Jihad, that means in English striving or struggling, is of two types:
Self Jihad is that any Muslim should practice Jihad or self struggle to avoid doing wrong deeds and/or committing sins that are forbidden by Islam and by his community. It is also doing good things that Allah wants you to do, such as following the morals of Quran and prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), reciting the Quran, helping the poor, striving to fulfill your family requirements, learning and studying useful sciences and arts, etc.
Regarding Military Jihad, it is licit only in two cases:
In both cases, Muslims (as in all other faiths) are commanded, by their religion, to be fair and just. They are forbidden; by Quran and prophet Muhammad teachings; to kill a woman, child, or an old man or any civilian. They are commanded not to be excessive in using force and not to terrify civilians. They are forbidden from spoiling the nature, cutting a tree, or polluting/poisoning air or water.
The above is general view about what is called Jihad (especially in Islam) and about those who are practicing Jihad and are called, recently, jihadists.
Literally the word Jihad means 'struggle, striving, doing effort'. 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."
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.
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.
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.
They are two types of Jihad not four. Refer to question below.
There aren't groups in ISLAM there is only ISLAM (Qur'an & sunnah) jihad means to strike and struggle for the sake of ALLAH. ISLAM came to the 21st century from the idol worshiping times by jihad, IF there is no jihad there would be no ISLAM.
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. The greater Jihad is the struggle to follow Islam morals and teachings and prevent yourself from committing sins. (This is in contrast to Lesser Jihad, which is a social contest of wills.)Refer to related question: What are the two types of jihad in Islam?
The jihad movement started as a way to spread Islam throughout the world.
Robert Spencer, author of a number of books about the Muslim religion and American-Islam relations, hosts the blog Jihad Watch. On his blog, content regarding the ideas behind Islamic jihad are posted regularly.
Jihad does not mean'holy war'. Jihad means 'struggle, striving'. Any action done in the way of Almighty Allah, by mouth (preaching Islam), spending money, or by physical means is Jihad in Islam. The greatest Jihad is fighting against one's own evil passions, being honest and just in daily routine matters is Jihad. Anyhow, if some force unjustly attacks Islam and tries to uproot it, the Muslim states must wage Jihad till peace is resored. It will be a holy war. Declaring Jihad in this situation is the responsibility of Muslim States. No individual or a group of Muslims is authorised to declare Jihad. These are the insane and mad people who kill innocent people in the name of Islam. They have nothing to do with Islam. Islam means 'peace', not war or killing. According to Islam, Killing of one innocent human is like killing the whole humans.
No, it is not one of the five pillars of Islam.Refer to question below for more information on the five pillars of Islam and on Jihad.
The jihad movement started as a way to spread Islam throughout the world.
Jihad does not mean'holy war'. Jihad means 'struggle, striving'. Any action done in the way of Almighty Allah, by mouth (preaching Islam), spending money, or by physical means is Jihad in Islam. The greatest Jihad is fighting against one's own evil passions, being honest and just in daily routine matters is Jihad. Anyhow, if some force unjustly attacks Islam and tries to uproot it, the Muslim states must wage Jihad till peace is resored. It will be a holy war. Declaring Jihad in this situation is the responsibility of Muslim States. No individual or a group of Muslims is authorised to declare Jihad. These are the insane and mad people who kill innocent people in the name of Islam. They have nothing to do with Islam. Islam means 'peace', not war or killing.
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.
Jihad is not one of the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars are Shahada (faith declaration), Salat (prayer), Zakat (charity), Sawm (fasting), and Hajj (pilgrimage). Jihad, which means striving or struggling, is an important concept in Islam but is not one of the pillars.
A struggle or conflict to spread Islam is a Jihad
Jihad is to defend your life, home, country, and faith. Jihad is to struggle against unjustifiable desires and against doing bad deeds. In this context, Jihad has no relation with violence and never leads to violent Islam. Islam is never a violent religion. Islam calls for peace and justice and good morals. If Islam calls for defending your lands and properties (called military Jihad) it does not mean violence. If Islam calls Muslims to struggle within themselves to be in the right path of God and not to commit sins, it does not mean violence, Islam calls for peace and tolerance. refer to related question below.