Generally translated as ‘holy war,’ the term jihad connotes to non-Muslims desperate acts of irrational and fanatical people who want to impose their worldview on others,” Thai peace activist Satha-Anand says. “But that imposition is virtually impossible because the Qur’an says, ‘Let there be no compulsion in the name of religion.’
In actuality, the notion of jihad has much more complex overtones, with the word “jihad” meaning to strive or to struggle. This may be a struggle against your own evil proclivities or for the sake of Islam, nonviolently or violently. “The Arabic word, jihada, found throughout the Qur’an, basically means ‘striving,’ ‘effort’ or ‘to try one’s utmost,’ ” writes scholar Simon Ross Valentin.
The major subtext of jihad is to do with social justice, scholars have contended, and stripped of its violent overgrowth, the term has a lot of positive things to offer. “Jihad has come to mean the advocacy of social justice in a widening circle that also includes economic participation and prosperity for Muslims,” Duke University Professor Bruce Lawrence says, and goes so far as to assert that “the future may yet belong to those who learn to wage economic jihad in English.”
“Jihad is a verbal noun of the third Arabic form of the root jahada, which is defined classically as ‘exerting one’s utmost power, efforts, endeavors, or ability in contending with an object of disapprobation,’ ” states Professor Firestone. “Such an object is often categorized in the literature as deriving from one of three sources: a visible enemy, the evil, and aspects of one’s own self. There are, therefore, many kinds of jihad, and most have nothing to do with warfare.”
As examples, he cites “jihad of the heart,” which involves struggles against your own sinful inclinations, and “jihad of the tongue,” which requires speaking good and banishing evil. And what will astonish a lot of people is that the term jihad is used in Arabic to describe the best-known nonviolent movement in history: the Gandhi-led Indian independence struggle.
Inclusiveness of Islamic Religion: Transcendent Monotheism and Beyond
