"Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wheresoever you find them, capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. Bu if they repent, and perform the prayer and give the alms, then let them go their way. Truly God is Forgiving, Merciful. And if any of the idolaters seek asylum with thee, grant him asylum until he hears the Word of God."
Quran 9:5-6
This passage is one that I've referenced several times in passing. It's drawn from the ninth surah, al-Tawbah, here rendered as "Repentance," and is one of the most famous and important in the entire Quran. The first line, 9:5, is sometimes referred to as the "surah of the sword."
As Nasr explains: "This passage is significant for debates concerning the use of force. For some, v. 5 of this surah abrogates all previous treaties and obligations in relation to the idolaters. Other commentators and jurists interpret this to mean that the idolaters are fought by reason of their idolatry and polytheism. However, since this passage itself explicitly affirms the validity and propriety of keeping treaties with those idolaters who uphold their side of the treaty in good faith, a more plausible reading of this passage would not see the very fact that certain person were idolaters as a reason to fight them; on this question see also 2:256c." (p. 506)
Essentially, Nasr's point is that the crime of the idolaters was not that they were idolaters, but rather that they had broken a treaty and killed some of the Muslims. This is not a small distinction. Their crime was not that they were polytheists (even if God or Muhammad or the Muslim community would not have approved of this) but rather that they were oath-breakers.
What's troublesome about 9:5 is that it is, no pun intended, a double-edged sword, one that is often cited by people outside of Islam to justify their criticism of the faith and also cited by extremist elements inside of the faith to justify their actions.
This also takes us back, once again, to my long-standing distrust of the entire concept of abrogations. We're supposed to ignore the innumerable times in the Quran that we're instructed to be kind and intolerant and forgiving of others, even those of other faiths, simply because of one passage, and one that is all too frequently misinterpreted? This passage has a very specific meaning in regards to a very specific situation, and expanding it into a general statement covering all our relationship with others is as odious as it is inaccurate and misleading.
Quran 9:5-6
This passage is one that I've referenced several times in passing. It's drawn from the ninth surah, al-Tawbah, here rendered as "Repentance," and is one of the most famous and important in the entire Quran. The first line, 9:5, is sometimes referred to as the "surah of the sword."
As Nasr explains: "This passage is significant for debates concerning the use of force. For some, v. 5 of this surah abrogates all previous treaties and obligations in relation to the idolaters. Other commentators and jurists interpret this to mean that the idolaters are fought by reason of their idolatry and polytheism. However, since this passage itself explicitly affirms the validity and propriety of keeping treaties with those idolaters who uphold their side of the treaty in good faith, a more plausible reading of this passage would not see the very fact that certain person were idolaters as a reason to fight them; on this question see also 2:256c." (p. 506)
Essentially, Nasr's point is that the crime of the idolaters was not that they were idolaters, but rather that they had broken a treaty and killed some of the Muslims. This is not a small distinction. Their crime was not that they were polytheists (even if God or Muhammad or the Muslim community would not have approved of this) but rather that they were oath-breakers.
What's troublesome about 9:5 is that it is, no pun intended, a double-edged sword, one that is often cited by people outside of Islam to justify their criticism of the faith and also cited by extremist elements inside of the faith to justify their actions.
This also takes us back, once again, to my long-standing distrust of the entire concept of abrogations. We're supposed to ignore the innumerable times in the Quran that we're instructed to be kind and intolerant and forgiving of others, even those of other faiths, simply because of one passage, and one that is all too frequently misinterpreted? This passage has a very specific meaning in regards to a very specific situation, and expanding it into a general statement covering all our relationship with others is as odious as it is inaccurate and misleading.
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