridges Foundation.
22- Sayed Abu Alaa Mawdudi- Towards Understanding Islam
23- The Islamic Supreme Council of America: Jihad, Terrorism and Suicide Bombing: The Classical Islamic Perspective
http://www.islamicsupremecouncil.org/
24- John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed‟s Who Speaks for Islam, p 20
25- Daniel Pipes‟ official website www.danielpipes.org

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