This book studies in a more holistic manner the range of significations that can be ascribed to the term jihād. Instead of privileging the juridical literature, the book canvasses a more diverse genre of texts to recreate a more nuanced and multifaceted understanding of both jihād and martyrdom through time, especially by introducing the concept of “Sabr” as an aspect of jihād. As a result, many conventional assumptions about the essential nature of military jihād and martyrdom are challenged and undermined.