Tevet 17, 5769, 1/13/2009
Quotes and Notes Corner: 'Die or Embrace Islam'
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Religious Jews are in a good position, I think, to understand Islamic scholarship on the text of the Koran. Some of it is reminiscent of the Jewish style of commentary. Commentary on the Koran is called tafsir and the most important tafsir is that of Ibn Kathir. Kind of like "the Rashi" of Koranic exegesis - but even more authoritative.
With that in mind, let's look at some Koran verses with their tafsir of Ibn Kathir.
The Koran, Al-Tawba, verses 29-30 says:
(29) "Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth among the People of the Scripture, [fight] until they pay the jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." (30) "And the Jews say: 
"Fight against those who believe not in Allah..." -- The Koran
Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!"
Ibn Kathir comments: "This honorable verse (29) was revealed with the order to fight the People of the Book, after the pagans were defeated, the people entered Allah's religion in large numbers, and the Arabian Peninsula was secured under the Muslims' control. Allah commanded His Messenger to fight the People of the Scriptures, Jews and Christians, on the ninth year of Hijrah, and he prepared his army to fight the Romans and called the people to Jihad announcing his intent and destination."
The Koran, Al-Tawba, verse 5 says:
"So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."
Ibn Kathir explains that "slay the idolaters wherever you find them" means "on the earth in general... executing some and keeping some as prisoners." The Koran's exhortation "and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in every ambush," is saying, "Do not wait until you find them. Rather, seek and besiege them in their areas and forts, gather intelligence about them in the various roads and fairways so that what is made wide looks ever smaller to them. This way, they will have no choice, but to die or embrace Islam," according to Ibn Kathir.
And then Ibn Kathir clarifies further our understanding of Islam: "These verses allowed fighting people unless, and until, they embrace Islam and implement its rulings and obligations." But Ibn Kathir does not depend on his own interpretation alone, he quotes the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as recorded in the most accepted book of Hadith (Islam's collection of Muhammad's instructions and personal example): "Ibn Umar said that the Messenger of Allah said, 'I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer and pay the poor-tax.'"
Ibn Kathir says that Koran 9:5 is called "The Verse of the Sword" and that it "abrogated every agreement of peace between the Prophet and any idolater, every treaty, and every term." He quotes from another section of the Hadith saying, "No idolater had any more treaty or promise of safety ever since [this verse] was revealed."
Now, bearing all this in mind, along with the fact that Hamas is an Islamic fundamentalist movement whose members consider the Koran their constitution, some simple questions present themselves:
Who in their right mind would sign any deal, of any kind, with any of them?
Researched, compiled and presented by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
