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Al-Baqarah 191

Ayah 191 of 286 · Medinan

وَٱقۡتُلُوهُمۡ حَيۡثُ ثَقِفۡتُمُوهُمۡ وَأَخۡرِجُوهُم مِّنۡ حَيۡثُ أَخۡرَجُوكُمۡۚ وَٱلۡفِتۡنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ ٱلۡقَتۡلِۚ وَلَا تُقَٰتِلُوهُمۡ عِندَ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ حَتَّىٰ يُقَٰتِلُوكُمۡ فِيهِۖ فَإِن قَٰتَلُوكُمۡ فَٱقۡتُلُوهُمۡۗ كَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ١٩١

And kill them [in battle] wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah1 is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al-Ḥarām until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 Among the meanings of fitnah are disbelief and its imposition on others, discord, dissension, civil strife, persecution, oppression, injustice, seduction, terrorism, trial and torment.

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَٱقۡتُلُوهُمۡAnd kill themwa-uq'tulūhum
  2. حَيۡثُwhereverḥaythu
  3. ثَقِفۡتُمُوهُمۡyou find themthaqif'tumūhum
  4. وَأَخۡرِجُوهُمand drive them outwa-akhrijūhum
  5. مِّنۡfrommin
  6. حَيۡثُwhereverḥaythu
  7. أَخۡرَجُوكُمۡۚthey drove you outakhrajūkum
  8. وَٱلۡفِتۡنَةُand [the] oppressionwal-fit'natu
  9. أَشَدُّ(is) worseashaddu
  10. مِنَthanmina
  11. ٱلۡقَتۡلِۚ[the] killingl-qatli
  12. وَلَاAnd (do) notwalā
  13. تُقَٰتِلُوهُمۡfight themtuqātilūhum
  14. عِندَnearʿinda
  15. ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِAl-Masjidl-masjidi
  16. ٱلۡحَرَامِAl-Haraaml-ḥarāmi
  17. حَتَّىٰuntilḥattā
  18. يُقَٰتِلُوكُمۡthey fight youyuqātilūkum
  19. فِيهِۖin itfīhi
  20. فَإِنThen iffa-in
  21. قَٰتَلُوكُمۡthey fight youqātalūkum
  22. فَٱقۡتُلُوهُمۡۗthen kill themfa-uq'tulūhum
  23. كَذَٰلِكَSuchkadhālika
  24. جَزَآءُ(is the) rewardjazāu
  25. ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ(of) the disbelieversl-kāfirīna

Tafsir

And kill them where you come across them, and make them leave the place they made you leave - which is Makkah. And oppression that stops those who believe from worshipping, making them return to disbelief and ungratefulness is worse than killing. And do not fight with them in the Sacred Mosque, out of respect for it, unless they start fighting you there. If they start fighting in the Sacred Mosque, then kill them. And fighting them if they attack in the Sacred mosque is the reward of those who deny the truth.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran