Jihad

Audio transcript:

>>STEVE ST. GEORGE: Hello. I'm Steve St. George. And this is your crash course in Islam. Today jihad. Many people outside Islam think they know what jihad means. Holy war They've been told by pundits or reporters. And in part they're right. And that's not the whole story. Jihad can mean holy war or more correctly struggle. But the struggle doesn't have to be with those outside of Islam. In fact jihad is something that often focuses Muslims inward. There are actually two jihads, the lesser and the greater jihad. The lesser jihad is actually the one most people are familiar with, holy war. But the Quran cautions Muslims against fighting unnecessarily. War is to be waged as a defensive measure not an offensive one. The more important jihad is the greater jihad. It is an inner struggle for Allah, a struggle to be a better person. In this sense pursuing a degree can be seen as jihad. But jihad can also be seen as a struggle to improve society. Although Gandhi was not Muslim his struggle for Indian independence can be considered this kind of jihad. On a religious level, it is an attempt to find harmony among the ideas of submission to Allah, faith and righteous living.

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