Jihad

<div class="noprint" style="display:none;">

</div>

**Jihad** (;  ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to holy war or almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God's guidance, such as struggle against one's evil inclinations, proselytizing, or efforts toward the moral betterment of the Muslim community (_Ummah_), though it is most frequently associated with war. In classical Islamic law (_sharia_), the term refers to armed struggle against unbelievers, while modernist Islamic scholars generally equate military _jihad_ with defensive warfare. In Sufi circles, spiritual and moral jihad has been traditionally emphasized under the name of _greater jihad_. The term has gained additional attention in recent decades through its use by various insurgent Islamic extremist, militant Islamist, and terrorist individuals and organizations whose ideology is based on the Islamic notion of _jihad_.

The word _jihad_ appears frequently in the Qur'an with and without military connotations, often in the idiomatic expression "striving in the path of God _(al-jihad fi sabil Allah)_", conveying a sense of self-exertion. Scholars developed an elaborate set of rules pertaining to _jihad_, including prohibitions on harming those who are not engaged in combat.
In the modern era, the notion of _jihad_ has lost its jurisprudential relevance and instead given rise to an ideological and political discourse. While modernist Islamic scholars have emphasized the defensive and non-military aspects of _jihad_, some Islamists have advanced aggressive interpretations that go beyond the classical theory.

Jihad is classified into inner ("greater") _jihad_, which involves a struggle against one's own base impulses, and external ("lesser") _jihad_, which is further subdivided into _jihad of the pen/tongue_ (debate or persuasion) and _jihad of the sword_. Most Western writers consider external _jihad_ to have primacy over inner _jihad_ in the Islamic tradition, while much of contemporary Muslim opinion favors the opposite view. Gallup analysis of a large survey reveals considerable nuance in the conceptions of _jihad_ held by Muslims around the world.

The sense of jihad as armed resistance was first used in the context of persecution faced by Muslims, as when Muhammad was at Mecca, when the community had two choices: emigration (hijra) or jihad. In Twelver Shi'a Islam, _jihad_ is one of the ten Practices of the Religion. A person engaged in _jihad_ is called a _mujahid_ (plural: _mujahideen_). The term _jihad_ is often rendered in English as "Holy War", although this translation is controversial. Today, the word _jihad_ is often used without religious connotations, like the English _crusade_.

It is an official part of Shia Islam, but it is not an official part of Sunni Islam, though some call it the sixth pillar of Islam. In some cases, there have been 'Jihads' that have self immolated themselves, in order to get into heaven. There are suicide bombers, who blow themselves up, because they think that it is right and that they are cleaning the world's filth. This is, however, wrong in Islam. It is a major sin to commit suicide or homicide without a good reason. Killing another human being in Islam is the equivalent of killing all of humanity if not done with a good reason. On the contrary, saving another human being's life is the equivalent of saving all of humanity.

The sense of jihad as armed resistance was first used in the context of persecution faced by Muslims, as when Muhammad was at Mecca, when the community had two choices: emigration (hijra) or jihad. In Twelver Shia Islam, jihad is one of the ten Practices of the Religion. A person engaged in _jihad_ is called a **mujahid** (plural: **mujahideen**). The term jihad is often rendered in English as "Holy War", although this translation is controversial. Today, the word jihad is often used without religious connotations, like the English crusade.