Quran 2:190, do not transgress

Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 190: "Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors." Read it in Arabic with transliteration and the Sahih International translation, with the ayah before and after it, and listen to it recited.

Qari

2:189Before

۞ يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِىَ مَوَٰقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَٱلْحَجِّ ۗ وَلَيْسَ ٱلْبِرُّ بِأَن تَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَٰبِهَا ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١٨٩﴾

Yas'aloonaka 'anil ahillati qul hiya mawaaqeetu linnaasi wal Hajj; wa laisal birru bi an taatul buyoota min zuhoorihaa wa laakinnal birra manit taqaa; waatul buyoota min abwaa bihaa; wattaqullaaha la'allakum tuflihoon

They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the new moons. Say, "They are measurements of time for the people and for Hajj." And it is not righteousness to enter houses from the back, but righteousness is [in] one who fears Allah. And enter houses from their doors. And fear Allah that you may succeed.

2:190This ayah

وَقَٰتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ ﴿١٩٠﴾

Wa qaatiloo fee sabeelillaahil lazeena yuqaatiloonakum wa laa ta'tadooo; innal laaha laa yuhibbul mu'tadeen

Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors.

2:191After

وَٱقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ ۚ وَٱلْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ ٱلْقَتْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُقَٰتِلُوهُمْ عِندَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ حَتَّىٰ يُقَٰتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ ۖ فَإِن قَٰتَلُوكُمْ فَٱقْتُلُوهُمْ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿١٩١﴾

Waqtuloohum haisu saqif tumoohum wa akhrijoohum min haisu akhrajookum; walfitnatu ashaddu minal qatl; wa laa tuqaatiloohum 'indal Majidil Haraami hattaa yaqaatilookum feehi fa in qaatalookum faqtuloohum; kazaalika jazaaa'ul kaafireen

And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al- Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.

Arabic: Tanzil, Uthmani script. English: Sahih International. Audio: EveryAyah. Transliteration is a learning aid; read from the Arabic when you can.

Read it in Surah Al-Baqarah Listen on repeat

Meaning and lessons

What Quran 2:190 means, in brief

This was among the first ayat on fighting revealed in Madinah, after the believers had been driven out of Makkah. It permits fighting those who fight the believers and immediately limits it: do not transgress, for Allah does not love transgressors.

Ibn Kathir explains that transgression includes mutilation, treachery, and killing women, children, the elderly and monks in their cells, and cutting trees and killing animals without need. He supports this with the Prophet's ﷺ instructions to his commanders (Sahih Muslim 1731) and the hadith forbidding the killing of women and children (Sahih al-Bukhari). The ayat that follow continue the context of the war with the Makkans who had expelled the believers.

Summarised in our own words from Tafsir Ibn Kathir, on Quran 2:190. Translation of the ayah: Sahih International.

Lessons from this ayah

Fighting in Islam has strict limits set by Allah.
Women, children, the old and non-combatants are protected.
Read an ayah with the ayat around it before drawing conclusions.

Where Quran 2:190 is in the mushaf

Ayah 190 of Surah Al-Baqarah (البَقَرَةِ), "The Cow", surah 2 of the Quran, a Medinan surah of 286 ayat revealed in Madinah. It is in juz 2 (para 2), hizb 3, on page 29 of the standard Madinah mushaf. People search for it as 2/190, 2 190 or Quran 2 190.

Questions

Good to know

What does Quran 2:190 say?

Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors. (Sahih International)

What is Quran 2:190 about?

Which surah and juz is 2:190 in?

It is in Surah Al-Baqarah, surah 2 of the Quran, in juz 2 (para 2), on page 29 of the Madinah mushaf.

What comes before and after 2:190?

The ayah before, 2:189, says: "They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the new moons. Say, "They are measurements of time for the people and for Hajj." And it is not righteousness to enter houses from the back, but righteousness is [in] one who fears Allah. And enter houses from their doors. And fear Allah that you may succeed." The ayah after, 2:191, says: "And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al- Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers."