What is the significance of jihad in islam

This is a welcome addition to the literature on jihad indeed. Moreover, there is also a useful commented bibliography at the end of each chapter.

Mottahedeh, Harvard University. The book's value lies in its contextualizing of the notion of jihad. It covers the entire Islamic era, tracing how the notion of jihad emerged and developed within a certain historical framework. It is particularly good on the sources, their varying purposes, and the debates today over their validity in trying to explain the rise of Islam and early Islamic history in general. As the only major overview of jihad focusing on the premodern period, the study will stand alone.

Due to global supply chain issues, book orders are currently taking days or longer to be delivered. Please order early for the holidays or consider shopping at your local bookstore. Michael Bonner. Illus: 2 maps. However the quotation has been very influential among some Muslims, particularly Sufis. Holy war Holy war When Muslims, or their faith or territory are under attack, Islam permits some say directs the believer to wage military war to protect them.

However Islamic shariah law sets very strict rules for the conduct of such a war. In recent years the most common meaning of Jihad has been Holy War. And there is a long tradition of Jihad being used to mean a military struggle to benefit Islam. What can justify Jihad? Permissable reasons for military Jihad : Self-defence Strengthening Islam Protecting the freedom of Muslims to practise their faith Protecting Muslims against oppression, which could include overthrowing a tyrannical ruler Punishing an enemy who breaks an oath Putting right a wrong What a Jihad is not A war is not a Jihad if the intention is to: Force people to convert to Islam Conquer other nations to colonise them Take territory for economic gain Settle disputes Demonstrate a leader's power Although the Prophet engaged in military action on a number of occasions, these were battles to survive, rather than conquest, and took place at a time when fighting between tribes was common.

The opponent must always have started the fighting. It must not be fought to gain territory. It must be launched by a religious leader. It must be fought to bring about good - something that Allah will approve of. Every other way of solving the problem must be tried before resorting to war.

Innocent people should not be killed. Women, children, or old people should not be killed or hurt. Women must not be raped. Enemies must be treated with justice. Wounded enemy soldiers must be treated in exactly the same way as one's own soldiers. The war must stop as soon as the enemy asks for peace. Property must not be damaged. Poisoning wells is forbidden. The modern analogy would be chemical or biological warfare. The Qur'an on Jihad The Qur'an has many passages about fighting.

Qur'an Find out more Ethics of war Top. See also. Any of you who befriend them and be their allies are transgressors. It can also be waged against transgressors who are themselves Muslim.

Hathout adds: "It is quite clear that if there is any other option to resolve an issue without violence it is preferred no matter what. While that may be the letter of the scripture, however, there is no escaping the violent contexts within which some extremists wage what they consider jihad. Responding to calls for jihad, fighters leave their own lands to fight in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.

Terrorist groups adopt the term and frame their cause under its auspices. One of many examples is Al-Jihad also known as Islamic Jihad and Egyptian Islamic Jihad , the group responsible for the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and committed to the overthrow of the Egyptian government, the establishment of an Islamic state, and attacks against U. This group has merged with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda organization, another terrorist faction that has employed the language of jihad.

Hathout notes that extremist fringes in Islam, as in other religions, have long used religious philosophies to justify their actions. And you don't exceed that, you don't transgress. That's the limit. I was startled by the difference between what the Koran is saying and what some self-claimed experts are saying and what other Muslims are saying.

I wanted to set the record clear by quoting the highest authority for a Muslim the Koran. Yet quoting the Koran to promote one's own agenda is a game played by extremists. Aboulmagd-Forster sees an interesting paradoxical correlation between how jihad is defined by extreme political Islamists and by some people who are not Muslims.

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