113 marjoriemoon– I was described sort of the opposite by Muslims I met during my undergrad (both students and Imams). Jihad, according to what I was taught, is both inner and outward struggle. The extent towards which one takes precedence varies according to the schools of thought. Historically though, the outward struggle of jihad came dominated for centuries. Only after lands were secured did the focus turn increasingly inward. That is when Islam had its golden age (8-13th centures). Do not underestimate the concept that the world needs to be placed under the rule of Allah in Islamic eschatology though.

To be sure though, this concept is found in different forms in both Christian and Jewish eschatology. Jewish eschatology does consider that God will give Israel victory over the nations and she will rule over them (Maimonides, the midieval rabbi considered that Israel would be an equal nation but not rule over the other nations) and lead them in worship. Christian eschatology is a modification on that concept, in particularly that a new world will come were there will no longer be a host of nations, but rather one people – the eschatological Israel/Church, which will rule with and worship Christ (though to be sure Christians considered the Church to be the eschatological Church — an instance of the end of time coming in the midst of time — the “now but not yet” dynamism that is a hallmark of Christian eschatology).