The Meaning of “Jihad”

The word “jihad” does not mean “holy war”. It actually means “to struggle” or “to strive”. In a religious context it means the struggle to successfully surrender one’s will to the will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for jihad when fighting in a war to defend themselves or others, but they say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad which are much more relevant to the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness, arrogance, stinginess, one’s own ego, or against the temptations of Satan, etc. Regarding the so-called verses of “holy war” in the Qur’an, two points: The term “holy war” neither appears in the Arabic text of the Qur’an nor in any classical teachings of Islam. And the vast majority of verses in the Qur’an pertaining to violence refer to wartime situations in which Muslims were permitted to defend themselves against violent aggression. Any rational and objective reading of these verses, grounded in their historical and textual context, clearly supports this understanding. Such context is often ignored by both critics and violent extremists alike. Verses that mention violence address specific circumstances, such as stopping oppression, establishing justice, or dealing with serious crimes under lawful authority, not indiscriminate or unjustified harm.