Jihad doctrine functioned mostly defensively, obligating only nearby Muslims to fight

Evidence

It may simplistically be argued that the law of jihad is legal knowledge used by political and military power, but this argument encounters significant problems. First, understood properly, this law was in effect mostly defensive rather than offensive. Jihad is mandatory only when the lands of Islam are attacked by the enemy, and only those in relative proximity to the territory attacked are obligated to partake in the defense, not all Muslims within the kingdom or principality. — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 682

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Foucault’s biopower concept and orientalism critiques of Islam as inherently warlike. — connects to: Crusade and jihad converged on tolerating alien religions only as subjects.
• QUESTION: Worth chasing: how does this defensive reading square with the historical Islamic conquests of the seventh century?