--- title: "What Is Jihad, Really? | Islam Is Mercy" description: "Jihad is striving in God's cause: against one's ego, with wealth and words, for parents and justice — and, as a special kind, lawful war under strict rules." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/what-is-jihad/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [Hard Questions](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/) 3. What Is Jihad, Really? # What Is Jihad, Really? Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 7 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer Jihad means "striving" in the cause of God. Most of a Muslim's jihad is daily — struggling against one's own ego, serving one's parents, spending for good and speaking the truth. Islam, as a complete way of life, also has a special kind of jihad — fighting in a lawful war — which the Qur'an commands only for the right reasons, under a legitimate authority and under strict rules that protect non-combatants, honour treaties and accept peace. It is never terrorism or private violence. ## On this page 1. What the word means 2. The struggle with one’s own self 3. Jihad in everyday life 4. A special kind of jihad: the law of war 5. What jihad is not 6. In short *[Jihad](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/jihad/)* is one of the best-known Arabic words, and one of the least understood. In the headlines it usually means “holy war”. For Muslims it is much wider: it is the whole effort a believer makes for the sake of God — first and most often with their own self, then with their wealth and words, and in one special case on the battlefield, under a strict law. ## What the word means *Jihad* comes from the root *j-h-d*: effort, exertion, giving all one has. The Prophet ﷺ named three ways of striving together: > Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Use your property, your persons any your tongues in striving against the polytheists [Sunan Abi Dawud 2504](https://sunnah.com/abudawud/15#:~:text=your%20persons%20any%20your%20tongues)Grade: Sahih — Al-Albani So jihad can be with one’s **self**, one’s **wealth** and one’s **words**. Even before Muslims were allowed to fight, the [Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/quran/) told the Prophet ﷺ to strive against those who rejected the message with the Qur’an itself — with argument and truth: > فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ وَجَٰهِدْهُم بِهِۦ جِهَادًۭا كَبِيرًۭا ﴿٥٢﴾ > So do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with the Qur'an a great striving. [Qur'an, Al-Furqaan 25:52](https://quran.com/25?startingVerse=52&translations=20)Saheeh International Scholars such as Ibn al-Qayyim described a ladder of jihad: against one’s own self, against the whispering of Satan, against injustice, and against those who fight Islam. The first steps are for every Muslim, every day. ## The struggle with one’s own self The first and constant jihad is with one’s own soul — its selfishness, anger, laziness and pride. The Prophet ﷺ said: > …The Mujahid is one who strives against his own soul.… [Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1621](https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/22#:~:text=Except%20for%20the%20one%20who)Grade: Sahih — Al-Albani He also redefined strength: the strong person is not the one who overpowers others, but the one who controls himself when angry (Bukhari 6114). Getting up for the dawn prayer, holding one’s tongue, giving up a habit one knows is wrong — all of this is jihad. (A popular saying about returning from the “lesser jihad” of battle to the “greater jihad” of the self is not authentic as a [hadith](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/hadith/), although the meaning of striving against the self is well established in the texts above.) ## Jihad in everyday life When a man asked the Prophet ﷺ for permission to join the army, he asked whether his parents were alive and sent him back to serve them: > Narrated \`Abdullah bin \`Amr: A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) asking his permission to take part in Jihad. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked him, "Are your parents alive?" He replied in the affirmative. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "Then exert yourself in their service [Sahih al-Bukhari 3004](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/56#:~:text=asking%20his%20permission%20to%20take)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) Standing up to injustice with honest words is among the greatest jihad: > Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w) said:"Indeed, among the greatest types of Jihad is a just statement before a tyrannical ruler [Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2174](https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/33#:~:text=among%20the%20greatest%20types%20of)Grade: Sahih — Al-Albani Spending one’s money on the poor, on knowledge and on good causes is jihad with wealth. And when the Prophet’s wife Aisha asked about jihad for women, he told her that the best jihad for them was a sincere, accepted pilgrimage (Bukhari 1520). ## A special kind of jihad: the law of war Islam is not only a religion of prayer. It teaches people how to worship, but also how to marry, trade, inherit, keep clean, care for the earth, judge between people and govern. And because every society eventually faces war, Islam has a law of war too. It does not pretend that war will never happen; it brings war under God’s law — when it is allowed, who may declare it, how it must be fought, and how it must end. That is why, when scholars write a chapter of Islamic law called “Jihad”, they mean this special kind: fighting in the cause of God against those who wage war, under a legitimate authority. ### Fighting is commanded — but it was not the first word For thirteen years in Mecca, Muslims were persecuted, tortured and driven from their homes, and they were told to be patient and not to fight back. Only after they had migrated to Medina and were still being attacked did permission come: > أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا۟ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ ﴿٣٩﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا۟ مِن دِيَٰرِهِم بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّآ أَن يَقُولُوا۟ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍۢ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَٰمِعُ وَبِيَعٌۭ وَصَلَوَٰتٌۭ وَمَسَٰجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ كَثِيرًۭا ۗ وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُۥٓ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَقَوِىٌّ عَزِيزٌ ﴿٤٠﴾ > 39Permission \[to fight\] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory. 40\[They are\] those who have been evicted from their homes without right - only because they say, "Our Lord is Allah." And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might. [Qur'an, Al-Hajj 22:39-40](https://quran.com/22?startingVerse=39&translations=20)Saheeh International Then fighting became a duty when it is needed — something the Qur’an admits people naturally dislike: > كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ شَرٌّۭ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٢١٦﴾ > Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not. [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:216](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=216&translations=20)Saheeh International ### The right intention What makes fighting jihad is not the battlefield but the purpose. The Prophet ﷺ was asked about a man who fights for booty, one who fights for fame and one who fights to show off: > Narrated Abu Musa: A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked, "A man fights for war booty; another fights for fame and a third fights for showing off; which of them fights in Allah's Cause?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who fights that Allah's Word (i.e. Islam) should be superior, fights in Allah's Cause [Sahih al-Bukhari 2810](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/56#:~:text=man%20came%20to%20the%20Prophet)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) So fighting for land, money, revenge, tribe or nation is not jihad, even if Muslims do it. ### Who declares it War is a decision of the state, not of individuals. Classical scholars agreed that it belongs to the legitimate ruler (*[imam](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/imam/)*), who must weigh benefit and harm for the whole community. The Prophet ﷺ described that ruler as a shield: > …The Imam is like a shelter for whose safety the Muslims should fight and where they should seek protection… [Sahih al-Bukhari 2957](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/56#:~:text=be%20the%20foremost%20to%20enter)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) No preacher, group or angry individual may “declare jihad”. Doing so is not obedience to God; it is chaos that Islam forbids. ### Two kinds the scholars describe - **Defence.** When an enemy invades Muslim land or attacks Muslims, resisting becomes a duty on those able to fight there, and on others as needed. - **War initiated by the state.** In a world of rival empires, a Muslim state could go to war to remove rulers who blocked people from hearing the message or who threatened Muslims. This was a collective duty decided by the ruler — never by individuals — and it came with an order of steps. The Prophet ﷺ described those steps when he sent out an army. First the rules: no stealing from the spoils, no treachery, no mutilation, no killing children. Then the other side was to be offered Islam; if they refused, they could keep their religion and live under Muslim protection by paying the *jizya* tax (and so be exempt from military service); and only if they refused both was there fighting: > …Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war, do not embezzle the spoils; do not break your pledge; and do not mutilate (the dead) bodies; do not kill the children.… [Sahih Muslim 4522](https://sunnah.com/muslim:4522)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih Muslim) Even then, nobody was forced to become Muslim — the Qur’an is clear that there is no compulsion in religion (Qur’an 2:256). Most scholars held that the reason for fighting is **hostility**, not disbelief alone, which is why those who do not fight — women, children, the elderly, monks, farmers and workers — may not be killed. Today, where Muslim states have signed treaties and peace agreements, Islamic law requires them to keep their word (Qur’an 9:4). ### The rules of war Islam’s law of war restricts far more than it permits: - **Do not transgress.** Permission to fight is tied to fighting those who fight, with a clear ban on going beyond the limits: > وَقَٰتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ ﴿١٩٠﴾ > Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors. [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:190](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=190&translations=20)Saheeh International - **Never target non-combatants.** The Prophet ﷺ saw a woman killed in one of his campaigns, and he forbade it outright: > Narrated Ibn \`Umar: During some of the Ghazawat of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) a woman was found killed, so Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbade the killing of women and children [Sahih al-Bukhari 3015](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/56#:~:text=some%20of%20the%20Ghazawat%20of)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) - **No treachery, no mutilation** — even of the enemy’s dead (Muslim 4522, above). - **Keep treaties and promises of safety.** Someone living under a treaty or given safe conduct is protected: > Narrated \`Abdullah bin \`Amr: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims, shall not smell the smell of Paradise though its smell is perceived from a distance of forty years [Sahih al-Bukhari 3166](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/58#:~:text=killed%20a%20person%20having%20a)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) - **Grant asylum.** If an enemy fighter asks for protection to hear the word of God, he must be given it and escorted to a place of safety (Qur’an 9:6). - **Treat prisoners with dignity.** They are to be freed as a favour or for ransom (Qur’an 47:4), and feeding the captive is praised as an act of faith (Qur’an 76:8). - **Accept peace.** If the enemy inclines to peace, Muslims must incline to it too: > ۞ وَإِن جَنَحُوا۟ لِلسَّلْمِ فَٱجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ﴿٦١﴾ > And if they incline to peace, then incline to it \[also\] and rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing. [Qur'an, Al-Anfaal 8:61](https://quran.com/8?startingVerse=61&translations=20)Saheeh International These rules were taught fourteen centuries ago, more than a thousand years before modern international laws of war were written. ## What jihad is not Jihad is not terrorism. It is not bombing markets, attacking tourists, killing people for their religion or nationality, or taking revenge on civilians for what their government did. It is not a private war declared by a group with no legitimate authority. And it is never a way to force anyone into Islam. People who do these things in the name of jihad are breaking the very rules of jihad, and committing what Islam counts among the gravest sins. Read more in [What does Islam say about terrorism?](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/islam-and-terrorism/) ## In short Jihad is striving in God’s cause. For most Muslims, on most days, it means the struggle with one’s own self, care for one’s parents, generosity and honest words. Islam also has a real law of war — a special kind of jihad that it commands when war is just and needed, and only then. That law exists to limit war: to give it a right reason, a legitimate authority, clear rules and a path to peace. That is mercy too. To see how the Qur’an’s verses on fighting fit together, read [Does Islam promote violence?](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/does-islam-promote-violence/) ![What Is Jihad, Really?](https://islamismercy.com/_astro/what-is-jihad-info.2ce0jHR3_ZN2vjf.jpg) ## Key takeaways - Jihad means striving in God's cause — with one's self, one's wealth and one's words. - The daily jihad includes struggling against one's own ego, serving one's parents and speaking the truth to the unjust. - Islam guides all of life, including war; fighting in a lawful war is a special kind of jihad with its own law. - That law requires the right intention and a legitimate authority, protects women, children and all non-combatants, forbids treachery and mutilation, keeps treaties and accepts peace. - Terrorism, attacks on civilians and killing people under treaty are not jihad — Islam counts them among the gravest sins. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=What%20Is%20Jihad%2C%20Really%3F%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fquestions%2Fwhat-is-jihad%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fquestions%2Fwhat-is-jihad%2F&text=What%20Is%20Jihad%2C%20Really%3F)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20Is%20Jihad%2C%20Really%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fquestions%2Fwhat-is-jihad%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fquestions%2Fwhat-is-jihad%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Al-Furqaan 25:52](https://quran.com/25?startingVerse=52&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Al-Hajj 22:39-40](https://quran.com/22?startingVerse=39&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:216](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=216&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:190](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=190&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Al-Anfaal 8:61](https://quran.com/8?startingVerse=61&translations=20) - [Sunan Abi Dawud 2504](https://sunnah.com/abudawud/15#:~:text=your%20persons%20any%20your%20tongues) - [Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1621](https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/22#:~:text=Except%20for%20the%20one%20who) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 3004](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/56#:~:text=asking%20his%20permission%20to%20take) - [Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2174](https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/33#:~:text=among%20the%20greatest%20types%20of) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 2810](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/56#:~:text=man%20came%20to%20the%20Prophet) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 2957](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/56#:~:text=be%20the%20foremost%20to%20enter) - [Sahih Muslim 4522](https://sunnah.com/muslim:4522) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 3015](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/56#:~:text=some%20of%20the%20Ghazawat%20of) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 3166](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/58#:~:text=killed%20a%20person%20having%20a) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) ## Keep reading [Hard Questions ### Does Islam Promote Violence? An honest look at the Qur'an's verses about fighting — what they say, the context they came in, and the strict limits Islam places on war. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/does-islam-promote-violence/)[Hard Questions ### What Does Islam Say About Terrorism? Islam forbids terrorism — deliberately killing or terrorising innocent people. Here is what the Qur'an and the Prophet ﷺ teach, with sources. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/islam-and-terrorism/)[Glossary ### What Does Jihad Really Mean? Jihad means striving or struggling in God's way — above all against one's own ego. It never means terrorism or harming innocent people. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/jihad/)[Islam's View On… ### What Does Islam Teach About War and Peace? Islam makes peace the goal, permits fighting only against aggression and oppression, and binds war with strict rules that protect civilians. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/war-and-peace/)