1. WHAT IS JIHAD? UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS DOES ISLAM SANCTION THE USE OF VIOLENCE? WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SUICIDE BOMBERS WHO INVOKE ISLAM TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS?

Linguistically, Jihad means “to struggle or strive against an opponent.” The classical commentary on the Qur’an and the Way of the Prophet Muhammad describes four levels of Jihad, all of which involve a struggle on the side of goodness, truth and justice for the sake of God against evil, falsehood and injustice.

The most inward and profound meaning is “Jihad against the self or ego,” the struggle for good against evil that occurs within every human being. This is sometimes referred to as the “Greatest Jihad” because it underpins the other levels of Jihad.

“Jihad with wealth” is the sacrifice of wealth to support noble causes.

“Jihad with the tongue” (or pen, printing press, keyboard, etc.) is the oral, verbal and written struggle for goodness, truth and justice.

Finally, “Jihad with one’s life” includes the ongoing, lifelong struggle as well as the willingness to give up one’s life in a just and noble cause for the sake of God. This includes the military form of Jihad, which here may be translated as a “Sacred War,” a term that has similarities to the concept of the “Just War” in Christianity and to militant traditions in all major religions. There are strict rules governing military Jihad, such as it being a declared war and the prohibition of targeting civilians and other non-combatants.

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