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Kill the Disbelievers !!!

A: EXPLANATION ON VERSES 89 AND 90 OF SURAH 4 (AN-NISAA)

We begin with a literal translation of these verses:

4: 89: And they wish that you should disbelieve like they have, then you will be equal; so take them not as your friends until they migrate in the Path of Allah. And if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from among them a friend or helper.
4: 90: Excluding those who join a people with whom you have a peace treaty or those who approach you whilst their hearts are restrained from fighting you or fighting their people. And if Allah willed He could have imposed them over you then indeed they would fight against you. So if they withdraw from you and fight you not but instead send you peace (offers) then Allah has not given you any right to fight them.

From this literal translation and a thoughtful reading of the above verses it is clear that the command to kill is constrained and conditioned with certain special circumstances. Normally the verses of the Holy Quran need to be understood within a certain context. If read out of context, the meaning is distorted. Christians and other antagonists of Islam are guilty of such misreading and distortion of Quranic meanings because they ignore the context of the verses, either through sheer negligence or deliberate suppression. By context we mean the collective meaning derived from a group of verses. Instead of taking one verse and citing it out of context, the correct procedure is to look at the verses before and after in order to acquire a proper meaning of what The Quran is saying. Secondly, to understand certain intricate verses, the reader needs to resort to official and authentic commentaries of The Quran. 

Our non-Muslim friends should also realize that the Holy Quran contains the basic and general principles of government, worship, dealings, and so forth. But details are provided by the Hadith of The Holy Prophet Muhammad. The reason for this diversification is to ensure that the Muslim nation do not only stick to the Holy Quran for guidance but also incorporate the Hadith or Traditions of Muhammad. Thus, the Prophet Muhammad becomes a major figurehead in Islam and a personality that must be revered. 

The word of Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam (i.e. His Traditions) has been kept apart and separate from the Word of God (i.e The Quran) to highlight the vast difference between the Pure Word of God and the word of man, unlike the Bible which contains a mixture of God’s Word and Man’s Word. Eventually it becomes difficult to tell the difference. The Islamic system has ensured Muslims don’t fall into the same trap.

In the above verses there are several pointers that clearly display the context and application of the meaning conveyed therein. The following explanation will elucidate this:

1. These verses were revealed in Madinah, after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon) had laid foundation of the new Islamic state. It was within the context of this fledgling Islamic state that the above verses were revealed. The first principle that emerges, therefore, is that these verses are directed to the Islamic state and not individual Muslims. Any intelligent person will understand that the power given to a State or Administration is far more forceful, encompassing, and comprehensive than that enjoyed by an individual. However, even in these rules, the Islamic State is not given a carte blanch to kill disbelievers at whim and wish, as will be explained further.

2. The phrase until they migrate in the Path of Allah gives us another indication of the application of this verse. The verse cannot be referring to non-Muslims because migrating in the Path of Allah is not an act of disbelievers or non-Muslims. Nowhere in The Holy Quran are disbelievers required to migrate or leave their hometowns for the sake of Islam. It is, therefore, evident that until they migrate in the Path of Allah is a reference to people who profess to be Muslims. These are the hypocrites, people who outwardly proclaimed to be Muslims but inwardly were not so. They were the impostors and spies among the Muslim community who were out to create mischief and strife. These traitors were also guilty of instigating other communities and nations to attack Muslims, as mentioned in several books of history. The verse before this one, that is, verse number, 88 clearly states: “And what is wrong with you, that you are split (in opinion) with regards to the Hypocrites…….? The context of this section of the chapter tells us clearly that verse 89 refers to Hypocrites and not to disbelievers such as the Jews, Christians, or Pagan Arabs.