aimed at the expulsion of the prophet and they attacked you first” (9:13). With such a clear explanation of the fifth verse contained in the preceding and following verses, no sane person would interpret it as meaning the killing of all idolaters or the carrying on of unprovoked war against all idolatrous tribes.

When shall war cease

It is thus clear that the Muslims were allowed to fight only in self-defence, to preserve their national existence, and they were forbidden to be aggressive. The Holy Qur’ān nowhere gives them permission to enter on an unprovoked war against the whole world. Conditions were also laid down as to when war should cease: “And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allāh. But if they desist, then there should be no hostility except against the oppressors” (2:193). The words religion should be only for Allāh are sometimes misinterpreted as meaning that all people should accept Islām, a significance utterly opposed to the very next words: “But if they desist, there should be no hostility except against the oppressor”. The desisting plainly refers to desisting from persecution. Similar words occur in another early Madīnah revelation: “And fight with them until there is no more persecution and all religions are for Allāh. But if they desist, then surely Allāh sees what they do” (8:39). Both expression, “religion should be only for Allāh” and “all religions are for Allāh” carry one and the same significance, namely that religion is treated as a matter between man and his God, a matter of conscience, in which nobody has a right to interfere. It may be added that if the words had the meaning which it is sought to give them the Holy Prophet would have been the first man to translate that teaching into practice, while as a matter of fact he made peace with the enemy on numerous occasions, and stopped fighting with idolatrous tribes when they wanted peace. Even when he subjugated a people, he gave them full liberty in their religion as it happened in the conquest of Makkah.

Peace recommended

Notwithstanding what has been said above, the Muslims were told to accept peace in the middle of war if the enemy wanted peace: “And