Page 86 - Islam Denounces Terrorism

84 Islam Denounces Terrorism

conditions. Hypocrites who repent and who say they do not want to
fight later return to fitna and begin attacking Muslims again. In that
event, the provision regarding war is recalled in the Qur'an, saying
that these people are not to be touched as long as they do not attack,
but that if they do, then self-defence is legitimate.

We need to remember that the situation described in the verse was
a specific one that came about during the Battle of Uhud and concerns
those hypocrites who engaged in treachery on the battlefield.

Examination of Verse 5 of Surat at-Tawba:

Then, when the sacred months are over, kill the polytheists wherever
you find them, and seize them and besiege them and lie in wait for
them on every road. If they repent and perform their prayers and pay
alms, let them go on their way. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
(Qur'an, 9:5)

In order to understand the conditions in the above verse we need
to start reading from verse 1 of Surat at-Tawba; in that way we see that
the polytheists deserving to be counter-attacked are not "all polythe-
ists" but those perpetrating savage attacks on Muslims and who then

come to agreements in order not to fight during the sacred months.
The polytheists here are the ones who have cunningly tried to hunt
Muslims down and have continued to attack them during the sacred
months and have taken Muslims' lives, although they have made a fair
agreement with Muslims and they very well knew that Muslims
would not enter into a war during the sacred months.

Under these conditions, Muslims are given the right in this verse
to defend themselves against savage attacks. As shown in the verse,
although the polytheists carried out their savage attacks in the sacred