In the wake of radical Islamist terrorist attacks described as jihad worldwide and in South Asia, it is imperative that there should be a book-length study of this idea in this part of the world. The focus of the study is the idea of jihad with its changing interpretations mostly those available in exegetical literature of key figures in South Asia. The hermeneutic devices used to understand the meaning of the Quranic verses and the Prophetic traditions relating to jihad will be the focus of this study.

Interpretation of the Qur'an and the Hadith --Jihad in transition -- Jihad and the family of Shah Waliullah -- Colonial modernists -- Jihad as anti-colonial resistance : emerging trends -- The Age of Mawdudi -- Radical imports -- Pakistani radicals -- Refuting the radicals.