jihad

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ji·had

J0027800 (jĭ-häd′)n.1. Islam An individual's striving for spiritual self-perfection.2. Islam A Muslim holy war or spiritual struggle for the propagation or defense of Islam.3. A campaign against perceived foes, especially such a campaign regarded as fanatical or immoderate: "The war against smoking is turning into a jihad against people who smoke" (Fortune).

[Arabic jihād, from jahada, to strive; see ghd in Semitic roots.]

jihad

(dʒɪˈhæd) or

jehad

n1. (Islam) Islam a holy war against infidels undertaken by Muslims in defence of the Islamic faith2. (Islam) Islam the personal struggle of the individual believer against evil and persecution3. rare a crusade in support of a cause[C19: from Arabic jihād a conflict]

ji•had

or je•had

(dʒɪˈhɑd)

n. 1. a holy war undertaken as a sacred duty by Muslims. 2. any vigorous, emotional crusade for an idea or principle. [1865–70; < Arabic jihād struggle, strife]

jihad

An Arabic word meaning conflict, used especially to mean a holy war waged by Muslims against infidels.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	jihad - a holy war waged by Muslims against infidelsinternational jihad, jehadwar, warfare - the waging of armed conflict against an enemy; "thousands of people were killed in the war"
	2.	jihad - a holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goaljehadnisus, pains, striving, strain - an effortful attempt to attain a goal

Translations

cihad

jihad

Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

jihad:

see IslamIslam
, [Arab.,=submission to God], world religion founded by the Prophet Muhammad. Founded in the 7th cent., Islam is the youngest of the three monotheistic world religions (with Judaism and Christianity). An adherent to Islam is a Muslim [Arab.,=one who submits].
..... Click the link for more information. .

Jihad

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

Jihad means "holy war." But how that word is interpreted is a matter of some debate, probably because Muhammad himself used the term in different ways. Sometimes he used jihad to describe the cultural and political spread of Islam. Sometimes he used it to refer to the spiritual war against evil both in society and in the human soul.

Following are a few passages from the Qur'an relating to jihad:

Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of God with their goods and their persons. God hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight. (4:95)

Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God loveth not transgressors. (2:190)

And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in God; but if they cease, let there be no hostility to those who practice oppression. (2:193)

And if any strive (with might and main), they do so for their own souls; for Allah is free of all needs from all creation. (29:6)

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. (2:256)

Jihad

(Arabic, “holy war,” literally, “struggle” or “persevere”), one of the precepts of Islam, supported by the Koran (for example, sura 9, verse 29), according to which all Muslims able to do battle must carry out holy wars against unbelievers. The teachings developed by scholars of Muslim law state that the entire world is divided into a “land of Islam” (or “region of faith”) and a “war territory” (countries inhabited by non-Muslims, or unbelievers). The idea of jihad was widely used by the ruling strata of Muslim feudal society to inflame fanaticism and to unify Muslims under the banner of religion. The call to jihad was often used against “external enemies” as well.

At times, under conditions of combat against colonialists, calls to jihad served the interest of defensive war and the simultaneous defense of religion, as, for example, in the Sudan during the Mahdist uprising at the end of the 19th century.

Jihad is also called ghazawat (Arabic, literally a “raid,” “campaign,” or “attack”).

In recent times in Muslim countries the jihad has been a call to war in defense of the fatherland.

REFERENCES

Petrushevskii, I. P. Islam vlrane v VII-XV vekakh. Leningrad, 1966. Pages 80-83.
Encyclopédic de ïlslam, vol. 2. Leiden-Paris, 1965. Pages 551-53.

jihad

, jehad1. Islam a holy war against infidels undertaken by Muslims in defence of the Islamic faith 2. Islam the personal struggle of the individual believer against evil and persecution

Jihad

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Jihad

A religious obligation for Muslims. The word is Arabic for "struggle," though its technical meaning has been disputed. Historically, many scholars have argued that jihad primarily entails a struggle against one's base instincts. However, it was used both in the Quran and by rulers of some Muslim-majority countries to justify war, whether to end persecution of Muslims or to provide religious grounds for conquest. The meaning of the term remains controversial, though some groups, notably al-Qaida, emphasize its militant element.

jihad

Related to jihad: Isis

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noun

Synonyms for jihad

noun a holy war waged by Muslims against infidels

Synonyms

international jihad
jehad

Related Words

war
warfare

noun a holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal

Synonyms

jehad

Related Words

nisus
pains
striving
strain