{i} struggle, campaign against something; holy war undertaken by Muslims against those that do not believe in Islam
Arabic for the struggle in the path of Allah Its primary meaning is the inward discipline in pursuit of well-being and prosperity; only secondarily does it have the meaning of a struggle for or defense of Islam Some Moslems consider the call to jihad to be a sixth pillar, but it does not officially have that status
The struggle to establish the law of God on earth, often interpreted to mean holy war
the obligation which is incumbent on Muslims to engage in "struggle" or "exertion" in behalf of Islam, to bring the entire world into the "Household of Islam "
Arabic term meaning holy war It is regarded by Muslims as a meritorious work that ensures entry into Paradise The word is derived from jahada which means to strive for something
Centuries-old Arabic term translated literally as "holy war" or "struggle " In recent years, Muslim fighters, especially in the Arab-Israeli conflict, have used the term almost solely to mean "holy war," often waged through terrorist attacks on civilians
This term has never been translated by Muslims to mean holy war Instead, it means to struggle or exert oneself to his or her utmost potential In Islam, there are two levels of jihad The greater jihad most often refers to the inner struggle against evil within oneself with the goal of self-improvement for the betterment of one's community and the world as a whole The lesser jihad refers to the struggle on the battlefield in self-defense if Muslims have been attacked and their right to practice their faith has been aggressively taken away " Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits God does not love the transgressors" (Qur'an 2: 190) This is an unequivocal statement that only self-defense makes war permissible for Muslims and the goals of war cannot be worldly gain
To strive, struggle and exert effort, in Arabic In the Quran, jihad is connected with the imperative to command good and forbid evil, especially with reference to the struggle of believers against persecution and idolatry
Literally, striving (for the sake of Allah); fighting (so-called Holy War) for the sake of establishing truth and justice in an unbalanced situation From the verb jahada: to endeavor, strive, do one's utmost, expend energy Mujahid is a warrior, fighter
literally, "striving" or "struggle," although it is often used in the theopolitical context of a "holy war " It must be either defensive or to right a wrongdoing Its truer meaning is subjective and psychological, not objective and political; thus it is said that the "lesser jihad" is the external war with an agressor, while the "greater jihad" is the internal war with oneself, i e , to be a better Muslim
A jihad is a holy war which Islam allows Muslims to fight against those who reject its teachings. a holy war fought by Muslims. In Islam, the central doctrine that calls on believers to combat the enemies of their religion. According to the Qurn and the Hadth, jihad is a duty that may be fulfilled in four ways: by the heart, the tongue, the hand, or the sword. The first way (known in Sufism as the "greater jihad") involves struggling against evil desires. The ways of the tongue and hand call for verbal defense and right actions. The jihad of the sword involves waging war against enemies of Islam. Believers contend that those who die in combat become martyrs and are guaranteed a place in paradise. In the 20th and 21st centuries the concept of jihad has sometimes been used as an ideological weapon in the effort to combat Western influences and secular governments and to establish an ideal Islamic society
an Islamic extremist group active since the late 1970s; seeks to overthrow the Egyptian government and replace it with an Islamic state; works in small underground cells; "the original Jihad was responsible for the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981
an extremist militant group in Pakistan occupied Kashmir that seeks an Islamic government and that has had close links and fought with the Taliban in Afghanistan
a terrorist group organized by Osama bin Laden in 1998 that provided an umbrella organization for al-Qaeda and other militant groups in Egypt and Algeria and Pakistan and Bangladesh
a paramilitary terrorist organization of militant Muslims in Indonesia; wages a jihad against Christians in Indonesia; subscribes to the Wahhabi creed of Islam
Arabic mujhidn ("those engaged in jihad") In its broadest sense, those Muslims who proclaim themselves warriors for the faith. Its Arabic singular, mujhid, was not an uncommon personal name from the early Islamic period onward. However, the term did not gain popular currency as a collective or plural noun referring to "holy warriors" until the 18th century in India, where it became associated with Muslim revivalism. In the 20th century the term was used most commonly in Iran and Afghanistan. In Iran the Mojhedin-e Khalq ("Mujahideen of the People"), a group combining Islamic and Marxist ideologies, engaged in a long-term guerrilla war against the leadership of the Islamic republic. The name was most closely associated, however, with members of a number of guerrilla groups operating in Afghanistan that opposed invading Soviet forces and eventually toppled the Afghan communist government during the Afghan War (1979-92). Rival factions thereafter fell out among themselves precipitating the rise of one faction, the Taliban. Like the term jihad to which it is lexicographically connected the name has been used rather freely, both in the press and by Islamic militants themselves, and often has been used to refer to any Muslim groups engaged in hostilities with non-Muslims or even with secularized Muslim regimes
a militant Palestinian terrorist group created in 1979 and committed to the creation of an Islamic state in Palestime and to the destruction of Israel; smaller and more exclusively militant that Hamas