No, jihad means struggle, it has always meant that in Arabic, and means it whenever any Arabic speaker uses it. Secular Arabic speakers may have be engaged in a jihad to keep their waistlines trim. An Arabic speaker who is hanging on to a cliff edge could describe the effort to get himself back onto the top of the cliff as jihad.
‘Jihad’ only takes on a technical Muslim theological meaning in context, even as, for instance, the English word ‘saved’ only takes on a Christian theological meaning in context, but otherwise might be used in phrases like the schoolboy’s ‘saved by the bell’ or ‘saved from drowning’ or ‘saved a lot of money by buying wholesale’.
Jihad has always meant “Fighting in Allahs cause”.
If a thousand verses from the Koran doesn’t clearly tell you that, and a thousand more hadith, then there is no hope for you.
When they are sawing off your head, don’t forget to remind them what Jihad is.
Mein Kampf = My Struggle = Jihad
Nathan’s main point is right on.. Jihad is Holy War. Sure, it’s ‘struggle’ or whatever, but everyone knows it means Holy War.
Noble Qur'an:2:190 Footnote: "Jihad is holy fighting in Allah's Cause with full force of numbers and weaponry. It is given the utmost importance in Islam and is one of its pillars. By Jihad Islam is established, Allah's Word is made superior (which means only Allah has the right to be worshiped), and Islam is propagated. By abandoning Jihad Islam is destroyed and Muslims fall into an inferior position; their honor is lost, their lands are stolen, their rule and authority vanish. Jihad is an obligatory duty in Islam on every Muslim. He who tries to escape from this duty, or does not fulfill this duty, dies as a hypocrite."
That is thwe Koran's definition, not mine.