The true meaning of “jihad”

Jihad is a word who’s meaning has been totally misused and misunderstood by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It does refer to a battle with an enemy. It’s just not with any one outside yourself. It’s actually referring to a battle within: between the desire within to do “good” or “bad” . It’s referring to that battle within all of us whether to listen to the god in us or the devil within us. We all have free will to listen to and act on our desire to do good or evil. The capacity for both exists in all of us. It’s up to us to choose what kind of person we want to be. It’s the most important battle that we all must fight. This is what Mohamed was trying to express. The extremists have totally taken it to mean something much different and missing the lesson entirely.