The Islamic idea of jihad

... This word has been in frequent use in the Western press over the past several years, explained directly or subtlety, to mean holy war. As a matter of fact the term "holy war" was coined in Europe during the Crusades, meaning the war against Muslims. It does not have a counterpart in Islamic glossary, and Jihad is certainly not its equivalent. The Islamic idea of jihad, which is derived from the Arabic root meaning "to strive" or "to make an effort," has a wide range of meanings, from an inward spiritual struggle to purify the soul of satanic influence, both subtle and overt, cleanse one's spirit of sin, to attain perfect faith, to an outward material struggle to promote justice and overthrow oppression. The former meaning was emphasised by Sufis (Muslim mystics), who devote themselves to the inner jihad (Jihadul-Nafs), the greater jihad of the two. When used in the

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