The Muslims Internet Directory

The Book of Jihad and Expedition (Kitab Al-Jihad wa'l-Siyar) Translation of Sahih Muslim, Book 19

Over the past couple years, the word Jihad has been misused by the Western press. The Western press has labeled the word Jihad to mean "holy war". The actual translation of "holy war" in Arabic is "harbun muqaddasatu". War can be a form of Jihad, but it is a last resort, and it is strongly discouraged. In fact, according to the teachings of Islam, it is against the Islamic religion to start a war. The result of this use of the word in Western press is that many people do not know the true meaning of Jihad.