Does Qur’an encourage violence? Is Islam a religion of Peace?
Answer to these two questions are going to as varied as the person you speak to. Many Muslims vouch for this as a religion of peace
but a significant population of the world believe violence is inherent to
Islam. As Quran is the foundation of Islam, I look to it to seek the answer.
Qur’an is the word of Al-lah, Bismillah-e-Rahman-e-Rahim.
Everything that has been written is said by the God and delivered by the angel
to the prophet. Each chapter of it has been written in the name of god, the
lord of Mercy, the giver of Mercy. Abdel-Haleem says,
“the prevalent message of the
Quran is one of peace and tolerance.”
"Islam" is derived from
the Arabic word "sal'm" which means “to show submission”. Foundation of Islam is Quran which came to the world via
prophet. It is known to every Muslim that whenever Prophet is called upon in a
conversation, it’s said, Peace be upon him (PBUH). When a Muslim
meets another Muslim, they say Assalam-oe-aalekum and aalekum-as-Salam, both
meaning “peace be upon you”!
Numerically, the
word “Peace” occurs a total of 49 times. In contrast, “war” occurs only 13
times. The word “kill”, or its forms come close to 90 times. Among these, there
are only 5 or 6 instances where Allah directs Prophet or believers to kill or
die in the name of Allah. Of the remaining, there are assertions “Do not kill”,
questions “(why, would etc..) you kill” and others as stories where people were
killed in the past.
Let us dig deeper into verses and the usage of these words. 4:29 and 4:30 warns against taking other’s wealth and that
believers should not kill each other or be ready for the fire.
4:29 You who believe, do not wrongfully
consume each other’s wealth but trade by mutual consent. Do not kill each
other, for God is merciful to you.
4:30 If any of you does these things, out of
hostility and injustice, We shall make him suffer Fire: that is easy for God.
4:92 Never should a believer kill another
believer, except by mistake. If anyone kills a believer by mistake he must free
one Muslim slave and pay compensation to the victim’s relatives, unless they
charitably forgo it; if the victim belonged to a people at war with you but is
a believer, then the compensation is only to free a believing slave; if he belonged
to a people with whom you have a treaty, then compensation should be handed
over to his relatives, and a believing slave set free. Anyone who lacks the
means to do this must fast for two consecutive months by way of repentance to
God: God is all knowing, all wise.
4:93 If anyone kills a believer deliberately, the
punishment for him is Hell, and there he will remain: God is angry with him, and
rejects him, and has prepared a tremendous torment for him.
4:94 So, you who believe, be careful when you go
to fight in God’s way, and do not say to someone who offers you a greeting of
peace, ‘You are not a believer,’ out of desire for the chance gains of this
life
So, Allah admonishes anyone who
kills. If a believer kills another, by mistake or deliberately there is
punishment or penance for him. Verse 4:94 puts war and peace together. i.e. if
someone offers you a greeting of peace in war, it must be respected. Remember
the use of word Peace here.
There is an interesting story about
the sons of Adam in Sura 5. In Verses 5:27-5:32, Quran talks about two brothers
and praises the one who is happy to give up its own life. These are wonderful
verses as it opts Non-Violence vs Violence and considers killing someone a sin.
5:31 If you raise your hand to kill me, I will
not raise mine to kill you. I fear God, the Lord of all worlds, and I would
rather you were burdened with my sins as well as yours and became an inhabitant
of the Fire: such is the evildoers’ reward.
5:32 If someone kills and wants to repent, Allah
guides the way to atonement.
Following two verses in Sura 17 and
18 go a step further to say life is sacred and it is forbidden to take life. So,
unless attacked, one should not kill another.
17:33 Do not take life, which God has made sacred,
except by right: if anyone is killed wrongfully, We have given authority to the
defender of his rights, but he should not be excessive in taking life, for he
is already aided [by God].
Next verse in Sura 18 is in the context
of story of Moses, who reprimands another person for killing an innocent. In
this story there is neither a question of believer or disbeliever.
18:74 And so they travelled on. Then, when they
met a young boy and the man killed him, Moses said, ‘How could you kill an
innocent person? He has not killed anyone! What a terrible thing to do!’
Verse 47:4 is mentions the battle
with disbelievers. Let me reiterate, this is in the context of battle between
believers and disbelievers. It does not ask the believers to kill the
opponents, rather to make them captive and then release them by grace or by
ransom. Grace is the first chosen word; ransom is the fall back. Again, killing is not Allah’s predominant
message or dictum.
47:4 - When you meet the disbelievers in battle,
strike them in the neck, and once they are defeated, bind any captives firmly
–– later you can release them by grace or by ransom –– until the toils of war
have ended.
So all above verses are against killing, the question remains on what accounts does Quran
permit or ask the Prophet or the believers to kill. A very popular verse in
this respect is 2:191 quoted as ‘Slay them wherever you find them’. Full
reading of the verses would be useful.
2:191 Kill them wherever you
encounter them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, for
persecution is more serious than killing. Do not fight them at the Sacred
Mosque unless they fight you there. If they do fight you, kill them– this is
what such disbelievers deserve–192 but if they stop, then God is
most forgiving and merciful. 193 Fight them until there is no
more persecution, and worship is devoted to God. If they cease hostilities,
there can be no [further] hostility, except towards aggressors. 194
A sacred month for a sacred month: violation of sanctity [calls for] fair
retribution. So if anyone commits aggression against you, attack him as he
attacked you, but be mindful of God, and know that He is with those who are
mindful of Him.
In here, the context is of Sacred Mosque,
the context is of sacred month, the context is of persecution that Mohammad
and his followers were subjected to. Mohammad’s followers were persecuted and
they were concerned if they could fight with the Meccans within the precincts
of Sacred Mosque. It was sinful to do violence in Sacred Mosque prior to Islam
and this is the context of their concern. Quran’s response is “Kill them
wherever you encounter them”. It further says, “do not fight them, unless they
fight you there. If they do fight you, kill them”….” but if they stop, then God
is most forgiving..” It continues to reiterate violence is okay in self-defense
– “So if anyone commits aggression against you,
attack him as he attacked you”.
Summary is, there is no restriction if
you are attacked. If your attacker stops, stop. But it allows violence only if
you are attacked. Reading 2:217 reinforces the message
2:217 They ask you [Prophet] about fighting in the prohibited month.
Say, ‘Fighting in that month is a great offence, but to bar others from God’s
path, to disbelieve in Him, prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and expel its
people, are still greater offences in God’s eyes: persecution is worse than
killing.’ They will not stop fighting you [believers] until they make you
revoke your faith, if they can. If any of you revoke your faith and die as
disbelievers, your deeds will come to nothing in this world and the Hereafter,
and you will be inhabitants of the Fire, there to remain.
So, Killing is a grave
offence but lower than Restricting others from God’s path and preventing access
to Sacred Mosque and expel its people. Verse 4:89 is another verse which asks the prophet to kill the non-believers,
but do it, “if they turn”. 4:89 to 4:91 require continuous reading to get the
context and the message of Quran. 4:90 even here says, if they withdraw and do
not fight you and offer peace, then you have no right to kill them. 4:91
reiterates “if they neither withdraw,
nor offer you peace, nor restrain themselves from fighting you, seize and kill
them wherever you encounter them”. There is little doubt Quran is
preferring peace and if that is not coming forth, go for the kill.
4:89 They
would dearly like you to reject faith, as they themselves have done, to be like
them. So do not take them as allies until they migrate [to Medina] for God’s
cause. If they turn [on you], then seize and kill them wherever you
encounter them. Take none of them as an ally or supporter. 90 But as
for those who seek refuge with people with whom you have a treaty, or who come
over to you because their hearts shrink from fighting against you or against
their own people, God could have given them power over you, and they would have
fought you. So if they withdraw and do not fight you, and offer you peace, then
God gives you no way against them. 91You will find others who wish to be
safe from you, and from their own people, but whenever they are back in a
situation where they are tempted [to fight you], they succumb to it. So if they
neither withdraw, nor offer you peace, nor restrain themselves from fighting
you, seize and kill them wherever you encounter them: We give you clear
authority against such people.
The last verse that exhorts believers to kill is in Sura 9. Verse 9:5 can be easily (mis)quoted as "wherever you encounter the idolaters, kill them, seize them, besiege them,
wait for them at every lookout post;", however that would be picking a line or two without the context. One needs to do two things, one, read the verse fully and also verses before and after and two, see what Quran says about it in a similar context elsewhere.
9:5 needs to be
read along with 2:191 as both are in the context of pilgrimage. Even here, it
asks the prophet to grant protection to the believers if they ask for it. Haleem
tells us, "In this context, this definitely refers to the ones who broke the
treaty. The article here is ahdiya (specific) referring to what has already
been stated." Quran confirms Haleem’s assertion in verse 9:7 and reconfirms it
if one continues to read it until verse 9:10. Given below are verses 9:5 to 9:7.
9:5
When the [four] forbidden months are over, wherever you
encounter the idolaters, kill them, seize them, besiege them,
wait
for them at every lookout post; but if they turn [to God],
maintain
the prayer, and pay the prescribed alms, let them go on their
way, for God is most forgiving and merciful. 6 If any one of the
idolaters should seek your protection [Prophet], grant it to him so that
he may hear the word of God, then take him to a place safe for him, for
they are people with no knowledge [of it]. 7 How could there
be a treaty with God and His Messenger for such idolaters? But as for those with whom you made a treaty at the Sacred Mosque, so long as
they remain true to you, be true to them; God loves those who are
mindful of Him.
This leaves little doubt
on what the message of Quran is, irrespective of what others may like you to believe. The message is one of Devotion, the message is
one of Peace.
Bibliography
1.
“The Qur’an” by MAS Abdel Haleem, Oxford
University press. www.oup.com/worldsclassics
