Mauao Man

Myth 6: “Jihad Only Means a Personal Struggle”

📉 The Reality: Jihad Primarily Meant War — Personal Struggle Was a Later Rebranding

“Jihad” (جهاد) is one of the most manipulated terms in modern discourse about Islam. Apologists, educators, and politicians routinely sanitize it, telling us jihad is just a “personal spiritual struggle.”

Let’s be clear: this is a deliberate half-truth, designed to hide the violent origins, teachings, and historical application of jihad.

📚 I. What “Jihad” Really Means in Islamic Texts

The word jihad comes from the Arabic root ج-ه-د (jahada), meaning “to strive” or “to exert effort.” It has various forms, but in classical Islamic jurisprudence, jihad overwhelmingly refers to armed struggle — i.e., warfare against non-Muslims for the sake of expanding or defending Islam.

Qur’an 9:5 —
“Then kill the polytheists wherever you find them...”

Qur’an 9:29 —
“Fight those who do not believe in Allah or the Last Day... until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel subdued.”

Qur’an 2:216 —
“Fighting has been enjoined upon you even though it is hateful to you...”

These are not metaphors. These are military commands. The primary application of jihad in the Qur’an and hadith is literal combat.

⚔️ II. The Two Types of Jihad in Classical Islamic Thought

Islamic scholars later categorized jihad into two major forms:

1. Greater Jihad (al-jihad al-akbar)

The internal spiritual struggle to be a good Muslim.
Based on a single weak hadith: when Muhammad supposedly said upon returning from battle, “We have returned from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad — the struggle against the self.”

This hadith is not in any of the six major Sunni hadith collections (Bukhari, Muslim, etc.).
It is classified as unauthentic (da'if) by many hadith scholars.

So the entire concept of “greater jihad” is built on shaky ground.

2. Lesser Jihad (al-jihad al-asghar)

Actual fighting in the cause of Allah.
This is the dominant understanding in Qur’anic verses and hadith.
Considered a communal obligation (fard kifaya) — unless Muslims are under direct attack, in which case it becomes individually obligatory (fard 'ayn).

Ibn Taymiyyah: “There is no deed that brings greater reward than jihad.”

🏹 III. Muhammad’s Own Example: The Template of Violent Jihad

Muhammad personally led or ordered over two dozen military expeditions, including:

Badr (624 CE) — war against the Meccans
Uhud (625 CE) — continuation of hostilities
Trench (627 CE) — defensive war, followed by the massacre of the Banu Qurayza (600-900 Jewish men executed)
Khaybar (628 CE) — conquest of a Jewish fortress, enslavement of women
Conquest of Mecca (630 CE) — final subjugation of Quraysh

These were not just defensive skirmishes — some were explicitly preemptive or expansionist, conducted under the banner of jihad.

Sahih Muslim 1910 —
“I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah...”

This hadith obliterates the apologetic narrative that jihad is just a private matter or merely defensive.

🌍 IV. Jihad in Islamic History: The Engine of Imperial Expansion

A. Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates (632–750 CE)

Rapid military conquests of:
- Byzantine territories (Syria, Egypt)
- Persian Empire (Iraq, Iran)
- North Africa, Spain, parts of India

These were not “defensive” wars. They were military invasions justified by jihad.

B. Ottoman Empire

Maintained a legal obligation of jihad to expand Islamic rule.
Used jihad rhetoric during their conquests of Christian Europe.
The Caliph (Sultan) was considered the supreme commander of jihad.

C. Sharia and Dhimma

Jihad created non-Muslim dhimmis, who:
- Paid the jizya tax
- Had reduced legal rights
- Could not build new churches or proselytize
All justified through jihad doctrines found in Qur’an 9:29 and hadith.

📖 V. Classical Islamic Jurists Were Crystal Clear

From all four Sunni madhhabs:

Al-Shafi‘i: Jihad is to be waged against non-Muslims at least once a year.
Ibn Qudamah (Hanbali): “The objective of jihad is to call people to Islam, and to fight them if they refuse.”
Al-Ghazali: “The purpose of fighting... is to destroy the foundation of unbelief and bring them to the true faith.”

None of them argued that jihad is “just a personal struggle.” That modern slogan is a fiction.

🧠 VI. Modern Rebranding: Why This Myth Persists

Apologists push the “greater jihad” narrative for political reasons:

To shield Islam from criticism
To distance themselves from Islamic terror groups
To make Islam compatible with liberal Western norms

But groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram cite the exact same Qur’anic verses and hadiths as classical scholars — and as Muhammad did. The difference is that modern moderates ignore or reinterpret these sources, not that the extremists fabricate them.

When both ISIS and Al-Azhar University (Sunni Islam's highest authority) quote the same texts, the problem isn't “misinterpretation.” It’s the source itself.

⚖️ Final Verdict:

Jihad is not “just a personal struggle.”
It is, according to the Qur’an, hadith, and 1,400 years of Islamic scholarship:

A military obligation to fight unbelievers

A means to expand Islamic rule

A justification for conquest, subjugation, and execution

Enforced historically across continents under the banner of Islam

The sanitized version of jihad is a modern PR invention, not a doctrinal truth.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the Author

Mauao Man is a blog created by a New Zealand writer who believes in following the evidence wherever it leads. From history and religion to culture and society, Mauao Man takes a clear, critical, and honest approach — challenging ideas without attacking people. Whether exploring the history of Islam in New Zealand, the complexities of faith, or the contradictions in belief systems, this blog is about asking the hard questions and uncovering the truth.

If you value clarity over comfort and truth over tradition, you’re in the right place.