Dr Zakir Naik is an Indian Muslim, residing in Mumbai. He is the founder of the Islamic Research Foundation in Mumbai, India. He is a phenomenal lecturer and has studied world religions, especially the Abrahamic faiths as well as Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism.
He quotes from scripture to back his claims, which is why I really like him.
Listen to this 3-min video of dissolving the biggest neocon misconception: Jihad.
YouTube - What is Jihad? By Zakir Naik
1. Jihad in Islam means "to strive or struggle":
a) against one's own inner inclinations that leads one away from Allah (God)
b) to make society better
c) in the battlefield in self-defense
d) against tyranny and oppression
2. Qu'ran says "Where you find Kafir [non-Muslims], you kill them." This is one of the most widely quoted propaganda tools by neocons against Islam.
a) Indeed, the Qu'ran does mention this, but its a quote taken out of context, because in immediately previous verses, it is referring to a peace treaty broken by a foreign group, and so the Qu'ran in this verse is declaring war. In the battlefield of war, the Qu'ran is thus saying to kill wherever you find non-Muslims, but this is exclusively during times of war only. In other words, these verses that describe jihad in the Qu'ran are what any effective military General would tell his soldiers.
3. Jihad means struggle or strive against the above-listed things. It does NOT mean 'holy war'. In fact, nowhere in the entire Qu'ran nor the Hadith is the word 'holy war' mentioned.
4. Ultimately, only two of the four possible definitions of Jihad is violent, but the Qu'ran makes it clear that violent Jihad applies only in instances of self-defense or in response to oppression and tyranny.
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