The concept of jihad in Islam: A different outlook

The subject of this thesis is "The concept of Jihad in İslam: A different Outlook." The thesis consists of introduction and four chapters. In the first chapter, the concept of jihad is elaborated, and its lexical, term meanings and its derivatives are explained. Therefore, I have offered some proposals as how to understand Jihad, peace and war issues in Qur'an. İn the second part, the stuations in which the fight in the way of Allâh is allowed in Qur'an, the permission to fight and its aftermath, and the difference between jihad and qital (fighting or warfare) and their goals have between elaborated. In the third part, the characteristics of the jihadist (Mujahideen) are examined under the subchapters. Particular attention has been paid to his sense of justice, being muttakî (pious), observing the balance between world and hereafter, his connection with the Qur'an and protecting his nature (fıtra). Thus, the prototype of a person who fights (make jihad) in the path of Allâh in the ideal sense is drawn. In the fourth part, the intellectual infrastructure of the groups that carry out terrorist attacks under the name of Islamic jihad by misrepresenting the concepts of jihad and qital is examined. As a result, this study concludes that jihad and qital are two separate concepts and in this context Islam and terror cannot coexist.