ABSTRACT
Jihad is a holy war carried out by arms against the infidels so as to make the religion of Allah supreme —Ibn Hazm. The command to participate in jihad war occur innumerable times in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Ibn Hazm made no illusions about what the term jihad means. He discussed the rules and regulations of warfare against the unbelievers, without any attempt to spiritualize the notion: jihad is a holy war carried out by arms against the infidels so as to make the religion of Allah supreme. Indeed, the nature of jihad changes from the spiritual to the physical, from the defensive to the offensive and became totally aggressive from amidst the lifetime of Muhammad, to reach its height under the Khulafaa al-Rashidun era. For the Islamic classical exegetes, jihad warfare should be conducted for idealistic reasons, arguing that every nation has its own ideals, which constantly inspire it, and it tries to accomplish its ideals.
