Browsing by Author "Mahmoud Khordoo"

This study aims to explore the developments that occurred in the concept of Jihād through the history of Contemporary Islamic Thought. First, it studies the concept in the constituent texts of Islam (Qur’ān and Sunnah) and traces its early developments among jurists and Sufis who were the early scholars of Islamic Thought. The study then focuses on reasons that played a role in the changes that occured in the concept in an attempt to explain how its conceptual developments happened. It also elaborates on the causes of such developments in relation to the perspective of worldview of Islamic thinkers in every era. Based on that, theorizing of Jihād and its practice was not the concern of this study. To come up with an understanding of the conceptual developments that occurred, the study applied an approach that combined inductive, analysis and historical comparison for the collection, analysis and comparison of scientific materials related to the subject written by Muslim thinkers. To explain such developments, it then uses its own explanatory theory derived from the methodology of Toshihiko Izutsu in analytical studies of Quranic concepts, understanding of their developments and explaining their movement between the Jāhilīyah and Quranic worldviews. The study found that Jihād as a term was not prevalent in Arabic before the Quran; it is a Quranic term meaning to exert energy and bear difficulty in order to uphold the word of Tawḥīd, without specifying a particular means for that. In addition, while the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions practised this concept in its wide meaning contained in the Qur'an, Jurists confined it specificly to fighting the infidels. Sufis confined it to specific physical acts done on human self and body in order to purify them. By studying the contemporary period, the study found that Reformists and Renewalists atempted to develop a peaceful understanding of the concept by restricting its application to defensive acts of fighting. On the other hand, some scholars included this concept in the field of politics and made it a way to access power and build a system of Islamic rule on the ruins of corrupted regimes of the world. Some of them then pursued this gole by practising Jihād - which was made equal to armed violence - against regimes in some Muslim countries. After a while, they shifted to fighting international super powers as they were considered enemies who controlled these regimes. Furthermore, worldview played a big role in all attempts in understanding and practising Jihād. The study reached this conclusion by evaluating the history of Contemporary Islamic Thought with the help of its explanatory linguistic theory.