The Concept of Jihad in Islam

The author explains that jihad is not synonymous with war or violence in the book. It means to make great efforts for a noble purpose. Jihad-e-nafs is to strive against one’s negative feelings to remain steadfast on the path that is pleasing to God. Jihad-e-dawah is an ideological struggle to convey the message of God to all of mankind with feelings of compassion and well-wishing. In the extended sense of war (qital), jihad is a temporary action engaged in under an established state when another country militarily attacks a Muslim country. As it is illegitimate for individuals to initiate war, Muslims’ violent activism is not Islamic jihads but fasad or anarchy. Jihad of dawah to convey the message of God to all humanity in every generation is the eternal jihad. That is why it has been called jihad-e-kabir or ‘great jihad’ in the Quran (25:52).

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