Insights into Islam, part 1
what is Jihad??
Jihad is a beautiful, yet greatly misunderstood Islamic concept. the Arabic word Jihad is derived from the root word ”jahada” which means to strive, to protect, to exert, to endeavour, to preserve and to do your best.
God states in the Quran, the Muslim holy book: ” O you who believe, shall I show you a trade that will save you form a great punishment? you should believe in God…. and you should strive to the best of your ability in the way of God, with you possessions and yourself. that is better for you, if only you know (61:10-11).
Jihad must not be confused with ‘Holy war’, an idea that does not have a place in Islam. the concept of holy ware doesn’t not exist anywhere in the Quran, nor is it found in classical Islamic teaching. It is a foreign concept introduced by the Crusaders who waged holy war against mulish ”infidels” in the holy Land.
Contrary to popular opinion, Jihad is not a means of forcing on others. It should never be viewed as an expansionist, proselytizing movement. However, historically, and even in today’s times, some Muslims have taken it as such. This distortion of the virtuous concept of Jihad is in total contradictions to authentic Islamic teachings.
Jihad is the noble effort of improving oneself, one’s family and community, one’s nation and the world at large. Jihad is the struggle that a mother undergoes during pregnancy, childbirth and the raising of her child; it is years of hard work that a student puts towards a good education; it is that sacrifice that a fire-fighter makes when risking their own life to save another; and it is the courage that a solider has on the battlefield in the defence of his life, his country, his freedom and his beliefs.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=c013b030-52bf-41e6-aff1-3e3f3f1cad8d)
About Special GuestBirds on the Blog welcomes Guest Bloggers of all abilities, if you have something to say and you wish to share it with us - get in touch
View all posts by Special Guest →
9 Responses to Insights into Islam, part 1
All that jazz – All in A Day
Review of: Cousin Alice Jazz Music by Cousin Alice: Elaine Sturgess Reviewed by: Elaine Sturgess Rating: 5 On January 21, 2012 Last modified: January 30, 2012 Summary: What makes Alice so distinctive is her wonderfully smokey voice, a quality that furniture designer William Yeoward found so arresting at a concert she was performing for the [...]
Pingback: uberVU - social comments
It's comforting to know that Jihad does not, after all, mean Holy War and so the killing of innocent people because they happen not to agree with the teachings of the Quran. If only women ran the world, Suhad – we seem to have a far more realistic grip on how all cultures could live harmoniously together. Why do you think this seems so difficult for some Muslim nations?
Twitter: SuzeStMWrites
That is interesting indeed. I thought Jihad meant war against non-moslems
thansk Suze, can i agree more with you??? and some still talk about male and female brains??? if our brains cant produce money and science , i am happy to be a woman with a brain and a heart that produce peace and love……….. enuf said.
to live in harmony with others is not difficult for some muslim nations or non muslim nations. its the damn Politics that doesnt favor this harmony, its the greed of capitalists of the world to creat this conflict and make the normal people like us to belive it and adopt it…. normal people love each others as humans and search for harmony and balance in life…. have a love weekend
thanks Ida… education is key for peace i believe. its our responsibilty to enlight each other about what our cultures stand for… islam is very tolerant of others as proved in the Quran and Hadith of the prophet.
enjoy the long weekend
hi Ann,
your point is very good. it seems another blog must follow on the origin and history of the word and how the concept transformed to its current understanding…
thanks Linda… we learn some thing new every mintue, dont we?? and actually this is a core thing in most religions and philosophies….
This is absolutely fascinating, Suhad
I'd be interested to know more about the history of the word and how it has been misused. Of course it happens the same way in interpretations of the Bible, and it is always possible to find ways of spreading discord – it seems to be a human impulse.
Wow!
Talk about living and learning… Thanks Suhad
Twitter: comfort_selling