Does the Quran urge persecution of the infidel?

Sources

• ✓ 2:191 · Al-Baqara

  2:191 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  وَٱقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ ۚ وَٱلْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ ٱلْقَتْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُقَٰتِلُوهُمْ عِندَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ حَتَّىٰ يُقَٰتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ ۖ فَإِن قَٰتَلُوكُمْ فَٱقْتُلُوهُمْ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

  And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 2:191

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 2:191

  Abu Ja'far al-Razi, recounting from al-Rabi' ibn Anas via Abu al-'Aliyah, comments on the verse “And fight those who fight you in the cause of Allah” by noting that this was the first verse revealed regarding fighting in Medina. Upon its revelation, the Prophet (peace be upon him) fought only those who initiated hostilities against him and refrained from fighting those who did not attack. This continued until the revelation of Surah Bara'ah, which commanded a more general engagement with polytheists. Abd al-Rahman ibn Zaid ibn Aslam viewed this initial verse as abrogated by the later command: “So kill the polytheists wherever you find them” [at-Tawbah 9:5]. However, this is a point open for discussion because the phrase “those who fight you” serves as a provocation and a call to respond to aggression — meaning just as they fight you, so fight them, similar to the command in at-Tawbah 9:36 to fight all polytheists as they fight you all. This explains the added phrase in this verse urging to kill them wherever they are found and to expel them from where they expelled you, signifying a vigorous defense and recompense against aggression. It is reported from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that the first verse revealed concerning fighting after the Hijra was “Permission is given to those who are fought because they were wronged” [al-Hajj 22:39], and this is the better-known and widely transmitted view. Regarding the phrase “And do not transgress; indeed, Allah does not like transgressors,” this is understood as an injunction to fight in Allah’s cause without committing excesses. This includes avoiding prohibited actions such as mutilation, betrayal, killing women, children, old men who are not combatants, monks, people devoted to places of worship, destroying trees or killing animals without need. This interpretation is supported by figures like al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Abbas, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, Muqatil ibn Hayyan, among others. Supporting this, a hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim from Buraidah has the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: “Raid in the way of Allah, fight those who disbelieve in Allah; raid but do not betray, do not mutilate, do not kill a child, nor those in monasteries.” Similar narrations are found from Ibn Abbas and recorded by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud. From an incident reported by Ibn Umar in the authentic collections, the Prophet (peace be upon him) disapproved of the killing of women and children during his military campaigns. Imam Ahmad transmitted via Mus’ab ibn Salam from al-Ajlah from Qays ibn Abi Muslim from Rub’i ibn Hirash that Hudhayfah said the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave examples in warfare of various group sizes for illustration. He mentioned how a weak group was oppressed by a dominant one, which then used them undeservedly, provoking Allah’s wrath upon them till the Day of Judgment. This is a sound report and emphasizes that transgressing beyond legitimate defense provokes Divine displeasure. Since jihad inherently involves risking lives and killing combatants, Allah reminds that the disbelief, polytheism, and obstruction of His path are more severe and grave than the killing itself. Thus, the verse says, “And fitnah (trial, persecution) is worse than killing.” Abu Malik explains this means that what you endure from idolatry and its challenges is more burdensome than death. Scholars such as Abu al-‘Aliyah, Mujahid, Sa’id ibn Jubayr, Ikrimah, al-Hasan, Qatadah, ad-Dahhak, and al-Rabi’ ibn Anas have all interpreted “fitnah is worse than killing” to mean shirk (associating partners with God) is more severe than death. Regarding the command “Do not fight them near the Sacred Mosque,” the two Sahih collections contain Prophetic traditions emphasizing that the Sacred Mosque and its surroundings are sanctified by Allah since the heavens and earth were created, and thus fighting is forbidden there indefinitely except for a brief time when the Prophet launched a raid. The Prophet’s fight in the Sacred Mosque happened during the conquest of Mecca, conducted with force; several men were killed near al-Khandaqah, although there was also a treaty, as indicated by the guarantees of safety for those who shut their doors, entered the mosque, or sought refuge with Abu Sufyan. Al-Qurtubi narrates that some hold this prohibition against fighting in the Sacred Mosque abrogated by the later verse: “So when the forbidden months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them” [at-Tawbah 9:5], but this is subject to scholarly debate. The clause “Until they fight you therein, then kill them” means that fighting is forbidden at the Sacred Mosque unless the aggressors initiate hostility there, in which case defensive combat and killing them are permitted. This was part of the treaty under the tree at Hudaybiyyah, when Quraysh and allied tribes prepared to fight the Muslims. If they desist from fighting in the Sacred Mosque, repent and turn to Islam, Allah is forgiving and merciful, even for sins like killing Muslims in His sacred precinct, since forgiveness is not restricted omitting those who sincerely repent. The command then extends to fighting the disbelievers until “there is no fitnah (trial, polytheism) and the religion is for Allah alone,” as explained by Ibn Abbas and others. The meaning is that the religion of Allah becomes predominant over all others. This is supported by authentic traditions where Abu Musa al-Ash’ari asked the Prophet about fighting with various motives; the Prophet stated the true fight in the cause of Allah is “Whoever fights so that the word of Allah is exalted.” Another hadith orders fighting until people declare the oneness of Allah, after which their blood and property are protected except by right. The phrase “If they cease, then Allah is Forgiving and Merciful,” means cease hostilities and disbelief, so you should also stop fighting them. Those who fight thereafter are unjust aggressors, and no aggression is allowed except against oppressors. This accords with the statement of Mujahid, “No one is fought except the one who fights.” The broader intent is that cessation of shirk and hostility brings cessation of divine sanction against them. Al-Bukhari relates a narration from Ibn Umar about the same verse, where two men urged Ibn Umar to join fighting in a rebellion, but he declined, stating Allah forbade the killing of his brother Muslims. Though people invoke “Fight until there is no trial,” Ibn Umar said they fought until no fitnah remained and Islam was firmly established; now they want to fight until fitnah arises again and the religion is diverted from Allah. Ibn Umar noted that in his time Islam was fragile and believers faced severe trials causing some to be killed or tortured, whereas now conditions had changed. In sum, Ibn Kathir’s commentary explains that this verse instructs fighting only against those who attack you, strictly forbids transgression and excesses, especially killing innocents or committing prohibited acts during fighting, warns about the severity of shirk as a trial worse than killing, prohibits fighting in the Sacred Mosque except if first attacked, and requires cessation of fighting if the enemy repents and forsakes disbelief. It situates the verse historically as the initial Medinan guidance on combat and links it with later revealed commands that intensified the Muslim stance against polytheists. Numerous hadiths reinforce the ethical limits on warfare, emphasizing justice, mercy, and the ultimate goal of establishing monotheism.

• ✓ Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an on 2:191

  Shia

  Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an · 2:191

  Recitation variants: Hamzah and Al-Kisai read, "And do not kill them until they kill you; but if they kill you..."—all without the alif. The others read with the alif in all these places. Grammatical argument (Al-Hujjah): Those who read without the alif followed the Mushaf's orthography, as it was written in the manuscripts without the alif. Those who include the alif explained that it is omitted in writing just as it is in the word "Ar-Rahman". Linguistic notes: The root ثقف is from أَثْقَفَهُ and تثقيفة, meaning "to find" or "to meet with." For example, the phrase "a man who is ثقف لقف" means he "finds what he seeks." The verb forms: ثقف الرجل ثقافة means "he found," and ثقف ثقفا (with a vowel on the first letter) signifies "he was quick to learn." الثقاف also refers to an iron piece used to straighten bent spears. التثقيف means "to straighten or correct." As for الفتنة (al-fitnah), it originally means a test or trial, but also took on meanings like affliction (as in "We tested you with trials," i.e., we put you to test). It can also mean punishment, e.g., "He made the people's test like the torment of God." It can mean seduction from religion, as in "Beware lest they seduce you from some of what God revealed to you," here implying associating partners with God and His Messenger. Grammatical parsing: The word حيث (where) can be pronounced with a dammah (u), fathah (a), or kasrah (i). The dammah is used when it is like prepositions such as قبل (before) or بعد (after), as it prevents idafa (genitive) construction to the following singular noun, yet keeps the meaning of connection, thus it behaves like قبل and بعد when built on dammah. Sometimes it takes fathah for grammatical construction, as with أين (where) and كيف (how). Kasrah is the original vowel due to meeting two consonants. The phrase following حيث is in genitive position by means of idafa (annexation) to حيث in these contexts. The verb and fight (وتقاتلوا) is in the accusative case because it is governed by the implied particle أن, which is a relative particle connecting the clause; this is in the genitive position governed by حتى (until). The word وحتى is connected to تقاتلوا. Occasion of revelation: These verses were revealed on the occasion where a companion of the Prophet killed a polytheist during the sacred month, and the believers were reproached for this. God clarified that the fitnah (trial) in religion, meaning association of partners to God, is more severe than killing such disbelievers even during the sacred month, although killing in the sacred months is not generally lawful. Meaning: Then God addressed the believers, explaining their proper conduct in fighting the disbelievers. He says: "And kill them wherever you catch them," i.e., wherever you find them; "and expel them from where they expelled you," referring to driving them out of Mecca as they had driven you out. "And fitnah is worse than killing," meaning their associating partners with God and His Messenger (polytheism) is a graver matter than the killing that happened during the sacred month. Kafir (disbelief) is called fitnah because it leads to ruin, just as trials lead to ruin. Some say it is called fitnah because disbelief is a manifest corruption appearing upon testing. And He commands: "Do not fight them near the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there," forbidding initiating combat or killing within the Sanctuary until the polytheists start it. "But if they fight you, then kill them likewise," as a just recompense against the disbelievers wherever you find them. This verse also indicates the obligation to expel disbelievers from Mecca, as stated in the phrase "until there is no fitnah." The prophetic tradition also emphasizes this, with the saying: "There will not be two religions together in the Arabian Peninsula."