Jihad is a broad concept that cannot be restricted to war. However, it entails war based on reason, purpose, permission of a legitimate ruler and respect to humanitarian rules. Classical Islamic scholars refer to combative jihad as defensive and offensive jihad. Accordingly, defensive jihad is the use of force to defend Muslims and Islamic Caliphate from aggression and offensive jihad is a global war to spread Islam. Most of the modern scholars interpret combative jihad as self-defense considering the political, and cultural realities of today’s life. They require Muslims to recourse to civil means to deliver Islam to the world. However, there are some scholars and schools that believe in the same classical approach to combative jihad. ISIS launched intensive military attacks against the Islamic countries of Iraq and Syria between 2013 and 2014 and captured large areas after committing many atrocities and devastating the two countries. The group eventually announced an Islamic Caliphate and called on local and world Muslims to pledge allegiance to its Caliph and join the group. This article argues that the ISIS’s war does not satisfy Islamic jurisprudential conditions and therefore does not qualify as jihad.
