Submitted by MOHAMAD NOZZI (Singapore), Apr 17, 2009 at 05:40
Plato, I am not ashamed to be a moderate Muslim since I stand firmly that Allah is good and he is the most merciful. You have raised Quran 9:73 to support your violence. However, you did not read Quran 9:74 in order to jump to your conclusion what Allah wants us to do and again you interpret this verse out of context.
Quran 9:73, "O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers of the unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority: their abode will be the Fire: And evil is the home of the wrong-doers!"
Quran 9:74, '...If they repent, it will be best for them, but if they turn back (to their evil ways), Allah will punish them....".
As the phrase, strive hard against, is mentioned in Quran 9:73 instead of fighting harder against, this verse gives us two implications. One interpretation is fighting harder against and another is to take harder effort to share the Holy Quran to them so that they could repent. The phrase, If they repent, in Quran 9:74 gives a strong support that Quran 9:73 is meant to be sharing the news from the Holy Quran to non-Muslims so that they could repent. As the word, repent, is mentioned in Quran 9:74, it implies that Allah is merciful that he wants all non-Muslims to repent. How could you simply see the phrase, strive hard against, in Quran 9:73 to accuse Allah to be the most cruel one in our Muslim religion.
As the phrase, Allah will punish, is mentioned in Quran 2:74 with the phrase, if they turn back (to their evil ways), it implies that Allah will execute judgment upon them. Take note that Quran 2:74 mentions that All will punish, instead of believers must fighrt against them. As Allah says Allah will punish them, who are we, Muslims, to interfere with Allah since Allah does not call us to be violence, but let Allah to carry out his task to punish.
As the phrase, Allah will punish, is mentioned in Quran 2:74 and it does not mentioned now or at the day when Allah executes the judgment, we should not jump into the conclusion that Allah commands us to fight with non-Muslims now.
Bear in mind the word, if they repent, is mentioned in Quran 2:74, it implies that Allah demands them to repent. The phrase, strive hard against, in Quran 2:73 certainly implies that we, Muslims, must put effort to share the good news about Allah in the Holy Quran to them.
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