Jihad, its true meaning.

When examining the early formation of the Islamic religion in my history class, we learned of the Five Pillars that Muslims must live by. Also, we looked at the five Articles of Faith that a Muslim must believe in order to consider themselves a devout Muslim. Apart from these two requirements of the faith, Muslims must also study the Koran and follow the practice of Jihad. I was particularly interested in why the concept of Jihad was its own category and why it did not just fall under one of the pillars or Articles of Faith. While searching for the answer to my question I came across an academic study that's purpose was to explain the original intentions of the concept of Jihad according to its first interpretation.

This article describes Jihad as something every member of the Islamic society must carry out, that is"they must exert themselves at all moments of life to fight a battle both inward and outward against those forces that if not combated will destroy that equilibrium which is the necessary condition for the spiritual life of the person and the functioning of human society." In simpler terms, Jihad is a battle against the evils of not only the outside world but also the evils generated with in each individual. The vices Muslims are trying to avoid internally are hatred, laziness, forgetfulness, and dissipation. The reason that Jihad is not one of the Five pillars is that each of the pillars reinforces the concept of Jihad. The pillars are set up as a means to help the process of living while successfully accomplishing Jihad.

To learn in more detail the concept of Jihad visit this website: Academic Journal