Al-Huda Foundation, USA

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Jihad: Waging Peace

Professor Mohamed Elmasry

 The word Jihad (from the Arabic root Ga-Ha-Da) is a noun, meaning the action of exerting an effort, expounding an energy, striving, working to improve, struggling, doing one’s best and the act itself.

 From the same Arabic root comes Majhood (effort), Mojtahed (a person who does his/her best) Ijtehad (the Islamic science of deducing Islamic laws from basic sources) Johid (potential and energy, as in electrical potential, or energy)

 Today in the West, the term Jihad leads people to believe that Muslims are supposedly encouraged to take up arms in order to impose their faith by force, annihilating those who reject it. This is contrary to Islamic teachings that affirm it is not for man, but for God alone, to judge and punish unbelief and that compulsion (or coercion) in religious matters is strictly forbidden (2:256).