Does the Koran Promote Peace and Cooperation?
article by Scott Ashley
Although many try to explain away much of the militant teaching of the Koran, a straightforward interpretation of the following sampling of verses plainly demonstrates Islam's views toward non-Muslims, including authorizing jihad - holy wars - against them.
A Koran bearing an ornate cover.
Source: WikimediaAll are quoted from the Dawood translation of the Koran.
• "Fight against them until idolatry [worship of any god other than Allah] is no more and [Allah's] religion [Islam] reigns supreme" (Sura 2:193).
• "Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the hereafter, fight for the cause of [Allah]; whoever fights for the cause of [Allah], whether he dies or triumphs, on him we shall bestow a rich recompense . . . The true believers fight for the cause of [Allah], but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan" (Sura 4:74-76).
• "Those that make war against Allah and His apostle [Muhammad] and spread disorder in the land shall be slain or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the land. They shall be held up to shame in this world and sternly punished in the hereafter" (Sura 5:33).
• "Believers, take neither Jews nor the Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship becomes one of their number. [Allah] does not guide the wrongdoers" (Sura 5:51).
• "[Allah] revealed His will to the angels, saying: 'I shall be with you. Give courage to the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers!' That was because they defied [Allah] and His apostle [Muhammad]. He that defies [Allah] and His apostle shall be sternly punished by [Allah]" (Sura 8:12-13).
• "[Allah] will separate the wicked from the just. He will heap all the wicked [i.e. non-Muslims] one upon another and cast them into Hell. These will surely be the losers" (Sura 8:37).
• "Let not the unbelievers [non-Muslims] think that they will ever get away. Muster against them all the men and cavalry at your command, so that you may strike terror into the enemy of [Allah] and your enemy, and others besides them who are unknown to you but known to [Allah]" (Sura 8:59-60).
• "Prophet, rouse the faithful to arms. If there are twenty steadfast men among you, they shall vanquish two hundred; and if there are a hundred, they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of understanding" (Sura 8:65).
• "A prophet may not take captives until he has fought and triumphed in the land" (Sura 8:67).
• "Make war on them. [Allah] will chastise them at your hands and humble them" (Sura 9:14).
• "Believers, why is it that when you are told: 'March in the cause of [Allah],' you linger slothfully in the land? Are you content with this life in preference to the life to come? Few indeed are the blessings of this life, compared with those of the life to come. If you do not go to war, He will punish you sternly, and will replace you by other men . . . March on and fight for the cause of [Allah], with your wealth and with your persons" (Sura 9:38-41).
• "Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate" (Sura 9:73).
• "They [faithful Muslims] will fight for the cause of [Allah], they will slay and be slain" (Sura 9:111).
• "Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them. Know that [Allah] is with the righteous" (Sura 9:123).
• "When We resolve to raze a city, We first give warning to those of its people who live in comfort. If they persist in sin, judgment is irrevocably passed, and We destroy it utterly" (Sura 17:16).
• "We have destroyed many a sinful nation and replaced them by other men. And when they felt Our might they took to their heels and fled. They were told: 'Do not run away. Return to your comforts and to your dwellings. You shall be questioned all.' 'Woe betide us, we have done wrong' was their reply. And this they kept repeating until We mowed them down and put out their light" (Sura 21:11-15).
• "When you meet the unbelievers on the battlefield strike off their heads and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly. Then grant them their freedom or take a ransom from them, until war shall lay down her burdens" (Sura 47:4).
• "Mohammed is [Allah's] apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another" (Sura 48:29).
• "It is He [Allah] who has sent forth His apostle [Muhammad] with guidance and the True Faith [Islam], so that he may exalt it above all religions, much as the idolaters [those who worship gods other than Allah] may dislike it" (Sura 61:9).
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