Quora Answer: If ISIS Does Not Represent Islam, What Stops Muslims from Declaring Jihad against Them?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “If ISIS does not represent Islamic teachings and mindsets, what is stopping these mullahs and keepers of Islam from declaring jihad against them?” 

“Jihad” simply means to strive or struggle.  If you mean to declare war, jihad as-sayf, which is struggle by the sword, it is not something any random Muslim can do so.  You cannot have the imam of some random mosque calling for jihad as-sayf, any more than you expect your parish priest to declare the next crusade.  Neither of them have the authority. 

Jihad as-sayf can only be declared by the state, from someone authorised.  This is because only the state has an army.  You do not expect your local dentist and gardener to suddenly prepare to go to war.  Since there has not been an actual Islamic caliphate since the last one was dissolved in 1924, who is there to declare such a jihad as-sayf?  In the same vein, if the Catholic Church dissolved the papacy, there would be no one to declare the next crusade. 

We have modern nation states.  And several of these Muslim-majority states are already engaged in military action against ISIS, since ISIS is in their territory.  There is no need for some caliph to come back and declare a jihad as-sayf when the state can mobilise its forces through a legislative or constitutional act against a terrorist outfit with significant conventional military capabilities.