Countering Islamic Propaganda: 2:244

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Islam from this woman?

"Discover the Truth's" Game

2:244:
"Fight in the Way of Allah"

From Discover the Truth:

As usual, critics cherry picking verses out of the Quran, leaving its context out. In reality, the text says opposite of what they portray of the passage.
(August 31, 2014)

What the Quran Says

2:244 And fight in the Way of Allah and know that Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

What the Apologists Want You to Believe

From the DTT article:

Verse 2:244 is telling us not to transgress limits and that Allah “hears and knows all”. Also, fight in God’s cause, means to fight oppression, as shown in verse 2:246, “And why should we not fight in the cause of Allah when we have been driven out from our homes and from our children?” In that context, verse 2:244 encourages Muslims to fight oppression, persecution. The passage does not endorse killing of innocents.

How They Do It: 'Adding' to the Quran

DTT certainly reads a lot into verse 2:244. From "fight in the Way of Allah" they come to the conclusion that it means not to kill innocents. "In the way of" means "according to the rules of" (rather than "for the cause of") says DTT.

They also skip ahead a few verses and pull a fragment from 2:246 which reads: "Why should we not fight in Allah's Way while we have been driven out of our homes and our children (have been taken captive). Thus implying that the verse is speaking to those who where driven out of their homes and had their children taken.

How They Do It: Ignoring Reliable Sources

The Tafsir of al-Jalalayn explains the verse as meaning "Fight in God's way, in order to elevate his religion."

Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi says of 2:244 that "Muslims have been exhorted to do Jihad," i.e., to exert their utmost in the Way of Allah and make monetary sacrifices for the cause"

Ibn Kathir states that verse 2:44 is a warning "not to abandon Jihad." He also hails the war criminal, Khalid bin Walid, as a shining example of Muslim obedience.

How They Do It: Sleight of Hand

Verse 2:246 actually addresses the Israelites at the time of Moses - not Muslims. The Muslims living in Medina were not missing any children.

DTT is also opportunistic in interpreting "in the way of" as "according to" rather than "in the cause of." This is a bit of a word trick that radically affects the meaning.

Why They are Wrong

Does "in the way of Allah" really mean that one is not supposed to kill people over religious belief? If we look at how the Arabic for "in the way of" is used in other parts of the Quran, we see that verse 2:244 is really telling Muslims to fight in the cause of Allah.

Verse 4:76 pertains to those who fight "in the way of false deities." That only makes sense if one is speaking of fighting for the deities themselves (or the right of polytheistic worship).

8:60 and 9:34 talk about spending "in the way of Allah" - and no, it is not referring to the nuances of prudent consumerism, but of funding Jihad.

Verse 3:157 includes the fragment, "and if you are killed in the way of Allah." How can a Muslim be killed in the way of Allah by a non-Muslim? He or she can be killed for the cause of Allah, however.

So, this verse is actually telling Muslims to fight for the cause of Allah - ie. fight for the advancement of Allah's religion. Killing innocent people isn't the goal, but if religious war is waged, then innocent people will surely die.

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2:244: "Fight in the Way of Allah"