Running head: ROLE OF JIHAD 1 Role of Jihad Student's Name Institutional Affiliation ROLE OF JIHAD 2 Role of Jihad Meaning of Jihad in Islam Jihad is an Arabic word meaning struggling or striving to receive praise. In Islam, Jihad means individuals' efforts to make their social and personal lives reflect God's guidance, such as striving to avoid engaging in evil deeds, efforts to follow morals and proselytizing. In classical Islamic law, jihad means an armed struggle against unbelievers, especially those that persecute Islam (Aydinli, 2016). On the contrary, modernist Islamic scholars maintain that jihad is defensive warfare involving the Islam military. The meaning or understanding of jihad has changed and is understood differently by various sects of Islam. Traditionally, jihad focused on the emphasis of morals and spirituality of Islam among the pious and Sufi circles but has gained additional attention in contemporary society following its understanding by terrorist groups. The Quran defines the word as striving to follow the path of God without providing military actions. Islamic jurists of the classical era defined jihad based on military action to protect and propagate Islamic beliefs. The jurists formulated some rules regarding jihad, such as not harming people or citizens that are not engaged in war. In contemporary society, jihad seems to have abandoned its jurisprudential relevance and adopted political and ideological discourse (Khambali, Abdullah, & Ali, 20 ...
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