manifest His signs to men, that haply they may fear.
Devour not your wealth among yourselves vainly, nor present it to the judges that ye may devour a part of the wealth of men sinfully, the while ye know.
185 They will ask thee about the phases of the moon ; say, ‘ They are indications of time for men and for the pilgrimage.’ And it is not righteousness that ye should enter into your houses from behind them[1], but righteousness is he who fears; so enter into your houses by the doors thereof and fear God ; haply ye may prosper yet.
Fight in God’s way[2] with those who fight with you, but transgress[3] not ; verily, God loves not those who do transgress.
Kill them wherever ye find them, and drive them out from whence they drive you out; for sedition is worse than slaughter ; but fight them not by the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there; then kill them, for such is the recompense of those that misbelieve.
But if they desist, then, verily, God is forgiving and merciful.
But fight them that there be no sedition and that the religion may be God’s ; but, if they desist, then let there be no hostility save against the unjust.
190 The sacred month for the sacred month[4];
- ↑ The Arabs before Mohammed’s time had a superstition that it was unlucky to enter their houses by the doors on their return from Mecca, so they made holes in the hinder walls to enter in by instead.
- ↑ Or, ‘ cause,’ see note 4, p. 21.
- ↑ By beginning the fight yourselves.
- ↑ The other Arabs had attacked them during the month
