20 Preface الَّذينَ آمَنوا وَهاجَروا وَجاهَدوا في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَموالِهِم وَأَنفُسِهِم أَعظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِندَ اللَّهِ ۚ وَأُولٰئِكَ هُمُ الفائِزونَYusuf AliThose who believe, and suffer exile and strive with might and main, in God’s cause,1 with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight of God. they are the people who will achieve (salvation).Here is a good description of Jihad. It may require fighting in God’s cause, as a form of self-sacrifice. But its essence consists in (1) a true and sincere Faith, which so fixes its gaze on God, that all selfish or worldly motives seem paltry and fade away, and (2) in earnest and ceaseless activity, involving the sacrifice (if need be) of life, person, or property, in the service of God. Mere brutal fighting is opposed to the whole spirit of Jihad, while the sincere scholar’s pen or preacher’s voice or wealthy man’s contributions may be the most valuable forms of Jihad.