Jihad al-Nafs: the Greater Struggle
Muslim scholars have long identified two types of jihad (lit. "striving" in God's cause): an outer form of jihad and an inner one. The outward jihad refers to state-sanctioned military force (i.e. armed combat), and is waged defensively to protect both religion and realm, or offensively to combat tyranny and protect the innocent and the defenceless against any unjustified aggression. As for the inner jihad (jihad al-nafs), it is the struggle to oppose the ego (nafs) and its impulses until it is in submission to God. That this inner jihad is known as the "greater" or "most obligatory" jihad, as per mainstream Sunni scholarship, has raised some objections in our time. Abu Aaliyah explains why there needn't be any concern about such a designation.
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