What is Jihad? How has it got conflated with the Christian concept of Crusade or Holy War? - Part 1

By Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam 12 September 2022 The Qur'anic Verse Which Commands 'Do Jihad In The Way Of Allah' (22:78) Is Supplemented By 'The Way Of Your Father Abraham'. Anyone Who Looks Through the Qur'an Will Understand the Fact That the Life of Prophet Ibrahim Was Full Of Self-Sacrificing Ideal Struggle ------ Jihad is a misunderstood word. It is a word that is full of references to liberation struggles in various countries, analyses of terrorism that is a threat to humanity, and studies relating to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). When we hear the word Jihad, blood flowing, wounded people crying, collapsing buildings, corpses lying in rows, fireballs from explosions, guns, swords, daggers, and masked armed men come to mind. The influence of this hypothesis, which has nothing to do with the word Jihad, can be seen in our media and public discourse. The 'Reader's Digest Complete Oxford World Finder English dictionary, which has sold billions of copies and is mostly used for easy desk reference, defines jihad as 'holy war waged by Muslims against infidels. Webster's Encyclopaedic Dictionary, used for detailed English wording, gives two definitions of jihad: 'a holy war regarded by Muslims as a sacred responsibility and 'a fiery, often bitter crusade waged for an idea or principle. These show that at least from the beginning of the sixteenth century when dictionaries began to be widely produced, the notion that jihad was an Islamic term similar to crusade existed. Literally, Jihad has nothing to do with war. Harb, Waiyy, Ida' and Khizwam are the Arabic words used for war. Such a technical sound cannot be found in the Islamic repertoire. Jihad is not given such a meaning in any recognized Arabic dictionary. 'Jihad, the noun form of Jahada, properly denotes the use of one's utmost ability, strength, efforts and labours to fight against something undesirable. It has three types namely, against the visible enemy, to the devil, to oneself. The famous Lane's Arabic English Lexicon says that this expression in Qur'an 22:77 includes all three. None of the early or later Qur'anic commentators in their discussion of Jihad are seen to have endorsed it as 'Alharbul Muqaddasah' (holy war). It is also noteworthy that the prominent British Orientalist, Arthur John Arbury, throughout his translation of the Qur'an translates 'jihad' as 'struggle' and not holy war. However, it is clear that the English word struggle does not mean holy war. This is also the case with the Arabic word Jihad. The meaning of the said word is 'intense effort'. The fight for good is Jihad because it is an extreme struggle with one's own life to defeat evil. Jihad is not fighting, but it means that the struggle becomes Jihad. Muslims do not even call the struggle that becomes Jihad a 'holy war’. Medieval Christianity was led by the Pope to sanctify the naturally impure bloodshed by dipping it in baptism. When the social form of war, which exists as a collection of atrocities committed for supremacy, was sanctified by baptism for the sole reason that it was for the protection of the interests of the Church, the massacres of innocent and innocent men were committed in its name. The Islamic doctrines that explain when a fight becomes Jihad also teach precisely why and how it should be carried out. It becomes Jihad only when the goal and means of fighting to achieve freedoms of faith, worship, and instruction are according to divine guidance. It is not an arrangement in which the naturally impure war is sanctified by a papal declaration by the Holy Spirit, and the ranks are given permission to do anything in its name; Jihad is not sanctifying something impure. Jihad in Quran The noun 'Jihad' or its verb forms have used a total of 41 times in the Qur'an. Jihad is used as a noun four times; They are in the 24th verse of Surat al-Tawbah, the 78th verse of Surat ul Hajj, the 52nd verse of Surat ul Furqan and the first verse of Surat ul Mumtahana. In other verses, the Qur'an uses different forms of Jihad, such as Jahadoo, Jahidoo, Yujahidoo, Jahada, Yujahiduna, Tujahiduna, and Mujahiduna (various derivatives from jihad in Arabic language). If we examine the words, it will be clear that the expressions are used to refer to sacrificial efforts including war, beyond the simple meaning of 'fighting'. The word 'Qital' or its verbs are used in the Qur'an to refer only to war. It is particularly notable that the Qur'an has used the word 'qital', which means 'fight', in place of 'harb', which the Arabs used to refer to the war waged by the Arabs for the purpose of making money, and 'Waiyyin', which they used to refer to clashes to settle tribal feuds. Qital and Jihad are not synonyms. No linguist has recorded 'Qital' as meaning Jihad. Jihad is not only Khital; But if we examine the Qur'anic sayings and hadiths where Jihad and Qital have been used, we can understand that ‘Qital’ also becomes Jihad. In some of the Qur'anic verses that mention Jihad, it can be seen that Jihad is commanded with one's body and one's wealth: "Those are the believers who believe in Allah and His Messenger, then do not doubt, and strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and their bodies. They are the ones who are truthful.” (49:15) All sacrificial efforts, including fighting on the battlefield, are jihad with the body. It is clear that Jihad with wealth is defined here as the sacrificial financial effort to spend one's wealth on the cause of good. Allah's command is to wage Jihad against ideal enemies using the Qur'an: "So do not follow the disbelievers. With this (Qur'an) make a great struggle against them." (25:52) It is noteworthy that in this verse, which was presented during the preaching of ideals in Makkah under persecution and hardship, it is commanded to do the greatest jihad by using the Qur'an. It is clear that what is introduced here as Jihad with the Qur'an is about submitting the Qur'anic ideals to the unbelievers and conducting an ideal struggle with them. The Qur'anic verse which commands 'Do Jihad in the way of Allah' (22:78) is supplemented by 'the way of your father Abraham'. Anyone who looks through the Qur'an will understand the fact that the life of Prophet Ibrahim was full of self-sacrificing ideal struggle. There is no mention in the Qur'an of the armed struggles of Prophet Ibrahim. Jihad permeated Prophet Ibrahim's life by preaching the principle that only the Creator is worthy of worship and performing sacrifices in this way. Jihad is always an example for believers; Jihad can never be removed from their lives. ---- This article is the first part of a series explaining Jihad in Islamic scriptures. --- A regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P is a PhD scholar in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia and freelance journalist. URL: https://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/jihad-christian-crusade-holy-war-part-1/d/127939 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism