Jihad: From the word to the cultural universal

The article analyzes the widespread interpretations of the concept of “jihad” as a holy war, a war with the infidels, as well as lesser known ones — struggle, diligence, effort. Its ambiguity is determined by the impossibility of an unambiguous definition of jihad. The author has made an attempt to reconstruct and group approaches to the definition of jihad, on the basis of which jihad is proposed to be understood as an idea that is implemented in the practices of various levels, depending on the sociocultural context. The connotative constant highlighted by the author in the variety of meanings of jihad — “effort” (“effort in the way”) — is proposed to be recognized as a cultural universal that can be found in different cultures and in practices.