JIHADResearch Paper

Submitted to: Dr. Gharib Khalil

Presented by: Maha Youssuf

The Higher Institution of Islamic Studies in Foreign Languages

JihadMeaning and Purpose

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 givenpermission by Allah to engage in combative Jihad, or armed Jihad against enemies of Islam- yetnobody 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 offencewhatsoever.

Similarly, the end of his mission, peace be upon him, marked a new phase of striving and Jihad for theMuslim Nation, one that requires employment of all Muslim talents and capacities to exploit all forms ofJihad to serve the Ummah, call to the message of Allah, enjoin what is good, and fight against evil, asexplained 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 weaponsto annihilate followers of other faiths.

Opposite to widespread misconception about Jihad, Islam doesn't call for armed struggle except todefer attacks by the enemy, on the contrary, it discourages initiating wars or put the lives of theinnocent 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 tointervene in nations‟ domestic and foreign policies.

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

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

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

Lexical Meaning of

Jihad

Definition of „Jihad‟ from a linguistic perspective

1- Arabic root

verb „Jahada‟ and

implications

Jihad is an Arabic word derived form

the root verb "Jahada”

Linguistically it means to "struggle"

and struggle takes various forms

and is driven by a variety of

motivations: either spiritual, physical,

or mental- a group or individual

struggle.

2- John Esposito‟s

Dictionary of

Islam

John L. Esposito, Professor of Religionand International Affairs and of IslamicStudies at Georgetown University, knownfor his open mindedness and objectiveview of Islam reflected in almost all of hiswritings, penetrated the limitingboundaries of the widespread subjectivedefinition of Jihad.

In the Oxford Dictionary of Islam heauthored a few years ago, Espositodescribed the exact meaning of Jihad asdepending on the context.

In his „Oxford Dictionary of Islam‟,Esposito says that Jihad “may express astruggle against one‟s evil inclinations,and exertion to convert unbelievers, or astruggle for the moral betterment of theIslamic Community. Today often usedwithout any religious connotation, with ameaning more or less equivalent to theEnglish word crusade (as in „‟a crusadeagainst drugs‟‟). If used in a religiouscontext, the adjective Islamic or holy isadded.”

3- Merriam

Webster

Most Western Media and educationalinstitutions fall victim to the limiteddefinition of many Islamic and religiousterms, and certainly Jihad is not anexception. However a thorough researchof linguistic sources and dictionariesrendered an opposite understanding ofthe term, generally accepting a broaderview of it.

Merriam Webster‟s definition of Jihadfocuses on the widespreadmisinterpretation of Jihad, the very samelimited and largely subjective view of„‟Jihad‟‟ that affiliates it with armedstruggle, violence and aggression.

According to Merriam Webster Jihad is “aholy war waged on behalf of Islam as areligious duty; also: a personal struggle indevotion to Islam especially involvingspiritual discipline”.

And in another option Merriam Websterlisted was „‟a crusade for a principle or

belief‟‟.

4- Encyclopedia

Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica is perhaps morecomprehensive in this regards than MerriamWebster, yet mixing its definition with the samewidespread definition of Jihad (“struggle,” or“battle”).

Encyclopedia Britannica says that Jihad is “areligious duty imposed on Muslims to spreadIslam by waging war; jihad has come to denoteany conflict waged for principle or belief and isoften translated to mean “holy war.””

However, it argues that “Islam distinguishes fourways by which the duty of jihad can be fulfilled:by the heart, the tongue, the hand, and thesword. The first consists in a spiritual purificationof one‟s own heart by doing battle with the deviland overcoming his inducements to evil.”

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

5- Oxford

Dictionary

Besides the pretty narrow-minded interpretation ofJihad, as “ war or struggleagainst unbelievers: hedeclared a jihad against theinfidels [mass noun]: theimportance of jihad as auniting force,” OxfordDictionary offered what ittermed as “greater jihad”,saying that in Islam it is “thespiritual struggle withinoneself against sin”. So itother types and forms ofJihad.”

It also accepted the origin ofthe word “Arabic Jihad,literally 'effort', expressing, inMuslim thought, struggle onbehalf of God and Islam.”

6- The Quranic

Arabic Corpus

The Quranic Arabic Corpus explainsthat the trilateral root jīm hā dāl ( )occurs 41 times in the Quran, in fivedifferent derivatives or forms:

27 times as the verb form jāhada ( )

four times as the noun jihād ( )

once as the noun juh'd ( )

five times as the verbal noun jahd ( )

four times as active participlemujāhidīn ( )

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

Technical Meaning of

JihadWhat Scholars Say

1-Fours Schools

of Fiqh:

- Hanafis

- Malikis

- Shafiis

- Hanbalis

The Hanafi jurists;According to the Hanafis, Jihad isdefined as the state of exerting one‟sutmost effort in fighting in the cause ofAllah either by taking part in battle orby supporting the army financially or bythe tongue.

The Malikis;According to the Malikis, Jihad meansexerting one‟s utmost effort in fightingagainst a non-Muslim enemy withwhom Muslims have no peace accordin order to raise the word of Allah, i.e.,to convey or spread the message ofIslam.

The Shafiis;define Jihad as fighting in the path ofAllah.

As for the Hanbalis;they simply define Jihad as fightingagainst unbelievers.

2- Ibn Abbas,

father of the

discipline of

Quranic Exegesis

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.

The coming lines will list a few views of some

renowned scholars about non-combative

Jihad, to explore its different forms and

purposes.

About the noble verse, “(So obey not the

disbelievers, but strive hard against them

with it.),” Ibn 'Abbas said that “with it” refers

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”

3- Imam Nawawi

In his book al-Minhaj, Imam

Nawawi defined Jihad and its

different categories, saying:

“…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.”

4- Sayyid Sabiq

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

“Allah sent His Messenger to all ofmankind and ordered him to call toguidance and the religion of truth.While he dwelled in Mecca, he calledto Allah by using wisdom and the bestexhortation. It was inevitable for himto face opposition from his peoplewho saw the new message as adanger to their way of life. It wasthrough the guidance of Allah that hefaced the opposition with patience,tolerance and forbearance.

“The Prophet did not engage inrepulsing the aggressive attacksagainst the Muslims by his tribesmen,but sought to avoid conflict and avoidtheir persecution by means ofmigration.”

5- Ibn Al- Qayem

al-Jawzyyah

In his Zad al-Ma‟ad, Imam Ibn AlQayem al-Jawzyyah says thatAllah commanded what he referso as „Jihad of Education‟ when He

revealed:

“If We willed, We could raise up awarner in every village. Thereforelisten not to the Unbelievers, butstrive against them with theutmost strenuousness, with the(Quran).”

And given the fact that this is aMakkan verse, or a verse that wasrevealed in Mecca, before theProphet was permitted to engagein armed fighting against theenemies of the Muslims, then itmeans that Allah command theJihad against non-Muslims byargumentation, as a means ofconveying the Quran.

6- Dr. Said

Ramadan Al- Buti

In his book Al Jihad Fil Islam, Imam Al Butisays that “the most significant category ofJihad was the one establishedsimultaneously with the dawn of the IslamicDawah (calling for Islam) at Mecca. Thiswas the basis for the other resulting kindsaccorded with the situations andcircumstances.”

“Removing all misconceptions andstereotypes in clarifying the image of Islamheld by non-Muslims, building a trustingrelationship and working with them in waysthat accord with their way of thinking, are allprimary forms of Educational Jihad.Similarly, establishing a strong communityand nation which can fulfill all physicalneeds of its people, thereby creating forthem conditions in which the message willbe heard, rather than being lost in the strifeand struggle of everyday life, arerequirements and form a basic buildingblock of the Jihadic concept. Thesefoundations fulfill the Quranic injunction:

“Let there arise out of you a band of peopleinviting to all that is good, enjoining what isright, and forbidding what is wrong: andthese it is that shall be successful.”

Purpose of JihadAccording to its different Categories

Purposes and Categorization of

Jihad basically according to

A- Imam Raghib

Al-Asfahani

In his book; Mu‟jam Mufradat Alfadzh

Al-Quran, dictionary of the Holy Quran,

Imam Raghib,

an expert in Quranic interpretation,

categorizes Jihad as mentioned in the

Holy Quran into three meanings:

1) Struggle against a clear enemy,

2) Struggle against Satan and

3) Struggle against Nafs (Oneself)

B- Ibn Al Qayem

al-Jawzyiah

In his book; Za‟d al-Ma‟ad, Imam Ibn Al

Qayem, the famous scholar from the

Hanbali school of Fiqh, explains that

Jihad has four statuses:

1) Jihad against self

2) Jihad against Satan

3) Jihad against non-believers

4) Jihad against the hypocrites

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 andDisbelievers.

(1. By heart2. By tongue 3. By wealth 4. By person. )

MisconceptionsLimiting 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'sdangerous and prejudiced against other faiths. Islam, as the word means in Arabic, isone derivation of the root Salam, or peace. And indeed it promotes peaceful-coexistenceand warding off whatever that may inflict harm on human beings. Allah says in theQur'an:

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

Islam's truthful message lays strict rules that safeguard people's rights, sanctity of theirlives and dignity, setting sever punishments for acts or sin that violate their safety or theirwell- being. So Jihad is a methodology of Islam, itself an ideology that fights terror ratherthan 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.org2- Oxford Dictionary of Islam, by John Esposito3- Imam Ghazali‟s Ihyaa Ulum Al Din- Revival of Religious Sciences4- Understanding Jihad, by David Cook, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

PRESS - BERKELEY LOS ANGELES LONDON5- Bridges Foundations‟ Documentary; Jihad on Terrorism6- Imam Suhaib Webb‟s official website: http://www.suhaibwebb.com/7- Militant Islam Reaches America, by Daniel Pipes8- Encyclopedia Britannica9- Oxford Dictionary10- The Quranic Arabic Corpus- www.corpus.quran.com11- Merriam Webster12- The Future of Islam, by John Esposito13- Dictionary of the Holy Quran, Mu‟jam Mufradat Alfadzh Al-Quran14- Game‟e Al Ulul wal Hikam, by Ibn Rajab Al Hanbaly15- Understanding Jihad- Dissertation by Ustaz Haji Ali Haji Mohamed,

http://www.rrg.sg/edisi/data/Understanding_jihad.pdfUstaz 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 ReligiousCouncil 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 theChairman of Khadijah Mosque Management Board16- WAR IN ISLAMIC LAW: JUSTIFICATIONS AND REGULATIONS By: Ahmed Mohsen Al-Dawoody- - A thesis submitted to University of Birmingham for thedegree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/382/1/Aldawoody09PhD.pdf17- 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=418- 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: Matba`at as-sa`adat, 1976.20- Imam Nawawi's 'Bustan al-`arifin' (The Garden of Gnostics), Beirut: Dar al-kitab al-`arabi, 1405/1985 p. 53-54.21- Jihad on Terrorism Documentary- Bridges Foundation.22- Sayed Abu Alaa Mawdudi- Towards Understanding Islam23- 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 2025- Daniel Pipes‟ official website www.danielpipes.org

Wassalaam.