وَقَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنْ الْقَتْلِ وَلَا تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ عِنْدَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ حَتَّى يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ فَإِنْ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوهُمْ كَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ فَإِنْ انتَهَوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ لِلَّهِ فَإِنْ انتَهَوْا فَلَا عُدْوَانَ إِلَّا عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ الشَّهْرُ الْحَرَامُ بِالشَّهْرِ الْحَرَامِ وَالْحُرُمَاتُ قِصَاصٌ فَمَنْ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ (2: 190-194)

And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight against you and do not transgress bounds [in this fighting]. Indeed, God does not like the transgressors. And kill them wherever you find them and drive them out [of the place] from which they drove you out and [remember] persecution is worse than carnage. But do not initiate war with them near the Holy Kabah unless they attack you there. But if they attack you, put them to the sword [without any hesitation]. Such disbelievers deserve this very punishment. However, if they desist [from this disbelief], Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. And keep fighting against them, until persecution does not remain and [in this land] Allah’s religion reigns supreme. But if they mend their ways, then [you should know that] an offensive is only allowed against the evil-doers. A sacred month for a sacred month; [similarly] other sacred things too are subject to retaliation. So if any one transgresses against you, you should also pay him back in the same coin. And have fear of Allah and keep in mind that Allah is with those who remain within the bounds set by Him. (2:190-4)

Once the permission to wage jihad was revealed in the verses of Surah Hajj as stated earlier, a detailed directive regarding jihad was basically revealed in the above quoted verses of Surah Baqarah. All other ones which mention jihad actually elucidate and emphasize what is stated here as well as elaborate on the right course in certain issues [1] that arose once the Muslims set about following this directive.

The context of the verses cited above is that once the Baytullah was regarded as the qiblah, Muslims became anxious to offer hajj; however, they realized that the Quraysh would be an impediment to this. If they offered resistance matters could lead to an armed conflict, and the sanctity of the sacred months would not allow this to happen. Consequently, when a question was asked on this issue, the Quran replied that their sanctity cannot be violated; however, if the Quryash take the initiative in waging war, Muslims were told that they should fight them to crush their resistance. This is what the context says; however, the directive does not end here, and the Qur’an goes on to extend it by adding certain other details to it. It clarifies the nature of responsibility the Muslims have been entrusted with viz-a-viz jihad, the real reason from which they should derive their motivation in waging jihad, the moral and ethical limits of this undertaking, and, finally, the real objective of jihad. Through these details, the two categories of jihad referred to earlier in this chapter are clearly set forth.

These details will now be explained:

a) Nature of the Obligation:

Discussion 32285

b) The Driving Force:

Discussion 32289

c) Ethical Limits:

Discussion 32294

d) The Ultimate Goal:

Discussion 32299

(Javed Ahmed Ghamidi)

(Translated by Dr. Shehzad Saleem)

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[1]. One such example can be seen 2:244.