Concept of Jihad In Islam With Reference to Quran & Sunnah

The religion of Islam takes its name from Arabic root letters “S-L-M”, which means “complete submission of one`s will to Allah SWT.” Another word “Salam”, which implies “having peace among each other” also come from the same alphabets, i.e. “S-L-M”, that is why Islam is also called “the Religion of Peace”. The overall notion of this faith also combines both of these thoughts on many occasions in the Holy Quran:

“And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allah knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged. And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.” [Quran, 8: 60-61]

The above stated verses first direct Muslims to fight against the enemies of God, with all stealth they could gather in order to succeed, and also emphasize on spending their properties and money for this cause. That fulfills the primary gist of Islam which is putting forward one`s everything for the Almighty Lord. Second, these lines tell them about making harmony with those who seek peace, which is the realization of secondary connotation of this belief, i.e. extending serenity in the world.

In this day and age, the basic ideology of Islam is highly misunderstood among the Western peoples, and Jihad is the leading act in this regard. It is mainly because of misinterpretation of this terminology, which is linked to the extremist activities of so called Muslim activists who kill innocents more than their targeted individuals.

So, there is a greater need to first understand the actual implication of this deed so that we could counteract the false accusations against Islam from non believers effectively:

Meaning of Jihad

Jihad is an Arabic term, and its plain connotation is “to strive or work hard for something”. So, it does not mean “the Holy War” against non Muslims, which the West has associated with it. The absolute analysis of this religious action is divided in to two sections, Major and Minor Jihad. The former is a spiritual effort which binds a Muslim to fight its inner self against the satanic desires. It is an ongoing process throughout one`s life till death. The latter form is the physical struggle against the enemies of Islam. But it is greatly mistaken as a means of violence, although in Islam, there is no room for killing of blameless, but should only be used for defending oneself against the enemies. For further elaborating the delicacy of this matter, let us discuss it in the light of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Jihad in Quran

Like any other obligatory and supreme acts in the religion of Islam, Jihad is also a God given responsibility to the Muslims, which should only be analyzed according to the Sacred Scripture i.e. The Holy Quran, and not what the uninformed people do by manipulating its actual denotation. Allah SWT says in Furqan e Hameed:

So, Jihad is actually the name of doing one`s best in terms of both fighting and expending everything one has. As property is among the most important things one has, so it is imperative to spend as much as one can, besides going in to direct battle with the enemies of Islam.

Now, the act of warfare needs to be elaborated, as it is greatly misjudged and linked with wrong motives. Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:

The phrase “Who Fight You” clearly indicates that the Almighty has ordered to clash with only those who brawl with Muslims and try to destroy them. So, there is no way one could say that Jihad is an alternate name for spreading aggression and slaughtering people. It also means that one cannot instigate a war against others, but only to defend themselves.

After it has become evident that Jihad is only meant for self defense and not the other way around, it is necessary to have a look at the following verse in the same Chapter (Surah Baqarah):

“And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you ……… And if they cease, then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Quran, 2: 191-192]

Haters of Islam only quote the very first line of the above verses, and argue that Muslims are cruel and are meant to kill others wherever they find them, but that is not actually true. It has been added in the following verse by Allah SWT that if they ask for mercy, then there is no need to fight and kill them. This is the whole concept of Jihad from above lines of Quran and it should not be misquoted.

On another instant, the Almighty said:

So, its crystal clear from the previous lines of Quran that combating is only obligated once Muslims are under attack, and when they need to protect themselves.

Jihad is said to be “fighting for the cause of Allah”, but there is increased requisite to comprehend what this phrase actually means, as the word fighting is being misused by extremist organizations operating in different regions of the word and portray it as the religious duty. Allah SWT says in the Holy Quran:

Many of the believers and newly admitted persons to Islam still resided in the land of Makkah even after mass migration to Madina of Muslims under the Messenger (PBUH) of God earlier. Those who were left behind were severely dealt with and oppressed by the polytheists and disbelievers. Then, God, the Exalted directed Muslims to help them save from tyranny and repression they were facing. It means that effort made for this cause is Jihad and is dear to Allah.

So, the perception of Jihad in Quran revolves around striving in Allah`s Cause, fighting when being attacked by rivals, helping out the oppressed ones, and have peace if they cease to fight.

Jihad according to Sunnah

After having idea about the impression of Jihad from the Holy Quran, now let us observe its importance in light of the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Whose entire life has been a great struggle in the righteous cause of Allah.

The Apostle (PBUH) of God Himself took part in battles against the oppressive Makkans who laid arms against Muslims in order to remove them from the surface of the earth. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) said about the value of fighting against such non believers:

Somebody asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! Who is the best among the people?” Allah’s Apostle replied “A believer, who strives his utmost in Allah’s Cause with his life and property.”………

By analyzing the above two Hadith, it shows that Jihad is one of the highest deeds to perform near the Almighty Lord, which involves making the greatest effort with respect to both clashing with enemies and spending as much as one can.

As, discussed earlier, there are two kinds of struggle in Islam, and knowing that Jihad is actually making attempt in the cause of Allah, but the greater exertion lies in fighting one`s inner demons and evil thoughts. Imam Ja`far al‑Sadiq (R.A) is reported to have said:

The Prophet (s) of God dispatched a contingent of the army (to the battlefront). Upon their (successful) return, He (PBUH) said: Blessed are those who have performed the minor jihad and have yet to perform the major jihad.When asked, what is the major jihad?The Prophet (s) replied: The jihad of the self (struggle against self). (Bihar al-Anwar)

As Islam is the religion of morality and uprightness, so its followers are also ordained to adopt complete state of faith and fighting one`s inner satanic believes. That is why Rasulullah (PBUH) has regarded it more vital than fighting the enemies in war land in the above Hadith.

On another occasion, a man asked: “Should I join the jihad?” The Prophet asked, upon him peace, “Do you have parents?” The man said yes. The Prophet said: “Then do jihad by serving them!” (Bukhari)

The above mentioned saying of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) tells that Jihad is far more than just fighting the oppressors, as He (PBUH) advised a man to serve its parents. It also illustrates the greater meaning of the cause of Allah, as serving one`s father and mother justly is considered as one the noblest deeds and utmost responsibility of a Muslim.

Another man asked: “What kind of jihad is better?” The Prophet replied, upon him peace: “A word of truth spoken in front of an oppressive ruler.” (Sunan Al-Nasa’i)

This Hadith indicates that keeping steadfast on one`s belief is also a form of Jihad in Islam.

So, the idea of Jihad, in view of Ahadiths, gives us much more enlightenment than combating the enemies of Islam, which involves other duties of a Muslim like spending money for Allah, fighting inner demons, serving one`s parents and not fearing the unjust rulers.

To cut a long story short, Jihad is of two kinds: major (struggling against inner self) and minor (combating enemies of Islam). It consists of all kinds of efforts which are for sake of resoluteness to one`s religious convictions. It includes responding aggressively to enemies of Islam who try to wipe out Muslims by force, help the oppressed, but try to have harmony with them if they require. It also consists of the above mentioned deeds to perform which are considered more important than fighting by the Holy Prophet (PBUH). All of these point toward single objective of Jihad, i.e. to do one`s finest effort according to its faith.