Jihad And Mulk

The problem with Jihad is that it is quite clearly a war to increase the border of Dar al Islam - the territory of Islam - at the expense of the unbelievers by pushing into Dar al Harb - the territory of War, that which has not yet made the profession of faith.
It is quite clear, all the talk about internal struggles of conscience to the contrary.

Our friend, Imam Musa Abu Tariq, has struggled with it for years.
Suddenly, as of last week, he has an answer:
Jihad as defined by God and Religion only lasted as long as Islam was governed by  khilaafat al nubuuwa

or the prophetic successorship. This line of succession started at the Prophet [saw] and ran through the Four Orthodox Caliphs: Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali.
It is not clear whether it ran through the times of the sons of 'Ali, Al Hasan and Al Hussein - opinions differ - but clearly the time of the theocracy ended when the Mulk,

or kingship, began with the Umayyid Dynasty, when Mu'awiya assumed power as the first Umayyaid ruler.
At this point, the government of Islam became a Mulk, or a kingship.

Once the caliphate turned to a mulk, according to Imam Musa abu Tariq, Jihad was just war - plain, old vanilla war.
A king could make war, but a king could not make Jihad. That could only be done in the lifetime of the Prophet [saw], and those who had been the closest and the most influenced by the Prophet [saw].
Certain countries maybe theocracies, but this merely means they are under the rule of religious leaders: there are none such as Abu Bakr, nor 'Umar, nor 'Uthman among them.

Therefore, Jihad as a religious war ended when Dar al Islam became a Mulk, according to the Imam, our friend. However, not too many agree with him, not because this idea is heretical, but because it is so new apparently.
I am no expert on such matters. They will argue it out among themselves.