'Kill Them Wherever You Find Them (2:191)': What Quran Actually Means By This Command?
By
Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
22 April
2014
What is
exactly meant by the verse “kill them wherever you find them” (2:191)? Some
people often object to it due to ignorance of its context, and some for
creating disorder on account of disbelief or eradicating Islamic values from,
or creating doubts in the hearts of believers. Describing Islam as the
‘religion of bloodshed’, they argue that Islam has allowed Muslims to kill them
(Kuffar/non-believers) wherever they find them.
On this account some non-Muslims as well as
terrorist organizations project Islam as the “religion of sword” leading to
“disorder and violence” in the land. But, the fact is this verse has a
particular condition. In this verse, all Kuffar/disbelievers are not meant and
neither is it meant that every non-believer should be killed wherever he or she
is found.
Full
Context of the Verse 2:191
To
understand the verse (2:191) of the Quran in the way majority mainstream
Muslims have done so far, we need to examine the context of the verse (2:191)
in full that is vividly clear from 2:190 to 2:195.
“And fight (in defence) in the cause of Allah
against those who impose war on you. (Yes,) but do not exceed limits. Surely,
Allah does not like those who exceed limits. And (during war) kill them (the
aggressing and combating disbelievers) wherever you find them, and drive them
out (through military operation by the state) from where they drove you out.
And rousing mischief and disruption is a severer (crime) than killing. But do
not fight against them in the proximity of the Sacred Mosque (Ka‘ba) unless
they themselves fight there against you. Then if they attack you, kill them (in
defence), for that is the right penalty of (such aggressing and combating)
disbelievers. But if they desist, then surely Allah is Most Forgiving,
Ever-Merciful. And keep fighting against them until the disruption and mischief
is totally eliminated and the Din (Religion) practically becomes subservient to
Allah alone (i.e., the system of the protection of peace and human dignity is
practically established). But if they desist, then offensive action is not
permissible except against the wrongdoers (i.e., transgressors). A sacred month
is the requital of a sacred month, and (other) sacred things also requite one
another. So if someone wrongs you, you may also respond in kind but
proportional to his offence. And fear Allah. And remember that Allah is with
those who fear Him. “And spend in the cause of Allah; and do not cast
yourselves into destruction with your own hands; and adopt righteousness.
Verily, Allah loves the righteous.”
---- Quran:
2:190 --195
Context
(Shane Nuzul) of the verse 2:191
This verse
was revealed at a time when the holy prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be
upon him) set out for Makkah to perform Umrah along with his 1400 companions.
When they reached Hudaybiyyah, the polytheists did not allow him and his
companions to enter the city and perform Umrah as intended. It took a great
deal of negotiating to reach the agreement that he and his companions would
perform Umrah next year. This pact is known as treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The
believers came back to Madinah as per the treaty, in the next year, when the
holy prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) decided to go to Makkah
for Umrah, his holy companions started feeling concerned about the Arab
polytheists who could not be trusted upon in a peace treaty as they were used
to break treaties.
It was quite possible that the Arab
polytheists or infidels may attack them. The problem was that fighting within
the precincts of Makkah was not permissible in Islam. This was the time when
Allah Almighty revealed the verse 2:192 stating that the sacredness of the
precincts of Makkah must be observed by Muslims, but if the disbelievers attack
them within the sacred limits, it would be permissible for them to fight back
in defence. This way, the verse allowed them to meet the challenge of their
oppression and kill them where they found them.
So, it is
very clear that the verse “kill them wherever you find them...” does not
include all common polytheists and non-Muslims such as those living in the
world today. It only includes those who break peace-treaty and contentment of
the country and kill innocents. So fighting against such infidel oppressors who
break peace-treaty of the country is allowed, no matter whether the oppressor
is a Muslim or a non-Muslim. For example, Salahuddin Ayyubi Rahimahullah, for
the sake of freedom of Palestine, waged Jihad against oppressive Muslim rulers.
Jihad is waged against tyrannical rulers, whether they claim to be Muslims or
non-Muslims.
It is worth
noting that Kaafir/disbeliever does not refer to only those who believe in a
trinity or more than one God but also includes those so-called Muslims who
disbelieve any verse of the holy Quran or refuse to accept essential
requirements of the faith, and commit blasphemy against any of the prophets (peace
be upon them). Explanation of the So-called “Sword Verse” 9:5
Explanation
of the So-called “Sword Verse” 9:5
The command
“kill them wherever you find them” is also mentioned in another verse (9:5).
Like the verse 2:192, this verse (9:5) too is wrongly interpreted by some
so-called Muslim and non-Muslim terror-promoting ideologues.
Many
classical, traditional and modern scholars have presented good interpretation
of the verse 9:5 which is essential for every believer of Islam to believe.
Some of them are as follows:
Dr.
Abdul Haleem comments on this verse (9:5):
“We must
also comment on another verse much referred to but notoriously misinterpreted
and taken out of context – that which became labelled as the ‘Sword verse’:
“…Then when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever you find
them, take them and besiege them and prepare for them every ambush….” [ 9:5 ]
The hostility and "bitter enmity" of the polytheists and their Fitna
[persecution, 2:193 ; 8:39] of the Muslims grew so great that the unbelievers
were determined to convert the Muslims back to paganism or finish them off.
“They would persist in fighting you until they turn you back from your
religion, if they could….” [2:217]
"It
was these hardened polytheists in Arabia, who would accept nothing other than
the expulsion of the Muslims or their reversion to paganism, and who repeatedly
broke their treaties, that the Muslims were ordered to treat in the same way -
to fight them or expel them….Even with such an enemy Muslims were not simply
ordered to pounce on them and reciprocate by breaking the treaty themselves;
instead, an ultimatum was issued, giving the enemy notice, that after the four
sacred months mentioned in 9:5 above, the Muslims would wage war on them. The
main clause of the sentence "kill the polytheists" is singled out by
some Western scholars to represent the Islamic attitude to war; even some
Muslims take this view and allege that this verse abrogated other verses on
war. This is pure fantasy, isolating and de-contextualising a small part of a
sentence. The full picture is given in 9:1-15, which gives many reasons for the
order to fight the polytheists. They continuously broke their agreements and
aided others against the Muslims, they started hostilities against the Muslims,
barred others from becoming Muslims, “expelled” Muslims from the Holy Mosque
and even from their own homes. At least eight times the passage mentions their
misdeeds against the Muslims. Consistent with restrictions on war elsewhere in
the Qur'an, the immediate context of this "Sword Verse" exempts such
polytheists who do not break their agreements and who keep the peace with the
Muslims [9:7]. It orders that those enemies seeking safe conduct should be
protected and delivered to the place of safety they seek [9:6]. The whole of
this context to v. 5, with all its restrictions, is ignored by those who simply
isolate one part of a sentence to build their theory of war in Islam on what is
termed "The Sword Verse" even when the words word does not occur
anywhere in the Qur'an. (Muhammad Abdul Haleem, “Understanding The Qur’an”
{I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd 2005}, pp. 65-66, “Jihad: a war against all
Non-Muslims or not? By Kevin Abdullah Kareem”)
Ibn
Arabi Rahimahullah says:
“It is
clear from this that the meaning of this verse is to kill the pagans who are
waging war against you” (Ibn Arabi, Ahkam Al-Quran: 2/456)
Imam
Muhammad al-Ghazali writes his commentary on Surah 9:
“Muslims
are therefore basically opposed to war and are never the ones to start it. By
the imperative of their own religion, they are taught not to impose their
beliefs on others by force. Their mission is to impart and communicate God’s
message, leaving people free to decide whether to believe or reject it. Those
who refuse to believe are free to pursue their lives in peace as long as they
do not pose any obstacle or threat to Islam and the Muslims, who perceive their
faith as the strongest and most vital binding relationship between God and
humankind and that it is their responsibility to make others aware of it and
provide them with the opportunity to understand and appreciate it.
"This
is the basis of the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims in Islamic
society. God says elsewhere in the Qur’an: “Therefore, if they (the
unbelievers) do not trouble you and cease their hostility towards you and offer
you peace, God gives you no authority over them” [al-Nisa: 90]. Those who take
up arms against a Muslim state or parts of it must be met with force, and if
they are overcome, they should be disarmed. Once that is achieved, they are
free to lead their own lives and practise their beliefs in peace and security
under the protection of the Muslim authorities, in return for which they have
to pay a levy.
“This is
the background against which prescription of the Jizyah, or exemption tax, came
into being. It is not due from those who are neutral and have never taken up
arms against the Muslim state. The Qur'anic verse gives ample explanation for
the reason behind the establishment of this tax, for it stipulates who should
pay it. They are those “who do not believe in God and the Last Day, who do not
forbid what God and His Messenger have forbidden, and who do not follow the
true religion, until they pay the exemption tax unreservedly and with
humility.” (Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali, “A Thematic Commentary on the Qur’an”
[The International Institute of16: Islamic Thought, Second Printing, 2005], pp.
183-184, “Jihad: a war against all Non-Muslims or not? By Kevin Abdullah
Kareem”)
Mr.
Kevin Abdullah Kareem writes:
“The famous
Hanafi Jurist Imam al-Tahawi also adhered to the position that non-believers
could only be fought if they resorted to “armed conflict” and not simply on
account of their “disbelief” (See: Ahmad al-Tahawi [d. 933]: “Kitab
al-Mukhtasar”, ed. Abu al-Wafa al-Afghani [Cairo 1950], p. 281)
“This view
is also strongly supported by the next authentic narration [Hadith] of our
Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him): It is reported the Prophet said: “…
Leave the Abyssinians alone, as long as they leave you alone, and do not engage
the Turks, as long as they do not engage you…” (Abu Dawood (3748) and an-Nasaii
(3125); Imam al-Albani graded it as authentic in his book, “Sahih al-Jami”,
Hadith No. 3384, and also in his book, “Silsilat al-A ‘Hadeeth as-Sahihah”,
Hadith No. 772)
Notice how
the above Hadith contradicts the view of those who believe that the Holy Qur’an
instructs Muslims to fight all Non-Muslims simply on account of their
disbelief. If God in the Holy Qur’an [verse 9:29] had commanded Muslims to
fight “all” non-Muslims simply on account of their disbelief, then there would
have been no room for a statement from the Prophet like this. The above
narration does not confirm the view that Muslims should attack people who do
not pose any threat towards the Islamic country, nor have any intention to
attack Muslims”.
Imam
Muhammad al-Ghazali concludes his commentary on Surah 9:
“Our
natural disposition and tendency favour peace, harmony, and stability among
relatives, neighbours, and friends. However, while condoning and encouraging
these tendencies, the Qur’an also says: “…Much as you dislike it, fighting has
been prescribed for you. But you may despise something that is good for you,
and you may love something that is bad for you. God knows, but you do not …”
[2:216]. Peace is to be welcomed when rights are protected and beliefs are
respected; but if peace means abject surrender and subjugation, it cannot be
easily defended on moral or realistic grounds. This delicate balance is well
presented in the verse: “… They ask you whether fighting is permitted during
the sacred month. Say, ‘fighting in it is a grave matter’ …” [2:217], meaning
it is not permitted. However, what should be done if aggression is perpetrated,
terrorizing peaceful communities and jeopardizing their rights of worship and
belief? Should not aggression be repelled, in order to protect one’s rights?
The verse continues: “….but to deny God and debar people from His path and
prevent them from worshiping in the Holy Mosque, and to drive its inhabitants
away, is far graver in the sight of God…” [2:217]. In short “...sedition
(Arabic: Fitnah) is a greater threat than killing...” [2:217] and fighting or
armed resistance should be permitted in “defence” of one’s integrity and
beliefs. However, in circumstances in which we are faced with enemies who will
not be satisfied until we forsake our religion and way of life and adopt
theirs, defensive action becomes obligatory and the blame for instigating the
conflict will not fall on us but on those who were the cause of it.
These
introductory remarks enable us to appreciate fully the meaning of the following
verse: “…fight for the cause of God those who fight against you, but do not
commit aggression because God does not love the aggressors…” [2:190]. This is
an eternal principle, and everything else the Qur’an has to say on this subject
agrees with it. Some commentators have been erroneously misled into believing
that Surah al-Tawbah contains injunctions that contradict this principle. The
command given in that Surah to undertake to fight back does not, however
prescribe fighting against fair-minded, neutral, or reasonable people. It
condones it against groups who have grudges against the Muslims and are
actively undermining their peace and security and inflicting harm upon them.
That is the reason for the Qur’an’s condemnation that: “...Evil is what they
(the unbelievers) have done; they respect no pacts or agreements with the
believers and they are the aggressors…..” [Al-Tawbah: 9-10]
“Furthermore,
the Qur’an emphasizes the need to confront those aggressors in a just and clean
fight, by asking: “...Would you not fight against those who have broken their
oaths and conspired to drive the Messenger out, and attacked you first? Do you
fear them? Surely you should fear God instead, if you are true believers…”
[Al-Tawbah: 13]. It is difficult to see how this can be seen as prescribing
waging war against those who do not commit aggression, or that it overrides the
principle given in al-Baqarah which states clearly that fighting is undertaken
only in response to aggression.
"This
– when propounded by some Muslims – is at best a misunderstanding, and at worst
an objectionable undermining of eternal Islamic principles, inviting noxious
charges against Islam, for which we have only ourselves to blame. Here it is
worth stressing that the Qur’an prescribes legitimate defensive war on
condition that it is undertaken for the cause of God and not for personal glory
nor to gain a special advantage; nor should wars be prescribed for the sake of
vainglorious and bigoted nationalist interests to prove that a particular
country is supreme and master of all ! Wars conducted in recent times have been
organized to usurp the wealth and the resources of weaker nations, and to
colonize and control their lands and destinies for the benefit of strong and
mighty ones. Far from being just wars, fought in the name of God, they are true
works of evil. (Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali, “A Thematic Commentary on the
Qur’an” [The International Institute of 16: Islamic Thought, Second Printing,
2005], pp. 18-20, see also “Jihad: a war against all Non-Muslims or not? By
Kevin Abdullah Kareem”)
Having
analyzed the afore-mentioned details about the full context of the Quranic
verse “kill them wherever you find them” and the reasons and circumstances
(Shan-e-Nuzul) of this verse through the comments of Islamic theologians,
jurists and scholars, it is vividly clear that this verse does not allow anyone
to go and kill any non-Muslim. Therefore, whosoever misinterprets or
mis-contextualises this verse to justify violence is a great enemy of Islam and
Muslims first and enemy of non-Muslims later. Such an enemy causing Fitna will
draw on himself the wrath of Allah Almighty.
Ghulam Ghaus is an Alim and Fazil (Classical
Islamic scholar) with a Sufi background. He has completed the classical Islamic
sciences from a Delhi-based Sufi Islamic seminary Jamia Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia
Zakir Nagar, New Delhi with specialization in Tafseer, Hadith and Arabic. He
completed his Alimiat and Fazilat respectively from Jamia Warsia Arabic
College, Lucknow and Jamia Manzar- e- Islam, Bareilly, U.P. He has graduated in
Arabic (Hons) and is pursuing his M.A in Arabic from Jamia Millia Islamia, New
Delhi
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