Jihad, one of the important concepts of Islam, is surrounded by a mass of stereotypes outside the Muslim world. We checked how religious scholars understand and interpret this concept.

There is an opinion that a large jihad is distinguished in Islam - the struggle of the believer with his passions, and Maly Jihad, whose goal is the war with the infidels (Gazavat). At the same time, it is often argued that the big jihad in its importance superior small. You can also find information that until the beginning of the 1980s small jihad Not declared For several centuries. At the same time, modern radical Islamist groups are actively Use Jihadist rhetoric.

The word "jihad" in itself translated From Arabic as “zeal, effort” and means any human effort to arrange his life or the life of others according to the will of God. Jihad can be aimed at missionary, establishing well -being in the Muslim community or the fight against bad thoughts and aspirations - both their own and collective. Such efforts do not always imply a performance with weapons in the hands or the spread of God's establishments by violent way.

Before moving on to the analysis of Koranic contexts, it is necessary to make an important remark. Koran I was not Sprown to the Prophet Muhammad at the same time: he received divine revelations for more than 20 years. During this time, Islam turned from the views of a small persecuted community into a religion, uniting all Arabian tribes. Of course, a change in the situation of the Muslim community required new regulations that followed in later, in the time of sending the revelations that also entered the Qur'an. Therefore, to understand many passages from the Holy Book of Muslims, it is necessary to take into account circumstances Their sending - it is they who often clarify the context in which this or that installation arose.

This is what the Koran’s commentators do: they take into account not only the grammar and syntax of the ayats (poems) of the Holy Book. We know chronology Sur (chapters) of the Koran, which does not coincide with their numbering. Surahs in the Qur'an, walking after the first “opening”, are located to reduce volume, and not by the date of sending. Traditionally, the suras are attached to the time of Muhammad’s life and are divided into those that were sent down in Mecca (earlier), and those that fell on the period of his life in Medina. At the same time, a number of provisions were specified or changed as the Qur'an was sent down, as happened, for example, with prohibition for drinking alcohol.

Analysis of such changes and clarifications led to the formation of a doctrine Namha. According to this doctrine, in the event that the provisions recorded in one verse contradict the installations of another ayah, then it is necessary to refer to the date of their sending. In such a situation, the later ayat cancels or clarifies the position of an earlier one. It is important to note that the change could lead not only to tightening, but sometimes to softening. In addition, in a number of situations, the issue of “canceling” the earlier position later and to this day remains debatable.

In the Qur'an the term "jihad", as well as single -rooted words Meet 41 times. Among these passages, many regulate the relations of Muslims with infidels, but not all of them call precisely to armed methods of resolving conflicts. For these, for example, the verse includes 25:52: “Do not obey the wrong, but fight with them a great struggle with the help of this” (translation of the author). Under the "this" most commentators understand It is the Qur'an and in general that this ayat is interpreted as a call not to retreat in the confrontation with the infidels, to adhere to the attitudes of the Qur'an and fight for the spread of Islam. When interpreting also It is taken into account The time of sending Ayata: he appeared in the Meccan period of Muhammad's life, when the Muslim community was still too small to fight off the incorrect with weapons in his hands.

After relocation from Mecca to Medina, the Muslims quickly became stronger and became important political and military force on the Arabian Peninsula. The community under the leadership of Muhammad successfully waged the fight against Arab politicalists and had the opportunity to impose their position on them. A change in the status of Muslims was reflected in the Qur'an. It is this period that refers to sending Ayata about the sword (9: 5, hereinafter - in the translation of I. Yu. Krachkovsky): “Beat the polytheists where you find them, seize them, besiege, arrange an ambush against them in every hidden place! If they turned and performed a prayer and gave purification, then free them the way: after all, Allah is forgiven, merciful! ” In this case, we are talking about an armed struggle against the infidels, the purpose of which is their appeal to Islam.

The status of this verse is still the reason for disputes among experts in the Koran and Muslim lawyers. Does he cancel the provisions of previously sent verses on the same topic, in particular, calling Muslims to patience in the face of polytheists like "turn off from them and say:" Peace! " And then they will find out "(Koran 43:89)? These issues are private cases of a broader discussion about the number of “abolished” verses. So, the authoritative commentator AN-Nahhas (died in 949) I thoughtthat the ayat about the mosque cancels the provisions of 113 earlier verses, while the famous Koran Specialist of As-Suyuti (died in 1505) counted In total, 21 “canceled” ayat, separately noting that the ayat does not cancel the action of the verses about patience.

Interpretation of individual verses about jihad Changed over time. This applies, for example, ayah 29:69: “And those who were zealous for us - we will lead them along our paths. Truly, Allah, of course, with good people! " The early commentators of the VIII - IX centuries in this case understood the good deeds of the believer and the call for patience, but a number of commentators of the X - XI centuries began to interpret this passage differently. In their opinion, in this case, this is precisely the armed struggle with the infidels. Despite the fact that majority The commentators still do not see in this context of any indication of violence, this example demonstrates that discussions may exist about relatively “peaceful” verses.

Kaaba during Hajj
Author: Amr Zakarya (Wikimedia Commons)

The topic of jihad is devoted to a number of hadiths - reports of the Prophet Muhammad, on the basis of which it is established Sunnah, the second after the Qur'an the source of law in Islam. Muslim lawyers They thinkthat the provisions set forth in the hadiths open, complement and clarify the installations of the Qur'an. In authoritative Sunni collections of hadiths, we find both warlike and peaceful contexts of descriptions of jihad. In one of the hadiths Speak Ithat if a person dies without fighting the wrong and not feeling the responsibility for this, then he dies hypocritically. In another hadis Muhammad calls The best appearance of jihad is the one in which the husband sheds blood, and his horse is injured.

However, not all hadiths about jihad are filled with warlike rhetoric. Participant in the fight against infidels Say goodbye All sins. Jihad need to to lead in a word and business, and sacrificing your property. In one of the statements of Muhammad calls Jihad is the third largest among the good deeds of the believer after fulfilling mandatory prayers and care for parents. On the other hand, the care of parents is valued higher than the fight against the infidels: so, the Prophet advises A person to focus on this instead of taking part in Jihad. Women, children, old people and sick Released From the obligation to fight for faith, since "their jihad is a pilgrimage to Mecca."

Starting from the first centuries of Islam, a special type of literature dedicated to the rules and valor of Jihad is formed in the Muslim world. The authors of such works, starting from the attitudes of the Koran and the Sunnah, represent a wide palette of opinions regarding relations with the infidels, whether in a peaceful or military context. An interesting detail of the evolution of public opinion regarding the powers of jihad Notes Researcher Asma Afsaruddin. She emphasizes that if, in the early stages of Muslim history, in such essays you can meet both “peaceful” and “military” understandings of jihad, then over time Jihad begins to be understood exclusively from a military point of view. Such a change in the vector is usually explained by the fact that Muslim states became increasingly vulnerable in the fight against external and internal enemies, which was why they needed the voluntary assistance of fighters for faith.

It is likely that as an alternative exclusively to the military interpretation of the struggle for faith from about the middle of the VIII century, the concept of two jihads arises and strengthened. She Rapits To the hadith, in which the Prophet addresses the Muslims who returned from a military campaign: "Today you have returned from small jihad and go to a big jihad." Further, Muhammad explains that by great jihad he understands the struggle of the believer with his passions. Although this hadith is not found in authoritative collections, and a number of famous theologians and jurists (by the way, conservative in their judgments) They question Its authenticity, it is found in collections of moralizing orientation.

The popularity of this concept is associated with the spread of an ascetic-mystical worldview in the Muslim world and the development of Sufi teachings. The famous Askette Abdallah Ibn al-Mubarak (died in 797), at the same time combining ascetic and military valor (for which he received the nickname "Leading two wars"), in his book about jihad claims: A real warrior is one who fights with the manifestations of his low soul. In the future, the concept of the struggle of the believer with his passions is developed in Sufi literature, and with the expansion of the influence of Sufism also penetrates into a set of general Muslim ethical attitudes. The key author, who successfully managed to incorporate the moralizing attitudes of the Sufis among the commendable qualities of the believer, is the famous theologian and lawyer Abu Hamid al-Gazali (died in 1111). In your fundamental work "Resurrection of religious sciences" He Displays It is precisely the struggle with your own passions, decorating your reasoning with warlike rhetoric. It is interesting that al-Gazali finished this essay during the first crusade, according to which Muslims Closed Significant territories to the crusaders.

Henri Frederick Chopin. Battle under the walls of Antioch in June 1098

In general, it would be mistaken to argue that any of the interpretations of jihad - military or peaceful - is considered the main one. Passages from the Qur'an and hadiths do not give an unambiguous answer to this question and provide a wide field for interpretations: since the Church Institute in his Christian sense is absent in Islam (we wrote more about this Here), any interpretation of the sacred text is reinforced only by the authority of the commentator. In addition, these interpretations are not “in vacuum” and often react to external events. Thus, the military understanding of jihad was fixed at the moment when the Muslim world needed a constant tributary of recruits (for example, On the border with Byzantium).

The announcement of jihad continues to be used as a political tool. Under the slogan of the struggle with the infidels, anti -colonial speeches rose in Algeria And Libya. At the beginning of the First World War, the Ottoman Empire Jihad announced The calculation that the Muslim subjects of the countries of the Entente will raise an uprising against their current rulers (it is likely that one of the reasons Singapore uprising In 1915 there was Ottoman propaganda). In 2010, the head of Libya Muammar Gaddafi announced Jihad "Against Switzerland, Zionism and Foreign Aggression." Ideologists of modern fundamentalist and jihadist groups Use Radical interpretations of the Qur'an and hadiths to justify their activities. At the same time, a number of modern Muslim thinkers (for example, a disgraced Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen Or a Pakistani philosopher Fazlur Rahman Malik) They understand jihad exclusively in moral and ethical terms.

However, in political discourse, jihad is used not only to justify military operations, but also for mobilization for peaceful purposes. For example, a leader Islamic revolution In Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, after the victory of the revolutionary forces Restorative jihadwhose purpose was to rise in agriculture in the country (now in Iran is valid The Ministry of Agricultural Jihad). First President of Tunisia Khabib Bourgiba Used Jihad rhetoric as a mobilization factor during economic reforms. Even in the era of modernism, religious concepts and symbols have a powerful potential among Muslims that can encourage them both to constructive achievements and destructive ones.