Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- a holy war undertaken as a sacred duty by Muslims.
- any vigorous, emotional crusade for an idea or principle.
noun
- Islam a holy war against infidels undertaken by Muslims in defence of the Islamic faith
- Islam the personal struggle of the individual believer against evil and persecution
- rare a crusade in support of a cause
1869, from Arabic, usually translated as “holy war,” literally “struggle, contest, effort,” from infinitive of jahada “he waged war, he applied himself to.” Used in English since c.1880 for any sort of doctrinal crusade.
In Islam, a holy war; a war ordained by God. The Koran teaches that soldiers who die in jihad go to heaven immediately.