Islam Rediscovered
10. Islam As It Is
~ 135 ~
example is that of the battle of the trench. In this
event there was clear-cut aggression on the part of
the antagonists, who travelled as far as 300 miles
from Makkah to Madinah only to attack the
Muslims. But the Prophet dug a trench in order to
prevent an armed confrontation and thus avoided
engaging in a defensive war.
It is true that
jihad
is one of the most important
teachings of Islam. But
jihad
is not synonymous
with war. In Islam another word is used for war
and fighting. This word is
‘qital.’
When the Qur’an
refers to war or fighting, it uses the word
qital
and
not
jihad
.
Jihad
literally means to strive or to struggle. So
jihad
actually means peaceful struggle, especially for
da‘wah
work. The Qur’an says: Do great
jihad
with
the help of the Qur’an. (25:52)
The Qur’an is simply a book, and not a sword, “so
do great
jihad
with the Qur’an” means ‘do great
jihad
with the ideological power of the Qur’an. In
fact,
jihad
is only another name for peaceful
activism. And peaceful activism is the only weapon
