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Jihad
Struggle of a religious kind in Islam / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jihad (/dʒɪˈhɑːd/; Arabic: جِهَاد, romanized: jihād [dʒiˈhaːd]) is an Arabic word which literally means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim.[1][2][3][4] In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God's guidance, such as internal struggle against evil in oneself, efforts to build a good Muslim community (ummah), and struggle to defend Islam.[1][2][5][6] In non-Muslim societies, the term is most often associated with offensive warfare and violence.[4]
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Jihad is classified into inner ("greater") jihad, which involves a struggle against one's own passions and impulses, and outer ("lesser") jihad, which is further subdivided into jihad of the pen/tongue (debate or persuasion) and jihad of the sword (warfare).[5][7][8] Much of contemporary Muslim opinion considers inner jihad to have primacy over outer jihad in the Islamic tradition, although many Western scholars disagree. The analysis of a large survey from 2002 reveals considerable nuance in the conceptions of jihad held by Muslims around the world, ranging from righteous living and promoting peace to fighting against the opponents of Islam.[9]
The word jihad appears frequently in the Quran referring to both religious and spiritual struggle and to war and physical struggle,[10] often in the idiomatic expression "striving in the path of God (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)",[11][12] conveying a sense of self-exertion.[13] In the hadiths, jihad refers only to warfare. In the Quran, greater jihad refers to spiritual and moral struggle, and has traditionally been emphasized in Sufi circles.[5][8][3] The sense of jihad as armed resistance was first used in the context of persecution faced by Muslims when Muhammad was at Mecca by the Quraysh, when the community had two choices: further emigration (hijrah) or war.[14] The Quran justifies war in self-defense or in response to aggression towards other Muslims, however the sword verses have historically been interpreted to renounce other verses and justify offensive war against unbelievers, forcibly converting polytheistic pagans during the early Muslim conquests.[15] A set of rules pertaining to jihad were developed, including prohibitions on harming those who are not engaged in combat, on killing animals such as horses, and on unnecessary destruction of enemy property.[16][17]
In the modern era, the notion of jihad has lost its jurisprudential relevance and instead given rise to an ideological and political discourse.[5][18] While modernist Islamic scholars have emphasized the defensive and non-military aspects of jihad, Islamists have advanced aggressive interpretations built off of and go beyond the classical theory.[18][19]The term has gained additional attention in recent decades through its use by various insurgent Islamic extremist, militant Islamist, and terrorist individuals and organizations.[5][20][21][19] Today, the word jihad is often used without religious connotations, like the English crusade.[1][2]