Kelsey+S

= Jihad, Sunni vs. Shi’ite  = What exactly is Jihad? Many debates have occurred due to this question. Rarely will one find two religious groups to consider Jihad to mean exactly the same thing. Some deny that Jihad has anything to do with violence; others disagree and come to believe that their own definition is the correct one. There are also the groups that believe the same definition of Jihad but interpret it or apply it differently to their religion. Jihad is said to be “ an effort to practice religion in the face of oppression and persecution. The effort may come in fighting the evil in your own heart, or in standing up to a dictator.” ( “What is Jihad”) Those who believe in this definition of Jihad say that Military effort could also be thought of as an option, but only as a last resort. The miscommunication here is often that many think it is okay to “spread Islam by sword,” but this is just a stereotype that they do not want others to believe. The word Jihad comes from an Arabic word J-H-D, which essentially means, “strive”, “struggle”, “effort”, “labor”, or “fatigue”. There are two really known meanings in which Muslims refer to as the “greater Jihad,” and the “lesser Jihad,” but of these two meanings comes the concept of [|conflict]. One Muslim group, called the Sunnis, classifies Jihad by the greater, // al-jihād al-akbar, // and the lesser, // al-jihād al-asghar, // according to their own interpretations of the word. The greater refers to the internal struggle, whereas the lesser refers to the external, physical endeavor, more commonly recognized in the form of fighting or of war. To identify the origin of the Sunni belief in the greater jihad, some have said there is a known historical basis. This basis is one in which “ Mohammed is reported to have told warriors returning home that they had returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust.” ("Jihad")  Although this basis has been questionable, there are other resources and basis that apply to the internal struggle as the greater jihad. On the contrary, other of the Sunnis debated Mohammed’s basis and described their reason for different belief. An Islamic scholar agreed that “internal jihad” was important, but also debated with a different view. He said, the view of the hadith, or oral tradition, was weak. The hadith considered “Jihad of the heart” to be more important than “Jihad of the sword.” Not only did he argue the hadith as weak, but also marked it as a false hadith. He claimed it had no historical meaning, and was mearly only a saying of Ibrahim Ibn Abi `Abalah, one of Mohammed’s Successors. The Sunni religion also had four underlying categories of Jihad in which they could relate to, these include Jihad of the Heart, Jihad of the Tongue, Jihad of the Hand, and Jihad of the Sword. Each of these different groups refer to struggle in the cause of God. As a result, many Islamists resorted to the lesser jihad to strengthen the Islamic religion in general, “[|Holy War]” has become the most commonly recognized definition of Jihad within the Sunni religion. They use the lesser jihad to defend their religion and establish this state of belief. Although the Sunnis and Shi’ites agree on the major fundamentals of Islam, they have their own opinions and beliefs as well. The Sunnis say that the Shi’ites take the essentials of Islam for granted, but this is not how the Shi’ites interpret their actions into beliefs. The fact of the matter is not necessarily that they take it for granted, but that they concentrate soley on winning over other Muslims to their group. Jihad for the Shia is an ongoing strife between them and the Sunnis. This strife occurs to prove their belief is not just taking the fundamentals for granted, but to show there are explanations to back up their actions. The Shi’ites follow different Practices of Religion, each say a different thing, and Jihad is one of the main practices. Their concept of Jihad says, “struggling to please the Almighty. The greater, or internal Jihad is the struggle against the evil within one's soul in every aspect of life. The lesser, or external, Jihad is the struggle against the evil of one's environment in every aspect of life. This is not to be mistaken with the common modern misconception that this means "Holy War". Writing the truth (jihad bil qalam) and speaking truth in front of an oppressor are also forms of Jihad.” ("Aspects of the Religion")  Although the Sunni and Shia definitions of Jihad are similar, their intrepretation of them can be completely different. These two religions differ mostly on their doctrines and tradition which in turn can alter feelings toward each opposing side’s definition of Jihad. The Shia are forbidden to participate in any sort of hostile Jihad and are expected to follow after their imam, or spiritual leader.

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