Assalaam,
I think there are some misconceptions here about what Jihad is due to the kufaar and their awliyahs trying to poison the minds...
After some research I have found the following which may clarify a few issues:
The linguistic definition of Jihad is Struggle/Strive as Jihad was used before Islam by the arabs and the quraish to mean struggle or strive.
BUT, when Islam was revealed to Muhammad (saw), Jihad was defined according the shariah definition i.e. how Allah SWT defined it according to the verses of the Quran. "Fighting and killing to remove the obstacles of making Allah's word the highest".
Allah SWT orders the muslims to abide and follow the shariah, so we have to use the shariah definitions and not the linguistic definitions.
<b>Letter from the Messenger of ALLAH (SAW) to the people of Najran (Narrated in Baihaqi):</b>
"In the name of the God of Ibrahim, Ishaaq, and Yaqoob, from Muhammad Messenger of Allah to Asqaf of Najran, and the people of Najran:
Peace be upon you...
I call you to the worship of Allah, away from the worship of the slaves of Allah. And I call you to the GOVERNORSHIP of Allah, away from the governorship of the slaves of Allah. If you refuse then Jizyah. If you refuse that, then I declare war upon you. Wassalam."
To say that Jihad is only in self defence is incorrect as histroy is proof of how Islam was spread so quick and vast.
To say that Jihad is not mentioned in the Quran to express a military meaning is also incorrect as the four Fuqaha' of the schools of thought agree that al-Jihad is al-Qitaal:
<b>Al-Hanafiyah:</b>
It has come in Fath al-Qadeer by Ibn Humaan 5/187: "Al-Jihad: calling the kuffar to the religion of haq and to fight them if they do not accept". Al-Kaasaani said in al-Badaa'i, 9/4299 "To sacrifice ones strength and energy in fighting in the way of Allah SWT with ones life, property and the tongue and whatever besides".
<b>Al-Maalikiyah:</b>
"For a muslim to fight against a disbeliever who is not under oath, to raise the word of Allah, or if the kufaar is in the muslim's presence (in order to attack him), or upon the kufaar's entering the muslim's land". (Haashiya al-'Adawi/as-Sa'eedi 2/2 and ash-Sharh as-Sagheer/Aqrab al-Masaalik by ad-Dardeer 2/267)
<b>Ash-Shaafi'yah:</b>
Al-Baajawari said, "Al-Jihad mean: Al-Qitaal in the way of Allah", Al-Baajawari/Ibnul-Qaasim 2/261. Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani said in Al-Fath 6/2, "...and legally Jihad means sacrifical striving in fighting the kufaar".
<b>Al-Hanbaliyah:</b>
"To fight the kufaar" see Mataalib Ulin-Nuha 2/497. "Al-Jihad is al-qitaal and the sacrifice all strength in it to raise the word of Allah", see 'Umdatul-Fiqh p.166 and Muntahal-Iraadaat 1/302.
The term Jihad-ul-Nafs is alien in Islam and is to distort the truth.
The saying "we have returned from the lesser jihad (battle) to the greater jihad", which people quote on the basis that it is a hadith, is in fact fabricated hadith which has no basis.
It is only the saying of Ibrahim bin Abi Ablah, one of the Successors, and it contradicts textual evidence and reality.
<b>Ibn Taymiyah</b> said in Al-Furqan PP.44-45 "This hadith has no source and nobody whomsoever in the field of Islamic knowledge has narrated it. Jihad against the kufaar is the most noble of actions and the most important action for the sake of mankind".
<b>Abu Ya'la Al-Khalili </b> says, "He often adulterates, is very weak and narrates unknown hadith". (Mashari-ul-Ashwaq, ibn Nuhas 1/31)
<b>Ibn Adi</b> states "His hadith are false". (Tahzeeb-ut-Tahzeeb 11/261-262)
<b>Ibn Hajar</b> said, "He was accused of forging hadith". (At-Taghrib).
<b>Adh-Dhahabi</b> said, "Abu Hatim said tha the is not a strong narrator. Ibn Ma'een classified him as weak and Ad-Daraqutni said that he is to be neglected".
I hope this little effort has helped.
Check the references given as these are not my words but the words of the scholars in the past.