Exploring the role of “Jihad” in the Establishment of Universal Peace

Abstract

Jihad is an umbrella concept of Islam, but unfortunately, nowadays it is misused both as a terminology and practice in a very narrow sense. The concept of jihad is crystal clear in Islam but it has been made dubious by certain schools of thought for achieving their vested interests. Consequently differences of opinions about the definition of jihad emerged not only among the masses but also in the circles of the learned ones, hence, no agreed upon definition emerge. Due to this, questions are raised like whether jihad is synonymous to terrorism? or what is the fundamental role of jihad in establishing universal peace? What is the modus operandi of jihad? But so far, no scholarly effort has been made to hammer this issue out in an unbiased and objective manner. Whatever has been done consist more on either argumentative encounter or defending one’s own ideological stance. For that reason this research article attempts to carry out an objective analysis of the role of jihad in the establishment of universal peace. It is hoped that this attempt of intellectual pursuit will not only be a source of guidance to the common people but will also open new avenues for research scholars in this field.