#JIHAD
Al-Jihad fil-Islam (Arabic: “The Jihad in Islam”) refers to both a foundational Islamic concept and a famous literary work.
1. The Theological Concept
“Jihad” literally means striving or exerting effort with a praiseworthy aim. In Islamic theology, it is categorized as:
- Greater Jihad (Jihad-i-Akbar): The internal spiritual struggle against one’s own base desires and ego.
- Lesser Jihad (Jihad-i-Asghar): The external struggle, which can include the “jihad of the pen” (debate) or “jihad of the sword” (warfare), typically for self-defense or against oppression.
- Fi Sabilillah: The idiomatic expression “striving in the path of God,” intended to seek Divine favor.
2. The Book by Abul A’la Maududi
Al-Jihad fil-Islam is a seminal work by the influential scholar Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi, first published in 1927.
- Purpose: Written to counter misconceptions that jihad is purely synonymous with offensive warfare.
- Content: It provides a comprehensive exploration of the Islamic rules of war, comparing them with theories of “just war” in other religions like Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
- Ideology: Maududi framed jihad as a permanent struggle for justice and moral reform, which some modern critics argue shifted the concept from classical legal restraint to a political project for dismantling “un-Islamic” systems.
Quick Resources
- Buy/Read: You can find the book on Amazon India or Flipkart.
- Full Context: An extensive collection of Maududi’s writings is available through Cambridge University Press.
Abul A’la Maududi (1903–1979) was arguably one of the most influential and controversial thinkers of the twentieth century, and a foundational Islamist thinker. This volume brings together a broad range of his important works for the first time, covering concerns such as anticolonialism, permissibility of violence, capitalism and gender roles, principles for an Islamic economy, innovation in legal frameworks as well as the limits of nationalist politics. Showcasing his writings across different genres, this volume includes influential early works such as his seminal Al Jihad fil Islam, Quranic exegesis and essays as well as later works on Islamic law. An extensive introduction situates Maududi’s ideas within global anticolonial conversations as well as Islamic and South Asian debates on urgent contemporary political questions and highlights the conceptual innovations he carried out. Fresh translations allow readers to critically engage with Maududi’s writings, capturing nuances and shifts in his ideas with greater clarity.