section_path: Traditional spirituality/Abrahamic faiths/Islam
section_name: Islam
paragraph_text: Islam
  
  An inner spiritual struggle and an outer physical struggle are two commonly accepted meanings of the Arabic word jihad: The "greater jihad" is the inner struggle by a believer to fulfill his religious duties and fight against one's ego. This non-violent meaning is stressed by both Muslim and non-Muslim authors.
  
  Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, an 11th-century Islamic scholar, referenced a statement by the companion of Muhammad, Jabir ibn Abd-Allah:
  
  The Prophet... returned from one of his battles, and thereupon told us, 'You have arrived with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad – the striving of a servant (of Allah) against his desires (holy war)."