Jihad — Its Rulings and Conditions
fiqh
Level: advanced
hudud
fqh-016
وَقَٰتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡتَدُوٓاْ
— البقرة 190
Verse: "Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, and do not transgress. Allah does not love aggressors." (2:190)
Defensive jihad: Individual obligation on those being fought — the verse restricts fighting to those who fight.
Offensive jihad: Collective obligation — if some perform it, the rest are relieved. Conditional on imam's permission and capability.
"Do not transgress": Jihad has ethics — no killing of women, children, monks, and non-combatants.
Source: Al-Qurtubi (2/349); Al-Jassas (1/279); Ibn Qudama (9/163)
Question: What is the difference in ruling between defensive and offensive jihad?
Answer: Defensive: individual obligation on those directly attacked. Offensive: collective obligation lifted if some perform it, conditional on the imam's authorization.