When comparing al-Maqdisi's ideas on what jihad is and against whom it should be waged with those of quietist Salafis, we find that there is a great deal of resemblance between them. So much so that the ideas on al-Maqdisi's underlying justification of jihad against the rulers – kufr and takfīr – are virtually the same as those of some quietists. That is ʿaqīda, however. The manhaj of applying critical views of rulers in practice is a different matter and one in which al-Maqdisi more clearly distinguishes himself from quietists, although less so than might be expected from a Jihadi-Salafi.

This chapter looks at how Salafi scholars, in particular al-Maqdisi, have translated their ʿaqīda vis-à-vis Muslim rulers into practice. We will first look at the choice between daʿwa and jihad. While the latter is obviously associated with Jihadi-Salafis, this does not necessarily mean that they are always in favour of waging jihad, as al-Maqdisi shows. Then we will move on to jihad strategy or, in other words, how a jihad should be waged, and what al-Maqdisi has to say about this. Finally, this chapter deals with the question of who may be targeted during an actual jihad. In all three sections of the chapter, it becomes clear that al-Maqdisi is indeed a Jihadi-Salafi who supports jihad against Muslim rulers and in other contexts in principle, but who is nevertheless close to quietists in his support for daʿwa and his fear for extremism and excesses during actual fighting.