Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture

Terrorism and Jihad, An Islamic Perspective
Amir Latif1 and Hafiza Sabiha Munir

Abstract
Man has always wanted peace: war has never been his aim. Yet wars have always been an undeniable fact of life. Human desire for peace, at times wars do become indispensable. However, ideas differ as to when wars could be justified and when they are just a matter of sheer aggression. In tune with its claim to universality, both in terms of time and space, Islam has propounded its own everlasting concept of war, based on Divine wisdom and consideration of human welfare. Unfortunately, however, over a period of time, Islam’s position on war has been hidden in confusion and misinterpretations. To make matters worse, more often than not, Jihad has come to be equated with terrorism something which runs counter to the spirit and substance of Islam. This has more to do with the actions of a few misguided elements. Nevertheless, an overwhelming majority of Muslims, not only the educated but also the common believers, are against engaging war beyond the limitations prescribed in Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). Although a lot has been written on Jihadand terrorism. Much of the data on Jihad is limited of one kind or another. So, this article is an attempt of a comparative analysis between Jihad and terrorism. Since, 9/11 modern world said that “Every Muslim is not a Terrorist, But Every Terrorist is a Muslim”.

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