The 'both' of the first sentence was not meant to imply that I only had two listeners. The Thought for the Day usually began with an exchange of 'Good Morning's with the two presenters sitting on the other side of the desk in the studio. I think that the drownings mentioned were a group of children on a school trip, but without looking it up I have no idea who was fighting who in Russia at the time, let alone what was happening in Gourock. The supporters of the Scottish football team are still hoping for miracles on a regular basis, however.

And Eid Mubarak to you both, because today is Eid ul Fitr, the end of Ramadhan. Our month of fasting is finally over.

For some of us, I know Ramadhan has been a real Jihad this year, a word that most non-muslims will find rather strange used in that context. The word Jihad is now so well known it is almost a part of the English language, and everyone thinks that it means Holy War but unfortunately it doesn't. The mistake is understandable as any just war is covered by the term, but it's real meaning is struggle, of which warfare is only a tiny and hopefully avoidable part. The principles on which we base our lives must be strong enough for us to die for, but only in extreme situations does the struggle take place upon a battlefield.

We all have to face death sometime, but the pain of death itself often seems to be less than the suffering of family and friends coming to terms with the grief of their loss. Indeed sometimes death stuns the whole community, a murder, a bomb ripping through a crowd of shoppers, an accident that makes the news like the recent drownings. But for most of us the struggle with grief is a much more localised and personal issue, and the death of an adult from cancer or a heart attack may not hit the headlines but is an all consuming event for a few individuals. Their struggle to understand that life goes on for the living and the dead.

In fact, the Greatest Jihad always takes place within ourselves, the struggle against those emotions that cause us pain, such as anger and jealousy, against those urges which destroy our happiness, like vanity and greed, the struggle against ingratitude, dissatisfaction and despair.

Of course this inner Jihad is not only personal, but takes place in the context of our society, and our physical efforts are directed towards transforming our surroundings to match up to our ideals. It is only through working with our neighbours that we can achieve any success in the fight against sickness and poverty, and the struggle is also for justice, which can be fought for in the workplace, or in the field of politics, whether your interest is in Russian power struggles or the vote of Gourock council.

For the struggle can be interesting. Like football, Jihad may require effort, but that doesn't stop it from being fun. A funeral can turn into a wake. Indeed, the Scots take a special pleasure in pitting themselves against apparently insuperable odds, even our second team against the German world champions. For by making the effort the miraculous can happen, but without it you can guarantee that you've got no chance at all.

So if you see your muslim neighbours walking down the street today, with the kids in their party clothes sparkling like Christmas decorations, even if you're feling bad, wish them all a happy eid at the end of their Ramadhan Jihad. For as with the Tartan Army, just because life's sometimes a struggle doesn't mean we can't get dressed up and enjoy it. Eid mubarak.