Islam: The Four Common Types Of Jihad

Jihad is a very fluid term within Islam. The term can be interpreted in many ways. The word “Jihad” is Arabic in origin and means “exerting the best efforts” or overcoming a “struggle” in order to reach a common goal. Jihad does not necessarily imply violence and does not mean “holy war” but has been interpreted as doing so. Islam is meant to be a religion of peace and respect for all life. There is a constant argue as to what Jihad really means and it is a widely misunderstood term with many meanings.
The four common types of Jihad: Jihad of the heart/soul, Jihad by the tongue/pen, Jihad by the hand, and Jihad by the sword. All of the types of Jihad other than Jihad by hand do not require violence. Jihad of the heart/soul refers to the internal …show more content…
The life of a Muslim is is very specifically laid out in the Quran. Jihad is a part of these specific laws and can be seen throughout the Quran. Jihad by the sword must be fought as a community and the leader of the community is the one who decides when Jihad must be used. Islam claims that they have been promised by Allah that they will have superiority over all religion therefore they need to fight to be dominant. It is said that there are two types of infidels know as “Polytheist” and “People of the Book” and if these people will not accept Islam then they must be vanquished. Muslims can only take Jihad into their own hands when they are directly attacked. This is what has been feared my non-Muslims. Although, many Muslims do not participate in Jihad and some do not believe in …show more content…
In early history Jihad was viewed as not being needed until one was forced to use it and that Muslims should show nonbelievers tolerance. Jihad was also the foundation for the spread of the Islamic empire. This is the same foundation for many holy wars to follow such as in the early 1800 when Islam would carry out wars against Western forces. As history continued Jihad by the sword was continuing to be used be people such as the Muslim Brotherhood or the Taliban. In modern Islam there is only a small percent of about 2 percent of Muslims that participate in Jihad by the sword. These are the extremists. Muslim extremest believe that as a community Islam is under attack and therefore must fight back and spread their faith. People such as Osama Bin Laden who fight as individuals also believe that Islam has experienced injustice, oppression, and aggression. This is what drives them their quest to fight back. Due to these Muslims feeling like they are under attack they feel like they are justified in creating a holy war with Allah’s