Jihadism constituted a radical break from earlier traditions of Essay

Jihadism constituted a radical break from earlier traditions of Islamism - Essay Example Jihad has a very long history in Islamic world and it started since it was allowed under the basic tenets of Islam. This was done in order to allow Prophet (PBUH) so that the religion can be spread and the power and strength of Islam as a religion and Muslims as a community can be established. In order to understand the concepts of Jihad as outlined in the Islam and as they are being practiced now, it is really critical to understand the overall concept of Jihad and how it has been outlined by the Islam in it original principles. Further, it is also critical to explore as to how the Jihad is being conceived and practiced now and whether there is a drift from the earlier established principles or not. It has been argued that the Jihad as it is practiced now is a complete shift from the earlier traditions of Islam and is now believed to be practiced in a manner which marks a complete shift from the same. Whether this is the case or not or whether Jihad is exactly practiced the way earl ier traditions outlined is the topic which this paper will attempt to explore and discuss. The literal meaning of the word Jihad in Arabic is struggle and is a noun in Arabic language. The word Jihad has appeared in the Quran for more than 40 times however, indirect references to the metaphysical meanings of the word have also been made in Quran on various occasions. Quranic interpretation of Jihad therefore indicates a struggle in the way of Allah and is considered as one of the important religious duties for the Muslims. There are various instances in Muslim history in which Prophet (PBUH) has considered doing Jihad under different conditions. The overall importance which has been attached to it is because it is not only mentioned in Quran but it was also practiced by the Prophet (PBUH) himself. (Burgat & Dowell, 1993) There are various instances in the Islamic history wherein Prophet (PBUH) has specifically mentioned that the greater Jihad is the struggle against one’s own desires. Based on this, Jihad is therefore often divided into two categories i.e. lesser Jihad and greater Jihad or Jihad e Akbar. Greater Jihad is often referred to the notion where a pious Muslim has to strive against his wishes and ego and make a complete surrender to the Will of Allah. Such surrendering to the will of Allah and renunciation of the worldly wishes is therefore given a greater significance in Islam as compared to the waging a lesser Jihad in the way of Allah. It is also argued that Jihad has also been named as a process to bring a balance between Islam, faith and righteous living. This so called spiritual struggle is still considered as one of the fundamental aspects of defining the Jihad and its right context. This concept is relatively more critically in order to accurately trace down the differences between the Jihad as described in the earlier traditions of Islam and how it is being practiced now. The visible differences between the approach of the moderate Mu slims and more fundamentalist Muslims towards the interpretation of Jihad and its actual place in ordinary Muslim Life is one of the fundamental arguments which need to be discussed further. Jihad is often used within three different contexts i.e. jihad or struggle to correct oneself and fight with oneself in order to correct the faith of an individual, Jihad in order to improve the Muslim society and Jihad as a holy war. It is this third concept of jihad as a holy war which has attracted much of the significance and importance over the period of time because of its direct and indirect influences on the other communities i.e. non- Muslims. The original concept of Jihad and its allowing in Quran is often considered as the time