According to search-discovered classical Islamic scholarship, the term Jihad (الجهاد) literally translates to 'striving' or 'exerting effort' and represents a comprehensive principle of struggle in the path of God. The most essential and primary form, as emphasized by a prophetic tradition and scholars like Ibn Qayyim, is the 'Greater Jihad' (al-Jihad al-Akbar)—the internal, spiritual struggle against one's own base desires and ego (nafs). This foundational struggle is detailed across Quranic verses like 29:69, which promises divine guidance to those who strive for Allah. The 'Lesser Jihad' (al-Jihad al-Asghar) refers to external struggles, which include striving with one's wealth (9:20), through speech and knowledge ('jihad of the tongue/pen'), and, in specific and strictly regulated circumstances, defensive physical struggle (qital). The Quranic verse 25:52 highlights a 'great jihad' (jihadan kabiran) specifically with the Quran itself, signifying the importance of intellectual and peaceful struggle. Contemporary extremist groups fundamentally violate the Quranic and Prophetic conditions for any form of physical jihad, which explicitly forbid harming non-combatants. Therefore, the authentic Islamic concept of Jihad is a holistic exertion of one's entire being for spiritual purification and the establishment of justice, with the internal battle being its most crucial arena.