Heart, Self & Soul, The Sufi Psychology of Growth, Balance and Harmony,
Robert Frager, Quest Books, Theosophical Publishing House, p. 129
When Muhammed and the early Muslims were returning from a major battle ...
Robert Frager
When Muhammed and the early Muslims were returning
from a major battle, he turned to his companions and said, "Now we are
leaving the lesser jihad and going to the greater jihad." The warriors
were stunned by his words. They were exhausted, their arrows were gone,
their swords and lances were blunted or broken. The Prophet went on, "The
greater jihad is the battle with what is in your breasts!"
The translation of jihad as "holy war" is misleading and usually
inaccurate. Muslim leaders have often called their wars jihad, meaning
God was on their side. The basic Koranic meaning of jihad is
"struggle," and most often refers to struggle '"in the path of God." The
basic practices of Sufism - remembrance, service, contemplation - all involve
struggle. They take energy, commitment and will power.