I know this won’t be popular with some readers as it goes against what they believe, but I am sick and tired of people – especially idiots who should know better, like Glenn Beck – telling us that Jihad means an “internal struggle,” or “personal struggle.”  No doubt, for many people, this is what it means, but then, Jihad would still hold roughly the equivalent meaning as “my struggle.”  Does that sound familiar?  If not, allow me to translate for you:

“Mein Kampf”

[Strangely, the Muslim Brotherhood was all too happy to join in an alliance with Hitler during WW II, but I digress.]

The problem is, this is not what Muhammad said the term means.  Just as Christ defined Christianity and set the example for how His followers are to live, Muhammad is the prophet who defined Islam.  He said that his word is the ultimate authority.  He is not to be questioned because he is Allah’s messenger.  So, for good Muslims, what Muhammad said is law – period.  Muhammad defined Jihad and he set the example for how to practice Jihad.  But you must understand that you have to look to more than the Qur’an if you want to understand this.  You must look to the second most holy book in Islam, the Hadith.  The Hadith is a collection of the sayings and customs of Muhammad.  In keeping to our comparison to Christianity, the Hadith would be roughly equivalent to the New Testament.

So, let’s look at what the Qur’an and Hadith tell us about what Muhammad said about Jihad.  In this case, I am using the three most trusted editors of the most trusted Hadith, and this is trusted by Islamic clerics and scholars.

From the Qur’an [Note: this is a very, very small selection; I could have posted pages of these]:

Qur’an:047.033

“Believers, obey Allah, and obey the Messenger! Those who disbelieve and hinder men from the Cause of Allah, He will not pardon. Do not falter; become faint-hearted, or weak-kneed, crying for peace. You have the upper hand.”

	Qur’an 2:216“Jihad is ordained for you (Muslims), though you dislike it. But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and like a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows, and you know not.” [Another translation reads:] “Warfare is ordained for you.”
	Qur’an 4:95“Not equal are those believers who sit at home and receive no injurious hurt, and those who strive hard, fighting Jihad in Allah’s Cause with their wealth and lives. Allah has granted a rank higher to those who strive hard, fighting Jihad with their wealth and bodies to those who sit (at home). Unto each has Allah promised good, but He prefers Jihadists who strive hard and fight above those who sit home. He has distinguished his fighters with a huge reward.”[If Jihad is merely an inner struggle, then why does one need to struggle with his money and body?]
	Qur’an 33:22“Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah and have gone out for Jihad. Some have completed their vow to extreme and have been martyred fighting and dying in His Cause, and some are waiting, prepared for death in battle.”[If Jihad is merely an inner struggle, then how would one die in the process of this struggle – especially into martyrdom?]
	Qur’an 9:111“Allah has purchased the believers, their lives and their goods. For them (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise). They fight in Allah’s Cause, and they slay and are slain; they kill and are killed.”[If Jihad is merely an inner struggle, then how is it that it requires one to slay and be slain: to kill and be killed?]
	Noble Qur’an:2:190 Footnote“Jihad is holy fighting in Allah’s Cause with full force of numbers and weaponry. It is given the utmost importance in Islam and is one of its pillars. By Jihad Islam is established, Allah’s Word is made superior and Islam is propagated. By abandoning Jihad Islam is destroyed and Muslims fall into an inferior position; their honor is lost, their lands are stolen, their rule and authority vanish. Jihad is an obligatory duty in Islam on every Muslim. He who tries to escape from this duty, or does not fulfill this duty, dies as a hypocrite.”

From the Hadith (by compiler’s name):

Bukhari:V1B2N25

“Allah’s Apostle [Muhammad] was asked, ‘What is the best deed?’ He replied, ‘To believe in Allah and His Apostle Muhammad.’ The questioner then asked, ‘What is the next best in goodness?’ He replied, ‘To participate in Jihad, religious fighting in Allah’s Cause.'”

Muslim:C40B20N4676

“Jihad Is Compulsory.”

[How does one misinterpret this – especially in light of the example Muhammad provided?]

Qur’an:8:7

“Allah wished to confirm the truth by His words: ‘Wipe the infidels out to the last.'”

Qur’an:8:39

“So, fight them till all opposition ends and the only religion is Islam.”

Bukhari:V4B51N72

“Our Prophet told us about the message of our Lord: ‘Whoever amongst us is killed will go to Paradise.’ Umar asked the Prophet, ‘Is it true that our men who are killed will go to Paradise and the Pagan’s will go to the Hell Fire?’ The Prophet said, ‘Yes.'”

Bukhari:V4B52N208

“My brother and I came to the Prophet and asked to migrate. He said, ‘Migration has passed away.’ I replied, ‘For what will you accept our pledge of allegiance?’) He said, ‘I will take the pledge for Islam and Jihad.'”

FROM ONE OF THOSE WHO TOOK OVER AFTER MUHAMMAD DIED

Bukhari:V4B53N386

“Umar sent Muslims to great countries to fight pagans. He said, ‘I intend to invade Persia and Rome.’ So, he ordered us to go to [the Persian King] Khosrau. When we reached the enemy, Khosrau’s representative came out with 40,000 warriors, saying, ‘Talk to me! Who are you?’ Mughira replied, ‘We are Arabs; we led a hard, miserable, disastrous life. We used to worship trees and stones. While we were in this state, our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah Alone or pay us the Jizyah tribute tax in submission. Our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says: ‘Whoever amongst us is killed as a martyr shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever survives shall become your master.'”

[This is called an historic record of what the earliest Muslims thought their mission was, and how their faith was to be spread.]

Ishaq:208

“When Allah gave permission to his Apostle to fight, the second Aqaba contained conditions involving war which were not in the first act of submission. Now we bound themselves to war against all mankind for Allah and His Apostle. He promised us a reward in Paradise for faithful service. We pledged ourselves to war in complete obedience to Muhammad no matter how evil the circumstances.”

Ishaq:204

“‘Men, do you know what you are pledging yourselves to in swearing allegiance to this man?’ [Muhammad] ‘Yes. In swearing allegiance to him we are pledging to wage war against all mankind.'”

Muslim:C32B20N4646

“Muhammad stood up among his Companions to deliver his sermon in which he told them that Jihad in Allah’s Cause and belief in Allah were the most meritorious of acts. A man stood and said: ‘Messenger, do you think that if I am killed in the Way of Allah, my sins will be blotted out?’ The Messenger said: ‘Yes, in case you are killed in Allah’s Cause and you always fought facing the enemy, never turning your back upon him.’ The man asked (again).’ The Messenger said: ‘Yes, if you always fought facing the enemy and never retreated. Gabriel has told me this.'”

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Now, I ask those of you who understand Christ’s Gospel:

If I said that those who called themselves Christian and said that the only way to God was through the Son were “radicals,” and that they had a “radical” interpretation of what Christ said, would you accept that claim?  I hope not, because Christ was emphatic and clear that he is the Truth, the Way and the Light, and that no one comes unto the father but through Him.  Muhammad was equally clear that Jihad is physical fighting.  We in the West – especially Christians and Jews —  would do well to at least understand and acknowledge this truth.

Now, add to this that Muhammad said Muslims can lie in the act of Jihad, even break all of Allah’s commands outwardly (just so long as you do not break them in your heart — a la Muhammad Ata and his alcohol and strippers), and you should start to understand what we are truly facing here?