jihad

ji·had

noun \ji-ˈhäd, chiefly British -ˈhad\

: a war fought by Muslims to defend or spread their beliefs

Full Definition of JIHAD

1

:  a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty; also :  a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual discipline

2

:  a crusade for a principle or belief

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Variants of JIHAD

ji·had also je·had \ji-ˈhäd, chiefly British -ˈhad\

Origin of JIHAD

Arabic jihād

First Known Use: 1869

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

Rhymes with JIHAD

Akkad, Arad, Ashdod, aubade, ballade, Belgrade, bipod, black cod, Black Rod, Cape Cod, couvade, croustade, death squad, dry-shod, ephod, facade, fantod, fly rod, glissade, hot-rod, lingcod, Nimrod, oeillade, peasecod, pomade, ramrod, Riyadh, roughshod, roulade, saccade, scalade, seedpod, slipshod, sun god, synod, tie-rod, tightwad, tomcod, torsade, tripod, unshod, vice squad

jihad

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In Islam, the central doctrine that calls on believers to combat the enemies of their religion. According to the Qur'an and the Hadith, jihad is a duty that may be fulfilled in four ways: by the heart, the tongue, the hand, or the sword. The first way (known in Sufism as the “greater jihad”) involves struggling against evil desires. The ways of the tongue and hand call for verbal defense and right actions. The jihad of the sword involves waging war against enemies of Islam. Believers contend that those who die in combat become martyrs and are guaranteed a place in paradise. In the 20th and 21st centuries the concept of jihad has sometimes been used as an ideological weapon in the effort to combat Western influences and secular governments and to establish an ideal Islamic society.