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Is the Greater Jihad the struggle against oneself or actual combat on the battlefield?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The hadith: "We have returned from the minor jihad to the major jihad" is not authentic. The jihad of the self precedes the jihad against the disbelievers, as fighting is disliked by the soul and is not undertaken except after struggling against it. Jihad has four levels: jihad of the self, jihad of the devils, jihad of the disbelievers, and jihad of the hypocrites. The jihad of the self is by learning guidance, acting upon it, inviting to it, and being patient. The jihad of the devil is by repelling doubts and desires. The jihad against the disbelievers and hypocrites is with the heart, tongue, wealth, and self. The most perfect of creation is he who has completed all levels of jihad.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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