Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 194
| الشَّهْرُ الْحَرَامُ بِالشَّهْرِ الْحَرَامِ وَالْحُرُمَاتُ قِصَاصٌ ۚ فَمَنِ اعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ |
| Transliteration | : | ash- shahr al- h.araam bi- ash- shahr al- h.araam wa- al- h.urumaat qis.aas. fa- man ictadaa calay -kum fa- ictado calay -hi bi- mithl maa ictadaa calay -kum wa- ittaqo 'allaah wa- iclamo 'anna 'allaah maca al- muttaqen |
| Pickthall | : | The forbidden month for the forbidden month, and forbidden things in retaliation. And one who attacketh you, attack him like manner as he attacked you. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is with those who ward off (evil). |
| Asad | : | Fight during the sacred months if you are attacked:171 for a violation of sanctity is [subject to the law of] just retribution. Thus, if anyone commits aggression against you, attack him just as he has attacked you - but remain conscious of God, and know that God is with those who are conscious of Him.172 |
| Malik | : | The Sacred month, in which fighting is prohibited, is to be respected if the same is respected by the enemy: sacred things too are subject to retaliation. Therefore, if anyone transgresses a prohibition and attacks you, retaliate with the same force. Fear Allah, and bear in mind that Allah is with the righteous. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | The prohibited month for the prohibited month and so for all things prohibited there is the law of equality. If then anyone transgresses the prohibition against you transgress ye likewise against him. But fear Allah and know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves. 209 210 |
Note - 171This is a free rendering of the phrase "the sacred month
for the sacred month", which is interpreted by all
commentators in the sense given above. The "sacred
months" during which, according to ancient Arab custom,
all fighting was deemed utterly wrong, were the first,
seventh, eleventh and twelfth months of the lunar
calendar.
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Note - 172Thus, although the believers are enjoined to fight back
whenever they are attacked, the concluding words of the
above verse make it clear that they must, when fighting,
abstain from all atrocities, including the killing of
non-combatants.
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Note - 209Haram - prohibited, sacred. The month of Pilgrimage
(Zul-hajj) was a sacred month, in which warfare was
prohibited by Arab custom. The month preceding (Zul-qad)
and the month following (Muharram) were included in the
prohibition, and Muharram was specially called al-Haram.
Possibly Muharram is meant in the first line, and the
other months and other prohibited things in "all things
prohibited". In Rajab, also, war was prohibited. If the
pagan enemies of Islam broke that custom and made war in
the prohibited months, the Muslims were free also to
break that custom but only to the same extent as the
other broke it. Similarly the territory of Mecca was
sacred, in which war was prohibited. If the enemies of
Islam broke that custom, the Muslims were free to do so
to that extent. Any convention is useless if one party
does not respect it. There must be a law of equality.
Or perhaps the word reciprocity may express it better.
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Note - 210At the same time the Muslims are commanded to exercise
self-restraint as much as possible. Force is a dangerous
weapon. It may have to be used for self-defence or
self-preservation, but we must always remember that
self-restraint is pleasing in the eyes of God. Even when
we are fighting, it should be for a principle, not out of
passion.
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This is a free rendering of the phrase "the sacred month for the sacred month", which is interpreted by all commentators in the sense given above. The "sacred months" during which, according to ancient Arab custom, all fighting was deemed utterly wrong, were the first, seventh, eleventh and twelfth months of the lunar calendar. |
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Haram - prohibited, sacred. The month of Pilgrimage (Zul-hajj) was a sacred month, in which warfare was prohibited by Arab custom. The month preceding (Zul-qad) and the month following (Muharram) were included in the prohibition, and Muharram was specially called al-Haram. Possibly Muharram is meant in the first line, and the other months and other prohibited things in "all things prohibited". In Rajab, also, war was prohibited. If the pagan enemies of Islam broke that custom and made war in the prohibited months, the Muslims were free also to break that custom but only to the same extent as the other broke it. Similarly the territory of Mecca was sacred, in which war was prohibited. If the enemies of Islam broke that custom, the Muslims were free to do so to that extent. Any convention is useless if one party does not respect it. There must be a law of equality. Or perhaps the word reciprocity may express it better. |
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At the same time the Muslims are commanded to exercise self-restraint as much as possible. Force is a dangerous weapon. It may have to be used for self-defence or self-preservation, but we must always remember that self-restraint is pleasing in the eyes of God. Even when we are fighting, it should be for a principle, not out of passion. |
