"I have been commanded to fight the people until they bear witness ..."

"I have been commanded to fight the people until they bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that I am Allah’s Messenger. If they do so, then there blood and their wealth are inviolable except in the dispensation of justice, and their affair is with Allah."

[Sahîh al-Bukhârî, Book 2, Number 25]


Apparent and literal meaning of the narrative, disregarding its true context, validates the Orientalists’ view that Islam was spread by the sword. It also entails that the war against unbelief that the Prophet started has to go on till the whole mankind embraces Islam and declares Allah to be the only deity. This is plainly wrong. History falsifies this interpretation. We know that the Prophet accepted jizyah from the People of the Book as well as the Magians. He did not force them to say that there is no God but Allah. Similarly all such people who contracted treaties with Muslims, before their subjugation, were allowed to follow their religion. They too were not forced to convert. We must, therefore, try to discover the true meaning of this narrative. If we consider the word “the people” in the narrative specifically referring to his direct addressees, based on obvious textual indications, the ḥadith narrative conforms to the teachings of the Quran.

I have explained in my commentary on the Quran the Divine law regarding the Messengers and their direct addressees. I have explained that sometimes God sends a Prophet as a Messenger to a nation. The Messenger makes his message plain. He establishes his claim by a number of portents and removes all possible doubts on his claim to be a Divine Messenger. If his addressees reject him and his message even after the itmam al-ḥujjah (making the truth obvious in a conclusive manner), the rejecters are either struck by God’s cosmic punishment and destroyed or, otherwise, punished at the hands of the believers.

Ibn Taymiyyah said concerning this Hadith: "It refers to fighting those who are waging war, whom Allah has permitted us to fight. It does not refer to those who have a covenant with us, whom Allah commands us to fulfill our covenant." Majmû Al-Fatâwâ 19/20]

Similar problematic narratives bearing upon issues of great importance abound in the hadith literature. It is, therefore, very important to learn the context of situation of the reported acts and statements of the Prophet. Failure to understand the true context of such narratives has perplexed most of our renowned scholars who badly failed to explain such problematic narratives. They either adopted apologetic attitude with regard to these narratives or came to hold clearly unfounded views.