In my latest article, published in JIQSA, I examine two key Qur’anic verses related to warfare, what I term the “fitnah-fighting verses”:
“Fight them until there is no fitnah and al-din is wholly for God” (Q 2:193; 8:39).
According to an aggressive interpretation of these verses—accepted by many classical Islamic and modern Western scholars—fitnah is glossed to mean shirk (“idolatry”) and kufr (“infidelity”), whereas the subsequent din clause is interpreted to entail the eradication of paganism/polytheism.
In this article, I uphold a defensive reading according to which fitnah refers to religious persecution and the din clause refers to the believers’ own worship, including at the Holy Sanctuary.
Direct Link:
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/jiqsa-2024-0028/html
Alternative link: