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Qur'an 2:217

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Qur'an 2:217
Verse's Information
Suraal-Baqara (Qur'an 2)
Verse217
Juz'2
Content Information
Cause of
Revelation		Yes
Place of
Revelation		Medina
TopicJurisprudential, Theological
AboutFighting in the Haram Months
Related VersesQur'an 2:218, Qur'an 2:191, Qur'an 8:39, Qur'an 9:5


Qur'an 2:217 addresses the legal status of fighting during the Haram Months and provides the divine verdict on the matter. In this verse, engaging in combat during the sacred months is classified as a grave sin; however, actions such as hindering worship, violating the sanctity of al-Masjid al-Haram, and expelling the Prophet (s) and the Emigrants from Mecca are deemed even more grievous in the sight of God. Furthermore, sedition and turning people away from the religion of God are described as transgressions greater than killing.

According to exegetes, this verse indicates that the polytheists' primary motivation for their continuous warfare against Muslims was to divert them from their religion and ultimately destroy Islam. The verse concludes with a warning to Muslims that apostasy leads to the nullification of deeds and eternal habitation in the fire of Gehenna.

Most exegetes attribute the occasion of revelation for this verse to the killing of Amr b. al-Hadrami by a group of Muslims during the month of Rajab.

While some commentators argue that this verse has been abrogated by certain Verses of Jihad, others maintain that it has not undergone abrogation.

Prohibition of War in the Haram Months

Qur'an 2:217 recounts a question posed to Prophet Muhammad (s) regarding the permissibility of fighting during a sacred month (Rajab) and conveys God’s response.[1] Exegetes explain that God affirms in this verse that fighting in a sacred month is a major sin and strictly prohibited.[2] Nevertheless, sins such as obstructing worship, desecrating al-Masjid al-Haram, expelling Muslims from Mecca, and sedition (fitna) are regarded as more heinous.[3] The verse explicitly declares fitna to be worse than killing.[4]

Scholars note that the verse identifies the polytheists' principal aim in waging constant war against Muslims as coercing them to renounce their faith and eradicating Islam.[5] It concludes with a stern warning to Muslims: those who commit apostasy and die in a state of disbelief without repentance will have their deeds nullified in both this world and the Hereafter, and they will become dwellers of Hellfire, abiding therein forever.[6]

The Meaning of Fitna in the Verse

Some Shi'i exegetes interpret fitna as encompassing disbelief, polytheism, and religious deviation.[7] Additionally, acts such as persecuting believers, torture, instilling doubt, promoting disbelief, and enforcing economic blockades against Muslims are considered instances of fitna.[8] Jawadi Amuli defines fitna as the various conspiracies orchestrated by the polytheists, citing the economic blockade of Muslims in the Shi'b Abi Talib as a prime example.[9]

Exception of the Conquest of Mecca from the Prohibition

According to al-Tabrisi, fighting in the sacred months and within al-Masjid al-Haram remains impermissible, with the sole exception of the Conquest of Mecca. The Prophet (s) specified that this act was made lawful exclusively for him at that particular time and remains prohibited for others until the Day of Resurrection.[10]

Nullification of Deeds due to Apostasy

In their interpretation of Qur'an 2:217, Shi'i exegetes explore the concepts of the nullification of deeds and the expiation of sins.[11] They define nullification of deeds as the destruction of the spiritual benefits of good actions resulting from disbelief following faith, asserting that apostasy eradicates past righteous deeds.[12] However, through sincere repentance, the effects of these righteous deeds can be restored.[13] Banu Amin interprets the nullification of deeds as an exposure of hypocrisy and the invalidation of superficial religious observance.[14]

Occasion of Revelation

Exegetes link the revelation of this verse to the expedition of Abd Allah b. Jahsh and his companions to the region of Nakhla (situated between Mecca and Ta'if). Prior to the Battle of Badr, the Prophet (s) dispatched Abd Allah b. Jahsh to gather intelligence on the Quraysh, instructing him to proceed to Nakhla. There, the Muslims encountered a Quraysh caravan and attacked it, unaware or disregarding that it was the sacred month of Rajab. This skirmish resulted in the death of Amr b. al-Hadrami and the capture of two others. The Prophet (s) disapproved of this action, declaring that he had not authorized combat during a sacred month. The incident provoked protests from the polytheists, leading to the revelation of this verse. Subsequently, Qur'an 2:218 affirmed the jihadist intent of the Muslims.[15]

According to al-Tabrisi, the Prophet (s) paid the blood money for Amr b. al-Hadrami.[16] 'Allama Tabataba'i also characterized this killing as an unintentional error.[17]

Who questioned the ruling?

Some exegetes argue that the questioners were polytheists who raised the issue to protest the killing of Amr b. al-Hadrami during a sacred month.[18] Others contend that the inquiry originated from the Muslims sent to Nakhla, who had fallen into disagreement over the propriety of attacking the Quraysh caravan during that specific time.[19]

Rejection of the Abrogation Hypothesis

According to al-Tabrisi, certain Sunni exegetes claimed that the prohibition against fighting polytheists in sacred months was abrogated by Qur'an 8:39 and the Verse of the Sword (Qur'an 9:5), as these verses mandate *qitāl* (fighting) without temporal or spatial restrictions. However, numerous Shi'i exegetes reject this view, asserting that the prohibition remains effective unless the polytheists themselves violate the sanctity of the sacred month or al-Masjid al-Haram.[20]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 551–552; Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, p. 567.
  2. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 166; Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, pp. 567–568; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 112.
  3. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 167; Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, pp. 567–568; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 112.
  4. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 167; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, pp. 111–112.
  5. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, p. 578; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 167.
  6. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, pp. 581–582.
  7. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 552; Abū l-Futūḥ Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, 1408 AH, vol. 3, p. 201.
  8. ↑ Jurjānī, Jalāʾ al-adhhān, 1377 Sh, vol. 1, p. 271.
  9. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, pp. 577–578.
  10. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 552.
  11. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, p. 604.
  12. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 2, p. 208; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 169; Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, pp. 607–608.
  13. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 2, p. 208; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 169.
  14. ↑ Amīn, Makhzan al-ʿirfān, 1361 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 289–291.
  15. ↑ Balāghī, Ālāʾ al-Raḥmān, 1420 AH, vol. 1, p. 192; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, pp. 110–111; Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, pp. 655–657; Wāḥidī, Asbāb nuzūl al-Qurʾān, 1411 AH, pp. 69–72; Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, 1404 AH, vol. 1, p. 250.
  16. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 552.
  17. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 167.
  18. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 2, pp. 204, 206.
  19. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, p. 571; Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 2, p. 204.
  20. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 552; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 167; Amīn, Makhzan al-ʿirfān, 1361 Sh, vol. 2, p. 287.

References

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