An Introduction To
Jihad
Introduction:
The Islamic ideology is an ideology revealed by Allah, the
Creator. It offers the only correct, comprehensive, and viable
way of life for the human race, providing them with a sound
purpose, a clear vision, and a stable life. It manifests itself
in the personalities of its followers and in the form of a
system implemented by a State. It is a universal ideology meant
to liberate all of mankind. Consequently, one cannot accept for
this ideology to be confined to a specific people or land;
rather, it has to be offered to all of mankind. In order to
deliver this ideology to the rest of humanity, the State that
adopts this ideology shoulders the responsibility of carrying it
to new lands. As would be expected, this goal will lead to a
conflict with other states and their ideologies. This conflict
has to be resolved either through diplomacy or through force.
Every ideology utilises these alternatives. All leading nations
use diplomacy and force.
Due to a general lack of knowledge among Muslims and the Western
propaganda against Islam, both Muslims and non-Muslims have
misunderstood the concept of Jihad. Jihad is presented as the
diabolical call of "blood-thirsty people" to convert others to
Islam by 'the sword'. To Muslims, on the other hand, it has been
promoted as a self-help concept whose aim is to make one a model
citizen in whatever society he finds himself in. Neither of
these ideas represent the reality of Jihad.
Jihad, as a term, cannot be translated as 'holy war', nor can it
be translated, as a term, as the word 'struggle'. At best, its
legal meaning can be understood as "using military force, where
diplomacy fails, to remove the obstacles the Islamic State faces
in carrying its ideology to mankind". The aim of Jihad, unlike
the Crusades, past and present, is not to forcibly convert the
inhabitants of other lands to Islam. Rather, it is to provide
them with the security that comes from the application of Islam,
leaving them the choice of adopting Islam or keeping their own
religions.
The affairs of the society however must be run according to
Islamic law. History confirms that this is and always has been
the role of Jihad, for it was in Muslim Spain that the Muslims,
Christians, and Jews were able to live peacefully under an
Islamic authority. It was Islam's justice that allowed non-
Muslims in the Islamic State to flourish as artisans, writers,
and thinkers.
Islam neither colonised other land nor did it enslave the people
of newly opened lands, using them as cheap blood in the
battlefields as was the practice of the Kings and Emperors of
European Nations till recently. The Islamic State annexed all
conquered lands to the body of the State, looking after their
affairs with the same priority as that of its capital. Contrast
this with the imperialist policies of England, France, Germany
and America that raped the lands they conquered. Even the
capital of the Islamic State moved out of Arabia to the newly
liberated lands, such as Damascus, Baghdad and Istanbul. None of
these were traditional Arab lands, they initially being Roman,
Persian, and European cities. Can one imagine that France would
move its capital to Senegal or the King of Britain would take up
residence in Nairobi. This stands as clear proof that Jihad is
not the tool of an imperialist foreign policy.
In summary, Jihad is the method adopted by Islam to protect its
lands and save humanity from slavery to man-made regimes. The
difference between the use of force by the West and that by
Islam is that the Capitalist West uses force overtly and
covertly for the benefit of a few, such as corporations, while
Islam uses force openly and justly to carry its mercy to others.
Jihad is a complicated and dangerous topic. It is one of the
main Pillars of Islam after Tawhid and Dawah.In fact Jihad is
form of Dawah, Dawah by the Islamic State as its foreign policy.
It is dangerous because it involves taking life, property
etc. .It is complex because, just like a delicate surgical
operation, the slightest of mistakes could be very destructive,
Algeria being a lesson for us all. To understand Jihad we need
to understand at the outset that Allah(swt) is the only
Commander, that He(swt) is the only one who gives life and takes
life and that all our actions are only for Him(swt).
Jihad in the Quran:
The subject of Jihad has been discussed with particular emphasis
and in considerable detail in the Quran. There is consensus of
opinion amongst researchers of the Quran, that no other action
has been explained in such great detail as Jihad. Allah has
revealed many Surah (chapters) in the Quran primarily to guide
the believers towards this path. The subject of Jihad has been
expressed in many different ways, in numerous verses of the
Quran. The verses explain in detail the clear objectives and
benefits of Jihad. The status of the Mujahid is honoured in the
Quran and there are many verses which warns of the dangers of
leaving Jihad. There is such a great emphasis of this subject,
that some commentators and scholars of the Quran have remarked
that the topic of the Quran is Jihad. The terminology of Jihad-
Fi-Sabilillah, which means Jihad in the Path of Allah, has been
used in the Quran twenty-six times and the specific word, Qitaal
(Fighting), used in the context of fighting in the Path of
Allah, is mentioned in the Quran seventy-nine times. There are
whole Surah in the Quran, which have been revealed, explaining
the ruling and virtues of Jihad and admonishing those leaving
Jihad; such as Surah Anfaal consisting of ten Rukuhs (also known
as Surah Badr) and Surah Bara`ah, which consists of sixteen
Rukuhs. The Surah Baqarah, Nisa and Ma,idah have large sections
on the topic of Jihad and in Surah Hadeed, the weapons of Jihad
is detailed.
There are Surah which are named after battles, such as, Surah
Ahzaab (trenches), Qitaal (fighting), Fath (victory) and Saff
(rows). The title of these Surah clearly illustrates the subject
matter of Jihad. In Surah `Adiyaat an oath has been taken on the
horses of the Mujahideen and further in Surah Nasr, world-wide
revolution and the spreading of Islam has been mentioned through
Jihad. The truth is that a Muslim who reads the Quran with
devotion is determined to reach the battlefield in order to
attain the reality of Jihad. It is solely for this reason that
the Kuffar conspire to keep the Muslims far away from
understanding the Quran, knowing that Muslims who understand the
Quran will not distance themselves from Jihad.
Jihad in the Ahadith:
Allah (swt) commanded His Beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) to
fight and to urge the believers to fight. The Holy Prophet (saw)
fulfilled both of these duties completely. For this reason,
there are thousands of Ahadith of the Prophet (saw) regarding
Jihad. The Muhaditheen (experts in the field of Hadith) have
compiled the sayings and actions of the Prophet (saw) relating
to Jihad. To develop a better understanding of this subject is
by studying these collections, which clearly give evidence to
the importance of Jihad.
Topic of Jihad in the Books of Hadith:
Listed below are chapters of Jihad in various Hadith books, this
will enable the reader to gain easy access on the subject of
Jihad.
o Sahih Bukhari Consists of 241 chapters under the title of
Jihad (p390-454, vol.1), English version (p34-275, vol.4).
o Sahih Muslim Consists of 100 chapters under the title of Jihad
(p81-144, vol.2), English version (p942-1063, vol.3).
o Tirmizi Sharif Consists of 115 chapters under the title of
Jihad (p282-302, vol.1), no English version.
o Abu Dawood Sharif Consists of 172 chapters under the title of
Jihad (p342-362, vol.2), English version (p684-776, vol.11).
o Nasai Sharif Consists of 48 chapters under the title of Jihad,
(p53-66, vol.2)
o Ibne Majah Sharif Consists of 46 chapters under the title of
Jihad, (p197-207). No English version.
o Mishkat The chapter of Jihad (p329-355, vol.1), English
version (p806-867, vol.1).
o At Targheeb Wat Tarheeb The chapter of Jihad (p365-455, vol.2).
o Musan'naf ibne Abi Shayba The chapter of Jihad (p212-542).
o Sunani Kubra Baihaqi The chapter of Jihad (p1-183, vol.9).
o Khanzul Ummal The chapter of Jihad (p276-637, vol.4).
o E`ela-us Sunan The chapter of Jihad (p1-674, vol.12).
o Fathul Qadeer The chapter of Jihad (p183-333, vol.5).
o Al-Bahr ur Ra,iq The chapter of Jihad (p70-142, vol.5).
o Fatawa Shami The chapter of Jihad (p119-268, vol.4).
Topic of Jihad among the Classical Scholars:
Many Books have been written on Jihad Due to the importance of
Jihad and the high status attributed to it. Almost all the books
on Hadith and Fiqh (jurisprudence) devote considerable coverage
to this subject, consisting of long chapters and hundreds of
pages written on the rulings and virtues of Jihad. Some renowned
scholars have condensed this vast information and books have
been written specifically on Jihad. Listed below are some of
these books.
o Abu Sulaiman Dawood bin Ali Dawood Al-Asfahani At-Tahiri. Died
270 Hijri.
o Ahmad bin Amar bin Sahaq As-Shaybani Abu Bakr also known as
Ibne Asim. Died 287 Hijri.
o Abu Sulaiman bin Nazeer Al-Qurtubi Al-Maliki. Died 318 Hijri.
o Ibrahim bin Hammal bin Ishaq Al-Azdi Al-Maliki. Died 323 Hijri.
o Abu Sulaiman Ham bin Muhammad Al-Katabi. Died 388 Hijri.
o Abu Bakr Muhammad bin At-Tayyab Al-Baqilani. Died 403 Hijri.
o Takiyudeen Abdul Gani Bin Abdul Wahid Bin Ali Al-Jamaily Al-
Maqdasi. Died 600 Hijri. The name of his book is Tuhfutut
Talibeen Fil Jihad Wal Mujahideen.
o Abu Muhammad Kasim Bin Ali Bin Hasan Bin Hibatullah, known as
Ibne Asakir. Died 600 Hijri.
o Izzudeen Ali Bin Muhammad Al-Jazari, known by the name of Ibne
Ashir. Died 630 Hijri.
o Bahaudeen Abul Mahasin Yusuf Bin Rafe, known by the name of
Ibne Shadad Al-Marsau Al-Habali. Died 632 Hijri.
o Abu Muhammad Izzudeen Abdul Aziz Bim Sallam Assolamy. Died 660
Hijri. The name of his book is Ahkamul Jihad Wa Fazailoho.
o Ammadudeen Ismael Bin Umar, famous by the name of Ibne Kathir
Al-hafiz Ad-Dimashqi. Died 774 Hijri. The name of his book is Al-
Ijtihad Fi Talabil Jihad. o Ali Bin Mustafa Alaudeen Al-Bosnawy
Ar-Romy Al-Hanafi, famous by the name of Ali Dada. Died 1007
Hijri.
o Hishamudeen Khalil Al-Barsawy Ar-Romy. Died 1072 Hijri.
(Extracted from the introduction of Kitabul Jihad Ibne Mubarak,
written by Doctor Anzaha Hammad).
The meaning of Jihad in Arabic:
The word Jihad is derived, in the Arabic language, from the root
word JAHADA.
The word JAHADA has many meanings in Arabic including the
following:
To make effort to be perfect , A studious student ,To aim
or to create, To work to reach the aim,,To become very tired, To
interrogate, To insist, To overload, To become weak from
illness, A hard working person, To be love-sick, To mix, To
rise, To desire, To eat a lot, To be generous Hardship, To be
cautious, To exhaust, To fight without rest i.e Al Jahada is to
exhaust the utmost effort until the limit of exhaustion which
could be in any aspect of our lives e.g. in work, to fight etc..
The definition of Jihad in Shari'ah Terminology:"Exhausting the
utmost effort fighting the kaffir to make Allah's (swt) Deen the
highest".
It is reported in Sahih Muslim upon the authority of Abou sa'ad
Al Kudri that the Sahabah asked the Messenger Muhammad
(saw) 'What is Jihad?' And He(saw) said 'To fight to make
Allah's Deen the highest
This definition is comprehensive and restrictive (Al Jamiyyah wa
al Maniyyah). It is comprehensive because it includes the
linguistic meaning of Jihad and the attributes of Jihad. It is
restrictive since it involves fighting only the kuffar for the
sole purpose of raising Allah's (swt) name.
The fukaha insist that the Jeem in Jihad must not be pronounced
in a soft manner i.e. it is Al Jeem al Mushadadah.
There is difference of opinion as to whether Jihad is only an
offensive duty or whether it can be attributed to both offensive
Jihad and defensive Jihad. Al Izz Ibnu Abdul Salaam (Sheikh al
Jihad) said that it is only an offensive duty not defensive i.e.
Jihad by definition will only be called so if we initiate
fighting, the other duty (i.e. defensive Jihad) is called Al
Dafa'ah. Defending oneself being instinctive in man just as it
is with the animals, not a unique duty like offensive Jihad.
Moreover Ibnu Qayum laid down certain conditions for Jihad:
I) That the Muslims must start or initiate the fighting
ii) That the fighting must be against the kuffar (NB.fighting
the murtadeen (i.e. the apostates) is called Qaatal al Ridda and
is implementation of the Islamic penal code whilst fighting the
Baghee (i.e. the rebels) is called Qaatal al Baghee, neither of
these being Jihad).
iii) Al Ma'niyyah - having the intention of fighting Jihad to
make Allah's (swt) deen dominant. (NB. this is not usually the
case in defensive Jihad since one usually fights for victory or
martyrdom not looking to implement the Islamic ruling system in
such circumstances).
The divisions of Jihad
There are two divisions of Jihad:
i) Al-Jihad al-Mubadahah - Offensive Jihad
ii) Al-Jihad al-Dafa'ah- Defensive Jihad
However since linguistically the word Jihad connotes the
exhaustion of effort, it is found used within the Quran with
different meanings e.g. Jihad of the Nafs etc.. When Allah (swt)
describes fighting in Jihad He (swt) uses the word Qaatala and
the one fighting those who fight him is called Muqaatil (Qatala
is to murder and the murderer is called Qatil).
Imam Shafi said that the reason why we fight the kuffar
(offensive Jihad) is because they reject our deen i.e. are at
war with our deen. Imam Abu Hanifa on the other hand said that
we fight the kuffar (offensive Jihad) because
i) they fight us
And
ii) they reject our deen to be implemented.
This is only an introduction to the fiqh of Jihad - For further
information contact London School of Shariah
An Introduction To
Jihad
Introduction:
The Islamic ideology is an ideology revealed by Allah, the
Creator. It offers the only correct, comprehensive, and viable
way of life for the human race, providing them with a sound
purpose, a clear vision, and a stable life. It manifests itself
in the personalities of its followers and in the form of a
system implemented by a State. It is a universal ideology meant
to liberate all of mankind. Consequently, one cannot accept for
this ideology to be confined to a specific people or land;
rather, it has to be offered to all of mankind. In order to
deliver this ideology to the rest of humanity, the State that
adopts this ideology shoulders the responsibility of carrying it
to new lands. As would be expected, this goal will lead to a
conflict with other states and their ideologies. This conflict
has to be resolved either through diplomacy or through force.
Every ideology utilises these alternatives. All leading nations
use diplomacy and force.
Due to a general lack of knowledge among Muslims and the Western
propaganda against Islam, both Muslims and non-Muslims have
misunderstood the concept of Jihad. Jihad is presented as the
diabolical call of "blood-thirsty people" to convert others to
Islam by 'the sword'. To Muslims, on the other hand, it has been
promoted as a self-help concept whose aim is to make one a model
citizen in whatever society he finds himself in. Neither of
these ideas represent the reality of Jihad.
Jihad, as a term, cannot be translated as 'holy war', nor can it
be translated, as a term, as the word 'struggle'. At best, its
legal meaning can be understood as "using military force, where
diplomacy fails, to remove the obstacles the Islamic State faces
in carrying its ideology to mankind". The aim of Jihad, unlike
the Crusades, past and present, is not to forcibly convert the
inhabitants of other lands to Islam. Rather, it is to provide
them with the security that comes from the application of Islam,
leaving them the choice of adopting Islam or keeping their own
religions.
The affairs of the society however must be run according to
Islamic law. History confirms that this is and always has been
the role of Jihad, for it was in Muslim Spain that the Muslims,
Christians, and Jews were able to live peacefully under an
Islamic authority. It was Islam's justice that allowed non-
Muslims in the Islamic State to flourish as artisans, writers,
and thinkers.
Islam neither colonised other land nor did it enslave the people
of newly opened lands, using them as cheap blood in the
battlefields as was the practice of the Kings and Emperors of
European Nations till recently. The Islamic State annexed all
conquered lands to the body of the State, looking after their
affairs with the same priority as that of its capital. Contrast
this with the imperialist policies of England, France, Germany
and America that raped the lands they conquered. Even the
capital of the Islamic State moved out of Arabia to the newly
liberated lands, such as Damascus, Baghdad and Istanbul. None of
these were traditional Arab lands, they initially being Roman,
Persian, and European cities. Can one imagine that France would
move its capital to Senegal or the King of Britain would take up
residence in Nairobi. This stands as clear proof that Jihad is
not the tool of an imperialist foreign policy.
In summary, Jihad is the method adopted by Islam to protect its
lands and save humanity from slavery to man-made regimes. The
difference between the use of force by the West and that by
Islam is that the Capitalist West uses force overtly and
covertly for the benefit of a few, such as corporations, while
Islam uses force openly and justly to carry its mercy to others.
Jihad is a complicated and dangerous topic. It is one of the
main Pillars of Islam after Tawhid and Dawah.In fact Jihad is
form of Dawah, Dawah by the Islamic State as its foreign policy.
It is dangerous because it involves taking life, property
etc. .It is complex because, just like a delicate surgical
operation, the slightest of mistakes could be very destructive,
Algeria being a lesson for us all. To understand Jihad we need
to understand at the outset that Allah(swt) is the only
Commander, that He(swt) is the only one who gives life and takes
life and that all our actions are only for Him(swt).
Jihad in the Quran:
The subject of Jihad has been discussed with particular emphasis
and in considerable detail in the Quran. There is consensus of
opinion amongst researchers of the Quran, that no other action
has been explained in such great detail as Jihad. Allah has
revealed many Surah (chapters) in the Quran primarily to guide
the believers towards this path. The subject of Jihad has been
expressed in many different ways, in numerous verses of the
Quran. The verses explain in detail the clear objectives and
benefits of Jihad. The status of the Mujahid is honoured in the
Quran and there are many verses which warns of the dangers of
leaving Jihad. There is such a great emphasis of this subject,
that some commentators and scholars of the Quran have remarked
that the topic of the Quran is Jihad. The terminology of Jihad-
Fi-Sabilillah, which means Jihad in the Path of Allah, has been
used in the Quran twenty-six times and the specific word, Qitaal
(Fighting), used in the context of fighting in the Path of
Allah, is mentioned in the Quran seventy-nine times. There are
whole Surah in the Quran, which have been revealed, explaining
the ruling and virtues of Jihad and admonishing those leaving
Jihad; such as Surah Anfaal consisting of ten Rukuhs (also known
as Surah Badr) and Surah Bara`ah, which consists of sixteen
Rukuhs. The Surah Baqarah, Nisa and Ma,idah have large sections
on the topic of Jihad and in Surah Hadeed, the weapons of Jihad
is detailed.
There are Surah which are named after battles, such as, Surah
Ahzaab (trenches), Qitaal (fighting), Fath (victory) and Saff
(rows). The title of these Surah clearly illustrates the subject
matter of Jihad. In Surah `Adiyaat an oath has been taken on the
horses of the Mujahideen and further in Surah Nasr, world-wide
revolution and the spreading of Islam has been mentioned through
Jihad. The truth is that a Muslim who reads the Quran with
devotion is determined to reach the battlefield in order to
attain the reality of Jihad. It is solely for this reason that
the Kuffar conspire to keep the Muslims far away from
understanding the Quran, knowing that Muslims who understand the
Quran will not distance themselves from Jihad.
Jihad in the Ahadith:
Allah (swt) commanded His Beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) to
fight and to urge the believers to fight. The Holy Prophet (saw)
fulfilled both of these duties completely. For this reason,
there are thousands of Ahadith of the Prophet (saw) regarding
Jihad. The Muhaditheen (experts in the field of Hadith) have
compiled the sayings and actions of the Prophet (saw) relating
to Jihad. To develop a better understanding of this subject is
by studying these collections, which clearly give evidence to
the importance of Jihad.
Topic of Jihad in the Books of Hadith:
Listed below are chapters of Jihad in various Hadith books, this
will enable the reader to gain easy access on the subject of
Jihad.
o Sahih Bukhari Consists of 241 chapters under the title of
Jihad (p390-454, vol.1), English version (p34-275, vol.4).
o Sahih Muslim Consists of 100 chapters under the title of Jihad
(p81-144, vol.2), English version (p942-1063, vol.3).
o Tirmizi Sharif Consists of 115 chapters under the title of
Jihad (p282-302, vol.1), no English version.
o Abu Dawood Sharif Consists of 172 chapters under the title of
Jihad (p342-362, vol.2), English version (p684-776, vol.11).
o Nasai Sharif Consists of 48 chapters under the title of Jihad,
(p53-66, vol.2)
o Ibne Majah Sharif Consists of 46 chapters under the title of
Jihad, (p197-207). No English version.
o Mishkat The chapter of Jihad (p329-355, vol.1), English
version (p806-867, vol.1).
o At Targheeb Wat Tarheeb The chapter of Jihad (p365-455, vol.2).
o Musan'naf ibne Abi Shayba The chapter of Jihad (p212-542).
o Sunani Kubra Baihaqi The chapter of Jihad (p1-183, vol.9).
o Khanzul Ummal The chapter of Jihad (p276-637, vol.4).
o E`ela-us Sunan The chapter of Jihad (p1-674, vol.12).
o Fathul Qadeer The chapter of Jihad (p183-333, vol.5).
o Al-Bahr ur Ra,iq The chapter of Jihad (p70-142, vol.5).
o Fatawa Shami The chapter of Jihad (p119-268, vol.4).
Topic of Jihad among the Classical Scholars:
Many Books have been written on Jihad Due to the importance of
Jihad and the high status attributed to it. Almost all the books
on Hadith and Fiqh (jurisprudence) devote considerable coverage
to this subject, consisting of long chapters and hundreds of
pages written on the rulings and virtues of Jihad. Some renowned
scholars have condensed this vast information and books have
been written specifically on Jihad. Listed below are some of
these books.
o Abu Sulaiman Dawood bin Ali Dawood Al-Asfahani At-Tahiri. Died
270 Hijri.
o Ahmad bin Amar bin Sahaq As-Shaybani Abu Bakr also known as
Ibne Asim. Died 287 Hijri.
o Abu Sulaiman bin Nazeer Al-Qurtubi Al-Maliki. Died 318 Hijri.
o Ibrahim bin Hammal bin Ishaq Al-Azdi Al-Maliki. Died 323 Hijri.
o Abu Sulaiman Ham bin Muhammad Al-Katabi. Died 388 Hijri.
o Abu Bakr Muhammad bin At-Tayyab Al-Baqilani. Died 403 Hijri.
o Takiyudeen Abdul Gani Bin Abdul Wahid Bin Ali Al-Jamaily Al-
Maqdasi. Died 600 Hijri. The name of his book is Tuhfutut
Talibeen Fil Jihad Wal Mujahideen.
o Abu Muhammad Kasim Bin Ali Bin Hasan Bin Hibatullah, known as
Ibne Asakir. Died 600 Hijri.
o Izzudeen Ali Bin Muhammad Al-Jazari, known by the name of Ibne
Ashir. Died 630 Hijri.
o Bahaudeen Abul Mahasin Yusuf Bin Rafe, known by the name of
Ibne Shadad Al-Marsau Al-Habali. Died 632 Hijri.
o Abu Muhammad Izzudeen Abdul Aziz Bim Sallam Assolamy. Died 660
Hijri. The name of his book is Ahkamul Jihad Wa Fazailoho.
o Ammadudeen Ismael Bin Umar, famous by the name of Ibne Kathir
Al-hafiz Ad-Dimashqi. Died 774 Hijri. The name of his book is Al-
Ijtihad Fi Talabil Jihad. o Ali Bin Mustafa Alaudeen Al-Bosnawy
Ar-Romy Al-Hanafi, famous by the name of Ali Dada. Died 1007
Hijri.
o Hishamudeen Khalil Al-Barsawy Ar-Romy. Died 1072 Hijri.
(Extracted from the introduction of Kitabul Jihad Ibne Mubarak,
written by Doctor Anzaha Hammad).
The meaning of Jihad in Arabic:
The word Jihad is derived, in the Arabic language, from the root
word JAHADA.
The word JAHADA has many meanings in Arabic including the
following:
To make effort to be perfect , A studious student ,To aim
or to create, To work to reach the aim,,To become very tired, To
interrogate, To insist, To overload, To become weak from
illness, A hard working person, To be love-sick, To mix, To
rise, To desire, To eat a lot, To be generous Hardship, To be
cautious, To exhaust, To fight without rest i.e Al Jahada is to
exhaust the utmost effort until the limit of exhaustion which
could be in any aspect of our lives e.g. in work, to fight etc..
The definition of Jihad in Shari'ah Terminology:"Exhausting the
utmost effort fighting the kaffir to make Allah's (swt) Deen the
highest".
It is reported in Sahih Muslim upon the authority of Abou sa'ad
Al Kudri that the Sahabah asked the Messenger Muhammad
(saw) 'What is Jihad?' And He(saw) said 'To fight to make
Allah's Deen the highest
This definition is comprehensive and restrictive (Al Jamiyyah wa
al Maniyyah). It is comprehensive because it includes the
linguistic meaning of Jihad and the attributes of Jihad. It is
restrictive since it involves fighting only the kuffar for the
sole purpose of raising Allah's (swt) name.
The fukaha insist that the Jeem in Jihad must not be pronounced
in a soft manner i.e. it is Al Jeem al Mushadadah.
There is difference of opinion as to whether Jihad is only an
offensive duty or whether it can be attributed to both offensive
Jihad and defensive Jihad. Al Izz Ibnu Abdul Salaam (Sheikh al
Jihad) said that it is only an offensive duty not defensive i.e.
Jihad by definition will only be called so if we initiate
fighting, the other duty (i.e. defensive Jihad) is called Al
Dafa'ah. Defending oneself being instinctive in man just as it
is with the animals, not a unique duty like offensive Jihad.
Moreover Ibnu Qayum laid down certain conditions for Jihad:
I) That the Muslims must start or initiate the fighting
ii) That the fighting must be against the kuffar (NB.fighting
the murtadeen (i.e. the apostates) is called Qaatal al Ridda and
is implementation of the Islamic penal code whilst fighting the
Baghee (i.e. the rebels) is called Qaatal al Baghee, neither of
these being Jihad).
iii) Al Ma'niyyah - having the intention of fighting Jihad to
make Allah's (swt) deen dominant. (NB. this is not usually the
case in defensive Jihad since one usually fights for victory or
martyrdom not looking to implement the Islamic ruling system in
such circumstances).
The divisions of Jihad
There are two divisions of Jihad:
i) Al-Jihad al-Mubadahah - Offensive Jihad
ii) Al-Jihad al-Dafa'ah- Defensive Jihad
However since linguistically the word Jihad connotes the
exhaustion of effort, it is found used within the Quran with
different meanings e.g. Jihad of the Nafs etc.. When Allah (swt)
describes fighting in Jihad He (swt) uses the word Qaatala and
the one fighting those who fight him is called Muqaatil (Qatala
is to murder and the murderer is called Qatil).
Imam Shafi said that the reason why we fight the kuffar
(offensive Jihad) is because they reject our deen i.e. are at
war with our deen. Imam Abu Hanifa on the other hand said that
we fight the kuffar (offensive Jihad) because
i) they fight us
And
ii) they reject our deen to be implemented.
This is only an introduction to the fiqh of Jihad - For further