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The Ruling on Jihad — Its Types and Conditions for Declaration

fiqh Level: advanced jihad fqh-088
وَقَٰتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡتَدُوٓاْ
— البقرة 190
Key verses: "Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you and do not transgress." (2:190); "Prepare against them what you can." (8:60)

Types of jihad:
  1. Jihad of the self: Striving against desires and the devil — "Those who strive for Us" (29:69).
  2. Jihad of da'wa: Calling to Allah with wisdom — "Strive against them with it (the Quran) a great striving." (25:52)
  3. Armed jihad (qital): To repel aggression and remove oppression — with conditions.
Conditions for declaring armed jihad:
  1. Leadership: Declared only by a legitimate imam — communal obligation under the imam's leadership.
  2. Valid Sharia reason: Aggression, obstruction of da'wa, or oppression — not worldly motives.
  3. Capability: "Prepare against them what you can" — condition of preparation and capacity.
  4. Invitation first: The enemy is invited to Islam or jizya before fighting — hadith of Burayda (Muslim 1731).
Individual vs. communal duty: Individual obligation when enemies invade the land; communal otherwise.
Source: Al-Qurtubi (2/347); Al-Mughni — Ibn Qudama (10/364); Ibn al-Mubarak, Al-Jihad (p.15); Muslim (1731)
Question: What are the three types of jihad? Name two conditions for declaring armed jihad.
Answer: Types: jihad of the self, da'wa, armed. Two conditions for declaration: legitimate leadership, and a valid Sharia cause (aggression or obstruction of da'wa).
Printed from quran.zayenha.com — 6/3/2026