Certain verses ( āyāt) from the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

have been a subject of controversy among scholars. The 216th verse of the

Sura A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' ( al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while the ...

h, ''

Al-Baqara Al-Baqarah (, ; "The Heifer" or "The Cow"), also spelled as Al-Baqara, is the second and longest chapter (''surah'') of the Quran. It consists of 286 verses ('' āyāt'') which begin with the "'' muqatta'at''" letters ''alif'' ()'', lām'' ( ...

'' (''The Cow'') is about

Jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

in the way of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

. ''Transliteration'': "Kutiba ʿalaykumu l-qitālu wahuwa kurhun lakum waʿasā ʾan takrahū šayʾan wahuwa ḫayrun lakum waʿasā ʾan tuḥibbū šayʾan wahuwa šarrun llakum w-Allāhu yaʿlamu wāʾantum lā taʿlāmūna."

Translations and commentary

Sahih International The Saheeh International translation is an English-language translation of the Quran that has been used by numerous Muslims, including Islam's most conservative adherents. Published by the Publishing House (dar), ''dar Abul Qasim in'' Saudi Arab ...

: Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali Abdullah Yusuf Ali (; 14 April 1872 – 10 December 1953) was an Indian-British barrister who wrote a number of books about Islam, including an exegesis of the Qur'an. A supporter of the British war effort during World War I, Ali received the C ...

: *

's commentary on this verse is:

Criticisms and response

Abdul Majid Daryabadi Abdul Majid Daryabadi (16 March 1892 – 6 January 1977) was an influential Ulama, Islamic scholar, Philosophy, philosopher, writer, critic, researcher, journalist, and Quranic exegete active in the Indian subcontinent during the 20th century. ...

also explains the historical context of this verse:

Translations and commentary

Criticisms and response

See also

References

Further reading