(Haram), which is forbidden to violate, contrary to (Halal) which is allowed to do.

( الشَّهْرُ الْحَرَامُ َ) (the sacred month): The sacred months are Dhu al-Qa’da, Dhu’l-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. The Arabs before Islam have forbidden themselves to fight in them and this was approved by Islam. In these sacred months fighting is not permissible. However, if a group violates a sacred month with aggression, Allah (swt) commands the believers to retaliate even during a sacred month. You may not stay still and say that this is the month of Rajab, for example, it is a sacred month, so you do nothing while someone assaults and kills you. Can you say: This is a sacred month that I cannot fight and defend myself!  Certainly, you must react to these aggressions.

( وَالْحُرُمَاتُ قِصَاصٌ َ) (and for [all] violations is legal retribution):

Here a question may come to a mind: How is it possible that if someone has done wrong to me, for example has stolen from me, that I am supposed to respond in kind? Am I permitted to do wrong? Are we expected to take revenge from the one who does something unlawful by doing the same as he did? If a man committed adultery, for example, then we take revenge by committing adultery with him? We answer: Of course not. Retribution is only done with matters that are authorized, this matter has to be clear enough, and the punishment is only permissible in regards to deeds which have been legislated by Allah (swt). Verify, through the correct interpretation of these verses, we find out that all what are being done wrongly by the name of Islam is not accepted in regards of religion, legislation, and according to the Qur’anic rules, as well as, they are not accepted humanly and morally and according to the worldly laws. No one is allowed to use the Book of Allah (swt) and distorts verses to achieve his goals.

What determines the interpretation of the verses is the behavior and biography of the Prophet (saws) and his tolerance, what he was doing when there was fighting.

It was narrated by Jabir bin `Abdullah that he fought in a Ghazwa towards Najd along with Allah’s Messenger (saws) and when Allah’s Messenger (saws) returned, he too, returned along with him. The time of the afternoon nap overtook them when they were in a valley full of thorny trees. Allah’s Messenger (saws) dismounted and the people dispersed amongst the thorny trees, seeking the shade of the trees. Allah’s Messenger (saws) took shelter under a Samura tree and hung his sword on it. We slept for a while when Allah’s Messenger (saws) suddenly called us, and we went to him, to find a bedouin sitting with him. Allah’s Messenger (saws) said:

“This (bedouin) took my sword out of its sheath while I was asleep. When I woke up, the naked sword was in his hand and he said to me, ‘Who can save you from me?, I replied, ‘Allah’.” [1]

The Prophet (saws) did not punish him, even though he came aggressor and raised the sword to kill him! However, the Prophet (saws) did not force him to say: There is no God but Allah. This incident proves the falseness of the arguments and black slogans that are raised by those who have black hearts, who lie to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saws) before they lie to His creation.

( فَمَنِ اعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ َ) (So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you..): This linguistic expression called in Arabic (verbal Hypallage); meaning to refer to something by a word that is similar to another word comes with it. The meaning here is: those who assaulted you, so react to their aggression. In fact, you do not retaliate except if a group attack you. If someone does something unlawful you must not do the same as he did, rather, you retaliate the oppression by a permissible way as Allah (swt) has legislate.

( وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِين َ) (And fear Allah and know that Allah is with those who fear Him): With this verse, there is a mentioning of the piety. Allah (swt) always reminds us of this issue. Piety is the collection of all good, it is to fear Allah (swt) and to fear the fire and to make a barrier between you and the bad acts that harm people and harm you. The basis of piety is (Ihssan) (goodness) and our religion is the religion of (Ihsan) which lies in every aspect of life.  It is mentioned in the Hadith of the Prophet (saws):

“Verily Allah has prescribed ihsan (proficiency, perfection) in all things.”[2]

Therefore, Allah (swt) loves those who do good; that is because they are beneficial to Allah’s (swt) creation. You do not do good to Allah (swt) and He (swt) does not benefit from your proficiency or perfection.  Allah (swt) in the Holy (Qudsi) Hadith says:

“O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything.” [3]

So you do not offer any good to Allah (swt), nor you do a favor to Him. But, if you want to lend to Allah (swt), then deal with his creation with proficiency and perfection.

This is our Islamic religion and this is the real concept of the Holy Qur’an.

[1] Sahih Al-Bukhari: The book of (Jihad), Hadith No. (2753).

[2] Sahih Muslim, Book of hunting, slaughtering and what is eaten from the animal, Hadith No. (1955).

 

[3] Sahih Muslim, The Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good Manners, and Joining of the Ties of Kinship, Hadith No. (2755).