What Jihād Really Means (And Why Most of Us Get It Wrong)
Announcing a series
Welcome to “What Jihād Really Means (and Why Most of Us Get It Wrong)”, a forthcoming series exploring the complex, oft-maligned, and largely misunderstood notion of jihād. Drawing from my thesis in Islamic Studies, these posts will adapt, summarise, and at times expand upon its most important insights for a wider audience.
Each week, I’ll share findings from my thesis research, alongside personal reflections and stimuli for further thought and discussion. While each instalment will build on the previous one, there’ll be helpful summaries throughout, so newcomers can join the conversation at any moment.
Together, we’ll explore how jihād encompasses both the outward struggle to defend one’s faith and community, and the inward battle against one’s own ego and one’s baser tendencies. We’ll examine not only what jihād has meant in the foundational texts of Islam, but also in the thought of Sufis who grappled with these seemingly dichotomous aspects—both in their writings and in their lives.
My hope is that, by revealing the shifting, multifaceted meanings of jihād, which is usually reduced to a single dimension in Western discourse (namely, holy war), I can help dispel misunderstandings, soften some certainties, and make space for complexity. Those looking for simple answers will leave with empty hands. This series won’t offer a soundbite-ready version of jihād or Sufism, whether polemical or apologetic, but rather, to illuminate the wide variety of interpretations that have emerged in Islamic history with as little normative judgment as possible.
Whether you’re a believer, a student of religious studies or practitioner of interfaith dialogue, or simply curious about the Islam beyond the headlines, I hope this series will challenge your preconceptions and foster a more nuanced perspective—whatever your current beliefs may be. I encourage you to engage not only with the ideas, but also with your own emotional reactions, through self-reflection, and with others, through discussion. Your doubts and discomforts are as welcome here as your curiosity.
Understanding other worldviews calls for patience, intellectual humility, and the ability to hold multiple perspectives. All of this is hard enough. But it also calls for kindness towards, and willingness to engage with, those who disagree with us, which can be even harder. This series is my small attempt to do just that.
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Thank you for reading. I look forward to seeing where this conversation takes us.
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘jihād’ or ‘Sufi’? Or inversely: what assumptions have you encountered that you’d like to see addressed in this series? Share your thoughts in the comments below.