The Qur’an

“War, Hebrews and Christians, the Punishment of Unbelievers in Allah”

Sura 2

The Cow

190. And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.
191. And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.
192. But if they desist, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
193. And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah, but if they desist, then there should be no hostility except against the oppressors.

243. Have you not considered those who went forth from their homes, for fear of death, and they were thousands, then Allah said to them, Die; again He gave them life; most surely Allah is Gracious to people, but most people are not grateful.
244. And fight in the way of Allah, and know that Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

Sura 5

The Dinner Table

33. The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement,
34. Except those who repent before you have them in your power; so know that Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
35. O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful.

51. O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.

Sura 8

The Accessions

15. O you who believe! when you meet those who disbelieve marching for war, then turn not your backs to them.
16. And whoever shall turn his back to them on that day-- unless he turn aside for the sake of fighting or withdraws to a company-- then he, indeed, becomes deserving of Allah’s wrath, and his abode is hell; and an evil destination shall it be.
17. So you did not slay them, but it was Allah Who slew them, and you did not smite when you smote (the enemy), but it was Allah Who smote, and that He might confer upon the believers a good gift from Himself; surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing.
18. This, and that Allah is the weakener of the struggle of the unbelievers.

38. Say to those who disbelieve, if they desist, that which is past shall be forgiven to them; and if they return, then what happened to the ancients has already passed.
39. And fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah; but if they desist, then surely Allah sees what they do.
40. And if they turn back, then know that Allah is your Patron; most excellent is the Patron and most excellent the Helper.
41. And know that whatever thing you gain, a fifth of it is for Allah and for the Apostle and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, if you believe in Allah and in that which We revealed to Our servant, on the day of distinction, the day on which the two parties met; and Allah has power over all things.

58. And if you fear treachery on the part of a people, then throw back to them on terms of equality; surely Allah does not love the treacherous.
59. And let not those who disbelieve think that they shall come in first; surely they will not escape.
60. And prepare against them what force you can and horses tied at the frontier, to frighten thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them, whom you do not know (but) Allah knows them; and whatever thing you will spend in Allah’s way, it will be paid back to you fully and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.
61. And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and trust in Allah; surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
62. And if they intend to deceive you-- then surely Allah is sufficient for you; He it is Who strengthened you with His help and with the believers
63. And united their hearts; had you spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah united them; surely He is Mighty, Wise.
64. O Prophet! Allah is sufficient for you and (for) such of the believers as follow you.
65. O Prophet! urge the believers to war; if there are twenty patient ones of you they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred of you they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people who do not understand.
66. For the present Allah has made light your burden, and He knows that there is weakness in you; so if there are a hundred patient ones of you they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a thousand they shall overcome two thousand by Allah’s permission, and Allah is with the patient.
67. It is not fit for a prophet that he should take captives unless he has fought and triumphed in the land; you desire the frail goods of this world, while Allah desires (for you) the hereafter; and Allah is Mighty, Wise.

Sura 9

The Immunity

1. (This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Apostle towards those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement.
2. So go about in the land for four months and know that you cannot weaken Allah and that Allah will bring disgrace to the unbelievers.
3. And an announcement from Allah and His Apostle to the people on the day of the greater pilgrimage that Allah and His Apostle are free from liability to the idolaters; therefore if you repent, it will be better for you, and if you turn back, then know that you will not weaken Allah; and announce painful punishment to those who disbelieve.
4. Except those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement, then they have not failed you in anything and have not backed up any one against you, so fulfill their agreement to the end of their term; surely Allah loves those who are careful (of their duty).
5. So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
6. And if one of the idolaters seek protection from you, grant him protection till he hears the word of Allah, then make him attain his place of safety; this is because they are a people who do not know.
7. How can there be an agreement for the idolaters with Allah and with His Apostle; except those with whom you made an agreement at the Sacred Mosque? So as long as they are true to you, be true to them; surely Allah loves those who are careful (of their duty).
8. How (can it be)! while if they prevail against you, they would not pay regard in your case to ties of relationship, nor those of covenant; they please you with their mouths while their hearts do not consent; and most of them are transgressors.
9. They have taken a small price for the communications of Allah, so they turn away from His way; surely evil is it that they do.
10. They do not pay regard to ties of relationship nor those of covenant in the case of a believer; and these are they who go beyond the limits.
11. But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith; and We make the communications clear for a people who know.
12. And if they break their oaths after their agreement and (openly) revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief-- surely their oaths are nothing-- so that they may desist.
13. What! will you not fight a people who broke their oaths and aimed at the expulsion of the Apostle, and they attacked you first; do you fear them? But Allah is most deserving that you should fear Him, if you are believers.
14. Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace, and assist you against them and heal the hearts of a believing people.

29. Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.
30. And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!
31. They have taken their doctors of law and their monks for lords besides Allah, and (also) the Messiah son of Marium and they were enjoined that they should serve one God only, there is no god but He; far from His glory be what they set up (with Him).
32. They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah will not consent save to perfect His light, though the unbelievers are averse.
33. He it is Who sent His Apostle with guidance and the religion of truth, that He might cause it to prevail over all religions, though the polytheists may be averse.
34. O you who believe! most surely many of the doctors of law and the monks eat away the property of men falsely, and turn (them) from Allah’s way; and (as for) those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend it in Allah’s way, announce to them a painful chastisement,

38. O you who believe! What (excuse) have you that when it is said to you: Go forth in Allah’s way, you should incline heavily to earth; are you contented with this world’s life instead of the hereafter? But the provision of this world’s life compared with the hereafter is but little.
39. If you do not go forth, He will chastise you with a painful chastisement and bring in your place a people other than you, and you will do Him no harm; and Allah has power over all things.
41. Go forth light and heavy, and strive hard in Allah’s way with your property and your persons; this is better for you, if you know.

73. O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination.

111. Surely Allah has bought of the believers their persons and their property for this, that they shall have the garden; they fight in Allah’s way, so they slay and are slain; a promise which is binding on Him in the Taurat and the Injeel and the Quran; and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? Rejoice therefore in the pledge which you have made; and that is the mighty achievement.

Sura 47

Muhammad

4. So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates. That (shall be so); and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have exacted what is due from them, but that He may try some of you by means of others; and (as for) those who are slain in the way of Allah, He will by no means allow their deeds to perish.
5. He will guide them and improve their condition.
6. And cause them to enter the garden which He has made known to them.

Sura 48

The Victory

13. And whoever does not believe in Allah and His Apostle, then surely We have prepared burning fire for the unbelievers.
14. And Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; He forgives whom He pleases and punishes whom He pleases, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

29. Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves; you will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allah and pleasure; their marks are in their faces because of the effect of prostration; that is their description in the Taurat and their description in the Injeel; like as seed-produce that puts forth its sprout, then strengthens it, so it becomes stout and stands firmly on its stem, delighting the sowers that He may enrage the unbelievers on account of them; Allah has promised those among them who believe and do good, forgiveness and a great reward.

Sura 62

The Congregation

5. The likeness of those who were charged with the Taurat, then they did not observe it, is as the likeness of the ass bearing books, evil is the likeness of the people who reject the communications of Allah; and Allah does not guide the unjust people.
6. Say: O you who are Jews, if you think that you are the favorites of Allah to the exclusion of other people, then invoke death If you are truthful.
7. And they will never invoke it because of what their hands have sent before; and Allah is Cognizant of the unjust.
8. Say: (As for) the death from which you flee, that will surely overtake you, then you shall be sent back to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will inform you of that which you did.

Sura 66

The Prohibition

9. O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be hard against them; and their abode is hell; and evil is the resort.page

The Bible

“War, Hebrews and Christians, the Punishment of Unbelievers in Allah”

Exodus

Chapter 23

4. If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
5. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

Deuteronomy

Chapter 22

1. Thou shalt not see the brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.
2. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.
3. In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself.
4. Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

Second Kings

Chapter 6

18. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19. And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20. And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22. And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

Proverbs

Chapter 25

21. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
22. For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee. 

Matthew

Chapter 5

1. And seeing the multitudes, he (Jesus) went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

9. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

38. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47. And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew

Chapter 10

11. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
12. And when ye come into an house, salute it.
13. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Romans

Chapter 12

19.Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Titus

Chapter 3

1. Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
2. To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
3. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
4. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6. Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7. That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
9. But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
10. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
11. Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

COMMENTARY

In the Qur’an:

1. The commandment to make war with unbelievers is not only  written in the present tense, but also in the future tense. Mohammed declared it not only to provoke an immediate battle with the people of Mecca, but also for a future “relationship” with other unbelievers.

2. The only possible attitude toward unbelievers is to be “...strong against Unbelievers...” and if they resist the message of Allah through Mohammed, Muslims have to make war to fulfill their obligation toward Allah, until “... there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah;”. If the unbelievers will submit to the authority of the Muslims, they will not be killed, but “...they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.”

In the Bible:

1. In the Bible we see the opposite commandment from God: “...If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink...”, “...Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...”

 2. According to the Bible, believers should offer the message of salvation to unbelievers, and if they will not listen “...shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.”

There is no command anywhere in the Bible to kill those who do not want to believe; rather, there is the commandment to leave them alone: “...after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him...”. It is clear that it is God’s responsibility to judge people, not the responsibility of believers.

CONCLUSION

We can see a great difference between the biblical and the qur’anical approach to the issue of converting unbelievers.

The history of the first 300 years of Christianity reveals a peaceful, victorious sweep throughout the Roman Empire, while Islam waged wars with all of its neighbors. Islam was able to expand because of their usage of the method called “sword and fire”.

During the first 100 years of the growth of Islam since the death of Mohammed in 632 AD, Muslim armies conquered Christian countries such as Syria (634 AD), Israel (637 AD), Lebanon, Egypt (638 AD), Libya (689 AD), Spain and Portugal (711 AD), and Zoroaster’s Persia (640 AD). By 732 AD, Arabic armies under the command of Abd-er-Rahman, Governor of Spain, were stopped by the Christian army under the command of Charles Martel (near the city of Tours in modern France).

The successors to the Arabs in the 11th century were the Turks, who started a long offence against the Eastern Byzantine Empire and never rested until Constantinople fell into their hands in 1453 AD. It opened the door to further Islamic expansion in Europe. This resulted in an occupation in part or in full of such countries as present-day Bulgaria, Greece, Austria, Yugoslavia, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine and Russia.

Only after the destruction of the Turkish armies near Vienna in 1683 AD by Jan III Sobieski, did they lose their power to threaten Europe and the zone of Islamic influence began diminishing. Meanwhile, Russia commenced her period of wars with the Ottoman Empire and it’s vassals in 1676 AD and continued until 1918. During this lengthy period of 241 years, Russia and Turkey had eleven wars between themselves. In 1878, Russian General Skobelev captured the city of San-Stefano near Istanbul. As a result, the Ottoman Empire recognized the independence of Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and the autonomy of Bulgaria.

At this same time, Islam expanded towards Africa and the Far East and has acquired many countries which today are ruled by Islamic governments in accordance with Shariah law.

After a short break of thirty years from 1918-1948, Islam began its offensive against the newly-born state of Israel which continues until now and, according to the Bible, will continue until the Second Coming of Christ.

Many Imams in mosques today remind their fellow Muslims that now is the time to restore the former glory of the 8th century Muslim Caliphate, not only in Middle East but also in the Western World. The Islamic factor has been active for 1,372 years and has caught a fresh start in 2001!

It will have no end until Muslims will fulfill the Qur’anical call to fight until “…religion should be only for Allah…”