The exegesis of verse 244 of Surah Al-Baqarah, centred on the commandment of Jihad in the way of God and emphasising divine knowledge and hearing, opens a window towards a profound understanding of Islam's value system in confronting doctrinal and social challenges. This verse, although concise, encompasses profound meanings, calling the believers to defend truth and resist obstacles, while simultaneously warning the hypocrites that deceit and hypocrisy are ineffective before the boundless knowledge of God. This commentary, adopting a multifaceted approach, examines the linguistic, philosophical, and social dimensions of the verse and addresses raised doubts, emphasising the necessity of correct belief and conditional defence. The structure of this treatise, with systematic segmentation and detailed analyses, is designed to provide comprehensive and coherent guidance for researchers and educated audiences.
وَقَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
"And fight in the way of Allah and know that Allah is Hearing, Knowing."
Verse 244 of Surah Al-Baqarah, with a concise structure and unparalleled eloquence, invites the believers to strive in the path of God and, by emphasising the divine attributes of Sami (Hearing) and Alim (Knowing), underscores God's oversight of human deeds and His awareness of all affairs. This brevity signifies divine wisdom in conveying profound concepts through succinct language that simultaneously guides hearts towards reliance and sincerity.
Key Point: The attribute "Hearing, Knowing" of God has a general linguistic scope encompassing all creatures, yet in this verse, it specifically addresses the believers and hypocrites.
Divine hearing and knowledge, frequently emphasised in the Holy Qur'an, are absolute and all-encompassing characteristics that include everything from the wind and leaves to humans and animals. Nevertheless, in this verse, God addresses believers and hypocrites specifically, presenting a dual message: assuring the believers of His awareness of their hardships and sacrifices, and warning the hypocrites that their deceit and hypocrisy are not hidden from Him. This interpretation aligns with Islamic theological principles, which regard divine knowledge as limitless and stresses God's precise supervision of human conduct.
The verse admonishes believers that God is cognisant of their sufferings, wounds, and martyrdom in the path of truth. This message, like a beacon in darkness, guides the hearts of the faithful towards reliance and steadfastness. Whether on battlefronts or confronting difficulties, this divine awareness endows believers with spiritual strength to endure adversities.
The hypocrites, who infiltrate the Islamic community through deceitful appearances, are addressed in this verse. By emphasising His hearing and knowledge, God warns them that their deception and hypocrisy are like a thin veil before the sun, ineffective against divine knowledge. This warning, consistent with other Quranic verses such as those in Surah Al-Munafiqun, underlines the necessity of sincerity in action.
Verse 244 of Surah Al-Baqarah, through eloquent brevity and profound semantic depth, delineates the position of Jihad and divine supervision in the Islamic creed. By inviting to struggle in the path of God and emphasising His hearing and knowledge, it calls the believers to perseverance and admonishes the hypocrites against hypocrisy. The analysis of the general and specific linguistic usage reveals divine wisdom in defining human responsibilities.
Key Point: Critics, citing approximately 190 verses containing the root "qatala" (to kill/fight), accuse the Qur'an of belligerence, neglecting that fighting in the Qur'an is conditional and restricted to defence.
Some critics, including groups with specific historical backgrounds, point to the repetition of verb forms such as qatilu, yuqtalu, and uqtulu in the Qur'an to accuse it of promoting violence. This allegation, rooted in misunderstanding or targeted propaganda, claims these verses reflect a belligerent spirit within Islam. Such criticism, based on roughly 190 verses containing the root qatala, necessitates a precise and logical response.
The Holy Qur'an, as a divinely revealed book, presents human realities with honesty and wisdom. Fighting is neither an absolute nor unrestricted matter but a conditional necessity in the mundane realm, where humans must confront obstacles to attain lofty goals. These obstacles are sometimes resolved through dialogue and sometimes through defence. The Qur'an, by emphasising "fight in the way of Allah," restricts fighting to the defence of truth, homeland, and divine ideals, prohibiting war motivated by desire or injustice.
Critics sometimes contrast Islam with Christianity, asserting that Jesus (peace be upon him) never fought, whereas Islam calls for fighting. This comparison is historically inaccurate; Jesus did not encounter circumstances requiring armed defence. Nonetheless, his followers initiated the Crusades, whose repercussions persist to this day. This contradiction reveals inconsistency between proclaimed pacifism and historical practice.
Developed countries, often self-styled champions of peace, perpetuate modern and systematic killings that fuel global turmoil. Such acts, occasionally conducted under covert wars or neo-colonialism, contradict their proclaimed pacifism. Conversely, Third World countries, constrained materially, have less capacity to incite such disturbances.
The allegation of Qur'anic belligerence stems from misunderstanding or distortion of facts. Fighting in Islam is a necessity conditioned upon defending truth and divine ideals, not an absolute matter. Faulty comparisons with other religions and ignoring modern killings highlight the need for a deeper examination of Qur'anic verses.
Key Point: Only correct belief, founded on logic and truth, merits respect; incorrect belief, akin to sabotage, holds no value.
The prevalent view that "everyones belief is respected" is logically and philosophically untenable. A belief that results in sabotage or harm to others cannot be honoured. The Qur'an, by calling for the pursuit of truth, guides humans towards correct belief. For instance, if one believes it is night while it is day, this belief lacks value due to its incongruence with reality.
Human beliefs divide into four categories: correct, incorrect, uncertain, and sophistical (denial of any truth). This classification aligns with Aristotelian logic principles rejecting contradiction. Humans are obliged, through education and reasoning, to distinguish correct from incorrect belief. The sophistical claim that all beliefs are equal contradicts reality and logic.
Sophistry, which denies truth, opposes logic and rationality. The Qur'an, through verses such as "Come to a word that is equitable" (Al Imran: 64), invites dialogue and truth-seeking, rejecting any denial of truth.
In the history of religious knowledge, examples of martyrdom present a logic different from material logic. The students of Feyzieh Seminary, by choosing martyrdom, demonstrated a logic based on sacrifice and devotion consistent with the verse "Kill yourselves [by way of jihad]; blessed are you before your Creator" (interpreted contextually). This logic stands against material logic, which seeks life only in worldly pleasures.
Some criticisms assert that religious knowledge cannot offer a logical discourse. Such claims are unfair; religious knowledge, relying on logic and reasoning, can address doubts. These criticisms often arise from misunderstanding or prejudice rather than constructive evaluation.
Correct belief, rooted in logic and truth, constitutes the core of Islam's value system. The critique of sophistry and emphasis on martyrdom reveal the philosophical and mystical depth of Islam. Religious knowledge, through logical discourse, can respond to doubts and underscores the necessity of reasoning and truth-seeking.
Key Point: In the mundane world, defence and resistance against obstacles are intrinsic and essential attributes.
The mundane realm, due to conflicts and impediments, necessitates human defence. This defence, achieved sometimes through dialogue and sometimes through conflict, is an innate human trait. Even animals and plants defend themselves in their manner. The Qur'an, by emphasising conditional defence, guides humans to remove obstacles by various meansspeech, hand, or tooth.
Fighting in the Qur'an is permitted only "in the way of Allah," that is, in defence of truth, homeland, and divine ideals. Wars driven by desire, injustice, or trivial matters are rejected in Islam. The verse "Fight in the way of Allah" (Al-Baqarah: 244) confines fighting to the defence of exalted values and forbids any aggression.
وَقَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ
"And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors."
Verse 190 of Surah Al-Baqarah limits fighting to defence against aggressors and prohibits transgression. This restriction exemplifies divine justice in the system of Jihad. By emphasising "do not transgress," God reproaches aggressors and conditions defence upon necessity.
