The last stage of this exertion is that where man risks his precious life to join the battle against falsehood. Now Jihad takes many forms. Jihad also means striving to spread the word of God, to share it with others, and here in the juridic formulations jihad has an important place in the relations between the Islamic state and the non-Muslim world. The war of aggression Islam rules out because Islam has come to bring the end of aggression and establish peace. But the defensive and just war are accepted principles of international law and international relations, and Islam fully acknowledges them.
War is called qital , and it only arises now and then.
Jihad is to strive to proclaim the word of God, and this goes on for a long period. It is only your misconception that you term qital as jihad. I do not mean to contend that the Quran does not contain injunctions to fight or wage war. There are many verses enjoining the Prophet's followers to prosecute a defensive war, but not one of aggression. The words qatal and qital distinctly indicate this.