Jihad In Islam And Islam

One could debate endlessly over the definition and what exactly Jihad is, I’m certain many have. The very basic definition of the word simply means “struggle,” not to gain money or power but merely to bring people to Islam. The common western idea - or misconception - is that Jihad is a holy war or justification for terrorism. Very rarely are there any two religious groups that will agree on the exact deeper meanings of Jihad. There are also some groups that may believe the same basic definition of Jihad, but interpret it or apply it drastically differently within their own religion.

There are two better known or accepted definitions of which Muslims refer to as the “greater Jihad,” and the “lesser Jihad.” “Greater Jihad” is defined as the internal spiritual struggle of one’s self in submission to Allah, the struggle of moral reformation, and converting others to Islam; while the “lesser Jihad” is considered the external, physical endeavor of an Islamic obligation to take up arms against the nonbeliever infidels in defense of the faith against tyranny and persecution.

In the Sunni’s historical belief of the “greater Jihad,” Mohammed is thought to have told his followers returning home from war that they had, “returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust,” per Menhab Khans’ article on Modern Gangha.

This is believed to be the first time the “lesser jihad” and the "greater jihad" had been differentiated. According to John Heit, the “greater jihad” is also then further divided into three types of internal struggle: “One, Jihad of the Heart (the struggle for moral reformation and faith); two, Jihad of the Tongue (the struggle to proclaim God's word abroad; right ...

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...hese young men found solace and inspiration in the works of the Iraqi Muslim Brother Muhammad Ahmad al-Rashid; who demonstrated a sensible mind toward political action, but also stated that jihad with the sword- the way of the true Muslim-was inevitable.

Putting things into perspective, I imagined what it would be like if America was invaded by foreign forces, the government demolished, a new leadership established, and none of which agreed with my way of life. I would honestly be able to say that I would follow similar actions as the Sunni insurgents. I recently watched the modern cinematic remake “Red Dawn” where the (in the new version) North Koreans invade and effectively take over the United States, this assisted in my imagination. I would have taken up arms the same as the characters in the movie. My enemies would hear my hoarse battle cry, “WOLVERINES!”