Jihad The word Jihad means struggle or to

Jihad The word Jihad means struggle or to strive. It comes from the word ‘juhd’ which means to ‘make effort. ’ Muslims today use Jihad in two contexts. First, jihad is a Muslim’s internal struggle to serve Allah as best they can. It is the spiritual struggle a person needs to make to conquer their own selfishness, lust or greed to stay on the right path. Secondly, Jihad can mean to struggle defend Islam The first idea is commonly known as greater jihad, the second idea is commonly known as lesser jihad. The idea of Jihad is often misunderstood. Most Muslim scholars believe that the internal struggle is the greater jihad based on what Prophet Mohammed pbh. Others believe that these Hadith are not reliable and that holy war is a better interpretation. There are many references in Islamic writings to jihad meaning military struggle, often having a meaning similar to ‘crusade. ’ This is referred to as lesser Jihad. In the modern world where war is prevalent claims that the war is for the will of Allah often means that non-Muslims interpret jihad simply as holy war. So we will explore these two terms and what they mean. The Greater Jihad Firstly, many Muslims not accept this term at all. Those that do, claim that it applies to the everyday life of a Muslim. It is simply following a moral code and virtuous life. A person engaged in jihad is called a mujajihad. Examples of jihad are: • Following the Pillars and striving to do them properly • Those who are hafiz, as they have made the effort to learn the Qu’ran • Forgiving someone who has insulted you • Giving up things for the poor or working for social justice According to Muslim public opinion polls in countries like Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan and Moroccom most people referred to Jihad as a ‘duty to God’ or ‘worship of God’ or ‘striving for peace and cooperation’ with no reference to war. So whatever scholars think, many modern-day Muslims indicate that jihad for them is a struggle to live rightly, worship Allah and have a total faith in Him. There are those who also believe that there is a third kind of jihad: namely, striving to create a better community. Majid Khadduri, an Iraqi academic, said there were four jihads: by having jihad at the heart, jihad of the tongue, jihad of the hand jihad of the sword. All these point to believing, thinking, saying and doing the right things. Jihad is the internal struggle for Allah Jihad is to defend Islam Jihad is in everyday life – giving to the poor, following the Pillars, forgiving others. Jihad is striving for peace

The Lesser Jihad The following two teachings are attributed to Muhammed pbh: • “The best jihad is the word for justice in front of an oppressive ruler. ” • “The best jihad is the one in which your horse is slain and your blood is spilled. ” It is the existence of such quotations, whether authentic or not, that cause some people in the modern world so to take up arms against any enemy of Islam as they see it. Holy books can be interpreted in many ways and now 1400 years after Muhammed pbh there are believers who focus on such teachings. However even if these quotes are adhered to there are regulations and rules that should apply concerning behaviour and parameters. This is where extreme groups today like ISIS, Al Qaed, Al Shabab, Boko, Haram could be seen to be failing in their Islamic understanding. For a military jihad people should be fighting for their faith. This does not mean forcing others to accept Islam but rather to have a society were Muslims can worship Allah and others can worship in their own faith freely. Currently Muslims are not being forced to give up their religion and Allah is not under attack. Hence the groups named above are not justified in their actions. There is, however justification in terms of social oppression and poverty in places like Gaza / Palestine. Social oppression and poverty need to be tackled, so as to take away the injustice, and also this source of anger from radical groups. Rules – a lesser jihad / holy war • To defend Allah and not for conquest • To gain freedom from tyranny and restore peace • Fought until the enemy lays down their weapons • Women and children should not be harmed, nor crops damaged, mosques should be protected absolutely • Mercy should be shown to enemy captives, soldiers treated, women left unharmed and the enemy should never be executed. Border disputes, wars for personal power and wars to exploit others are not jihad. Defence of Allah No harm done Restore peace Freedom Mercy Respect and protection