Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 191

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, as Fitnah (to create disorder) is more severe than killing. However, do not fight them near Al-Masjid-ul-Harām (the Sacred Mosque in Makkah) unless they fight you there. However, if they fight you (there) you may kill them. Such is the reward of the disbelievers.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Kill them wherever you come upon them[[ This is probably the most misquoted verse from the Quran. To properly understand the verse, we need to put it into context. Misquoting verses and taking them out of context can be applied to any scripture. For example, in the Bible, Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword!” (Matthew {10:34}). He also says, “But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king—bring them here and slaughter them in my presence!” (Luke {19:27}). And Moses says, “The Lord is a man of war, the Lord is his name.” (Exodus {15:3}). For more details, see the Introduction.]] and drive them out of the places from which they have driven you out. For persecution[[ Persecuting Muslims to abandon their faith. ]] is far worse than killing. And do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they attack you there. If they do so, then fight them—that is the reward of the disbelievers.

Ruwwad Translation Center

And fight them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, for persecution is far worse than fighting. But do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there. However, if they fight you, then fight them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.

A. J. Arberry

And slay them wherever you come upon them, and expel them from where they expelled you; persecution is more grievous than slaying. But fight them not by the Holy Mosque until they should fight you there; then, if they fight you, slay them -- such is the recompense of unbelievers --

Abdul Haleem

Kill them wherever you encounter them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, for persecution is more serious than killing. Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there. If they do fight you, kill them- this is what such disbelievers deserve-

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And slay them wheresoever ye come upon them, and drive them out whence they drove you out; and temptation is more grievous than slaughter. And fight them not near the Sacred Mosque until they fight you therein, but if they get ready to fight you there, then slay them. That is the meed of the infidels.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith.

Abul Ala Maududi

Fight against them wherever they confront you in combat and drive them out from where they drove you out. Though killing is bad. persecution is worse than killing Do not fight against them near the Masjid Haram unless they attack you there.

Ahmed Ali

And fight those (who fight you) wheresoever you find them, and expel them from the place they had turned you out from. Oppression is worse than killing. Do not fight them by the Holy Mosque unless they fight you there. If they do, then slay them: Such is the requital for unbelievers.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And slay the disbelievers wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, and the turmoil they cause is worse than slaying; and do not fight them near the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there; so if they fight you, slay them; this is the punishment of the disbelievers.

Ali Quli Qarai

And kill them wherever you confront them, and expel them from where they expelled you, for persecution is graver than killing. But do not fight them near the Holy Mosque unless they fight you therein; but if they fight you, kill them; such is the requital of the faithless.

Ali Ünal

(While at war) kill them wherever you come upon them, and drive them out from where they drove you out (thus recovering your lands from their usurpation). (Though killing is something you feel aversion to) disorder (rooted in rebellion against God and recognizing no laws) is worse than killing. Do not fight against them in the vicinities of the Sacred Mosque unless they fight against you there; but if they fight against you (there), kill them – such is the recompense of the (rebellious) unbelievers.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And slay them (the aggressors against whom fighting is made incumbent) when and where you get the better of them, in disciplinary way, and turn them out whence they have turned you out. (Killing is bad but) lawlessness is even worse than carnage. But do not fight them in the precincts of Masjid al-Harâm (the Holy Mosque at Makkah) unless they fight you therein. Should they attack you (there) then slay them. This indeed is the recompense of such disbelievers.

English Literal

And fight/kill them, where/when you defeated/caught up with them , and bring/drive them out from where/when they brought/drove you out, and the treason/misguidance (is) stronger (worse than) the fighting/killing, and do not fight/kill them at the Mosque the Forbidden/Sacred , until they fight/kill you in it, so if they fought/killed you, so fight/kill them, like that is the disbelievers` reward/reimbursement .

Faridul Haque

And slay the disbelievers wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, and the turmoil they cause is worse than slaying; and do not fight them near the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there; so if they fight you, slay them; this is the punishment of the disbelievers.

Hamid S. Aziz

Kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drive you out; for persecution (oppression or sedition) is worse than slaughter; but fight them not by the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there; If they fight you then kill them, for such is the recompense of those that are faithless.

Hilali & Khan

And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah), unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out of where they drove you out, and persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it; so if they fight you (in it), slay them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers.

Muhammad Sarwar

Slay them wherever you may catch them and expel them from the place from which they expelled you. The sin of disbelief in God is greater than committing murder. Do not fight them in the vicinity of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca unless they start to fight. Then slay them for it is the recompense that the disbelievers deserve.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Kill them wherever you find them. Drive them out of the places from which they drove you. Dissension is greater than killing. But do not fight them by the Holy Mosque unless they attack you there; if they fight you, kill them. Like this is the recompense of the unbelievers,

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid Al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah), unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.

Wahiduddin Khan

Slay them wherever you find them [those who fight against you]; drive them out of the places from which they drove you, for [religious] persecution is worse than killing. Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there. If they do fight you, slay them, such is the reward for those who deny the truth,

Talal Itani

And kill them wherever you overtake them, and expel them from where they had expelled you. Oppression is more serious than murder. But do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque, unless they fight you there. If they fight you, then kill them. Such is the retribution of the disbelievers.

Tafsir jalalayn

And slay them wherever you come upon them, and expel them from where they expelled you, that is, from Mecca, and this was done after the Conquest of Mecca; sedition, their idolatry, is more grievous, more serious, than slaying, them in the Sacred Enclosure or while in a state of pilgrimage inviolability, the thing that you greatly feared. But fight them not by the Sacred Mosque, that is, in the Sacred Enclosure, until they should fight you there; then if they fight you, there, slay them, there (a variant reading drops the alif in the three verbs [sc. wa-l taqtilhum, hatt yaqtulkum, fa-in qatalkum, so that the sense is `slaying' in all three, and not just `fighting']) -- such, killing and expulsion, is the requital of disbelievers.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ

And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing.

Since Jihad involves killing and shedding the blood of men, Allah indicated that these men are committing disbelief in Allah, associating with Him (in the worship) and hindering from His path, and this is a much greater evil and more disastrous than killing.

Abu Malik commented about what Allah said;
وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ
(And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing),

"meaning what you (disbelievers) are committing is much worse than killing."

Abu Al-Aliyah, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and Ar-Rabi bin Anas said that what Allah said;
وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ
(And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing),

"Shirk (polytheism) is worse than killing."
Fighting in the Sacred Area is prohibited, except in Self-Defense

Allah said;

وَلَا تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ عِندَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ

And fight not with them at Al-Masjid Al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah).

It is reported in the Two Sahihs that the Prophet said;

إنَّ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ حَرَّمَهُ اللهُ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّموَاتِ وَالاَْرْضَ فَهُوَ حَرَامٌ بِحُرْمَةِ اللهِ إِلى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

Allah has made this city a sanctuary since the day He created the heavens and the earth. So, it is a sanctuary by Allah's decree till the Day of Resurrection.

وَلَمْ يَحِلَّ لِي إِلاَّ سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ وَإِنَّهَا سَاعَتِي هذِهِ حَرامٌ بحُرْمَةِ اللهِ إِلى يَوْمِ الْقِيامَةِ

Fighting in it was made legal for me only for an hour in the daytime. So, it (i.e., Makkah) is a sanctuary, by Allah's decree, from now on until the Day of Resurrection.

لاا يُعْضَدُ شَجَرُهُ وَلَا يُخْتَلىَ خَلَهُ

Its trees should not be cut, and its grass should not be uprooted.

فَإِنْ أَحَدٌ تَرَخَّصَ بِقِتَالِ رَسُولِ اللهِصلى الله عليه وسلّم فَقُولُوا إنَّ اللهَ أَذِنَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَلَمْ يَأْذَنْ لَكُم

If anyone mentions the fighting in it that occurred by Allah's Messenger, then say that Allah allowed His Messenger, but did not allow you.

In this Hadith, Allah's Messenger mentions fighting the people of Makkah when he conquered it by force, leading to some deaths among the polytheists in the area of the Khandamah. This occurred after the Prophet proclaimed;

مَنْ أَغْلَقَ بَابَهُ فهُوَ امِنٌ وَمَنْ دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ فَهُو امِنٌ ومَنْ دَخَلَ دَارَ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ فَهُوَ امِن

Whoever closed his door is safe. Whoever entered the (Sacred) Mosque is safe. Whoever entered the house of Abu Sufyan is also safe.

Allah said;

حَتَّى يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ فَإِن قَاتَلُوكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوهُمْ كَذَلِكَ جَزَاء الْكَافِرِينَ


unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.

Allah states;

`Do not fight them in the area of the Sacred Mosque unless they start fighting you in it. In this case, you are allowed to fight them and kill them to stop their aggression.'

Hence, Allah's Messenger took the pledge from his Companions under the tree (in the area of Al-Hudaybiyyah) to fight (the polytheists), after the tribes of Quraysh and their allies, Thaqif and other groups, collaborated against the Muslims (to stop them from entering Makkah to visit the Sacred House). Then, Allah stopped the fighting before it started between them and said;

وَهُوَ الَّذِى كَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُم بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ مِن بَعْدِ أَنْ أَظْفَرَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ

And He it is Who has withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Makkah, after He had made you victors over them. (48;24)

and,

وَلَوْلَا رِجَالٌ مُّوْمِنُونَ وَنِسَأءٌ مُّوْمِنَـتٌ لَّمْ تَعْلَمُوهُمْ أَن تَطَيُوهُمْ فَتُصِيبَكمْ مِّنْهُمْ مَّعَرَّةٌ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ لِّيُدْخِلَ اللَّهُ فِى رَحْمَتِهِ مَن يَشَأءُ لَوْ تَزَيَّلُواْ لَعَذَّبْنَا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْهُمْ عَذَاباً أَلِيماً

Had there not been believing men and believing women whom you did not know, that you may kill them and on whose account a sin would have been committed by you without (your) knowledge, that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He wills ـ if they (the believers and the disbelievers) had been apart, We verily, would have punished those of them who disbelieved with painful torment. (48;25)

Allah's statement;

فَإِنِ انتَهَوْاْ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ