Classic Jihad Versus Modern Jihad
(Chapter 3)
Holy Prophet left for his heavenly abode centuries ago but his thought prevail. Past 13 centuries were spent in interpreting his teachings. Jihad was one of the teachings. His Jihad was simple. It was to wage war to establish Kuwwat-e-Islam or Might of Islam.
Jihad
Jihad is an Arabic word. Its present English translation means striving or struggling with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it always meant holy war in service of Allah.
The classical Sharia law manual is Reliance of the Traveller. It follows the Shafi’i school. According to this manual, Jihad is war against non-Muslims. The word Jihad derives from mujahada. A mujahada is war for establishing the religion.
Jihad is sometimes called the sixth pillar of Islam. This is based on some hadith. In Twelver Shia Islam, jihad is one of ten Practices of the Religion.
Some claim that Jihad refers to almost any effort. This effort makes personal and social life conform to Islam’s principles. This is deception known as al taqiyya. Read Surah Al At-Tawbah 9:111: https://quran.com/at-tawbah/111 again:
“Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties in exchange for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. It is a true promise binding upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Quran. So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.”
There is no ambiguity. The only way to reconcile it to the modern world is to interpret this clause the way Christianity did with it’s holy books. Deuteronomy mandated stoning. Leviticus mandated death for apostasy. The Crusades had full theological sanction. None of that defines a modern Christian because Christian jurisprudence evolved, accepted historical contextualisation, and separated the eternal from the temporal.
The same evolution is not only possible within Islam, it has precedents. The Mutazilite school in the 9th century argued the Quran was created, not eternal, which opened the door to contextual interpretation. The Central Asia and Oman have shown the way. They follow an entirely peaceful version of Islam. But here we are. Stuck with Jihad and its invocation to eliminate Fitna. What is Fitna?
Fitna
The Al Quran refers fitna in several verses. Fitna means disorder threatening the ummah or Muslim society. It persists even when government is present. A tyrannical but stable ruler creates less fitna than civil war between Muslims. Any non-Islamic governance is fitna by definition in Islamic jurisprudence. Therefore, eliminating secular or non-Muslim rule is not causing disorder. It is restoring divine order.
It does not matter to a jihadi if you ask where such divine order exists today? It exists in the mind of Jihadi. This is Modern Jihad.
Armed Jihad
Wars cost money. Modern wars often bankrupts the winner. Victory means nothing.
In Modern Jihad, the alternative is terrorism. A low cost war against civilians. Again the fact that terrorism has never conquered territory or created a state does not matter. Its success is assured in the mind of Jihadi/Terrorist.
Red Fort Blast
On November 10, 2025, car bomb blasted near Red Fort in Delhi. This was a vehicular-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack. A first such incident in Delhi. It involved a white Hyundai i20 that exploded in slow traffic near Red Fort Metro Station, killing 13–15 people and injuring dozens. This is the classic example of modern jihad.
The suicide bomber/driver was Dr. Umar Nabi (also referred to as Umar Mohammad), an assistant professor in general medicine at Al-Falah University’s medical college. He drove the explosive-laden car to the site, which was proved by DNA test.
Investigations revealed that Al-Falah University campus in Dhauj village (Faridabad) served as the operational base for the terror module. The blast vehicle was found parked on campus for days before the attack. Entire planning and coordination took place in rooms on campus (one report mentions “Room 13”).
It all started with recovery of a large cache of 2,900 kg of explosives (ammonium nitrate) from the accommodations linked to the members module. This caused Dr. Umar to panic and ran off to explode what ever little explosives he had in his possession.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is leading the terror probe; the ED is handling the financial/terror-funding angle under PMLA. The university was suspended by the Association of Indian Universities and faced UGC scrutiny for alleged fake accreditation and irregularities.
The Jihad Factory
It turned out that Medical college was a Jihad factory running in the state of Haryana which ironically is the only State in India which had not created Anti-terror squad in its police.
Several faculty, staff, and associates from the university were arrested or detained:
- Dr. Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie (or Muzammil) — Junior resident/doctor at the university’s medical college; arrested from campus was key operative in the module.
- Dr. Shaheen Sayeed (or Shaheen Shahid/Saeed) — Associate professor in pharmacology; arrested was the leader of the terror cell. Large sum of cash was also recovered from her locker in the campus.
- Other doctors and staff — At least 3–8 medical professionals from the university arrested in the initial phase. A ward boy was also arrested for providing logistical support.
- Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui (also spelled Javed/Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui) is the Founder, chairman, and managing trustee of Al-Falah University/Al-Falah Group. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case (linked to ₹7.5 crore+ proceeds of crime) with suspected terror-financing angles. The ED alleged he approved the hiring of the accused doctors without police verification or background checks. University land (worth ~₹140 crore) was provisionally attached.
- Broader detentions — At least 48 staff members (including ~30 doctors) were questioned. Around 10 people connected to the university (including some Kashmiris) went missing after the blast (phones switched off). Multiple raids (25+ locations) were conducted at university offices and linked sites.
The founder of the university sacrificed his life’s work on his belief. On jihad.
Bottom Line
Classic jihad required armies. Modern jihad requires only believers with a mission. The mission needs no central command, no headquarters, no uniform. It needs only the theological operating system installed by centuries of jurisprudence and refreshed in every Friday sermon. One doctor drives a car bomb near Red Fort. Six team leaders run WhatsApp grooming networks in a TCS office. A maulvi directs medical residents at KGMU. None of them received orders from the same commander. All of them received instructions from the same text. Objective is either to convert non-muslims or to kill them.
*There is no scope of any conspiracy theory. That is a distributed network with a shared ideology. India is only beginning to understand the full architecture.
References:
- (Al-Baqarah 2:193) (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi). (Al-Mu’minun 23:56) (An-Nur 24:63) (Al-Ma’idah 5:41) (Al-Ma’idah 5:71) (Al-An’am 6:23)
- Al Quran Quotations’ Source: https://quran.com/
- NDTV: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delhi-red-fort-blast-case-10-missing-al-falah-university-red-fort-car-blast-delhi-red-fort-terror-attack-9663173
- Al Falah Suspension: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/gurugram-news/four-months-after-terror-module-bust-al-falah-campus-limps-back-to-normalcy-101773627262793.html
- Arrest of Founder: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/ed-arrests-al-falah-university-jawad-ahmad-siddiqui-founder-money-laundering-case-agency-probing-if-funds-used-in-terror-acts-2822124-2025-11-18
- Investigation: https://medicaldialogues.in/news/health/doctors/48-al-falah-university-staff-including-30-doctors-questioned-in-red-fort-blast-probe-159679