2.191 – And kill them wherever you come upon them. . . . If they fight you, kill them

This verse commands the reader or listener to kill, using the Arabic verb qatala. It contains two of the Quran’s five commands to kill. The verse seems to command those who “believe” (v. 183) to kill the group from verse 190, “those who fight against you.” The reasons for the killing seem to include both “persecution” and “such is the payment for the disbelievers” (kāfirūn). The limitations put on killing include not fighting if the enemy is near the “sacred mosque” or if the enemy stops (v. 192).

2.191 – Persecution is worse than killing

What is worse than killing? The word translated as “persecution” is fitna, a difficult word that is also rendered “trial,” “temptation,” “deviation,” or “strife.” The concept seems to be that it is worse to turn people away from religion than to kill the person who turns people away. The same idea repeats in verses 193 and 217 in this sūra.