Jihad (Arabic: ‘striving’ or ‘struggle’) is one of the most misrepresented concepts in Islam. Classical Islamic jurisprudence distinguishes: the greater jihad (al-jihad al-akbar) — the inner spiritual struggle against the ego, moral failings, and temptation, cited in a hadith as more important than military struggle; the lesser jihad (al-jihad al-asghar) — armed struggle in defense of the Muslim community. Within military jihad, classical fiqh developed elaborate rules: non-combatants (women, children, monks, farmers) must not be killed; trees must not be cut; wells must not be poisoned — rules anticipating modern international humanitarian law. The Quran addresses jihad in various contexts — defensive warfare against Meccan persecution, consolidation of the early Muslim community, relations with treaty partners. Salafi-Jihadi movements (al-Qaeda, ISIS) interpret jihad as offensive individual obligation against both non-Muslim states and Muslim rulers they deem apostates — a radical departure from classical jurisprudence that most Muslim scholars reject.