A few days ago
Anonymous

Can someone please explain the difference between Shalom and Jihad?

Thank you.

Top 4 Answers
A few days ago
Hassan M

Favorite Answer

Shalom means peace, usually used as a greeting and a farewell

Jihad means striving in the way of God. There are two types of Jihad, most important to most Muslims is the inner battle inside each person to turn away from immorality and follow God. The other term is to fight to defend the Islam.

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A few days ago
dscougar
Neniaf is rightish- they are from two different languages and mean nearly opposites. Although I will add that “shalom” is also used as a greeting or blessing, and “jihad” in Arabic literally means “struggle,” while “holy war” is a meaning that has been put on the term mostly since the colonial period. (Though it is interesting to note that the American English meaning of “jihad” is, in fact, “holy war.”

I have been told that in most Muslim philosophical systems, the “big jihad” is an internal struggle to be a better person and submit to the will of god in all things, while the “lesser jihad” is that external struggle against people and forces in the world that contradict Islam. Can anyone confirm this?

Edit: Thanks Hassan, that’s what I was trying to get at.

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A few days ago
neniaf
Is there a similarity? Shalom is the Hebrew word for “peace”. Jihad is Arabic for “holy war”.
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A few days ago
Anonymous
“Shalom” is Hebrew for “peace”

“jihad” is islamic for “holy war”

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