What are the different types of jihād?

Jihād (striving in the path of Allāh) is often assumed to refer exclusively to armed combat, but this is a misconception, as jihād encompasses far more than military struggle. Broadly speaking, there are two main dimensions of jihād: jihād an-nafs (the internal, spiritual struggle against the lower self) and jihād as-sayf (the physical combat with the sword). These are respectively known as al-jihād al-akbar (the greater jihād) and al-jihād al-aṣġar (the lesser jihād). Thus, jihād can be carried out in various ways: with one’s heart, one’s tongue, one’s hand, and with the sword. Jihād with the heart refers to striving against Satan to resist the corrupt desires he provokes, as well as against one’s own lusts, base urges, and evil inclinations. Jihād with the tongue involves daʿwah—preaching and conveying Islam to guide others to the Straight Path—as well as expressing the teachings of Islam through debate, argumentation, or persuasion to refute misconceptions spread by atheists, challenge falsehoods, and enjoin what is good while forbidding what is wrong.In other words, jihād with the tongue encompasses all efforts directed at the moral betterment of society and the propagation of Islam. Jihād with the hand includes administering justice, guiding those who neglect religious duties, and disciplining those who violate the law—forms of physical intervention short of armed combat. The fourth form, jihād with the sword, refers to engaging in battle using weapons. It is essential to understand that the military aspect of jihād, known as qitāl, was legislated by the Sharīʿah as a means of self-defense against persecution, to combat injustice, end tyranny, liberate oppressed peoples, and support the call to truth. Numerous clear-cut texts in the Qurʾān and Sunnah disprove the common conflation of jihād with warfare. In fact, the Arabic term for “war” is ḥarb, not jihād, and the two differ significantly: ḥarb is waged for power, dominance, or material gain, while jihād is never undertaken for worldly benefit but solely fī sabīl Allāh (in the way of Allāh)—for religious objectives prescribed by Him. Accordingly, jihād may at times involve the use of power, and at others rely on spiritual education and peaceful propagation of Islamic values. The central aim of both the military and spiritual forms of jihād is to establish justice among people. Furthermore, the use of one’s wealth in the cause of Allāh is a recognized form of jihād, as shown in a well-known ḥadīth where the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Fight the polytheists with your tongues, lives, wealth, and hands.”¹ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allāh have mercy on him] said: “There is jihād with the hand, jihād with the heart, jihād with daʿwah (conveying the message of Islam to non-Muslims), with ḥujjah (evidence), with the tongue and opinion, and through management and industry. Jihād must be carried out by any means possible.”² Hence, given that the scope of jihād encompasses all these forms—that is to say, all the various ways of promoting what is good and preventing what is wrong fall under the broad rubric of striving in the path of Allāh—we can conclude that every Muslim can perform jihād in accordance with their ability, knowledge, and financial means, that is, in line with the blessings that Allāh has bestowed upon them. Ibn al-Qayyim [may Allāh have mercy on him] said: “Undoubtedly, jihād is farḍ ʿayn (an obligation upon every individual Muslim with full legal capacity), whether by the heart, the tongue, or with wealth. Therefore, every Muslim must perform jihād through one of these means.”³ Again, jihād does not merely refer to the military struggle against the enemies of Islam—that is, to defensive jihād carried out in resistance to foreign aggression. The Muslim armies stationed at the frontiers, prepared to fight in order to protect the security of our nations, are not the only mujāhidūn (those engaged in jihād). Rather, any Muslim can be a mujāhid in the cause of Allāh by defending their religion and refuting the false claims made by the people of falsehood. In fact, it is sufficient to have the intention of performing jihād whenever the means to do so become available. The Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH) said: “Whoever dies without having fought or thought of fighting dies on one of the branches of hypocrisy.”⁴ However, it should be noted that Allāh does not command us to strive in His cause because He is in need of any help to establish or maintain His Godhead. Rather, He instructs us to do so because it is the path to our own growth and advancement: {And whoever strives ˹in Allāh’s cause˺, only does so for their own good. Surely Allāh is not in need of ˹any of˺ His creation} (Qurʾān 29:6). That is, by striving in His cause, we do not do any favor to Allāh; rather, we are only benefiting our own selves—for it is through this path alone that we can rid ourselves of evil, follow the way of truth, develop the strength and capacity to become the standard-bearers of goodness in the world, and become worthy of entering Allāh’s Paradise in the Hereafter.