Jihad in Islam

JIHAD IN ISLAM: How to Understand and Practice It Dr. Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti This book examines the meaning of Jihad is Islam--first presenting the essential concept and then through an analysis of fiqhi issues such as: Dar al-Islam, contract of free non-Muslim subjects (dhimmi), tribute (jizyah), charging with infidelity, treatment of apostates, disobeying the ruler, belligerency, and aggression. The book clears the concept of Jihad from the unwarranted attacks to which it has been subject, and the wrong conceptions of it held by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The author, Chair of the Theology Department at Damascus University and a well-known international Islamic thinker who has penned over 40 books, shows how--especially in recent times--the term Jihad has been used and abused by countless groups, factions and political parties who--in complete disregard of the bases of fiqh, have manipulated the concept of jihad to their own ends. The author clarifies how, when, who and with what means jihad is to be conducted, according to the accepted schools of Islamic fiqh. The book appeared in Arabic in 1994. The first printing was sold out in less than a month, and since then the book has been reprinted four times. It generated a huge intellectual debate in the Arab world, a debate that continues up until today. Sensing the importance of the book, Dar Al-Fikr made Jihad in Islam available for English readers.