Why does Islam allow Muslims to kill others in the name of Jihad?

Jihad is the most misunderstood word about Islam, not only among non-Muslims but even among many Muslims. It does not mean 'any war fought by any Muslim for any reason.'

The word 'jihad' comes from the Arabic root 'jahada,' which means to strive or struggle. If a student is striving to pass an examination, in Arabic it is said he is doing jihad. If an employee is striving to satisfy his employer, that too is jihad. The word fundamentally means to strive and to struggle.

In the Islamic context, jihad has multiple dimensions:

1. Jihad against one's own evil inclinations (jihad al-nafs) — considered the greatest jihad. The Prophet said: 'A Mujaahid is a person who strives against his own self in the way of Allah' (Sahih Ibn Hibbaan 4862).
2. Jihad to make society better — to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.
3. Jihad through Da'wah — to convey the message of Islam and remove misconceptions.
4. Jihad in self-defense on the battlefield (qitaal) — the last and most restricted form.

The term 'Holy War' (Harbum Muqaddasah) does not appear anywhere in the Qur'an or authentic Hadith. This phrase was coined during the Crusades by Christian Europe to describe their own wars. The orientalists later misapplied it to the word 'jihad,' and unfortunately even some Muslim scholars adopted this mistranslation. The Arabic word for fighting is 'qitaal,' which is distinct from 'jihad.'

Remarkably, the Qur'an shows that even non-Muslims do 'jihad.' In Surah Luqman (31:15), Allah speaks of non-Muslim parents who strive (do jihad) to make their children worship others besides God — and instructs the believer not to obey them in that, but still to live with them with kindness. This proves jihad simply means striving, regardless of whether it is for good or evil.

The Qur'an further clarifies in Surah An-Nisa (4:76): 'Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of Taghut (evil).' So there is 'Jihad Fi Sabeelillah' (striving in God's way, which is good) and 'Jihad Fi Sabeelish-Shaitaan' (striving in the way of evil, which is bad). Without specification, jihad in Islamic context means striving in the way of Allah.

The Qur'an explicitly commands doing jihad with the Qur'an itself — meaning to convey God's message peacefully through wisdom and reasoning (25:52). Furthermore, the Qur'an categorically prohibits the killing of any innocent human being, equating the murder of one person with the murder of all humanity (5:32).

The Prophet also taught: 'He who amongst you sees something abominable should modify it with the help of his hands; if he has not the strength for that, then with his tongue; and if he has not the strength for that, then with his heart — and that is the least of faith' (Sahih Muslim 49). This hadith shows that striving against evil in any form — action, speech, or conviction — is jihad.