How the most peaceful verse in the Quran still calls for the death of non-Muslims
Islam does not condone killing and terrorism. Does it not say in the Quran that whoever kills a person, it is as though he has killed all of mankind? What does the Quran actually say?
“On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person — unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land — it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.”
(Surah 5:32)
Two things stand out from the above verse on a plain and immediate reading.
First, this command (which appears nowhere in the Torah but rather in the Talmud, said not by an inspired prophet but by a random rabbi…but I digress) was given to the children of Israel not to Muslims. At this point, our Muslim friends might say that anything Allah revealed to anyone at any point is to be followed irrespective of who it was revealed to. The Quran says Allah revealed the Torah and the Gospel (Surah 3:3), would our Muslim friends follow those books? The Quran says Jesus was given as an example to the Jews (Surah 43:57–59), would our Muslim friends follow the example of Jesus over Muhammad who is given as their pattern of conduct in Surah 33:21?
Secondly, there is one massive exception even in the above verse we never hear quoted alongside it. It says except for murder and spreading corruption (mischief) in the land. Murder is clear but what exactly is “spreading corruption in the land”? This term is undefined but is very problematic because even if we were to agree with our Muslim friends that this verse applies to Islam, there is still a loop-hole for those who want to unalive people in the name of Allah. They can slay people who “spread corruption in the land” and it would not be as though they have slain all of mankind.
Now the above quotation is not the end of the verse. Carrying on further it reads,
“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter”
(Surah 5:33)
There is decreed punishment for those who “wage war against Allah and His messenger” and those “who spread mischief or corruption in the land”. What does it mean to wage war against Allah and His messenger?
Now you might think this means fighting and being aggressive against Muslims but you would be wrong. According to Islam, disbelieving in Islam is waging war against Allah and Muhammad. According to Tafsir Ibn Abbas,
“…(of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger) of those who disbelieve in Allah and His messenger…”
To be clear, Tafsir Ibn Abbas says the above punishment applies to those who kill and take other people’s property in the context of the above quote but my point in citing him is that to wage war does not only mean to fight but also includes to disbelieve. Tafsir Ibn Kathir corroborates this point as well,
“Wage war’ mentioned here means, oppose and contradict, and it includes disbelief”
This interpretation is in line with the general corpus of Islam which prescribes the death penalty for apostasy as well as the Hadiths which have Muhammad declaring a general war against people until they become Muslim,
“Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.’ And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah.”
(Sahih Al-Bukhari Book 8 Hadith 44)
A non-Muslim is perpetually waging war against Allah and his messenger and is thus culpable to the legislations under this verse.
Then again, we have this very vague statement regarding, “spreading mischief in the land”. What does this mean according to the Quran? Tafsir Ibn Abbas defines it as such,
“(and strive after corruption in the land) and engage in sin in the land, i.e. by wrongfully killing others and taking their properties…”
Ibn Kathir on his part states,
“Mischief in the land refers to various types of evil.”
What evil exactly? Vague. The result of this is that “Mischief in the land” is anything the Muslim ruler deems it to be so preaching the gospel in a Muslim land for example would be spreading mischief in it. Have a google search of “spreading corruption in the land” and you will be amazed how many people in Muslim countries have been killed or imprisoned for this crime. In the vast majority of cases, this is the crime Christians are charged with. For example, according to the US report on religious freedom in Iran,
“According to numerous international human rights NGOs and media reporting, the government convicted and executed dissidents, political reformers, and peaceful protesters on charges of “enmity against God” and spreading anti-Islamic propaganda. Authorities carried out hudud punishments such as amputation of fingers (for theft), flogging, and internal exile…”
Our Muslim friends might argue that Iran is not practising the true Islam. Of course! No one for the last 14 centuries, Including Muhammad and his companions, has practiced the true Islam except the person telling you Iran is not practising true Islam!
Point is, this crime of “spreading mischief” in the land is vague and the punishment is absolutely savage,
“execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world”
If the punishment is this vicious, the least that can be done is ensure the crime is clearly defined. The absence of a definition in the Quran is a very glaring omission in a book that claims to be perfectly clear and explained in detail over and over again.
So, in summary, the Jews were given one command and Muslims are given another command. The command Muslims are given is to execute, crucify and maim anyone who “wages war” against Muhammad and Allah and spreads corruption in the land. What does “spreading corruption” mean? Anything from actually fighting a Muslim to calling Muhammad a child molester for his marriage to Aisha. Hence the command of “killing mankind and saving mankind” is not an Islamic thing.
Little known fact about this verse which makes it fatal in a more unorthodox sense. The context for the revelation of this verse has to do with an instruction Muhammad gave his followers to drink camel urine.
“Narrated Anas:
The climate of Medina did not suit some people, so the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered them to follow his shepherd, i.e. his camels, and drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they followed the shepherd that is the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy. Then they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. When the news reached the Prophet (ﷺ) he sent some people in their pursuit. When they were brought, he cut their hands and feet and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron.”
(Sahih Al-Bukhari Book 76 Hadith 9)
And again,
“Anas narrated:
“Some people from Urainah arrived in Al-Madinah, and they were uncomfortable (and ill from the climate). So Allah’s Messenger sent them some camels from charity. He told them: “Drink from their milk and urine.” So they killed the camel driver that Allah’s Messenger sent, and they violently drove off the camels, and apostatized from Islam. So the Prophet came to them, he cut off their hands and feet on opposite side, and branded their eyes, and threw them in Al-Harrah.” Anas said, “So I saw one of them working over the ground with his mouth, until they died.”
(Jami At-Tirmidhi Book 1 Hadith 72)
The above are just two out of numerous hadith.
There is no evidence that drinking camel urine is good for a person’s health. On the contrary, the World Health Organisation has issued various warnings to the effect that drinking came urine could be fatal. Excerpts reproduced below:
“Abstract
Background: Complementary and alternative medicine is widely used in Saudi Arabia. One of the common practices is the use of camel urine alone or mixed with camel milk for the treatment of cancer, which is often supported by religious beliefs.
Methods: We observed 20 cancer patients (15 male, 5 female) from September 2020 to January 2022 who insisted on using camel urine for treatment. We documented the demographics of each patient, the method of administering the urine, reasons for refusing conventional treatment, period of follow-up, and the outcome and side effects.
Results: All the patients had radiological investigations before and after their treatment with camel urine. All of them used a combination of camel urine and camel milk, and treatment ranged from a few days to 6 months. They consumed an average of 60 ml urine/milk per day. No clinical benefit was observed after the treatment; 2 patients developed brucellosis. Eleven patients changed their mind and accepted conventional antineoplastic treatment and 7 were too weak to receive further treatment; they died from the disease.
Conclusion: Camel urine had no clinical benefits for any of the cancer patients, it may even have caused zoonotic infection. The promotion of camel urine as a traditional medicine should be stopped because there is no scientific evidence to support it”
So even the very context of the verse that says “If you kill a man it is as though you killed mankind” in its original context extols the virtues of drinking camel urine, which ironically could kill “all of mankind” if they adhere to it.
Finally, it is worth noting that even if we concede this point (that Islam teaches that killing a man is like killing all mankind) and say the Quran says what the lovely chaps trying to sell us a peaceful and tolerant Islam says it says, is this the ONLY thing the Quran says? “There is no compulsion in religion” and “Whoever kills a man it is as though he has killed all of mankind”. What of the express commands to fight those that do not believe in Allah as per Surah 9:29 which abrogates all the peaceful verses before it? What of verses that say Muslims should kill and be killed in exchange for paradise per Surah 9:111? What of the verses that call unbelievers the worst of creatures and say Allah does not love them?
In conclusion, the most peaceful verse in Islam still says I am war with Islam because I disbelieve, oppose and contradict it and that I am spreading corruption in the land by exposing the Islamic ideology as evil. If I were in a Muslim land right now, I would be killed because of Surah 5:32–33 which says If you kill a man it is as though you killed all of mankind.
You’ve got to love this beautiful religion!
