Nozzi: Read Ibn Kathir on 9:73 amd 9:74

Submitted by Plato (India), Apr 19, 2009 at 00:58

Nozzi, you wrote:

>>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.<<

Nozzi you should prove to your extremist friends that the Koran does not support violence. You have an uphill task here as the Koran is a manual on how to conduct violence against unbelievers, Jews, Christians and hypocrites.

Let me quote to you from the comments on 9:73 and 9:74 from one of the most respected exegesists of the Koran, Ibn Kathir. Vol 2, Dar Al Kotoob, Beirut, Page 761:

'Allah Almighty here orders His Messengers to struggle to the utmost both the disbelievers and hypocrites, and be hard upon them, as well as be merciful and kind to the faithful believers who follow him, showing that the destiny of those unbelievers and hypocrites will be the fire of Hell in the hereafter. In this connection it is narrated that Ali Ibn Abu Talib said: The Messenger of Allah PBUH was sent with four swords (from Allah Almighty): a sword for the pagans (as shown by Allah's saying): But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war) (Al tawbah 5) a sword for the unbelievers from among the people of Scriptures (as shown in His saying): fight those who do not believe not in Allah nor the Last Day nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden bhy Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued" (29), a sword for the unbelievers and hypocrites (in general as in His saying): "strive hard against the Unbelievers and theHypocrites, and be firm against them" (73) and a sword for the transgressors (as in allah's saying):" If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel….(Al Hujurat 9)

What conclusion can you draw from this Nozzi? Do these verses mean what you claim they mean when one of the foremost interpreters of the Koran tells you that Allah is all for putting disbelievers in Him to the sword.

>>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.<<

This same Surah also has these verses one giving a contract to Muslims to kill or be killed in his cause for which they are promised payment in the form of paradise. The other verse, 9:121, asks the Bedouins and Medinas to sacrifice their lives for the prophet. Why should they?

The prophet claimed to be Allah's favourite person on earth and he had thousands of angels at his command. These verses make clear you have interpretation that striving hard means making an effort to share the Koran with unbelievers. There is not even a hint of this in any verse of this surah. Read the exegesis of Ibn Kathir again.

009.111 YUSUFALI: Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Qur'an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement supreme.

009.120 YUSUFALI: It was not fitting for the people of Medina and the Bedouin Arabs of the neighbourhood, to refuse to follow Allah's Messenger, nor to prefer their own lives to his: because nothing could they suffer or do, but was reckoned to their credit as a deed of righteousness,- whether they suffered thirst, or fatigue, or hunger, in the cause of Allah, or trod paths to raise the ire of the Unbelievers, or received any injury whatever from an enemy: for Allah suffereth not the reward to be lost of those who do good;-

>>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.<<

Now place 9:74 against these verses: 9:111 which I have already quoted above or against:

002.216 YUSUFALI: Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not

Allah tells you in very clear terms that fighting is prescribed for Muslims even if they hate violence. Allah sweetens the demand to fight and kill or be killed with the guarantee of the pleasures of paradise.

>>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.<<

Read this verse and disabuse yourself of your conviction that Allah does not call Muslims to violence against unbelievers:

005.033 YUSUFALI: The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;

The people who strive for mischief through the land are the unbelievers. Allah calls for their execution by Muslims. Ibn Kathir says 'As for His saying: "The punishment of those who wage war against allah and his Messenger…." It refers to those who oppose Allah and violate His commands and it applies to infidelity and unbelief, highway robbery and brigandage and frightening the people….." The great Ibn Kathir is telling you that for opposing Allah and his commands people must have their hands and legs cut off.

>>Bear in mind the word, if they repent, is mentioned in Quran 2:74, it implies that Allah demands them to repent.<<

Allah demands unbelievers to repent? Did they repent? If they did not then Allah is powerless. If they did there would be no disbelievers left on earth. What exactly are you trying to tell us Nozzi?

>>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.<<

The Koran claims to be a clear book easy to understand in 54:22, 54:32, 54:40. You are struggling futilely to prove that strive against unbelievers means sharing the good news (?) of the Koran with them. I doubt even you are convinced this verse is talking about bringing the Koran to unbelievers. This is taqia. If Allah meant that strive against unbelievers means give the good tidings of the Koran why is it not clear to any of the great interpreters of the Koran? How is it you are the only one to have understood this hidden truth of the Koran?

Regards

Plato

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