The Concept of Jihad in Islam

This practice or Sunnah of the Prophet applies not only to the routine affairs of life but also to serious matters such as war, which by its very nature is a difficult option. A study of the life of the Prophet reveals that he never initiated war himself. Whenever his opponents sought to entangle him in fighting, he would always adopt some way to try to avoid it and stave off war. He engaged in war only when there remained no other options. Thus, going by the Prophet’s method, wars of aggression are forbidden in Islam. Islam allows only for defensive war, and that, too, only when it becomes unavoidable. In life, one is constantly faced with the problem of choosing between two options: peaceful means, on the one hand, and violent means, on the other. The accounts of the Prophet’s life tell us that always, and in every matter, he shunned violence and adopted peaceful methods. His whole life was a successful model of this principle. Here are some instances that illustrate this point: 1. Soon after being appointed as a prophet, the Prophet of Islam was faced with choosing between the two options mentioned above—peaceful and violent methods. As a prophet, his mission was to end polytheism and establish monotheism. The