An Analysis of the Historical Application of Jihad and Implications on the Clash of Civilizations (original) (raw)
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The Concept of Jihad in Islam: An Historical Perspective
2016
ABSTRACT: Islam, the youngest of the three Semitic religions in the world today, is the fastest growing religion on earth. As a result, it faces a lot of criticism and blackmail directed at its adherents as well as renowned Muslims. The Islamic view on “shariah” (divine law), “hijab” (headscarf), polygamy, and, above all, “jihad”, are erroneously and mischievously translated by some non-Muslims historians. “Jihad” to them is nothing but war, terrorism, assassination, and using the sword’s edge to convert non-Muslims to Islam. This paper intends to analyze the historical perspectives of “jihad”, the concept, justifications, and the methods of recruitment of soldiers in “jihad”. It also analyses the Islamic instructions for Muslims in war front and the treatment of Islamic prisoners of war. The method of approach is purely from written sources, which comprise of documents, monographs, manuscripts, books, journals as well as magazines. The study reveals that those wars fought by the Mu...
Concept of jihad and its nature in Islam
This paper argues that the word Jihad is commonly translated into English as "the holy war" and for a long while now the word has been interpreted so that it has become synonymous with a mania of religion. But the word Jihad does not mean "holy war." The concept of "holy war" does not occur in the term Jihād, which in Arabic would be al-ħarb al-muqaddasah المقدست .الحرب Thus the Arabic word "Jihad' has neither the connotation of ''holy'' nor that of ''war''. Islam simply put an end to the wars of aggression and permitted only defensive war under certain conditions after all effort to keep the peace has failed and enemy impose was on the Muslim State. Such defensive war is permitted in order to restore the condition of peace, but not to disturb the peace. Islam does not advocate "the law of the jungle and does not give Muslims any right to take life of others. Jihad is not terrorism; terrorism is under no circumstances permissible in Islam. But It is apparent that the understanding of Jihad as a concept is dismally blurred and employed by the extremists, and the only way to dispel the false notions of Jihad put forth by the extremists, who are massively funded by external sources, is an equally strong effort put forth by Muslim governments in re-education of their populations, in particular the youth, with a correct understanding of this term.
Concept of Jihâd: An Analysis of Early Selected Muslim Sources
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept of jihâd. The discussion will include structures "of Jihad as evident in the "Holy Qur'ân", "Prophetic tradition Hadîth", and a collection of writings of the medieval jurists such as Imam al-Shafii and ibn Taymiyah. In this study, the early conceptualization of Jihâd, as a "lexeme, and generic term" will also be reviewed in order to come to a rudimentary understanding of the concept. This will be substantiated with examples from the Prophetic period, the era of the "Rightly Guided Caliphs", "the Umayyad", Abbasid and "Mongol empires". The focus will be the Middle East and Asia. Design/methodology/approach-The article will be qualitative, focusing on primary, secondary and related sources. An important aim would be to ascertain the function of jihâd as a lexical term and as a concept within the chosen literary contexts. On the other hand the research methodology would tend to be more detail orientated paying attention to micro aspects such as the semantic field of jihâd receives an attention. On the other hand, a macro-approach will be followed in order to ascertain the function of the concept of jihâd in the broader context. Literature consulted and a predetermined goal will determine research methodology. Research limitations/implications-The article shows that the simplistic translation of jihâd into English as 'holy war', as is common in some scholarly and non-scholarly discourses, constitutes a severe twisting and misunderstanding of its Qur'ânic usage. Practical implications-The basic problem to be addressed is to ascertain how a religious sanctioned concept is interpreted by classical scholars compared to modern trends of thought whereby the so so-called terrorism has prevalent. Findings-The article finds that the hypothesis to be tested is, whether the variations in viewpoints pertaining to the word jihâd can be ascribed to selective use of texts Qur'ân, hadîth, Islamic jurisprudence and early Muslim history. Originality/value-The article enhances us with an understanding of the concept of jihâd in Islam and its various forms.
The Concept of Jihad in Islamic Philosophy
2015
In any given society, there is always need for revolution especially when deviation is noticed in every aspect of human life. However, revolution is not easy to come by because man by nature is antagonist of changes. Therefore, in the process of ensuring that revolution take place, physical confrontation or bloody combat, in most cases, becomes unavoidable because revolution is usually resisted by its antagonists. It must be emphasized that among the messages that Islam wants to deliver to the entire world is the establishment of peace in the place of crisis, relief in the place of oppression, equality in the place of social class, pleasant in the place of evil. Meanwhile, Jihad in its different connotations is capable of achieving these objectives. In the process of realizing these objectives there is need for protection and the protection cannot come by without power. This explains the concept of jihad in Islamic philosophy. Jihad means defending Muslim community against any form ...
THE SHIFT OF JIHAD: BETWEEN IDEAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Jihad is one of the most inspiring and most controversial notions in the Quran. In one perspective, jihad offers an eschatological promise of eternal happiness. On the other hand, it shows an impact or phenomenon which has a gigantic effect of destroying human administrations. This paper examines the meaning of jihad and its application between ideal and historical context. This paper concludes that the misunderstanding of jihad should be avoided by exploring the true meaning of this notion which not only referring to jihad bi al-qital. However, it has wider meaning which relates to human daily life.
Terrorism and Jihad An Islamic Perspective
Man has always wanted peace: war has never been his aim. Yet wars have always been an undeniable fact of life. Human desire for peace, at times wars do become indispensable. However, ideas differ as to when wars could be justified and when they are just a matter of sheer aggression. In tune with its claim to universality, both in terms of time and space, Islam has propounded its own everlasting concept of war, based on Divine wisdom and consideration of human welfare. Unfortunately, however, over a period of time, Islam's position on war has been hidden in confusion and misinterpretations. To make matters worse, more often than not, Jihad has come to be equated with terrorism something which runs counter to the spirit and substance of Islam. This has more to do with the actions of a few misguided elements. Nevertheless, an overwhelming majority of Muslims, not only the educated but also the common believers, are against engaging war beyond the limitations prescribed in Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). Although a lot has been written on Jihadand terrorism. Much of the data on Jihad is limited of one kind or another. So, this article is an attempt of a comparative analysis between Jihad and terrorism. Since, 9/11 modern world said that "Every Muslim is not a Terrorist, But Every Terrorist is a Muslim".
Talim, 2019
In recent decades, the concept of jihad, an essential concept in Islamic disciplines, in particular in Islamic jurisprudence, has turned into one of the most discussed and debated terms across the globe. The concept of jihad, though, has always maintained its vitality in the religious, scholarship, military and political spheres throughout Islamic history; however, after the September 11 incident, enormous and remarkable studies have been carried out on the concept of jihad by many think-tanks, universities, academic institutions, political and military organizations across the globe. In these studies, the concept of jihad has been understood, analyzed, defined and interpreted differently, and used, represented and interpreted beyond its context. This study, thus, has attempted to explore these contemporary interpretations and approaches to the concept of jihad. Considering the recent decades' interpretations, one can observe that four types of approach have been prevalent: reductionist, radical, defensive, and Islamophobic approach. In this context, this study consisted of five main sections: the first section dealt with the use of the concept of jihad in the primary sources of Islam (Qur'an and Sunnah), and Islamic disciplines. In the remained four sections; the main arguments, discourses, and shreds of evidence of the reductionist, radical, defensive and Islamophobic approaches have been touched respectively and thoroughly.
Views of Jihad Throughout History
Religion Compass, 2007
The Arabic term jihad has primarily come to mean “armed struggle/combat” and is frequently translated into English as “holy war.” But a close scrutiny of the occurrence of this term in the Qur’an and in early hadith literature demonstrates that this exclusive understanding of the term cannot be supported for the earliest period of Islam (roughly mid‐seventh through the late eighth centuries). The essay traces the transformations in the meanings of jihad– and the related concepts of martyr and martyrdom – from the earliest period of Islam through the late medieval period and down to our present time.
Global Journal Al Thaqafah, 2012
The word Islam as a verbal form is derived from the infinitive Arabic trilateral root of silm, salamet (peace and security). Therefore, if its nature has been peace and salvation, how can we interpret Jihad verses? The subject of this article focuses on this point. In this article, the writer discusses the subject and the impact of this apparent paradox on the direction of Islam according to Quranic verses. The interpretation of Jihad that the writer intends to explore best fits the religion which in its nature is peace and salvation.
Jihad: A Victim of Policy and Misinterpretation
This paper aims at investigating the meaning and the use of the word jihad in the Holy Quran and how this word is deteriorated semantically. Recently, the word jihad has been associated with terrorism and killing. This negative shift in meaning expands to include Muslims all over the world. The authors hope this effort would help to sort out some of the fears and distortions swirling around the meaning of jihad. The usage of the word jihad in the Holy Quran has been detected and investigated to find out the actual meaning and the situations in which this expression is used. The rationale behind this paper is purely linguistic one and the authors don’t intend to find any excuse for any action carried out under the name of jihad. So, this paper is limited by its specific purpose. It turns out that this word has been misused by both Muslims and non-Muslims.