What is Jihad (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

The Meaning & Significance of Jihad

What is Jihad?

• Jihad, from the Arabic juhd, means struggle

• It is used to mean the struggle faced by every single Muslim to follow the teachings of Islam successfully

• The idea of Jihad originates in the Qur’an:

The Two Types of Jihad

• According to the Prophet Muhammad, there are two types of jihad, greater jihad (jihad al-akbar) and lesser jihad (jihad al-asghar)

• Greater jihad or inner jihad is the inner struggle to become a better Muslim by doing good deeds

  • Greater jihad is divided into categories by Muslim scholars, including

    • Striving with the soul (jihad be al-nafs) meaning improving your inner character, for example by fasting and resisting temptation

    • Striving with the tongue (jihad be al-lisan) meaning being honest and speaking out for what is right, or spreading the faith by telling people about Islam

    • Striving with the pen (jihad be al-qalam) meaning writing positive things in defence of Islam, or studying the Qur’an

• Lesser jihad or outer jihad is the outer struggle to defend Islam in the world, by both non-violent or even violent means

  • This may include fighting for the faith in battle or war

  • The Prophet Muhammad set the example by taking action against people who persecuted Muslims or tried to end Islam, and the Qur’an teaches

• The Qur’an also states that there are certain conditions that would justify lesser jihad

•  The terms for permitting lesser jihad are strict. Lesser jihad is permitted if one or more of the following conditions are met

  • Extreme persecution (suffering for your beliefs)

  • Religious freedoms are removed

  • Islam needs defending from an enemy attack

  • A Muslim leader (khalifah) permits and authorises the action

• In all cases of lesser jihad

  • It must be for a just cause

  • It must be a last resort

  • It must cause the minimum suffering possible

  • Innocent civilians must not be attacked

  • It must aim to restore freedom and peace

  • It must end as soon as the enemy surrenders

Divergent Understandings of Jihad

• Most Muslims would accept that the most important form of jihad is greater jihad because there is greater emphasis on this in the Qur’an

• Greater jihad involves trying to be a better Muslim and all followers try to achieve this

• The Prophet Muhammad stressed greater jihad more than lesser jihad

• Lesser jihad has several interpretations

  • In some cases, it is misinterpreted by some groups such as Boko Haram or IS who think that their duty is to fight non-Muslims in an attempt to ensure Islam dominates the world. To this end they would justify extreme actions including kidnap, torture, and suicide bombings. They claim that whoever dies in the pursuit of this type of jihad will go to paradise as a martyr

  • This is rejected by the vast majority of Muslims, who would say that nothing could ever justify extreme acts of terrorism, and that such acts are a total misinterpretation of the message of peace and submission that Islam actually teaches

  • Most Muslims would accept lesser jihad only under strict conditions

  • A group of leading scholars signed a declaration denouncing acts of terrorism in 2005 which stated

The Importance of Jihad in Muslim Life

• Jihad is important to Muslims because

  • They are following the example of the Prophet Muhammad, who practised both types of jihad

  • Allah blesses and will reward those who strive to improve themselves and to become better Muslims throughout their lives

  • The Qur’an teaches Muslims to ‘fight in the cause of Allah’ and so they are obeying this teaching in both greater and lesser jihad