The word “jihad” appeared 1 times in this article's opening at its peak in 2015. Today the opening carries none. 10 remain further down the article, where a reader arriving from a search result does not go.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. “jihad” appeared 1 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today the opening has none; the body has 10.
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The opening as it read in 2015
Sword Verse ( ayat as- sayf ) is the fifth verse of the ninth sura ( Surat at-Tawbah ) of the Qur'an .1It is a widely-cited Qur'anic call to violence against "pagans" ("idolators", mushrikun ), obliging Muslims to "fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them" ([ fa-uq'tulū l-mush'rikīna ḥaythu wajadttumūhum فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ ] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup ( help ) ; trans. This verse is often cited to justify attacks of Muslims on non-Muslims both in classical exegesis and in contemporary jihadism , while contemporary Muslim scholars tend to interpret the call to violence as limited to self-defense. The verse being from a Medinan sura , it has been of particular interest in the literature on abrogation . Although the name "sword-verse" ( ayat as-saif ) is not Qur'anic and has no support in the major Hadith , it is on record comparatively early, used the literature concerned with abrogation from the 10th century. The Religion of Islam .2
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The opening as it stood in 2010
This is a sub-article to At-Tawba .
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The opening as it stood in 2020 5 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Sword Verse ( ayat as- sayf ) is the fifth verse of the ninth surah (or Surat at-Tawbah ) of the Quran (also written as 9:5).It is a Quranic verse widely cited by critics of Islam to suggest the faith promotes violence against "pagans", ("idolators", mushrikun ) by isolating the portion of the verse "fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them".[9:5] But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful .The next verse (often excluded from quotes) appears to present a conditional reprieve: [9:6] If one amongst the Pagans ask thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah; and then escort him to where he can be secure.That is because they are men without knowledge.Quranic exegetes al-Baydawi and al-Alusi explain that it refers to those pagan Arabs who violated their peace treaties by waging war against the Muslims. books Ibn Kathir .Rūḥ al-ma‘ānī fī tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-‘aẓīm wa-al-sab‘ al-mathānī , Mahmud al-Alusi, (9:5).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 955993411.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Named verse of the Quran The Sword Verse ( ) is the fifth verse of the ninth surah ( at-Tawbah ) of the Quran (also written as 9:5).It is a Quranic verse widely cited by critics of Islam to suggest the faith promotes violence against "pagans", ("idolators", mushrikun ) by isolating the portion of the verse "kill the polytheists wherever you find them, capture them".[9:5] But once the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them, capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them on every way.But if they repent, perform prayers , and pay alms-tax, then set them free.The next verse (often excluded from quotes) appears to present a conditional reprieve: [9:6] And if anyone from the polytheists asks for your protection ˹O Prophet˺, grant it to them so they may hear the Word of Allah, then escort them to a place of safety, for they are a people who have no knowledge. Quranic exegetes al-Baydawi and al-Alusi explain that it refers to those pagan Arabs who violated their peace treaties by waging war against the Muslims. Tafsir Ibn Kathir 9:5 Anwar al-Tanzeel wa Asrar al-Ta’weel, al-Baydawi, (9:5). Rūḥ al-ma‘ānī fī tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-‘aẓīm wa-al-sab‘ al-mathānī , Mahmud al-Alusi, (9:5).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1173123745.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Named verse of the Quran The Sword Verse ( Arabic : آية السيف , romanized : ayat as-sayf ) is the fifth verse of the ninth surah ( at-Tawbah ) of the Quran (also written as 9:5). It is a Quranic verse widely cited by critics of Islam to suggest the faith promotes violence against pagans ( polytheists , mushrikun ) by isolating the portion of the verse "kill the polytheists wherever you find them, capture them". [9:5] But once the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them, capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them on every way. But if they repent, perform prayers , and pay alms-tax, then set them free. The next verse, often excluded from quotes, appears to present a conditional reprieve: [9:6] And if anyone from the polytheists asks for your protection ˹O Prophet˺, grant it to them so they may hear the Word of Allah, then escort them to a place of safety, for they are a people who have no knowledge. Quranic exegetes al-Baydawi and al-Alusi explain that it refers to those pagan Arabs who violated their peace treaties by waging war against Muslims. Tafsir Ibn Kathir 9:5 Anwar al-Tanzeel wa Asrar al-Ta’weel, al-Baydawi, (9:5). Rūḥ al-ma‘ānī fī tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-‘aẓīm wa-al-sab‘ al-mathānī , Mahmud al-Alusi, (9:5).
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Today
“jihad” appeared 1 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today the opening has none; the body has 10. Read the current article and compare.
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jihad
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Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2015 and 2025.
Then
fifth verse of the ninth sura
Now
fifth verse of the ninth surah
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
