In this short book, the Italian Claudio Mutti, who embraced Islam in the 1980s, explores Evola's interest in the Islamic concept of the "greater and lesser holy war" and his belief that action could be a pathway to spiritual realization, as evidenced by the doctrine of jihad.

This edition includes Mutti's article "Pourquoi j'ai choisi l' Islam" (Why I Chose Islam) published in the magazine Éléments in 1985. It also features texts by Evola concerning the esotericism of Islam and war.

The Italian philosopher Julius Evola was an opponent of American capitalism and Bolshevism, while his philosophy was aristocratic and traditionalist. His engagement with the Traditionalism bequeathed a significant body of work relating to Buddhism, Hinduism, Eastern Philosophies, and the Hermetic tradition. He was influenced by Plato, Nietzsche, Oswald Spengler, and René Guénon, who also embraced Islam.