Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 217 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:217

يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ قِتَالٍ فِيهِ ۖ قُلْ قِتَالٌ فِيهِ كَبِيرٌ ۖ وَصَدٌّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَكُفْرٌۢ بِهِۦ وَٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ وَإِخْرَاجُ أَهْلِهِۦ مِنْهُ أَكْبَرُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَٱلْفِتْنَةُ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ ٱلْقَتْلِ ۗ وَلَا يَزَالُونَ يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَن دِينِكُمْ إِنِ ٱسْتَطَـٰعُوا۟ ۚ وَمَن يَرْتَدِدْ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِۦ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ

“They ask you about the sacred month[78] - about fighting therein. Say, "Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allāh and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allāh. And fitnah[79] is greater than killing." And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Fighting in the sacred month is grave, and the ayah says so; persecution and expelling people from Allah's House are graver.

A reflection

Grave, and graver: refusing double standards

A local newspaper has ignored a factory's pollution of the river for years. Then one protester breaks a window at the factory gate. He is on the front page the next morning.

The commentators tell the story behind this ayah in detail. The Prophet ﷺ sent a small group under ʿAbdullāh ibn Jaḥsh with sealed orders. One version of the orders, recorded by an early biographer, was to watch the Quraysh at Nakhla and bring back news. At Nakhla the group attacked a Qurayshi caravan and killed a man, ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥaḍramī. It was the last day of Rajab, a sacred month, or so close that they were unsure.

The Quraysh seized on it. Muḥammad, they said, has made the sacred month lawful, shed blood in it, taken property and captives.

The ayah's answer is remarkable for what it does not do. It does not excuse the Muslims. 'Fighting in it is a grave matter'. Then it puts the accusation in proportion. Barring people from Allah's way, disbelieving in Him, barring them from the Sacred Mosque and expelling its people are graver in Allah's sight. Persecution is graver than killing.

The principle cuts both ways. A real wrong by your own side is not cancelled by the other side's larger wrongs. And a larger wrong is not hidden by shouting about a smaller one.

The newspaper could report the broken window. It could not honestly report only the window.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.