Countering Islamic Propaganda: 66:9

"Discover the Truth's" Game

66:9
"Strive Hard Against the Disbelievers and the Hypocrites, and Be Severe Against Them, Their Destination Will Be Hell"

From Discover the Truth:

The above passage says nothing about killing, it just says ‘strive against’.
(October 29. 2014)

What the Quran Says

66:9. Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be severe against them, their abode will be Hell, and worst indeed is that destination

What the Apologists Want You to Believe

How could a verse telling Muslims to "strive" (ie. wage Jihad) and be "severe" to non-Muslims because the latter group is going to hell anyway be a bad thing? That's just crazy.

DTT's got it all figured out:

The above passage says nothing about killing, it just says ‘strive against’. Strive can simply be living one’s own life as a firm believer in Islam and not giving into non-believers. It says nothing about war or to kill. Even if the above passage was about war, it would still be subject to the other passages where Allah makes it clear, only when they attack first, are the Muslims in self-defence allowed to fight back.

How They Do It: Citing Contemporary Apologists and Weak Hadith

One of the two 20th century apologists DTT uses argues that since the "hypocrites" are included in the verse, Muhammad can't be talking about real warfare when using the word used for Jihad. The reasoning is that "war was never proclaimed against the hypocrites, who, in fact, were all practical purposes treated as Muslims."

How They Do It: Ignoring Reliable Sources

In a section of his Tafsir entitled, The Command for Jihad against the Disbelievers and the Hypocrites, Ibn Kathir explains:

Allah the Exalted orders His Messenger to perform Jihad against the disbelievers and hypocrites, the former with weapons and armaments and the latter by establishing Allah's legislated penal code, (and be severe against them) meaning, in this life,

(Sounds a lot like ISIS).

Why They are Wrong

As shown above, Islamic scholars prior to the 20th century believed that "Jihad" in verse 66:9 referred to Holy War against unbelievers and the unholy treatment of Muslims who don't toe the Sharia line. That is also how the Companions operated both during and after Muhammad's life.

This verse is part of what makes Islam a unique and problematic religion. The targets of violence and "severity" aren't obscure tribes living in the distant past. "Unbelievers" and "hypocrites" (those who don't put Islamic teachings into practice) define anyone but the strictest of Muslims.

When the most sacred text of a religion calls for harsh treatment and warfare, can it be any wonder that the world has such problems with Islam and violence, while apologists like Discover the Truth are more concerned with Islam's PR image than real victims?

66:9 "Strive Hard Against the Disbelievers and the Hypocrites, and Be Severe Against Them, Their Destination Will Be Hell"