وَقَـٰتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ 190
Translations
Fight in the way of Allāh those who fight against you but do not transgress. Indeed, Allāh does not like transgressors.
Transliteration
Wa-qātilū fī sabīli -llāhi -lladhīna yuqātilūnakum wa-lā ta'tadū. Inna -llāha lā yuḥibbu -lmu'tadīn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah permits fighting against those who fight against the Muslims in the cause of Allah, while strictly prohibiting transgression and excess in warfare. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this verse establishes the foundational principle of defensive jihad with ethical boundaries—Muslims are commanded to fight aggressors but forbidden from initiating aggression, killing non-combatants, mutilating bodies, or betraying agreements. The verse's prohibition of 'iddityā' (transgression/exceeding limits) is comprehensive, encompassing both the initiation of hostilities and the manner of conducting warfare.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Medina after the Muslims had established their city-state and faced persecution and military aggression from the Quraysh and other groups. It is among the first verses permitting fighting (after years of command to show patience in Mecca) and comes in response to the concrete historical situation where the Muslim community needed to defend itself. The broader context of Surah Al-Baqarah addresses the transition of the Muslim ummah from a persecuted minority to an organized community with its own laws and obligations.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim record that the Prophet ﷺ commanded his armies: 'Do not kill the children, do not kill women, do not kill the old men, and do not kill priests in monasteries.' This reflects the ethical constraints on warfare referenced in 2:190. Additionally, Al-Tirmidhi records that the Prophet ﷺ said: 'Whoever fights in the way of Allah for even half a day, Allah will guarantee him entry into Paradise,' emphasizing the nobility of defensive jihad.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that self-defense is a legitimate right in Islam, but it must never become an excuse for aggression, cruelty, or excess—the means matter as much as the cause. For modern readers, it underscores the Islamic principle that even in conflict, compassion, restraint, and respect for human dignity are non-negotiable, offering guidance for ethical conduct in any struggle for justice.
Related Ayahs
وَقَـٰتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
And fight in the cause of Allāh and know that Allāh is Hearing and Knowing.
وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًا لَّا تَجْزِى نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلَا تَنفَعُهَا شَفَـٰعَةٌ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, and no compensation will be accepted from it, nor will any intercession benefit it, nor will they be aided.
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ٱدْخُلُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَدًا وَٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُولُوا۟ حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَـٰيَـٰكُمْ ۚ وَسَنَزِيدُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
And [recall] when We said, "Enter this city [i.e., Jerusalem] and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance, and enter the gate bowing humbly and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins].' We will [then] forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]."
قَالَ يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ أَنۢبِئْهُم بِأَسْمَآئِهِمْ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَنۢبَأَهُم بِأَسْمَآئِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ
He said, "O Adam, inform them of their names." And when he had informed them of their names, He said, "Did I not tell you that I know the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth? And I know what you reveal and what you have concealed."