--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He used the term jihad in both spiritual…" description: "\"“He used the term jihad in both spiritual and physical contexts, but the physical jihad is the one Muhammad strongly emphasizes.33 The peaceful practic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/nabeel-qureshi-11091_islam_he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual_213203.jpg" --- # He used the term jihad in both spiritual and physical… ![“He used the term jihad in both spiritual and physical contexts, but the physical jihad is the one Muhammad strongly emphasizes.33 The peaceful practice of Islam hinges on later, often Western, interpretations of Muhammad’s teachings, whereas the more violent variations of Islam are deeply rooted…” quote by Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/nabeel-qureshi-11091_islam_he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual_213203.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/nabeel-qureshi-11091_islam_he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual_213203.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/nabeel-qureshi-11091_islam_he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual_213203.jpg) > ““He used the term jihad in both spiritual and physical contexts, but the physical jihad is the one Muhammad strongly emphasizes.33 The peaceful practice of Islam hinges on later, often Western, interpretations of Muhammad’s teachings, whereas the more violent variations of Islam are deeply rooted in orthodoxy and history.34”” [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He contrasts spiritual jihad, which is inner struggle, with physical jihad, emphasizing that the latter is more stressed in Islamic teachings **In simple terms:** Spiritual vs. physical struggle Key Takeaway Distinguish inner from outward conflict Themes faith interpretation history Mood thoughtful serious Type analytical educational When to use this quote - Religious education - interfaith dialogue - policy making Key Concepts Theology extremism peaceful practice Questions to Reflect On - How do interpretations affect peace? - Can spiritual struggle replace violence? A Different Perspective Physical jihad is often misrepresented ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Jihad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jihad/) ## Related quotes > [The Jihad is not just a way of testing yourself but also means using violence to spread Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassam-tibi/the-jihad-is-not-just-a-way-of-testing-yourself-but-also-means-using/) [Bassam Tibi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassam-tibi/) > [Whatever the reason, American Muslims appear far less inclined to support the global jihad than their European counterparts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/whatever-the-reason-american-muslims-appear-far-less-inclined-to/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [“It can certainly be misleading to take the attributes of a movement, or the anxieties and contradictions of a moment, and to personalize or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-can-certainly-be-misleading-to-take-the-attributes-of-a-movement/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“The result is that Muslims place relatively little weight on surrounding passages when trying to interpret sections of the Quran. For context, they turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/the-result-is-that-muslims-place-relatively-little-weight-on/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“In books of hadith, it says that Muhammad used to open his fasts by first eating a date, so Muslims all around the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/in-books-of-hadith-it-says-that-muhammad-used-to-open-his-fasts-by/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“Isnad: The chain of transmission for a particular hadith Sahih Sittah: The six books of hadith that Sunni Muslims consider most authentic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/isnad-the-chain-of-transmission-for-a-particular-hadith-sahih-sittah/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Our Jihad will remain on Palestinian soil that is wide and large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-yassin/our-jihad-will-remain-on-palestinian-soil-that-is-wide-and-large/) [Ahmed Yassin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-yassin/) > [The best jihad is to speak a word of justice to an oppressive ruler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad/the-best-jihad-is-to-speak-a-word-of-justice-to-an-oppressive-ruler/) [Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad/) > [“The Most Excellent Jihad is the Conquest of One’s Self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prophet-muhammad-saw/the-most-excellent-jihad-is-the-conquest-of-one-s-self/) Prophet Muhammad (SAW > [Probably no one of us has the True Religion. But all of us together - if we are allowed to be free - are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/probably-no-one-of-us-has-the-true-religion-but-all-of-us-together-if/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [This too is a jihad. Yet we Americans find ourselves in the dangerous position of going to war not against a state but against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/this-too-is-a-jihad-yet-we-americans-find-ourselves-in-the-dangerous/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) Farnaz Fassihi > [Look at the newborn baby. It struggles to breathe after living in the womb. And yet, growth comes as a result of struggle. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/look-at-the-newborn-baby-it-struggles-to-breathe-after-living-in-the/) [H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/) ## More by Nabeel Qureshi > [“The result is that Muslims place relatively little weight on surrounding passages when trying to interpret sections of the Quran. For context, they turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/the-result-is-that-muslims-place-relatively-little-weight-on/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“Isnad: The chain of transmission for a particular hadith Sahih Sittah: The six books of hadith that Sunni Muslims consider most authentic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/isnad-the-chain-of-transmission-for-a-particular-hadith-sahih-sittah/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“In books of hadith, it says that Muhammad used to open his fasts by first eating a date, so Muslims all around the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/in-books-of-hadith-it-says-that-muhammad-used-to-open-his-fasts-by/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“just try to win the argument instead of honestly looking for the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/just-try-to-win-the-argument-instead-of-honestly-looking-for-the-truth/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“Juxtaposed with the rapid-fire questions, the brief”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/juxtaposed-with-the-rapid-fire-questions-the-brief/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“Sahih Bukhari: A classical collection of hadith, often considered by Sunnis as the most trustworthy accounts of Muhammad’s life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/sahih-bukhari-a-classical-collection-of-hadith-often-considered-by/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“This is only one of the reasons why a strong friendship is critical. A surface-level relationship might snap under the tension of disagreement, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/this-is-only-one-of-the-reasons-why-a-strong-friendship-is-critical-a/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“Ancient of Days”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/ancient-of-days/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“Would it be worth it to pick up my cross and be crucified next to Jesus? If He is not God, then, no. Lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/would-it-be-worth-it-to-pick-up-my-cross-and-be-crucified-next-to/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“What is worse, some Muslims do receive poor treatment from Westerners and Christians, and this only serves to bolster their notions that all Westerners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/what-is-worse-some-muslims-do-receive-poor-treatment-from-westerners/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“chain of transmission was called the isnad,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/chain-of-transmission-was-called-the-isnad/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“—Lee Strobel, autor de”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/lee-strobel-autor-de/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“There are simply too many barriers for Muslim immigrants to understand Christians and the West by sheer circumstance. Only the exceptional blend of love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/there-are-simply-too-many-barriers-for-muslim-immigrants-to/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“If truth doesn’t exist, then it would be true that truth doesn’t exist, and once again we arrive at truth. There is no alternative;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/if-truth-doesn-t-exist-then-it-would-be-true-that-truth-doesn-t-exist/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) > [“One of my male cousins was reprimanded when he tried to marry a Filipina, but he “came around” and fully recovered, ultimately marrying a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/one-of-my-male-cousins-was-reprimanded-when-he-tried-to-marry-a/) [Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) [Explore all 55 Nabeel Qureshi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/) ## More Islam quotes > [ Ben Carson also denounced \[Donald\] Trump's ban all Muslims proposal saying we do not and would not advocate being selective on one's religion. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/ben-carson-also-denounced-donald-trump-s-ban-all-muslims-proposal/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/) [Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/) [Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/) > [“God delights in beauty, Islam teaches at its core, and is beauty. Beauty is in creation, not destruction, and in balance. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/god-delights-in-beauty-islam-teaches-at-its-core-and-is-beauty-beauty/) [Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/) > [Allah will never humiliate the one who takes his Lord as friend and patron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/allah-will-never-humiliate-the-one-who-takes-his-lord-as-friend-and/) [Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [ “\[T\]he people who are close to Allah worry so much about wasting time that they call themselves to account for every breath they spend… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethar-el-katatney/t-he-people-who-are-close-to-allah-worry-so-much-about-wasting-time/) Ethar El- Katatney > [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. 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Return hate in kind (ness) for proper netiquette. Love Muslims alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chiles/no-hate-speech-online-is-a-social-media-netiquette-rule-return-hate/) [David Chiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chiles/) [Browse all 6,032 Islam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He used the term jihad in both spiritual and physical contexts, but the physical jihad is the one Muhammad strongly emphasizes.33 The peaceful practice of Islam hinges on later, often Western, interpretations of Muhammad’s teachings, whereas the more violent variations of Islam are deeply rooted in orthodoxy and history.34”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nabeel Qureshi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual-and-physical-contexts-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Islam" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual-and-physical-contexts-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/nabeel-qureshi-11091_islam_he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual_213203.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/nabeel-qureshi-11091_islam_he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual_213203.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/nabeel-qureshi-11091_islam_he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual_213203.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He used the term jihad in both spiritual and physical contexts, but the physical jihad is the one Muhammad…” — Nabeel Qureshi", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nabeel Qureshi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He used the term jihad in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual-and-physical-contexts-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/he-used-the-term-jihad-in-both-spiritual-and-physical-contexts-but/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```