Chapter 2TH E QU R'AN : BO OK OF WAR
With Muhammad's prophetic career so thoroughly marked byb l o o d a n d
w a r f a r e , i t s h o u l d b e n o s u r p r i s e t h a t t h e s a c r e d b o o k
b e q u e a t h e d b y t h e P r o p h e t o f Is l a m t o t h e w o r l d , t h e
Qur' an, would be simi larl y viole nt and intra nsige nt. Andit'strue : The
Qur 'an is uni que amo ng the sac red wri tin gs of the wor ld in
coun sel ingits adherents to make war against unbelievers.
The Qur'an counsels war
Ther e are over a hund red vers es in the Qur' an that exho rt beli ever s to
wage jihad against unbelievers, "0 Prophet! Strive bard against the unbe-
lievers and the hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell,
an evil refu ge inde ed" (Qur 'an 9:73 ). "Str ive hard " in Arabi cis jahi di,
a verbal form of the nounjihad.This striving was to be on the battlefield:
"When you meet the unbelie vers in the battlef ield, strike off their heads
and, when you have laid them low, bind your capt ives firm ly" (Qur 'an
47:4). This is emphasized repeatedly: "0 ye who believer Fight the unbe-
lievers who gird you about, and let them find firmness in you: and know
that Allahiswith those who fear Him" (Qur'an 9:123).
This warfare was to be directed against both those who rejected Islam
and those who professed to be Muslims but did not hold to the fullness
Guess what?
0 TheQur'ancom-
mendsMuslims to
make war on Jews
andChristians.
0 Oft-quotedtolerant.
peacefulQur’anic
verseshaveactually
beencanceled,
accordingto Islamic
theology.o There Isnothing
in the Biblethat
rivals theQur'an's
exhortations to
violence.