Jihad

Jihad is an Arabic word that means ‘exerting’, ‘striving’, or ‘struggling’, particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God’s guidance, such as an internal struggle against evil in oneself, efforts to build a good Muslim community (ummah), and struggle to defend Islam. For its literal translation ‘struggle’, the term is frequently associated with warfare.