The Quran

191

وَاقتُلوهُم حَيثُ ثَقِفتُموهُم وَأَخرِجوهُم مِن حَيثُ أَخرَجوكُم ۚ وَالفِتنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ القَتلِ ۚ وَلا تُقاتِلوهُم عِندَ المَسجِدِ الحَرامِ حَتّىٰ يُقاتِلوكُم فيهِ ۖ فَإِن قاتَلوكُم فَاقتُلوهُم ۗ كَذٰلِكَ جَزاءُ الكافِرينَ

Muhammad Asad

And slay them wherever you may come upon them, and drive them away from wherever they drove you away - for oppression is even worse than killing.¹ And fight not against them near the Inviolable House of Worship unless they fight against you there first;² but if they fight against you, slay them: such shall be the recompense of those who deny the truth.

In view of the preceding ordinance, the injunction "slay them wherever you may come upon them" is valid only within the context of hostilities already in progress (Razi), on the understanding that "those who wage war against you" are the aggressors or oppressors (a war of liberation being a war "in God's cause"). The translation, in this context, of fitnah as "oppression" is justified by the application of this term to any affliction which may cause man to go astray and to lose his faith in spiritual values (cf. Lisan al-'Arab).
This reference to warfare in the vicinity of Mecca is due to the fact that at the time of the revelation of this verse the Holy City was still in the possession of the pagan Quraysh, who were hostile to the Muslims. However - as is always the case with historical references in the Qur'an - the above injunction has a general import, and is valid for all times and circumstances.