{ } n. [ Ar. jihād, struggle. ] (Islam) A religious war against infidels or Muslim heretics; also, any bitter war or crusade for a principle or belief.
[ Their ] courage in war . . . had not, like that of the Muslim dervishes of the Sudan, or of Muslims anywhere engaged in a jehad, a religious motive and the promise of future bliss behind it. James Bryce. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]