FOREWORD

The Arabic word ‘jihad’ means ‘peaceful struggle’ in English. And what is meant by this peaceful struggle is basically the dawah effort, as the Quran says: “… so do not yield to those who deny the truth, but strive with the utmost strenuousness through this [that is, Quran, to convey its message to them].” (25:52)

This verse refers to communicating the message of the Quran to people through peaceful efforts. Dawah is essentially an ideological struggle. It is an extensive effort with various demands. It becomes a significant struggle when efforts are made to engage in dawah with all its necessary demands. That is why dawah work is called ‘jihad.’

However, sometimes the word ‘jihad’ is also used in an extended sense to denote war. But this is only an extended meaning. The commandments and etiquette of jhad and war are different. The actual aim of the jihad of dawah is to transform the other party’s thinking, whereas, in contrast, war aims at the extermination of the other party.

A fundamental difference between jihad and war is that jihad is a general commandment in the sense of dawah. The dawah jihad has to be engaged in under all circumstances. The objective of the Jihad of dawah is to convey the message of God to all people. Dawah is a constructive action based on wishing well for others, and this must carry on at all times in every generation. In contrast, jihad in war is a temporary action, engaged only when another country militarily attacks a Muslim country. The responsibility for countering this attack does not lie with individuals. Instead, it is the sole responsibility of an established state that make necessary arrangements for this purpose.

Conditions govern most Islamic acts. In the sense of war, jihad is also subject to certain conditions. Present-day Muslim movements involved in fighting in the name of jihad do not fulfil these conditions. Merely labelling one’s actions as jihad does not mean they qualify as Jihad. In this matter, it is essential to refer to Islamic teachings about jihad rather than form an opinion based on the actions of certain Muslims. Muslims should be judged in the light of Islamic teachings and not vice versa.

The eternal jihad is the jihad of dawah; to convey the message of God to all mankind in every generation is the eternal jihad. That is why it has been called jihad-e kabir or ‘great jihad’ in the Quran (25:52).

Wahiduddin Khan

February 25, 2021

New Delhi, India