2. Surah al-Baqara, Medina 87

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَقَاتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ وَلاَ تَعْتَدُواْ ...

2: 190. Fight in the Cause of Allah, those who fight you, but do not transgress limits;

C204. War is only permissible in self-defence, and under well-defined limits. When undertaken, it must be pushed with vigour, but not relentlessly, but only to restore peace and freedom for the worship of Allah.

In any case strict limits must not be transgressed: women, children, old and infirm men should not be molested, nor trees and crops cut down, nor peace withheld when the enemy comes to terms. (R).

... إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُحِبِّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ ﴿١٩٠﴾

for Allah loveth not transgressors.

وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ ...

2: 191. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out;

... وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ...

for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter;

... وَلاَ تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ عِندَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ حَتَّى يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ...

but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there;

C205. This passage is illustrated by the events that happened at Hudaybiyah in the sixth year of the Hijrah, though it is not clear that it was revealed on that occasion.

The Muslims were by this time a strong and influential community. many of them were exiles from Mecca, where the Pagans had established an intolerant autocracy, persecuting Muslims, preventing them from visiting their homes, and even keeping them out by force from performing the Pilgrimage during the universally recognised period of truce.

This was intolerance, oppression, and autocracy to the last degree, and the mere readiness of the Muslims to enforce their rights as Arab citizens resulted without bloodshed in an agreement which the Muslims faithfully observed.

The Pagans, however, had no scruples in breaking faith, and it is unnecessary here to go into subsequent events.

In general, it may be said that Islam is the religion of peace, good will, mutual understanding, and good faith. But it will acquiesce in wrongdoing, and its men will hold their lives cheap in defence of honour, justice, and the religion which they hold sacred. Their ideal is that of heroic virtue combined with unselfish gentleness and tenderness, such as is exemplified in the life of the Prophet.

They believe in courage, obedience, discipline, duty, and a constant striving by all the means in their power, physical, moral, intellectual, and spiritual, for the establishment of truth and righteousness.

They know that war is an evil, but they will not flinch from them it if their honour demands it and a righteous Imam (such as Muhammad was par excellences) commands it, for then they know they are not serving carnal ends. In other cases, war has nothing to do with their faith, except that it will always be regulated by its humane precepts. (R).

... فَإِن قَاتَلُوكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوهُمْ كَذَلِكَ جَزَاء الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿١٩١﴾

but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith.

C206. Suppress faith: in the narrower as well as the larger sense.

If they want forcibly to prevent you from exercising your sacred rites, they have declared war on your religion, and it would be cowardice to ignore the challenge or to fail in rooting out the tyranny.

فَإِنِ انتَهَوْاْ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٩٢﴾

2: 192. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لاَ تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ لِلّهِ...

2: 193. And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah;

C207. Justice and faith: The Arabic word is Din, which is comprehensive. It implies the ideas of indebtedness, duty, obedience, judgment, justice, faith, religion, customary rites, etc.

The clause means: "until there is Din for Allah."

... فَإِنِ انتَهَواْ فَلاَ عُدْوَانَ إِلاَّ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿١٩٣﴾

but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression.

C208. If the opposite party cease to persecute you, your hostility ends with them as a party, but it does not mean, that you become friends to oppression. Your fight is against wrong; there should be no rancour against men.

Asad’s Version:

2:190 AND FIGHT in God's cause against those who wage war against you, but do not commit aggression - for, verily, God does not love aggressors. 167

(2:191) And slay them wherever you may come upon them, and drive them away from wherever they drove you away - for oppression is even worse than killing. 168 And fight not against them near the Inviolable House of Worship unless they fight against you there first; 165 but if they fight against you, slay them: such shall be the recompense of those who deny the truth.

2:192 But if they desist - behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

2:193 Hence, fight against them until there is no more oppression and all worship is devoted to God alone; 170 but if they desist, then all hostility shall cease, save against those who [wilfully] do wrong.

[[ Asad’s notes : - 167 This and the following verses lay down unequivocally that only self-defence (in the widest sense of the word) makes war permissible for Muslims.

Most of the commentators agree in that the expression la ta'tadu signifies, in this context, "do not commit aggression"; while by al-mu'tadin "those who commit aggression" are meant. The defensive character of a fight "in God's cause" - that is, in the cause of the ethical principles ordained by God - is, moreover, self-evident in the reference to "those who wage war against you", and has been still further clarified in 22:39 - "permission [to fight] is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged" - which, according to all available Traditions, constitutes the earliest (and therefore fundamental) Qur'anic reference to the question of jihad, or holy war (see Tabari and Ibn Kathir in their commentaries on 22:39). That this early, fundamental principle of self-defence as the only possible justification of war has been maintained throughout the Qur'an is evident from 60:8, as well as from the concluding sentence of 4:91, both of which belong to a later period than the above verse.

168 In view of the preceding ordinance, the injunction "slay them wherever you may come upon them" is valid only within the context of hostilities already in progress (Razi), on the understanding that "those who wage war against you" are the aggressors or oppressors (a war of liberation being a war "in God's cause"). The translation, in this context, of fitnah as "oppression" is justified by the application of this term to any affliction which may cause man to go astray and to lose his faith in spiritual values (cf Lisan al-'Arab).

169 This reference to warfare in the vicinity of Mecca is due to the fact that at the time of the revelation of this verse the Holy City was still in the possession of the pagan Quraysh, who were hostile to the Muslims. However - as is always the case with historical references in the Qur'an - the above injunction has a general import, and is valid for all times and circumstances.

170 Lit., "and religion belongs to God [alone]" - i.e., until God can be worshipped without fear of persecution, and none is compelled to bow down in awe before another human being. (See also 22:40.) The term din is in this context more suitably translated as "worship" inasmuch as it comprises here both the doctrinal and the moral aspects of religion: that is to say, maris faith as well as the obligations arising from that faith. ]]