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In Islam, Jihad means striving in the Way of Almighty Allah (God). In fact it is the Sacred Struggle made to maintain peace in human society which everybody should do irrespective of his religion.
Jihad in Islam is of many kinds. The highest is 'striving' to control one's own animal, ruthless, brutal and evil passions. It is very difficult to remain cool and composed in the face of aggression. Islam demands 'patience' from its followers. Speaking truth, refraining from corruption of all kinds, being just to all humans and even all creatures, being honest in all matters of life, and being steadfast and upright in the face of temptation are among the actions which are the demand of Jihad of the Highest kind.
Preaching Islam by the word of mouth and practicing it in one's daily life is also Jihad. Spending money in the way of Almighty Allah, doing acts of charity, helping the needy and the poor is also Jihad.
When the enemies of Islam attack the Muslims, the Muslims must take up arms if negotiation fails and there is no alternative but to fight. Almighty Allah says in the holy Qur'an:
Sura (chapter) Al-Baqra-2: Aya: 190; "Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight you, --But do not transgress limits. For Allah does not love transgressors. Aya-193: And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah, but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who are oppressors."
The Muslims are willing to die in the way of Almighty Allah. They are ready to sacrifice their life because Almighty Allah has promised Paradise to those who sacrifice their life in His way.
Thus it must be clear in the minds of the true Muslims that killing human beings in the name of religion is not permitted in Islam. Killing of one innocent human being irrespective of his religion, caste, color or country is like killing of all human beings in the Eyes of Almighty Allah (God). Almighty Allah has created all human beings and loves them all.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoThere are two questions here:
1) What is a Jihad?
Jihad is a tenet of Islam and a religious duty to strive in the way of God. There are two general ways to do this, the Greater Jihad and the Lesser Jihad. The Greater Jihad is an introspective journey to conquer your internal demons and follow the Divine Laws more closely than previously; this kind of jihad should be entirely peaceful. The Lesser Jihad refers to conflicts and confrontations between Muslims and Non-Muslims or other Muslims, which often erupt in war, but can also be performed through non-violent protests, debate, and advocacy.
2) Why are Muslims so willing to die in one?
First of all, the majority of Muslims are not interested in performing the more violent forms of Lesser Jihad since they, like most other humans, would prefer to live their lives in peace and tranquility. However, there are a number of Muslims who are willing to die in a jihad. Most who express this are people who genuinely believe that they will be rewarded in the hereafter for their sacrifice and/or they believe in particular military struggle in which they are engaged. Most Muslims, even those who are not engaged in Lesser Jihad value Islam above all other things; how much moreso must a person value Islam if he is willing to put everything on the line to realize one of its commands.
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Is sword the type of jihad in which one exerts oneself to be a better muslim?
No. The "sword type of jihad" is called Jihad bes-Saif (جهاد بالسيف) and refers explicitly to armed fighting in the way of God. The jihad in which one exerts oneself to be a better Muslims is the Jihad bel-Nafs (جهاد بالنفس).
Does every muslim compete in jihad?
First, we need to define Jihad. Jihad is a tenet of Islam and a religious duty to strive in the way of God. There are two general ways to do this, the Greater Jihad and the Lesser Jihad. The Greater Jihad is an introspective journey to conquer your internal demons and follow the Divine Laws more closely than previously; this kind of jihad should be entirely peaceful. The Lesser Jihad refers to conflicts and confrontations between Muslims and Non-Muslims or other Muslims, which often erupt in war, but can also be performed through non-violent protests, debate, and advocacy. It is the Lesser Jihad which is often cast as a Holy War.Now. the term "compete in jihad" does not make sense. If the question is asking if every Muslim participates in jihad, the answer is "No"; there is no group of people who uniformly do one set of things. However, most Muslims try to participate in jihad, but involvement in Greater Jihad (self-reflection) is far more common than Lesser Jihad (striving to change the world), and involvement in peaceful Lesser Jihad (advocacy and protests) is far more common than violent Lesser Jihad (holy war).
Why does Islam have a jihad?
Simply put, Jihad exists in Islam because the Qur'an demands it. However, it should be noted that there are two forms of jihad. One is an internal struggle to be true and faithful to Islam amidst all of the struggles and difficulties that the world presents. The second is the command to rise militarily in defense of Islam when Muslims are under attack, especially from non-Muslims. This second form of jihad is popularly considered the "holy war" type of jihad.
What does jihad mean to Muslims currently?
Answer 1Jihad refers to fighting the enemy.Jihad cannot change meaning,it always used to refer to fighting the enemy and will still refer to fighting the enemy.Answer 2There are a wide number of definitions for what jihad means. It refers to struggle or striving and can be applied to situations as innocuous as exercising (a jihad against laziness) or situations as violent as offensive warfare (a jihad against the unbelievers). This is because the term is open to numerous interpretations and meanings and jurisprudential applications.
What is the nonviolent interpretation of jihad that is accepted by most Muslims?
Jihad (English pronunciation: /dʒɪˈhɑːd/; Arabic: جهاد‎ ǧihād [dʒiˈhæːd]), an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is mujahideen. Jihad is an important religious duty for MuslimsJihad of the heart (jihad bil qalb/nafs) is concerned with combatting the devil and in the attempt to escape his persuasion to evil. This type of Jihad was regarded as the greater jihad (al-jihad al-akbar).Jihad by the tongue(jihad bil lisan) is concerned with speaking the truth and spreading the word of Islam with one's tongue.Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to choosing to do what is right and to combat injustice and what is wrong with action.Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed fighting in the way of God, or holy war), the most common usage by Salafi Muslims and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood. (THIS IS A VIOLENT FORM OF JIHAD, BUT COMMONLY ACCEPTED.)
Is Islam is a peacefull religon?
if no one want to kill Muslims Islam will remain the religion of peace. Islam does not start war. but Islam has Jihad for defend against who want to kill Muslims.
How long has jihad been around?
In Islamic concept, Jihad means "to strive against". It is divided into three parts; Jihad against one's own soul and temptations, Jihad against ignorance in the form of verbal communication and Jihad against non-believers in the form of physical violence.If we read the above-mentioned paragraph closely, one can assume that Jihad has been in this world ever since man has been; conquering his lust, fighting wars, arguing against one another in the advocacy of his religion.It is however, a common misconception, to believe that Jihad comprises only of "wars".
How does jihad relate to muslims and their personal struggle?
Jihad is a word that actually means struggle or striving. It is not related to what is called by the west as holy war. It is a deeper personal meaning for Muslims that means a struggle for spiritual discipline. In Islam it can mean the on-going internal struggle to become a better person and to work to submit to the will of Allah. refer to the related question below for more information.
Does Jihad always mean holy war in the sense of physical armed combat?
NO. Not at all. Very unfortunetely, most of the non-Muslims, and many of the Muslims mis-understand Jihad. They confuse it with 'Killing'. It is not true. Jihad in Islam is of many kinds. The highest is 'striving' to control one's own animal, ruthless, brutal and evil passions. It is very difficult to remain cool and composed in the face of aggression. Islam demands 'patience' from its followers. Speaking truth, refraining from corruption of all kinds, being just to all humans and even all creatures, being honest in all matters of life, and being steadfast and upright in the face of temptation are among the actions which are the demand of Jihad of the Highest kind.Preaching Islam by the word of mouth and practicing it in one's daily life is also Jihad. Spending money in the way of Almighty Allah, doing acts of charity, helping the needy and the poor is also Jihad.When the enemies of Islam attack the Muslims, the Muslims must take up arms if negotiation fails and there is no alternative but to fight. Almighty Allah says in the holy Qur'an:Sura (chapter) Al-Baqra-2: Aya: 190; "Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight you, --But do not transgress limits. For Allah does not love transgressors. Aya-193: And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah, but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who are oppressors."Thus it must be clear in the minds of the true Muslims that killing human beings in the name of religion is not permitted in Islam. Killing of one innocent human being irrespective of his religion, caste, color or country is like killing of all human beings in the Eyes of Almighty Allah (God). Almighty Allah has created all human beings and loves them all.
What does the Qur'an say about committing Jihad?
The Arabic word Jihad literally means struggle. This term, especially in Islam, is applied to the struggle or work done in the way of Almighty Allah (God). Unfortunately, this word is confused with the word Qitaal that means Armed fight against enemies of Almighty Allah. The greatest Jihad is against one's own self, one's wicked passions, lust, selfishness etc. An armed fight is the last resort which not only the Muslims but also the other nations/religious followers adopt when their existence is in danger. Islam is a peace loving religion. It does not aim at killing any innocent human being. The Qur'an orders its followers to take up arms and fight against the enemies of Islam if they attack the Muslims. It, however, does not allow the Muslims to fight against peaceful people belonging to any religion.
What kind of struggle is a true jihad?
First, we should clarify that there are two types of jihad. Greater Jihad, which is an introspective journey to conquer your internal demons and follow the Divine Laws more closely than previously, is a practice to promote a person's piety. Lesser Jihad is usually brought to life in the form of warfare between Muslims and Non-Muslims or other Muslims, but can also be expressed in non-violent protest or debate. Muslims are quick to point out that the attacking of civilians is a violation of the terms of a Lesser Jihad, but there are serious debates in the Islamic communities worldwide as to what a "civilian" is. A number of leading Sheikhs, including Egypt's Qaradawi, for example, have held that since almost all Israelis are drafted in the Israeli Defense Forces, there is no civilian population in Israel and targeting Israeli non-combatants is NOT a violation of the jihad requirements to avoid civilian deaths. Bin Laden and his ilk have expanded these rulings to say that all people in a democracy publicly vote on the government and are, therefore, responsible for its decisions. In that way, targeting the non-combatants in a democracy would NOT be a violation of the jihad requirements to avoid civilian deaths. Muslims who follow these perspectives are willing to perform violent acts against civilians. In most cases, these civilians are Non-Muslims. One particularly recent example of Non-Muslims killed in a declared jihad are the Assyrian Christians and Yazidis being hunted down by ISIL in northern Iraq. Whether ISIL is properly within the terms of a Lesser Jihad when it performs these activities is hotly debated in Islamic circles, but it is incorrect to say that Non-Muslims are not being killed as a result of something that is, at least facially, a jihad. Other examples include the Palestinian Intifadas which primarily targeted Jewish Israeli civiians, the Mumbai bombing which targeted primarily Hindu Indian civilians, etc.
Do all Muslims enjoy jihad?
Well, obviously not. For one thing, "jihadi" is a Western word to describe a Muslim terrorist; the Arabic name for a person who goes on jihad is "mujahid." Nevertheless, jihad is sometimes called the Sixth Pillar (in supplement to the official Five) of the faith. Every good Muslim should be prepared to go on jihad.
