Jihad: Classical Islamic Understanding versus Contemporary Political Misuse: A Textual and Contextual Analysis of Qur’anic and Hadith Sources

Abstract

The name Jihad holds the key and mistaken place in the Islamic traditions of thought and practice. Traditionally, Jihad represented a wide range of moral, spiritual, intellectual, and defensive, when it was first formed based on the Arabic word jahada (to strive or to put effort). However, the term, in modern politics, has been narrowed down to a militarized and narrow concept of it, particularly by fringe elements and by certain versions of geopolitics. The presented research paper is one that inserts a comprehensive textual and contextual analysis of the verses of the Quran and traditions of the prophet (Hadith) with a view to distinguishing the traditional Islamic understanding of Jihad and its political misinterpretation in the contemporary context. According to the primary sources such as the Quran, published collections of Hadith such as Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, this research paper examines the semantic, juristic and historical context of Jihad.