Jihad, with its many terrifying associations, is a term widely used today, though its meaning is poorly grasped. Few people understand the circumstances requiring a jihad, or 'holy' war, or how Islamic militants justify their violent actions within the framework of the religious tradition of Islam. How Islam, with more than one billion followers, interprets jihad and establishes its precepts has become a critical issue. In illuminating the broad spectrum of Islam's moral considerations of the just war, John Kelsay helps Muslims and non-Muslims alike make sense of the possibilities for future war and peace.