THE SWORD AGAINST SINNERS AND THE SHEPHERD WHO SAVES
Qur’an 9:5 and Luke 15:1–6
Every religious system reveals its true moral character not by how it rewards the obedient, but by how it treats the sinner. The measure of a faith is found in its response to those who fall short, resist authority, or refuse belief. Christianity and Islam offer fundamentally different answers to this question, and the contrast between Qur’an 9:5 and Luke 15:1–6 exposes two irreconcilable moral and theological visions.
QURAN 9:5
Arabic
فَإِذَا ٱنسَلَخَ ٱلْأَشْهُرُ ٱلْحُرُمُ فَٱقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَٱحْصُرُوهُمْ وَٱقْعُدُوا۟ لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ ۚ فَإِن تَابُوا۟ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَخَلُّوا۟ سَبِيلَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Sahih Intl
And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
The structure of the verse is unmistakable. Violence is primary; mercy is conditional. The commands—kill, capture, besiege, ambush—are not rhetorical or metaphorical but military in nature. The target is not defined by criminal action but by belief. Disbelief itself becomes a capital offense unless resolved through submission to Islam. Repentance in this context is not inward moral transformation but outward conformity: conversion, ritual prayer, and financial obligation. Life is spared only after submission.
TAFSIR TABARI
He, may His praise be exalted, means by His saying: {So when the sacred months have passed} when they have passed and gone and gone. It is said of them: We have passed such and such a month, we pass it, a passing and a going, meaning: we have gone out of it. And from it is their saying: A skinned sheep, meaning: one that has been removed from its skin and taken out of it. And by the sacred months he means: Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram. Or what is meant in this place is the passing of Muharram alone, because the call to prayer was with the declaration of innocence on the day of the greater pilgrimage. So it is known that they did not postpone all the sacred months, and we have shown the correctness of that in what has passed. But since it is connected to the two preceding sacred months, and their sanctity is the third, and they are all interconnected, it was said: “When the sacred months have passed.” The meaning of the statement is: When the three sacred months have passed for those who have no treaty, or for those who had a treaty but broke it by supporting the enemies against the Messenger of God and his companions, or whose treaty was for a later, known period, then {kill the polytheists} meaning: kill them {wherever you find them} meaning: wherever you encounter them on earth, within the sacred precincts and outside of them, during the sacred months and outside of them. {And capture them} meaning: take them prisoner. {And besiege them} meaning: prevent them from moving about in the lands of Islam and entering Mecca. {And lie in wait for them at every place of ambush.} This means: lie in wait for them at every place of ambush, seeking to kill or capture them. The word “marṣad” (مَرْصَد) is derived from the verb “raṣada” (رَصَدَ), meaning “to watch” or “to observe.” {But if they repent.} This means: if they return from what they were forbidden to do—namely, associating partners with God and denying the prophethood of His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)—to the Oneness of God and the sincere worship of Him alone, without associating any other deities or rivals, and acknowledge the prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), {and establish prayer.} This means: if they perform the obligatory prayers prescribed by God, fulfilling their requirements, and give the obligatory charity (Zakat) that God has prescribed for them from their wealth to those entitled to it. {Then let them go on their way.} This means: let them move about freely in your cities and enter the Sacred House (the Kaaba). {Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful} to those of His servants who repent and return to His obedience after their previous disobedience. He conceals their sins and is merciful to them, not punishing them for their past sins before or after their repentance. We have already mentioned the differing opinions regarding those whose punishment was postponed until the end of the sacred months. Those who interpret the Quran have offered similar explanations to what we have stated. The one who said that mentioned it: Abd al-A’la ibn Wasil al-Asadi told us, he said: Abdullah ibn Musa told us, he said: Abu Ja’far al-Razi told us, on the authority of al-Rabi’, on the authority of Anas, he said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever departs from this world with sincerity to God alone and His worship, not associating anything with Him, departs from it with God pleased with him.” He said: And Anas said: It is the religion of God that the messengers brought, and they conveyed it from their Lord before the confusion of hadiths and the difference of desires, and the confirmation of that is in the Book of God in the last of what God revealed. God said: {But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then leave them alone.} He said: Their repentance is abandoning idols and worshipping their Lord, establishing prayer, and giving zakah.
Then He said in another verse: { But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in faith . } Bishr ibn Mu’adh narrated to us, saying: Yazid narrated to us, saying: Sa’id narrated to us, on the authority of Qatadah, regarding His saying: {Then when the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them} until the end of the verse. Qatadah used to say: Release whomever God has commanded you to release, for people are of three kinds: a Muslim who must pay zakah, a polytheist who must pay jizya, and a combatant who is safe in his trade among the Muslims if he pays the tithe on his wealth. Muhammad ibn al-Husayn told me, saying: Ahmad ibn al-Mufaddal told us, saying: Asbat told us, on the authority of al-Suddi: “Then when the sacred months have passed,” meaning the four months I mentioned to you, that is, twenty days of Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram, Safar, Rabi’ al-Awwal, and ten days of Rabi’ al-Thani. Those who hold this view said: These months are called sacred because God, the Exalted and Glorified, forbade the believers during them the shedding of the blood of the polytheists and the violation of their honor, except for a just cause. Those who said this include: al-Qasim, who told us, saying: al-Husayn told us, saying: Hajjaj told me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Abi Bakr, that he informed him, on the authority of Mujahid and Amr ibn Shu’ayb, regarding His saying: “Then when the sacred months have passed,” that they are the four months about which God said: “ So travel freely throughout the land . ” He said: They are sacred because they were given security during them so that they could travel freely throughout it. Yunus told me, he said: Ibn Wahb told us, he said: Ibn Zayd said, regarding His saying: { A declaration of disassociation from Allah and His Messenger to those with whom you had made a treaty among the polytheists. So travel freely throughout the land for four months. } He said: He set a period of four months for them, and He disassociated Himself from every polytheist. Then He commanded, when those sacred months had passed, {Then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush.} Do not let them travel freely in the lands, nor go out for trade. Make things difficult for them. Then He commanded forgiveness: {But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then let them go on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.} Ibn Humayd narrated to us, saying: Salamah narrated to us, on the authority of Ibn Ishaq: {Then when the sacred months have passed} meaning the four months for which Allah had set a deadline for the polytheists who had a general treaty. {Then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush…} the verse.
TAFSIR AL QURTUBI
There are six issues: The first is the Almighty’s saying: {Then when the sacred months have passed} meaning when they have ended. And I have passed the month when I have reached its last days, meaning I have left it. And the poet said:
| If I had not yet finished the month, I would have begun the new moon before it. | Enough of this killing, stripping away the months and my crescent moon. |
The month passed, and the day gave way to the coming night. A woman takes off her armor. In the Quran: { And a sign for them is the night; We strip from it the day } [Ya-Sin: 37]. A date palm is called *mislakh* when its unripe dates fall off while still green. Regarding the sacred months, scholars have two opinions: One is that they are the well-known months, three consecutive and one separate. Al-Asamm said: This refers to those polytheists who have no treaty with the Muslims, and it is obligatory to refrain from fighting them until the sacred period ends, which is fifty days, as Ibn Abbas mentioned, because the proclamation was made on the Day of Sacrifice. This has already been discussed. Another opinion is that the months of the treaty are four, as stated by Mujahid, Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Zayd, and Amr ibn Shu’ayb. They are called sacred because God forbade the believers from shedding the blood of polytheists or harming them except for good purposes. Secondly, God Almighty says: {Then kill the polytheists}. This is a general statement encompassing all polytheists, but the Sunnah has specified exceptions, as previously explained in Surah Al-Baqarah, regarding women, monks, children, and others. God Almighty also says concerning the People of the Book: { until they pay the jizya } [At-Tawbah: 29]. However, it is possible that the term “polytheists” does not include the People of the Book, which would imply prohibiting the collection of jizya from idolaters and others, as will be explained later. It should be noted that the general statement {Then kill the polytheists} implies the permissibility of killing them in any manner, except that there are narrations prohibiting mutilation. However, it is possible that when Abu Bakr (may God be pleased with him) killed the apostates by burning them alive, stoning them, throwing them from mountaintops, and burying them in wells, he was acting in accordance with the general meaning of the verse. Similarly, Ali’s (may God be pleased with him) burning of some apostates could be an inclination towards this view, relying on the general wording of the verse. And God knows best. Thirdly, God Almighty’s statement, “Wherever you find them,” is general in every instance. Abu Hanifa (may God be pleased with him) specified the Sacred Mosque, as mentioned previously in Surah Al-Baqarah. Then they differed. Al-Husayn ibn Al-Fadl said: This verse abrogated every verse in the Quran that mentions turning away and being patient with the harm inflicted by enemies. Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, and Ata’ said: It is abrogated by His statement, “Then, either release them as a favor or for ransom.” And that a prisoner should not be killed in captivity; he should either be released as a favor or ransomed. Mujahid and Qatadah said: Rather, it abrogates the verse: {Then, either release them as a favor or for ransom} and that nothing is permissible with regard to prisoners of war from among the polytheists except killing them. Ibn Zayd said: The two verses are definitive. And this is the correct view, because the options of releasing them as a favor, killing them, and ransoming them have always been part of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) rulings concerning them since the first battle he fought against them, which was the Battle of Badr, as previously mentioned.
His statement, “And seize them,” indicates this. Seizing means taking captive. Taking captives is only for the purpose of killing, ransom, or granting them freedom, as the Imam sees fit. The meaning of “And besiege them” is to prevent them from moving into your lands and entering your territory unless you grant them permission to enter with safety. Fourthly, God Almighty says, “And lie in wait for them at every place of ambush.” A place of ambush is a location where the enemy is watched. It is said, “I watched so-and-so,” meaning, “I observed him.” That is, lie in wait for them in places of vulnerability where they are watched. Amir ibn al-Tufayl said:
| I know, and I don’t think you’ve forgotten. | Death lies in wait for the young man. |
Adi said:
| O you who criticize me, ignorance is a youth’s pleasure. | And death is ever-present for souls. |
This is evidence of the permissibility of assassinating them before the call to Islam. The word “every” is in the accusative case as an adverbial phrase, which is the choice of al-Zajjaj. One might say, “I went one way” and “I went every way.” Or, by omitting the preposition, the implied meaning would be: “at every lookout post” and “on every lookout post,” thus making “lookout post” the name of the road. Abu Ali al-Zajjaj erred in making “road” an adverbial phrase, saying: “A road is a specific place, like a house or a mosque, and it is not permissible to omit the preposition from it except in cases where the omission is attested, as Sibawayh related: ‘I entered Damascus’ and ‘I entered the house,’ and as it was said:
| As the fox sweetened the path |
Fifth – God Almighty’s statement: {But if they repent} meaning from polytheism, {and establish prayer and give zakah, then let them go on their way.} This verse requires reflection, for God Almighty made the punishment of killing contingent upon polytheism, then said: “But if they repent.” The principle is that when killing is for polytheism, it ceases with the cessation of polytheism. This implies that the punishment of killing ceases upon mere repentance, without considering the establishment of prayer and the giving of zakah. Therefore, the punishment of killing is waived upon mere repentance, even before the time for prayer and zakah. This is clear in this context. However, God Almighty mentioned repentance and also mentioned two other conditions, so there is no way to disregard them. A similar example is the Prophet’s saying (peace and blessings be upon him): “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say, ‘There is no god but God,’ establish prayer, and pay zakat. If they do that, their blood and wealth are protected from me, except for what is due, and their reckoning is with God.” Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may God be pleased with him) said: “By God, I will fight whoever differentiates between prayer and zakat, for zakat is the right of wealth.” Ibn Abbas said: “May God have mercy on Abu Bakr; how knowledgeable he was!” Ibn al-Arabi said: “Thus, the Qur’an and Sunnah are harmonious and consistent.” There is no disagreement among Muslims that whoever abandons prayer and other obligatory acts while deeming them permissible is an unbeliever. Whoever neglects the Sunnah out of negligence is a sinner. Whoever abandons supererogatory acts is not at fault unless he denies their merit, in which case he is an unbeliever, because he would then be rejecting what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) brought and informed us about. They differed regarding one who abandons prayer without denying its obligation or deeming it permissible. Yunus ibn Abd al-A’la narrated: I heard Ibn Wahb say that Malik said: Whoever believes in God and affirms the messengers but refuses to pray should be killed. Abu Thawr and all the followers of al-Shafi’i agreed with this. It is also the opinion of Hammad ibn Zayd, Makhul, and Waki’.
Abu Hanifa said: He should be imprisoned and beaten, but not killed. This is also the opinion of Ibn Shihab, and Dawud ibn Ali agrees with him. Their argument is based on the Prophet’s saying, peace and blessings be upon him: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say, ‘There is no god but God.’ If they say that, they have protected their blood and property from me, except for what is due.” They said: What is due are the three things that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The blood of a Muslim is not lawful except in one of three cases: disbelief after faith, adultery after marriage, or killing a soul unjustly.” A group of the Companions and the Successors held that whoever deliberately neglects a single prayer until its time has passed without a valid excuse, and refuses to perform it or make it up, saying, “I will not pray,” then he is an unbeliever, and his blood and property are lawful for him. His Muslim heirs do not inherit from him, and he is given the opportunity to repent. If he repents, well and good; otherwise, he is killed. The ruling regarding his property is like the ruling regarding the property of an apostate. This is the opinion of Ishaq. Ishaq said: This has been the opinion of scholars from the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until our time. Ibn Khuwayzimandad said: Our scholars differed on when one who abandons prayer should be killed. Some said at the end of the preferred time, while others said at the end of the time of necessity, which is the correct view. This means that four rak’ahs remain before sunset for the ‘Asr prayer, four rak’ahs remain before the ‘Isha prayer, and two rak’ahs remain before sunrise for the Fajr prayer. Ishaq said: The time has passed when the Dhuhr prayer is delayed until sunset, and the Maghrib prayer until dawn. Sixth: This verse indicates that one who says, “I have repented,” is not satisfied with his words alone until he adds to them actions that confirm repentance, because God Almighty has stipulated here, along with repentance, the establishment of prayer and the giving of zakat, so that repentance may be fulfilled through them. He said in the verse on usury: { And if you repent, you shall have your capital sums } [Al-Baqarah: 279]. He said: {Except for those who repent, correct themselves and make things clear}. The meaning of this has already been mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah.
If you carefully read the two Tafsir you will see it clearly where it is written that
Kill the polytheist
Assassinate them
Take ransom from them
Kill those who refuse to pray as a Muslim. etc
The moral logic is clear. Sin, defined primarily as unbelief, is addressed through coercion. Faith is enforced, not freely chosen. Repentance becomes inseparable from survival. Righteousness is preserved through power, and violence becomes a legitimate tool of religious purification. The sword is not a tragic necessity but a sanctioned means of enforcing divine will.
Luke 15 presents a radically different picture. The chapter opens with sinners and tax collectors drawing near to Jesus, provoking outrage from religious leaders who accuse Him of welcoming and eating with sinners. Jesus responds not with threats or commands but with a parable. He describes a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to search for one that is lost. The sinner is not portrayed as an enemy or rebel but as something precious that has gone astray. The shepherd initiates the search, bears the burden, and rejoices when restoration occurs. There is no coercion, no punishment, no violence. Restoration precedes obedience. Mercy is not conditional; it is the very motivation for action.
Here the fundamental theological divide becomes visible. In Qur’an 9:5, sin is defiance against authority and is corrected through force or elimination. In Luke 15, sin is lostness and is healed through compassion and pursuit. Islam addresses unbelief by threatening death unless submission occurs. Jesus addresses sin by seeking, forgiving, and restoring the sinner at personal cost.
This difference is consistent with Jesus’ broader teaching. He explicitly rejects violence as a means of advancing God’s kingdom, commands love for enemies, forbids the use of the sword, and declares that His kingdom is not of this world. Jesus never instructs His followers to kill idolaters, blasphemers, or apostates. Instead, He allows Himself to be executed by sinful men and prays for their forgiveness. The Gospel presents a God who absorbs violence rather than inflicts it, who dies for sinners rather than killing them.
The contrast reaches its climax in the cross. In Qur’an 9:5, others must bleed so that God’s rule may be established. In Christianity, God Himself bleeds so that sinners may live. One system advances holiness through domination; the other advances holiness through redemption. One spreads faith by fear and force; the other spreads faith through love, sacrifice, and truth.
The ethical consequences follow naturally. A faith shaped by coercive revelation produces laws that criminalize unbelief, punish apostasy, and sanctify violence. A faith shaped by the cross produces voluntary repentance, forgiveness, martyrdom, and moral transformation. The fruit reflects the founder.
Qur’an 9:5 and Luke 15:1–6 do not represent two approaches to the same spiritual goal. They represent two opposing moral universes. One rules by fear and the sword. The other reigns through grace and the shepherd’s care. One commands the killing of sinners. The other searches for them until they are found. The question left to the reader is unavoidable: which vision truly reflects the character of God?