Muslim theology divides Jihad into two kinds:
1. the Greater Jihad, which is personal purification through faith, self-discipline, and good works.
2. the Lesser Jihad, which is Holy War.
According to my (limited) reading, the above statement is a common and dangerous misunderstanding. This happens to be the belief of many Muslims, that is true, and people who are saying that are sincere. However, many others believe that the "spiritual" Jihad is merely a process of preparation for the "real thing", when you go out and fight God's war with a weapon in your hand, physically destroying the enemies of Allah.
I would leave it to people who are more knowledgeable to work out who is right (even though over the centuries they, apparently, haven't been able to agree).
Our concern happens to be with the more aggressive, second group. |
