Figure 1.-- |
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When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and pay the alms-tax, let them go their way. Allah is forgiving and merciful."
One translation reads, "When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and pay the alms-tax, let them go their way. Allah is forgiving and merciful."
Another translation reads, "Once the Sacred Months are past, (and they refuse to make peace) you may kill the idol worshipers when you encounter them, punish them, and resist every move they make. If they repent and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), you shall let them go. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful."
This is one of several passages that are often translated as "kill" or "slay" them "whenever you find them". One scholar insists that "fight" is aetter transltion. While not pacifistic (remember Muslims cliam) that Islam is a religion of peace) the use of "fight" is less brutal or saginary.
The command in the sword verse is to "kill the associators (mushrikin) wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush." The mushrikin means polythesists as opposed to the "people of the book". Polytheists are not seen as menbers of a legitimate religion, as opposed to Jews or Christians. The Arabic verb in this verse (an many others assiociated with viloence) is not the verb related to jihad. Rather, it is the verb "qatala" in its first ("to kill") and third ("to fight, try to kill") ternses. The Koran contains many other verses using forms of qatala which -- though not imperatives -- appear to promote fighting amd killing killing. The context of this Surah suggests that the Koran is primarily concerned with the the attack on the pagans of Mecca. It is during the "great Hajj" -- pilgrimage to Mecca. And even the pagans are to be granted asylum if they request it. In addition, and those who honored treaties are to be respected. The verse is probablyb not about Jews or Christians (the "al-khitab"). Here is a Koranic passage providing for the different treatment of Al-Khitab and Mushrik (pagans).
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