123يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا قاتِلُوا الَّذينَ يَلونَكُم مِنَ الكُفّارِ وَليَجِدوا فيكُم غِلظَةً ۚ وَاعلَموا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ المُتَّقينَMuhammad AsadO you who have attained to faith! Fight against those deniers of the truth who are near you, and let them find you adamant;1 and know that God is with those who are conscious of Him.I.e., uncompromising with regard to ethical principles. For the general circumstances in which war is permitted, see 2:190-194, 22:39, 60:8-9, and the corresponding notes, as well as notes 7 and 9 on verse 5 of this surah. The reference to "those deniers of the truth who are near you" may arise from the fact that only "those who are near" can be dangerous in a physical sense or, alternatively, that - having come from afar - they have already approached the Muslim country with an aggressive intent.