The Quran

Preface

يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا لا تُحِلّوا شَعائِرَ اللَّهِ وَلَا الشَّهرَ الحَرامَ وَلَا الهَديَ وَلَا القَلائِدَ وَلا آمّينَ البَيتَ الحَرامَ يَبتَغونَ فَضلًا مِن رَبِّهِم وَرِضوانًا ۚ وَإِذا حَلَلتُم فَاصطادوا ۚ وَلا يَجرِمَنَّكُم شَنَآنُ قَومٍ أَن صَدّوكُم عَنِ المَسجِدِ الحَرامِ أَن تَعتَدوا ۘ وَتَعاوَنوا عَلَى البِرِّ وَالتَّقوىٰ ۖ وَلا تَعاوَنوا عَلَى الإِثمِ وَالعُدوانِ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَديدُ العِقابِ

Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! Violate not the sanctity of the symbols of God,¹ nor of the Sacred Month,² nor of the animals brought for sacrifice, nor the garlands that mark out such animals, nor the people resorting to the Sacred House,³ seeking of the bounty and good pleasure of their Lord. But when ye are clear of the Sacred Precincts⁴ and of pilgrim garb, ye may hunt and let not the hatred of some people in (once) shutting you out of the Sacred Mosque lead you to transgression (and hostility on your part).⁵ Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour: fear God. for God is strict in punishment.

Cf. 2:158, where Safa and Marwa are called “Symbols (sha'a'ir) of God”. Here the Symbols are everything connected with the Pilgrimage, viz., (1) the places (like Safa and Marwa, or the Ka‘ba or 'Arafat, etc.); (2) the rites and ceremonies prescribed; (3) prohibitions (such as that of hunting, etc.); (4) the times and seasons prescribed. There is spiritual and moral symbolism in all these. See notes on 2:158, 2:194-200.
The month of pilgrimage, or else, collectively, the four sacred months (9:36), viz., Rajab (7th), Dhu al Qa'dah (11th), Dhu al Hijjah (12th), the month of Pilgrimage, and Muharram (the first of the year). In all these months War was prohibited. Excepting Rajab the other three months are consecutive.
The immunity from attack or interference extended to the animals brought as offerings for sacrifice and the garlands or fillets or distinguishing marks which gave them immunity. They were treated as sacred symbols. And of course every protection or immunity was enjoyed by the Pilgrims.
This is the state opposite to that described in n. 684, i.e., when ye have left the Sacred Precincts, and have doffed the special pilgrim garb, showing your return to ordinary life.
See n. 205 to 2:191. In the sixth year of the Hijrat the Pagans, by way of hatred and persecution of the Muslims, had prevented them from access to the Sacred Mosque. When the Muslims were re-established in Mecca, some of them wanted to retaliate and exclude the Pagans or in some way to interfere with them in the Pilgrimage. This is condemned. Passing from the immediate event to the general principle, we must not retaliate or return evil for evil. The hatred of the wicked does not justify hostility on our part. We have to help each other in righteousness and piety, not in perpetuating feuds of hatred and enmity. We may have to fight and put down evil, but never in a spirit of malice or hatred, but always in a spirit of justice and righteousness.