Intended Meaning
Jihad, in his view, is broader than fighting, because it means hardship and obligation in multiple domains, not only military confrontation. It includes striving against the self, peaceful action, and defending freedom. As for fighting, it is a narrower form of jihad, and involves the use of force when necessary, especially to repel aggression.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: Distinctive
- Movement of the argument: Expands jihad and specifies fighting.
- Central terms: jihad, fighting, freedom.
- Degree of centrality: Central.
The atom distinguishes between a comprehensive concept of jihad and a narrower concept of fighting, thereby preventing the reduction of obligation to violence and linking it to hardship, action, and defense.
Reading Aids
- Muhammad Shahrur Umm al-Kitab and Its Elaboration
- Jihad, Fighting, and the Critique of Violence
- jihad
- fighting
- freedom
Basis
- Supporting text: «Jihad: hardship and obligation broader than fighting, and it includes striving against the self, peaceful activity, and defending freedom. Fighting: narrower than jihad, and it is the use of force when necessary, especially in defense and repelling aggression».
Degree of Documentation
- Level: Directly documented
- Meaning of the level: The atom rests on an explicit witness close to the formulation of the claim.
- Limits of reading: The wording above is an analytical summary, and is not treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is cited word for word.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is definitional; it establishes a meaning or conceptual distinction on which Shahrur relies in building the idea.
Related to
Editorial Note
This atom is one of the most important keys to the critique of violence in this project.