Is
jihad and qital sharing the same meaning? Actually,
jihad and qital have two different meanings.
Jihad means
physically and mentally struggling and sacrificing oneself in the cause of Islam but it does not mean fighting and killing for propagating Islam by force. Faith is a matter of conviction and conscience and no amount of force and coercion can ever bring a man to believe in something of which he is not convinced. What can be established by force though is Muslim rule while
qital means
fighting for the cause of God.
أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَاتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِير
"To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight, because they are wronged. They are those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right - for no cause except they say; Out Lord is Allah." (Hajj : 39-40).
The order to fight was given to the Muslims only for self-preservation and self-defense. Under such circumstances, namely when Muslims are attacked, armed fight (
qital) becomes obligatory on all Muslims in order to protect their homes, property, freedom, and lives.
Qital is one aspect of
jihad, waging of holy war in the defense of Islam and of one's country against any aggressor. The Muslims fight only when it is essential for the maintenance of peace. In short, qital is part of
jihad but not all
jihad is
qital. Struggle for the truth of Islam and justice can be done by any means possible, for example; materially (property, capital, land, means of transportation, communication), intellectually (thought, ideas, criticism, support, publications, lectures, websites), physically (fighting, helping, assisting in reconstruction of war-ravaged territories, natural disaster aid missions, etc).