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194
الشَّهرُ الحَرامُ بِالشَّهرِ الحَرامِ وَالحُرُماتُ قِصاصٌ ۚ فَمَنِ اعتَدىٰ عَلَيكُم فَاعتَدوا عَلَيهِ بِمِثلِ مَا اعتَدىٰ عَلَيكُم ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعلَموا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ المُتَّقينَ

Muhammad Asad

Fight during the sacred months if you are attacked:1 for a violation of sanctity is [subject to the law of] just retribution. Thus, if anyone commits aggression against you, attack him just as he has attacked you - but remain conscious of God, and know that God is with those who are conscious of Him.2
  • This is a free rendering of the phrase "the sacred month for the sacred month", which is interpreted by all commentators in the sense given above. The "sacred months" during which, according to ancient Arab custom, all fighting was deemed utterly wrong, were the first, seventh, eleventh and twelfth months of the lunar calendar.
  • Thus, although the believers are enjoined to fight back whenever they are attacked, the concluding words of the above verse make it clear that they must, when fighting, abstain from all atrocities, including the killing of non-combatants.