{When the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them. And capture them, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayers,and pay the alms, then let them go their way. God is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful}.(Tawba:5
Perhaps no verse in the Holy Quran was ever abused and misinterpreted by ISIS and Takfiri groups to justify their thirst for blood more than the verse of the sword, which continues to be the subject of a heated debate and dispute among Muslims. The verse has become the cornerstone reference for some radicals bent upon justifying a concept of total war which they view as a core message of Islam instituting the duty of combat (Jihad) according to their most vehement ideologue “Mohamed Abdel Salam Faraj”. People who are familiar with the narrative of these Jihadi movements might wrongly conceive of Islam as a religion that declares war to the entire planet earth until it imposes its dominance over the world by brawn and until all peoples submit to its rule without exception. They might also entertain the illusion that the entire Holy Quran came in order to consecrate a single pillar which commands “Jihad for the sake of God”.
When confronted with the myriad Holy Quran verses which, in dealing with the unbelievers, enjoin love, peace, compassion, good example, tolerance, freedom of religion and sanctity of human life, the followers of these extreme ideologies brush them off ever so flippantly, leveraging on the concept of “abrogation” under which they claim that the sword verse abrogates the whole gamut of the other 124 verses in 52 Surats in the Quran which are all dedicated to the advocacy of brotherhood, good advice, dealing with people gently and such other noble meanings clearly reflected in the Prophet’s tradition and the traditions of the Righteous Caliphs.
The delusion of those people and their zealous infatuation with weird concepts are of such alarming levels as to make them shamelessly proclaim that the sword verse abrogates all the phenomenal volume of love found in the earlier Quranic verses, claiming that a latter verse annuls those predating it, in their dogged misperception of the verse as a rigid and unpliable text commanding abidance by their vision and support for their sickly objectives.
It is necessary here to recall some of the verses which these misguided people erroneously consider as being abrogated by verse 108 (Al Seif), the sword verse in question.
{There shall be no compulsion in religion; the right way has become distinct from the wrong way} (al-Baqara:256)
{ And say, “The truth is from your Lord. Whoever wills—let him believe. And whoever wills—let him disbelieve} (al-Kahf: 29)
{ But if they incline towards peace, then incline towards it, and put your trust in God. He is the Hearer, the Knower}. (Anfal: 61)
{And fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not commit aggression; God does not love the aggressors.} (al-Baqara:190)
{And fight them until there is no oppression, and worship becomes devoted to God alone. But if they cease, then let there be no hostility except against the oppressors.} (al-Baqara:193)
{If they withdraw from you, and do not fight you, and offer you peace, then God assigns no excuse for you against them.} (al-Nisa: 90)
{Pardon them, and say, “Peace.” They will come to know.} az-Zukruf:89)
{Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good advice, and debate with them in the most dignified manner. Your Lord is aware of those who stray from His path, and He is aware of those who are guided.} (al-Nahl: 125)
{As for those who have not fought against you for your religion, nor expelled you from your homes, God does not prohibit you from dealing with them kindly and equitably. God loves the equitable. But God prohibits you from befriending those who fought against you over your religion, and expelled you from your homes, and aided in your expulsion. Whoever takes them for friends—these are the wrongdoers.} (al-Mumtahinah: 8-9)
{You have your way, and I have my way.} (al-Kafirun: 6)
It is evident from the verses enumerated above that there is no way for a single verse to possibly abrogate all that much of a substance that actually reflects the core spirit of Islam and its primary message of mercy. Having said that, it must be noted that even the concept of abrogation itself is widely contested and that those who stand behind it failed to consider the overriding verse: “We did not send you (oh Prophet Mohamed) except as a (message of) mercy to mankind” found in Surat (Al-Anbiya. 107).
It is abundantly clear that the advocates of this ideology never gave any consideration to the context surrounding the sword verse and Surat al-Tawba in general although most Muslim scholars agree that Surat al-Tawba did not start with the “Basmalah,” due to the context related to its opening verses. The “Basmalah” indeed is in itself pregnant with the Quranic ideals of compassion and mercy, but as the Surat opens on a note of disassociation from the polytheists, and attribution of blame to them, therefore the Surat skips the “Basmalah”so as to be in tune with the context.
As a consequence, and in keeping with the spirit of Islam and its message, particularly at the present day and age where Muslims have become so weak and vulnerable, an easy prey for all and sundry, the extremists and those others who contend in favour of the abrogation of all the verses about compassion and peace by this one single verse should be wise enough not to inject this invalid concept of abrogation in their pronouncements.
The verses in Surat al-Tawba were revealed in year 9 of the Hejeri era, after the liberation of Makkah, which was subdued and placed under Muslim rule a year earlier. The context of the verses addresses those among the infidels of the Arabian Peninsula, other than the tribe of Qurayish, who had concluded a pact with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), proclaiming Allah’s and His Messenger’s disassociation from them and from any earlier pacts concluded with them, past a fixed grace period. The context therefore was clearly particular and specific to one single group of polytheists, well defined in time and space.
Some might ask how it is that a Quranic revelation should be made to address a specific case to the exclusion of all others whereas convention has it that every word was meant to be all-encompassing, irrespective of any specific context?
The opening verses in Surat al-Tawba, where the sword verse is found, offer unambiguous clarification that the polytheists concerned in these verses are divided into two groups, namely:
A group that had breached their pact with the Prophet, and that were therefore granted a four-month grace period, to evacuate Makkah, with the verse proclaiming that such is God’s irreversible decision on account of their treachery.
A declaration of immunity from God and His Messenger to the polytheists with whom you had made a treaty.2. So travel the land for four months, and know that you cannot escape God, and that God will disgrace the disbelievers.3. And a proclamation from God and His Messenger to the people on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage, that God has disowned the polytheists, and so did His Messenger. If you repent, it will be better for you. But if you turn away, know that you cannot escape God. And announce to those who disbelieve a painful punishment. (Tawba:1.2.3)
Another group of polytheists who duly observed their pact with the Prophet and upheld it, whose covenant shall therefore remain valid according to its terms, and about whom the divine word was:
Except for those among the polytheists with whom you had made a treaty, and did not violate any of its terms, nor aided anyone against you. So fulfill the treaty with them to the end of its term. God loves the righteous. (Tawba:4)
It is only after the description of this context and its logical sequence that we find the verse called the sword verse:
When the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them. And capture them, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayers, and pay the alms, then let them go their way. God is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Tawba:5)
The introduction of these verses in their conjunctoural context as described forms the essence of logic, with a specific timeline set for the infidels (after they had breached their covenant with the Prophet) of the Arabian Peninsula to choose their position relevant to Islam. The verse cites the logical consequence of what the Muslims would do after the expiry, whether it is the expiry of the four months grace period or the expiry of the covenant’s terms with those who did not betray those terms.
The verses following the sword verse were even more clearly reflective of the Quranic spirit of love, forgiveness and inadversity. They make it unequivocally clear that the war on the infidels is not open-ended but rather had a specific place (the Arabian Peninsula) and a specific targeted group which was the idolaters who violated the terms of the covenant. And yet, over and above all else, these verses give authorization for the Muslims to offer succor to a polytheist who asks for the Messenger’s protection. Not only that. The verses even make it an obligation for the Muslims to accord protection to whoever seeks it and accompany him until he reaches a safe haven where he would feel security for himself, his property and his honor. Says Allah:
And if anyone of the polytheists asks you for protection, give him protection so that he may hear the Word of God; then escort him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know. (Tawba:6)
That verse came directly in tow of the sword verse. So how can a verse proclaim a total war on all idolaters while commanding in the very following verse that they honour their request for protection and safety be honoured, and even that they be accompanied to a haven where they may feel safety for themselves, their property and their honour?
This is the meaning that ibn al-Jawzi sustains in his book “Nawasikh al-Quran” ( Quranic verses with Abrogating value) by saying: “those who believe in it- the alleged abrogation value of the sword verse above all the verses of mercy and peace – fail to comprehend the actual views of the Quran’s transmitters. In actual fact, the sword verse had only abrogated one earlier instruction, namely that regarding the completion of the non belligerence pact with the idolaters to its term by not fighting them. The sword verse constituted an official termination of the pact with them and an upfront declaration that, past the fixed grace period, only accepting Islam would allow them to remain in Makkah among the believers. The text is specifically relevant to the pagans of the Arabian Peninsula, as supported by a whole string of Muslim scholars including Tabari, Bukhari and others.
It is important to note here that scholars were split into three groups as far as interpreting this verse was concerned:
A group that believed that the sword verse nullified the prior verses that spoke of flexibility and patience with the infidels and disbelievers. This opinion was held by a number of scholars in the past, in specific historical contexts that made them espouse this position. One should bear in mind, though, that this view was never pursued by Muslims after the death of the Prophet (PBUH): the Four Caliphs, the Umayyads, the Abbasids and other Muslim leaders, all refuted that position because it was politically and logically impractical in their time, let alone in our present day, a position which, however, resonated well with the Jihadist groups in particular and the Takfiri groups in general.
A group who believed that the sword verse was for implementation depending on prevailing circumstances of Muslims: In times of strength and capacity Muslims may lean towards the sword verse’s all out interpretation; whereas in times of weakness the restrictive version may be given preference, a position that’s no less strange and foreign then the one above.
A group who believe that the sword verse is not abrogating in the absolute, but was merely meant to address a specific case at a certain time for a certain people. Some of them believe that the sword verse itself was abrogated, the Almighty God having said {Then, either release them by grace, or by ransom} (Muhammed: 4). A host of veteran scholars have indeed upheld this strand which is today prevalent among contemporary scholars due to its manifest alignment with the rest of the Quranic verses, and because this opinion expresses the authentic spirit of Islam that is rooted in the message of justice, love and brotherhood and the acceptance of and respect for the other.
