Textual - Contextual Revision of Waging War in the Primary Verses of Surah Tawba

With its textual-contextual approach and by emphasizing on the text and also historical context, this essay tries to challenge the popular understanding of the primary verses of surah Tawba, which permits waging war against all of the pagans. Although the majority of the interpreters of the Qur’an and also the Islamic jurists justify the command of fighting as a result of the pagans’ polytheism, this essay shows that the command of fighting is a result of their enmity, breaching the agreement, violation and waging war. The pagans are divided in these verses into two groups: those who broke the covenant and others who remained committed. The verses threaten only those pagans who insisted on breaking the agreement and give them another chance and show them the possibility of converting into Islam. Nevertheless the command of fighting does not include the committed pagans to the covenant. So fighting is merely commanded as a reaction against the pagan’s enmity and waging war, regardless of their polytheism. These verses prove no evidence for waging war. On the contrary, they prove strict standards for permitting defensive war. Historical evidences point out that no pagan was killed by the revelation of these verses and some pagan tribes continued to exist after these verses, but the verses withdrew the last resistances of the pagans.