Top Islamic Websites

The Quran..?

Does it actually put the words 'holy' and 'war' together? Please can you provide sources for your opinions so i can read up on it. Thanks for reading my question :) Oh yes i fortgot to add what is the meaning of the word Jihad? I don't think i spelt it right. I read somewhere that it means personak struggle, a war with one's self? Is this right or wrong?

Public Comments

1. Jihad means "Holy War" Surah 9:5"Kill the infidel" doesn't this justify a Jihad?
2. Holy War is not anywhere in the Quran. Jihad is the conquest of Self. The ego that leads us astray from the spiritual life and contentment. Ego leads to division, hatred, intolerance. Its present in every human being. Only those that self defy thier beings become the most Advanced Souls!. To get rid of our ego by becoming compassionate and loving is the Ultimate Jihad. It cannot be achieved without connection with God though!
3. Jihad means war for defense ,And it's of course Holly thing in our religion to fight to protect our kids and families. I think nobody has problem with that, You will fight for that too I think
4. No there is no words for holy war in the Quran: Challenge: Can You Find "Holy War" in the Quran? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir5r22LY4G0 The word Jihad means to struggle and can refer to many things other than physical struggle, i.e struggling against your desires etc.
5. The quran is actually open to interpretation-just like the Bible. Some "reformist" in Islam thinks that Jihad is a war within oneself to fight the evils of greed,anger,promiscuity,alcoholism etc.
6. The word Jihad literally means 'struggle'. The word Jihad is badly misinterpreted to mean holy war ..... although a form of Jihad (struggle) known as 'Qital' refers to military combat, it is almost insignificant in comparison to that which is the greater Jihad - The greater Jihad is the struggle against one's self, against desires of this world, to struggle to please Allah by performing our prayers, paying zakat, fasting and all other acts of worship that are pleasing to our Lord. And no, you will not find the phrase 'Holy War' in the Qur'an
7. No, it doesn't. If you read the whole Qura'an you won't find war described as holy. As for jihad it's true, it means struggling, when you prevent yourself from doing sins it is considered jihad because people struggle when they maintain self-control. It's a hard task to do and that's why it's compared to fighting in wars.
8. wow! its so nice to see someone actually attempting to understand Islam! yes, you got that right, Jihad is a struggle... its a war against evil. It also means patronising justice. To understand Islam and the concept of Jihad you need to place Islam in the context it was born. It was in 8th century arabia, where the way of life was barbaric! women and children were raped , weak people brutally killed for pleasure and wealth and there was no government to protect and help the innocent. Widows and orphaned girls automatically became prostitutes in that society. So prophet Mohammed came up with extreme intellectual concepts to help and protect the people from barbarism. That explains the purdah system, the women wearing burqa etc... it was meant for protection, and so was the concept of one man allowed to marry four women. Since it was a very violent society, it resulted in a lot of widows and orphans...it was for the protection of these widows that one man was allowed to marry four women. and the worst criticism of Islam probably comes by the accusation of calling the prophet a paedophile because he married ayesha when she was 8 years old. There were many girl children becoming orphans, who were as a result being molested and raped... at such a young age by the men! to protect the young girls, prophet married ayesha to set an example.... you have to understand that at that time there was no govt and the only way you could bring about an ethical progress was through religion... and the only relationship allowed between a man and a woman at that time in that society was that of a husband and wife! now about jihad.... again you have to see it in the context. Since the society was brutally violent, the concept of Jihad was born to protect the weak... it was the concept where the strong and ethical would protect the weak. And it had to be done through force. It's a concept where principles are placed higher than the life of a person. Unfortunately the good sometimes has to be fought for. That explains jihad. and if you really think about it.... terrorism today is not really a religious problem, its more of a political problem created by the discriminatory policies and double standards of the west. Islam also needs to break out of the shell, as the principles of Islam was meant for that period and doesnt hold true today. but to conclude, islam isn't a "militant" religion. there hasnt been any religion in the history of this planet which cared and protected the weak and the innocent the way islam did. the point to remember is that people were barbaric everywhere during those times.... Islam was the most modern religion to find practical solutions to the problems of that period! its very unfortunate that islam is perceived the way it is today. with more people like you, we can definetly hope that it will change :) i'm not a muslim...just an open minded human like you! thanks for this question.