The Legacy of Jihad

"In eight parts, Andrew Bostom's collection depicts Islam's justification for jihad and its worldwide impact that extended over thirteen centuries of war. He reproduces quotations from the Qu'ran and the Hadith, along with Qu'ranic exegesis by the greatest classical and modern commentators, that provide a rationale for jihad - disproving the argument that only through radical misinterpretation has jihad war been justified. Classical writings from Muslim jurists and theologians and twentieth-century scholars are juxtaposed, which complement each other and provide a fuller description of jihad's influence." "Extensive primary and secondary source materials are presented, many translated here for the first time into English from their original Arabic, Farsi, and French, making clear that jihad conquests were brutal, imperialist advances, which spurred waves of Muslims to expropriate a vast expanse of land and subdue millions of indigenous peoples. Finally, the book examines how jihad war, as a permanent and uniquely Islamic institution, ultimately regulates the relations of Muslims with non-Muslims to this day."--Jacket.