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RHETORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF QURAoANIC WAR ETHICS:
AN INTEGRATING SEMITIC RHETORIC AND CLASSICAL
BALAGHAH IN SURAH AL-BAQARAH VERSE 190Ae193 Aqdi Rofiq Asnawi Pusat Studi Al-QurAoan dan Sirah Nabawiyyah.
Universitas Darussalam Gontor asnawi@unida.
Abstract The ethics of warfare in the QurAoan remains a profoundly relevant subject amid contemporary conflicts that often disregard justice and humanity.
Scholarly discussions on QurAoanic war ethics have generally emphasized aspects of jihad jurisprudence or thematic exegesis, while its rhetorical dimension as a reinforcement of ethical messages has been relatively overlooked.
This study addresses that gap by analyzing surah al-Baqarah verse 190Ae193 through an integrated framework of Semitic Rhetoric and Arabic Rhetoric (Balagha.
The findings reveal a symmetrical structure that embodies core principles of QurAoanic war ethics: .
warfare is strictly regulated as defensive, prohibiting unprovoked .
proportionality and ethical restraint govern combat.
sacred spaces and times are respected.
conflict ceases once hostility ends.
This analysis shows that the rhetorical devices in QurAoanic verses addressing the ethics of warfare significantly enhance their clarity and moral persuasiveness.
Consequently, the normative, rhetorical, and aesthetic dimensions of QurAoanic war ethics underscore their enduring relevance in confronting contemporary Furthermore, these ethical principles hold significant pedagogical potential, providing a framework for cultivating moral awareness, enhancing critical thinking, and promoting practices of peaceful conflict resolution anchored in justice and compassion.
Keywords: Balaghah.
Ethics of War.
QurAoan.
Semitic Rhetorical Analysis.
Abstrak Etika peperangan dalam Al-QurAoan tetap menjadi topik yang sangat relevan di tengah konflik kontemporer yang sering mengabaikan keadilan dan Diskusi akademik mengenai etika peperangan dalam Al-Quran umumnya menekankan aspek fikih jihad atau eksposisi tematik, sementara dimensi retorisnya sebagai penguatan pesan etis relatif kurang diperhatikan.
Studi ini mengisi kekosongan tersebut dengan menganalisis surah al-Baqarah ayat 190Ae193 melalui kerangka terpadu Retorika Semit dan Retorika Arab (Balagha.
Temuan menunjukkan adanya struktur simetris yang mencerminkan prinsip-prinsip inti etika peperangan dalam Al-QurAoan: .
peperangan diatur Rhetorical Foundations of QurAoanic War Ethics: An Integrating Semitic Rhetoric and Classical Balaghah Vol.
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secara ketat sebagai tindakan defensif, melarang agresi tanpa alasan.
proporsionalitas dan pengendalian etis mengatur pertempuran.
ruang dan waktu suci dihormati.
konflik berhenti begitu permusuhan berakhir.
Dengan demikian, dimensi normatif, retoris, dan estetis dari etika peperangan dalam Al-QurAoan menegaskan relevansinya yang berkelanjutan dalam menghadapi ketidakadilan kontemporer.
Selain itu, prinsip-prinsip etis ini memiliki potensi pedagogis yang signifikan, menyediakan kerangka untuk mengembangkan kesadaran moral, meningkatkan keterampilan berpikir kritis, dan mendorong praktik resolusi konflik yang damai yang berlandaskan keadilan dan kasih sayang.
Kata Kunci: Balaghah.
Etika Perang.
QurAoan.
Semitic Rhetorical Analysis.
Introduction War and conflict remain among the most critical moral challenges confronting contemporary humanity.
1 Within the Islamic tradition, the QurAoan is often invoked to address what constitutes ethical warfareAiits causes, limits, and demands.
Verses such as QS.
al-Baqarah .
:190Ae193 are frequently cited for their prescriptions regarding combat, the prohibition of excess, and the obligation to cease hostilities when conditions for peace are met.
2 Yet while exegeses .
and jurisprudential legal theory .
have extensively treated norms of war in Islam,3 less attention has been given to how rhetorical structure and literary devices function in the QurAoan to reinforce, nuance, and persuade concerning those norms.
The central scholarly problem lies in the tendency to treat the ethical content of QurAoanic war verses primarily as normative legal instruction, while largely neglecting their rhetorical and aesthetic dimensions, which are integral to the ethical force and persuasive power of the text.
1 Riza Karabag.
AoEthics of War and Peace: An Approach in the Matter of Religious Texts.
International Law and Non- Governmental OrganizationsAo.
Mutefekkir, 10.
, 2023: 483Ae84, doi:10.
30523/mutefekkir.
2 Muhammad Rusdi et al.
AoIslam and the Ethics of War: Deconstructing Jihad through the Principle of Humanism in Theological DiscoursesAo.
Pharos Journal of Theology, 105.
, 2024: 1, doi:10.
46222/pharosjot.
3 Muuammad ibn Garir ibn Yazid al-Tabari.
Al-TabariAos AoBook of JihadAo: A Translation from the Original Arabic, trans.
Yasir Ibrahim (Lewinston (N.
): E.
Mellen Press, 2.
Al-Qurubi.
Al-JamiAo Li Aukam al-QurAoAn (Cairo: Dar alKutub al-Miriyyah, 1.
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Existing scholarship on QurAoanic war ethics has largely concentrated on fiqhoriented exegesis that derives legal rulings from war-related verses,4 as well as on thematic interpretations that situate jihad within comparative ethics and international law.
Firestone traces the historical and theological origins of jihad, highlighting its varied meanings in early Islamic texts and situating it within broader Near Eastern contexts.
5 Khadduri then provides a legal-historical account of war and peace in Islamic jurisprudence, outlining classical rules, state practices, and the development of thought on offensive and defensive 6 In a more philosophical vein.
Kelsay engages just-war theory and Muslim ethical debates, offering interpretive frameworks that seek to harmonize traditional sources with modern moral concerns.
7 From within the Islamic scholarly tradition.
Wahbah al-Zuhayli provides a comprehensive juristic treatment of warfare in Islam, examining QurAoanic foundations and classical legal principles governing armed conflict, including restrictions on aggression, protection of non-combatants, and the ethical regulation of hostilities.
These contributions have been valuable in clarifying the legal, theological, and moral dimensions of warfare in Islam.
Nevertheless, such approaches often privilege the normative dimension of the text, thereby overlooking its rhetorical and aesthetic aspects.
By focusing primarily on juridical instruction, much of this literature risks reducing the QurAoanic discourse on warfare to prescriptive norms and underemphasizing the literary strategies through which its ethical imperatives are framed and communicated.
In a complementary direction, scholarship on Semitic Rhetorical Analysis (SRA) has demonstrated the literary coherence .
of the QurAoan.
Cuypers shows how Semitic rhetorical principles uncover the intricate structures and symmetrical patterns of QurAoanic 4 Al-Qurubi.
Al-JamiAo Li Aukam al-QurAoAn (Cairo: Dar al-Kutub al-Miriyyah, 1.
Wahbah Al-Zuuayli.
Athar Al- Harb Fi al-Fiqh al-Islami, 2nd edn (Damascus: al-Maktabah al-adithah, 1.
5 Reuven Firestone.
Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2.
Majid Khadduri.
War and Peace in the Law of Islam (Clark.
: The Lawbook Exchange, 2.
, http://archive.
org/details/warpeaceinlawofi0000khad.
John Kelsay.
Arguing the Just War in Islam (Massachusetts:
Harvard University Press, 2.
, doi:10.
2307/j.
6 Majid Khadduri.
War and Peace in the Law of Islam (Clark.
: The Lawbook Exchange, 2.
7 John Kelsay.
Arguing the Just War in Islam (Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2.
, doi:10.
2307/j.
8 Wahbah Al-Zuuayli.
Athar Al-Harb Fi al-Fiqh al-Islami, 2nd edn (Damascus: al-Maktabah al-adithah, 1.
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passages, challenging long-standing claims of textual disjointedness.
9 Building on this foundation.
Asnawi highlighted the Semitic structures of QS.
al-Qiyamah that reinforce eschatological motifs,10 while Asnawi.
Aziz, and Haris extended CuypersAo rhetorical analysis to QS.
al-MaAoidah, demonstrating how rhetorical structuring elucidates thematic unity and coherence in the QurAoan.
Parallel to this, studies of Balaghah have illuminated the QurAoanAos aesthetic and persuasive dimensions.
Classical rhetorical theory, particularly the work of Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani, laid the foundations for understanding QurAoanic eloquence through the concept of nazm, which emphasizes the relational arrangement of words and meanings as the source of rhetorical power and semantic coherence.
12 Building on this classical framework, contemporary studies have examined specific rhetorical devices in the QurAoan.
Tabassum analyzes iltifat in QS.
al-Baqarah,13 Al-Smadi investigates rhetorical questions and their translation challenges,14 and Patterson traces the appropriation of QurAoanic metaphors in jihadist magazines, illustrating how sacred rhetoric is recontextualized for ideological 15 Hussein examines the use of tashbih in classical Arabic texts and its resonance in the QurAoan,16 while Stepanova and Hachim explore the rendering of QurAoanic rhetorical devices into English and Russian with attention to their social implications.
17 Taken 9 Michel Cuypers.
AoSemitic Rhetoric as a Key to the Question of the Naem of the QurAoanic TextAo.
Journal of QurAoanic Studies, 13.
, 2011: 1Ae24, doi:10.
3366/jqs.
10 Aqdi Rofiq Asnawi.
AoPenerapan Semitic Rhetorical Analysis (SRA) Pada Surah Al-QiyamahAo.
Mutawatir, 8.
143Ae69, doi:10.
15642/mutawatir.
11 Aqdi Rofiq Asnawi.
Husein Aziz, and Achmad Murtafi Haris.
AoInvestigating Cohesiveness of QS.
Al-MaAoidah: A Review on Michel Cuypers Implementation of Semitic Rhetorical Analysis (SRA)Ao.
Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu Al-QurAoan dan Hadis, 23.
, 2022: 49Ae68, doi:10.
14421/qh.
12 Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani.
Dalail Al-Ijaz Fi Ilm al-Maani (Cairo: Mabaat al-Madani, 1.
13 N.
Tabassum.
AoRhetorical Devices in the Holy QurAoan: Grammatical Shift and Communicated Subject Matters in Surah Al-BaqarahAo.
Hamdard Islamicus, 44.
, 2021: 101Ae20.
14 Hadeel M.
Al-Smadi.
AoChallenges in Translating Rhetorical Questions in the Holy QurAoan: A Comparative StudyAo.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12.
, 2022: 583Ae90, doi:10.
17507/tpls.
15 Katie J.
Patterson.
AoUnder the Shadow of Swords: The Rhetoric of Jihad A Corpus-Based Critical Analysis of Religious Metaphors in Jihadist MagazinesAo.
Pragmatics and Society, 13.
, 2022: 477Ae500, doi:10.
1075/ps.
16 Ali Ahmad Hussein.
AoPoetry and the Quran: The Use of Tashbih Particles in Classical Arabic TextsAo.
Religions, 14.
, 2023: 1326, doi:10.
3390/rel14101326.
17 Valentina V.
Stepanova and Mohammed Ahmed Hachim.
AoRhetorical Devices of the QurAoan and Their Translation into English and Russian: Patterns of Social Behavior in the Focus CreatorsAo.
SKASE Journal of Translation and Interpretation, 18.
, 2025: 2Ae19, doi:10.
33542/JTI2025-1-01.
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together, these works establish that rhetorical structure and literary artistry are integral to QurAoanic meaning and ethical force.
Despite extensive legal and thematic analyses, and despite advances in rhetorical studies of the QurAoan, no study has yet offered an integrated rhetorical analysis of QS.
alBaqarah .
: 190Ae193 that combines the structural insights of SRA with the stylistic depth of Balaghah.
What remains underdeveloped is a holistic analysis of the entire passage .
190Ae.
that integrates SRA .
xamining symmetry, balance, and opposition across members, segments, pieces, and part.
with a focused analysis of the Balaghah devices that structure the passage, such as jinas, istiAoarah, majaz mursal, tibaq, iltifat, and mushakalah.
By combining SRAAos macro-structural analysis of coherence with BalaghahAos microstylistic attention to aesthetic devices, this study offers a holistic rhetorical-ethical reading that neither approach could achieve in isolation.
So, this study is guided by three main research questions.
First, what is the internal rhetorical structure of QS.
al-Baqarah .
: 190Ae.
when analyzed through the framework of Semitic Rhetorical Analysis (SRA), particularly in terms of members, segments, pieces, and parts and their patterns of balance and opposition? Second, which classical Arabic rhetorical devices .
appear in these verses, and how do they contribute to the aesthetic and persuasive expression of Quranic war ethics? Third, how does the integration of SRA and balaghah provide a deeper understanding of the ethical principles of warfare in the Quran? The purpose of this study is to address the identified gap by offering a combined rhetorical-ethical reading of QS.
al-Baqarah .
: 190Ae193.
It treats the passage as a unified rhetorical whole, mapping its structural symmetry through Semitic Rhetorical Analysis (SRA) and identifying and explicating its Balaghah devices.
SRA is particularly suitable for analyzing legal passages such as war verses because QurAoanic normative instructions are often articulated within carefully structured textual units rather than as isolated legal By examining the relations between members, segments, pieces, and parts.
SRA reveals patterns of symmetrical, contrast, and progression that organize the ethical message of the passage.
In the case of war verses, such structural relations help clarify how Rhetorical Foundations of QurAoanic War Ethics: An Integrating Semitic Rhetoric and Classical Balaghah Vol.
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commands, restrictions, and conditions interact, for example, how injunctions to fight are framed by prohibitions against aggression and by directives to cease hostilities when the adversary withdraws.
This structural perspective helps avoid atomistic readings that isolate individual commands and instead situates them within the broader rhetorical framework that regulates their meaning and ethical scope.
Through this approach, the study shows that the Quranic articulation of war ethics is not merely normative and legal but also rhetorical and aesthetic, with persuasive force grounded in both structure and style.
Furthermore, it shows how this rhetorical dimension can enrich contemporary discourse on warfare ethics, particularly in contexts where modern practices diverge from the ethical principles articulated in the QurAoan.
By integrating SRA and Balaghah, this study contributes to QurAoanic studies, advances scholarship on Islamic war ethics, and provides new interpretive tools for contemporary debates on justice and peace.
Methods The methodology of this study employs a qualitative textual analysis that integrates Semitic Rhetorical Analysis (SRA) and Arabic rhetoric (Balagha.
as complementary approaches to the interpretation of QS.
al-Baqarah .
: 190Ae193.
Qualitative textual analysis, as Creswell emphasize, is well-suited for the study of religious texts, since it prioritizes meaning, thematic coherence, and rhetorical strategies over 18 Within this framework, the study applies SRA as articulated by Cuypers, who demonstrated how QurAoanic passages exhibit literary coherence through hierarchical structures of members, segments, pieces, and parts, which are further organized into three principal rhetorical constructions: parallel, concentric, and mirror structures.
19 Structural mapping at these levels enables the discovery of symmetrical and antithetical By drawing on these foundations, the study treats the verses as a unified 18 John W.
Creswell.
Research Design: Qualitative.
Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 4th edn (Los Angeles.
Calif.
: SAGE, 2.
, 4.
19 Michel Cuypers.
A QurAoanic Apocalypse: A Reading of the Thirty-Three Last Surahs of the QurAoan, trans.
Jerry Ryan (Atlanta: Lockwood Press, 2.
, xxviiAexxix.
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rhetorical whole, continuing the line of inquiry advanced by scholars who emphasize QurAoanic nazm and rhetorical unity.
In parallel, the study engages Arabic rhetoric .
to uncover the microstylistic devices that enhance the ethical and persuasive force of the passage.
The identification and classification of rhetorical devices follow the classical balaghah tradition, particularly as articulated in works such as al-SakkakiAos Miftau al-AoUlum and al-QazwiniAos al-Idau fi AoUlum al-Balaghah, which provide the standard taxonomy of figures such as jinas .
, istiarah .
, majaz mursal .
, iltifat .
rammatical shif.
, and ibaq .
While the classification of these devices follows the classical framework, their rhetorical and communicative functions are interpreted with reference to modern studies of Arabic rhetoric, including works such as Hussein Abdul-RaofAos Arabic Rhetoric: A Pragmatic Analysis.
Through this combined approach, the study treats balaghah devices not merely as ornamental features but as stylistic strategies that intensify meaning, sharpen ethical contrasts, and enhance the persuasive impact of the Quranic This approach resonates with KennedyAos conception of rhetoric as a universal form of communicative energy, mental and emotional force transmitted from speaker or writer to audience, underscoring that stylistic devices directly serve persuasive and ethical 20 By embedding these stylistic insights within the macro-structural framework uncovered by SRA, the study demonstrates the interplay of structure and style in shaping QurAoanic war ethics.
Discussion A Rhetorical Study of QS.
al-Baqarah .
: 190Ae193 from Semitic Rhetoric and Arabic Balaghah Perspectives Verses 190Ae193 of QS.
al-Baqarah constitute a cohesive passage that rhetorically demonstrates a balanced structure, characteristic of Semitic literary style.
This passage is organized into three principal parts, each composed of interrelated pieces, segments, and 20 George Alexander Kennedy.
Comparative Rhetoric: An Historical and Cross-Cultural Introduction (New York.
NY:
Oxford University Press, 1.
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Part I encompasses verse 190 through the initial portion of verse 191 .
Part II centers on Piece C .
, and Part i includes verses 191c, 192, and 193.
Table 1.
The Structure of Part I.
Piece A and B.
Verse Member 1 Member 2 Member 3 Wa qatilu fi sabilillahi alladzina (Figh.
n AllahAos yuqatilunaku m .
gainst fight yo.
QS.
alBaqara wa la innallaha la yuhibbulh: 190 taAotadu .
ut (Indeed, muAotadin.
not Alla.
(Allah does overstep the overstep the Verse Member 1 Member 2 Waqtuluhu m (And kill tsaqiftumuhu m .
herever you encounter QS.
Baqara h: 191a wa akhrijuhum akhrajukum .
nd drive .
rom where them ou.
you out.
Member 3 Segment Piece Part Segment A .
arallel Part (Parallel AB/AAoBA.
Structure:
AB/AABA,
Segment 1 Segment Piece Segment 2 B .
arallel Segment .
AB/AAoBA.
Part I .
erses 190Ae191.
consists of two pieces that together establish the QurAoanic ethic of defensive warfare.
Piece A .
: .
commands believers to fight those who initiate aggression while prohibiting any transgression of moral limits, and Piece B .
: 191.
instructs them to confront the disbelievers wherever they are found and to expel them from the places they had expelled the Muslims.
Both pieces emphasize proportionality, legitimizing combat only as a defensive response bounded by ethical restraint.
From the perspective of Semitic Rhetorical Analysis (SRA), verse 2: 190 exhibits a parallel structure in which commands and prohibitions correspond symmetrically Aufight in the way of AllahAy Rhetorical Foundations of QurAoanic War Ethics: An Integrating Semitic Rhetoric and Classical Balaghah Vol.
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contrasts with Audo not overstep the limits.
Ay Each member mirrors its counterpart: human action .
i sabililla.
is grounded in divine authority .
, and ethical reciprocity links Authose who fight youAy with AuAllah does not love transgressors.
Ay Collectively, this balanced composition articulates a coherent moral framework in which warfare is sanctioned only under divine guidance, governed by justice, and restrained by mercy.
This parallelism functions rhetorically to establish a balance within the legal framework: it affirms the legitimacy of warfare while simultaneously imposing ethical By juxtaposing the command to fight with the prohibition against transgression, the text positions jihad not as a vehicle for aggressive expansion but as a defensible and morally sanctioned act.
21 Furthermore, this parallel structure integrates a spiritual dimension, emphasized through the phrase fi sabilillah, with a theological emphasis underscored by inna Allah, thereby framing warfare in Islam as not merely a political or strategic instrument but as an ethically guided act of worship.
22 Classical exegetes such as al-Qurubi interpret this verse as the first QurAoanic command concerning warfare, yet one that is immediately conditioned by moral restraint: AuFight those who fight you, and do not transgressAimeaning, fight only those in a state of hostility against you, and do not kill women, children, or monksAy.
23 His commentary underscores that the QurAoanic expression qatilu implies mutuality and defense rather than aggression, and that divine disapprovalAiAuAllah does not love those who overstep the limitsAyAianchors the legal command within an ethical and theological boundary.
Thus, read through the lens of Semitic Rhetorical Analysis.
QS.
al-Baqarah .
: 190 articulates a foundational ethical framework for warfare that balances juridical legitimacy with moral limitation, a principle that subsequently underpins the QurAoanic discourse on the ethics of armed conflict.
The expression la taAotadu .
o not overstep the limit.
is paired with al-muAotadin .
hose who overstep the limit.
through jinas al-ishtiqaq .
erivative paronomasi.
in Arabic Rhetoric (Balagha.
This morphological and phonetic parallelism links the prohibition 21 Yahya Sabbaghchi.
AoStarting a War: Advised or Forbidden? An Islamic ViewpointAo, in The Changing Places and Faces of War, ed.
Sarah A.
Wagner and Peter Mario Kreuter (Brill, 2.
, 137Ae54, doi:10.
1163/9781848882966_008.
22 Muhammad Rusdi et al.
AoIslam and the Ethics of WarAo, 1.
23 Al-Qurubi.
Al-JamiAo Li Aukam al-QurAoAn, vol.
2 (Cairo: Dar al-Kutub al-Miriyyah, 1.
, 348.
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with its moral referent, creating both rhythmic and semantic harmony.
Such a feature enhances the persuasive force of the injunction by simultaneously articulating the command and exemplifying its ethical boundary.
The verse also employs raddu al-Aoajz Aoala al-sadr .
he return of the ending to the beginnin.
, with the terminal phrase al-muAotadin mirroring the opening taAotadu, producing a circular rhetorical structure.
The same verse further exemplifies metaphorical expression through fi sabilillah .
n the way of Alla.
, demonstrating istiAoarah tasrihiyyah .
xplicit metapho.
The term alsabil .
he wa.
functions metaphorically to signify the cause or religion of Allah, transforming an abstract theological concept into a tangible path or journey.
This imagery evokes purposeful movement and moral direction, sacralizing the act of struggle .
while situating it within a spiritual trajectory toward divine obedience and justice.
Thus, the verse integrates ethical, theological, and motivational dimensions, emphasizing that warfare within Islamic principles is both morally bounded and spiritually oriented.
In Piece B, the text divides into two imperative segments.
Segment 3.
Auwaqtuluhum haythu thaqiftumuhumAy .
ill them wherever you encounter the.
, delivers a direct command affirming the legitimacy of warfare against aggressors.
Segment 4.
Auwa akhrijuhum min haythu akhrajukumAy .
nd drive them out from where they drove you ou.
, mirrors this structure but emphasizes expulsion as just reciprocity.
Both segments are syntactically and semantically parallel, illustrating a key rhetorical principleAithe correspondence between two commanded actions.
The first validates combat, the second legitimizes expulsion, and together they form a cohesive legal and moral framework grounded in proportional retaliation against aggression.
Ibn Ashur provides a nuanced interpretation of the imperative Auwaqtuluhum haythu thaqiftumuhumAy, clarifying that the verse does not sanction unrestricted killing but applies specifically within the context of active hostility.
He explicitly states: Aufa al-maAona:
waqtuluhum haythu thaqiftumuhum in qatalukumAyAiAuthe meaning is: kill them wherever you encounter them, if they fight you.
Ay25 This qualification is pivotal, as it anchors the 24 Muuammad AoAfifuddin Dimyai.
Al-Shamil Fi Balaghati al-QurAoan, 3rd edn, vol.
1 (Cairo: Dar al-Nibras, 2.
, 96.
25 Ibn AoAshur.
Al-Taurir Wa al-Tanwir, vol.
2 (Tunis: al-Dar al-Tunisiyyah li al-Nashr, 1.
, 201.
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command within the defensive ethics of warfare rather than aggression.
By emphasizing Auin qatalukumAy.
Ibn Ashur restricts the QurAoanic authorization of combat to circumstances of provoked conflict, thereby aligning the legal directive with moral restraint.
His interpretation thus reinforces the QurAoanAos overarching principle that warfare is legitimate only as a response to aggression, reflecting the balance between divine command and ethical limitation that underpins the entire passage.
Further, verse 2:191 features jinas muharraf .
mperfect paronomasi.
between akhAorijuhum .
xpel the.
and akhAorajukum .
hey expelled yo.
, establishing a phonetic and conceptual symmetry that reinforces the contrast between oppressorsAo actions and the divine Complementing this, the verse employs majaz mursal .
in the phrase Aunear the Sacred Mosque,Ay where the location refers to the broader Sacred Precinct .
, emphasizing both linguistic conciseness and the ethical sanctity of the site.
Antithetical parallelism .
ibaq al-sal.
further structures the verse in the juxtaposition of Audo not fight themAy with Authey fight you,Ay highlighting that combat is permitted only as a defensive measure.
Finally, the temporal shift .
ltifat al-zama.
in AuBut if they fight you, then kill themAy presents the event in past tense, implying near certainty of aggression and preparing believers both morally and strategically for the necessity of defensive action.
From the perspective of QurAoanic ethics, this parallelism is also significant in that it demonstrates IslamAos view of balance between different forms of defensive action.
The text does not treat one as more lenient or severe than the other but rather equalizes them as integral components of a legitimate self-defense strategy.
Accordingly, the SRA reveals that Piece B constitutes a set of parallel imperatives that consolidate the normative foundation of jihad, articulating two equally valid legal injunctions while simultaneously preparing the rhetorical ground for subsequent normative elaborations in the following segments of the passage.
26 Muuammad AoAfifuddin Dimyai.
Al-Shamil Fi Balaghati al-QurAoan, 1: 97.
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Table 2.
The Structure of Part II.
Piece C.
Verse Member 1 QS.
al- wal-fitnatu Baqara .
or h: 191b persecution Member 2 Member 3 asyaddu min al-qatl .
ore serious than Seg Piece Part Part II Part II centers on Piece C (QS 2: 191.
, which consists of a single segment: Auwalfitnatu ashaddu mina al-qatlAy .
or persecution is more serious than killin.
This serves as the pivot or axis of the entire passage.
Its central placement emphasizes the core value underpinning all preceding and subsequent commandsAinamely, that religious oppression and expulsion from faith are more grievous than physical death.
Ibn Ashur elucidated that al-fitnah was considered more severe than killing because Auits harm is recurrent, unlike the pain of killing,Ay and he further explained that it also referred to Aual-fitnah al-muta waqqaAoah,Ay the anticipated persecution, such as the threat that the polytheists might prevent Muslims from entering the Sacred House or betray them upon their arrival in Mecca.
He added that this statement served to declare the MuslimsAo justification for fighting and to instill righteous indignation in their hearts so that they would remain prepared to defend themselves.
Moreover.
Ibn AoAshur concluded that alfitnah in this verse did not exclusively denote expulsion from oneAos homeland, for Aualtadhyil yajibu an yakuna aAoamma mina al-kalam al-mudhilAyAithe concluding clause must have a broader meaning than the specific statement it follows.
27 Hence, this verse provided not merely a legal rationale but a profound theological foundation: warfare in this context was justified as a defensive response to sustained or anticipated persecution that threatened the very freedom of faith.
27 Ibn AoAshur.
Al-Taurir Wa al-Tanwir, 2: 202.
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In Arabic Rhetoric, wal-fitnatu ashaddu mina al-qatl Auand fitnah is worse than killingAy illustrates the principles of completion and precaution .
l-takmil wa al-ihtira.
28 or employs fann al-tadzyil, emphasizing the severity of persecution relative to physical killing.
Here, fitnah encompasses acts such as associating partners with Allah in the Sacred Precinct or the social and psychological harms inflicted upon believers, including exile or This micro-stylistic choice highlights that persecution exerts a more profound and enduring impact than death, affecting both the soul and the moral order of the Additionally, the verse functions as badal .
, clarifying the command AuAnd expel themAy and situating the injunction within its proper ethical and legal The same verse employs simile .
in a proverbial form, connecting the QurAoanic instruction to familiar experiential knowledge, thereby enhancing its rhetorical resonance and clarity for the audience.
Table 3.
The Structure of Part i.
Piece D and E.
Verse Member 1 QS.
al- Wa Baqara tuqatiluhum h: 191c (Do not fight Member 2 Member Segm Aoinda alMasjidilHaram .
t the Sacred Mosque/Masji .
nless they f ight you ther.
jazaAoulkafirin.
his what such rs deserv.
Member Segm Piece .
oncen in Faqtuluhum .
ill the.
(If they do fight yo.
Verse Member 1 Member 2 QS.
al- Fa in fa innallaha ghafurun Baqara intahaw .
hen Alla.
h: 192 if they sto.
(Allah is Piece .
aralle Part Part i (Concentric Mirror Structure:
AB/C/Ba, with Segment corresponding to Segment Segment corresponding to Segment 9, and Segment positioned as the central pivot of the tex.
28 Muuammad AoAfifuddin Dimyai.
Al-Shamil Fi Balaghati al-QurAoan, 1: 96.
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QS.
al- Wa Baqara qatiluhum h: 193 (Fight the.
intahaw (If they cease fitnatun .
ntil there is no ad-dinu lillah .
nd worship is devoted to Go.
fa la Aoudwana .
illa Aoala .
xcept Part i covers verses 2: 191cAe193, comprising Piece D and Piece E.
Piece D includes two segments: the first states that if the enemy ceases hostility.
Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
the second sets forgiveness as the moral limit of conflict.
Piece E .
: .
consists of three segments: a command to fight until persecution ends, an affirmation that religion belongs to Allah alone, and a reminder that fighting must stop once the enemy desistsAiending with the principle that enmity applies only to wrongdoers.
Structurally.
Part i follows the pattern AB/C/Ba, where Segments 6 and 10, 7 and 9 correspond, and Segment 8 forms the central pivot.
The first segment conveys a clear prohibition: believers may not fight near the Sacred Mosque unless attacked.
It upholds the sanctity of the sacred site and limits warfare to defensive purposes, reflecting the Arab recognition of its inviolability.
Al-Razi explains that the command Auwa-la tuqatiluhum Aoinda al-Masjid al-Haram hatta yuqatilukum fihiAy clarifies that this conditionAirefraining from combat unless provokedAiremains binding in this sacred area, though it once applied more broadly to all combat, including that during Rhetorical Foundations of QurAoanic War Ethics: An Integrating Semitic Rhetoric and Classical Balaghah Vol.
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the sacred months.
29 His commentary thus highlights the enduring ethical constraint that war, even when sanctioned, must not transgress the sanctity of divinely protected spaces.
The second segment states the consequence of the exception: if Muslims are attacked within the Sacred Mosque, they are justified in self-defense.
The command Authen fight themAy authorizes a proportionate response, affirming that retaliation is just recompense for those who initiated hostilities.
Ibn Kathir interprets Aula tuqatiluhum Aoinda al-Masjid al-Haram illa an yabdaAoukum bi-l-qital fihiAy as establishing the moral principle of defensive warfareAipermitting believers to fight aggressors within the sacred precinct dafAoan lis-siyal .
o repel assaul.
only after being attacked.
He connects this ruling to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, when the ProphetAos Companions pledged to defend themselves after Quraysh and their allies prepared for war until God restrained further fighting.
Structurally, these two segments run in parallel: the first establishes a prohibitive norm along with its condition for exception, while the second explicates the practical and historical manifestation of that exception, thus reinforcing the QurAoanAos balance between sanctity and the right to defense.
Piece E .
:192Ae.
displays a concentric structure under SRA, balancing the restriction of warfare with its higher moral aimAithe establishment of justice and the removal of oppression.
The passage begins with a normative statement that fighting must cease once the enemy withdraws.
The phrase Aufa in intahaw fa innallaha ghafurun rahimAy highlights AllahAos mercy and forgiveness, showing that warfare in Islam is not for expansion but is regulated by divine compassion.
Al-Tabari explains that this clause conveys GodAos pardon toward those who end hostilities and repent, granting them forgiveness and rewards equal to those of the obedient, as they return from disobedience to divine love.
31 This interpretation situates divine mercy as the ultimate horizon of QurAoanic legislation on warfare, emphasizing that the goal of jihad is the restoration of moral order through repentance and divine reconciliation rather than perpetual conflict.
29 Fakhr al-Din al-Razi.
Mafatiu Al-Ghayb, vol.
5 (Beirut: Dar IuyaAo al-Turath al-AoArabiy, 2.
, 210.
30 Ibn Kathir.
Tafsir Al-QurAoan al-'Azim, vol.
1 (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-AoIlmiyyah, 1.
, 338.
31 Ibn Jarir al-Tabari.
Jami' al-Bayan AoAn TaAowil Ay al-QurAoan, vol.
3 (Cairo: Dar al-Hijr, 2.
, 298Ae99.
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In Arabic Rhetoric, the attributes of God are intensified through sighat mubalaghah .
ntensive morphological form.
in ghafur (All-Forgivin.
and rahim (Most Mercifu.
, following the patterns faAoul and faAoil.
These forms stress the constancy, completeness, and enduring nature of divine mercy and forgiveness, reinforcing the theological significance of GodAos attributes while rhetorically providing reassurance amidst The central section of the verse defines the moral purpose of warfare: Auwa qatiluhum hatta la takuna fitnatun wa yakuna ad-dinu lillah.
Ay The QurAoan thus affirms that war should never serve political or material aims but must pursue the eradication of fitnahAi persecution and the suppression of religious freedom.
Al-Razi interprets fitnah here as shirk .
and kufr .
, explaining that the polytheists persecuted the ProphetAos Companions in Mecca, forcing some to flee to Abyssinia, and continued their oppression after the migration to Medina to coerce believers back into disbelief.
This context clarifies that the command aims to prevent religious coercion and safeguard believersAo freedom of 33 In Arabic Rhetoric, the verse exemplifies tibaq al-salb, juxtaposing the negation of fitnah with the affirmative establishment of religion for Allah.
This rhetorical contrast links the cessation of persecution with the realization of divine authority, demonstrating that social justice and religious order are inseparably intertwined.
34 Thus.
QurAoanic warfare carries an ethical horizon in which jihad aims to protect fundamental human rights and uphold freedom of belief under the sovereignty of God.
This section forms the concentric center of the rhetorical structure, serving as the thematic apex that links the opening and closing elements.
The closing segment reaffirms the QurAoanic ethic of restraint in warfare: Aufa in intahaw fa la Aoudwana illa Aoala az-zalimin.
Ay The repeated conditional clause Auif they ceaseAy mirrors the opening, emphasizing that war must end once hostility ceases.
Aggression is justified only against wrongdoers, while any continuation beyond that is prohibited.
Ibn 32 Muuammad AoAfifuddin Dimyai.
Al-Shamil Fi Balaghati al-QurAoan, 1: 97.
33 Fakhr al-Din al-Razi.
Mafatiu Al-Ghayb, 5: 291.
34 Muuammad AoAfifuddin Dimyai.
Al-Shamil Fi Balaghati al-QurAoan, 1: 97.
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AoAshur explains that Aufa la Aoudwana illa Aoala az-zaliminAy serves as an implied response to the conditionAiif the enemy refrains from fighting, believers must not act on suspicion or initiate conflict, since aggression is lawful only toward oppressors.
He adds that Aoudwan may mean AuattackAy or Auinjustice,Ay and its pairing with az-zalimin reflects a rhetorical device of mushakalah taqdiriyyah .
mplied stylistic parallelis.
35 It seems that Ibn AoAshur sought to emphasize that the QurAoan articulates warfare within both moral and linguistic harmonyAiaffirming that combat is legitimate only as a just response to oppression, never as an act of unprovoked aggression.
In this way, the concentric structure of the verse presents a balanced integration of mercy, justice, and the limitation of violence, portraying the QurAoanic ethics of war not as a legitimation of violence, but as a moral regulation designed to mitigate the destructive consequences of conflict and to guide humanity toward peace as its ultimate goal.
The verse also employs majaz mursal in the expression fa-la Aoudwana illa Aoala azzalimin (Authere can be no .
hostility except toward aggressorsA.
, wherein al-Aoudwan .
is used to denote makafat al-zalimin .
etribution against wrongdoer.
In other words.
Muhammad AoAfifuddin Dimyai explains, the cause is mentioned in place of the effect, emphasizing that combat is sanctioned only as a response to aggression.
As the expression conveys that al-Aoudwan signifies the just recompense for oppression, not unprovoked violence.
36 Similarly.
Wahbah al-Zuhayli observed that the term al-Aoudwan is employed here express al-mushakalah, that is, a stylistic correspondence in wording despite divergence in meaning: Authe requital for aggression is termed aggression.
Ay Thus, what is done to the wrongdoers is linguistically called Aoudwan only because it mirrors their initial hostility, even though, in essence, it is an act of just retribution.
37 Through this layered rhetorical usageAicombining majaz mursal and mushakalahAithe verse encapsulates the 35 Ibn AoAshur.
Al-Taurir Wa al-Tanwir, 2: 209.
36 Muuammad AoAfifuddin Dimyai.
Al-Shamil Fi Balaghati al-QurAoan, 1: 97.
37 Wahbah Al-Zuuayli.
Al-Tafsir al-Munir Fi al-AoAqidah Wa al-Shari'ah Wa al-Manhaj, vol.
2 (Damascus: Dar al-Fikr, 1.
, 175.
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QurAoanAos moral precision, portraying legitimate warfare not as aggression but as the measured and divinely sanctioned response to injustice.
Collectively, these verses illustrate a highly nuanced application of micro-stylistic devicesAiincluding paronomasia, antithetical parallelism, temporal shifts, and metaphorical formsAiintegrated with ethical and theological guidance.
The QurAoanic text thus achieves a sophisticated balance between linguistic artistry, moral instruction, and strategic directive, ensuring that the injunctions on warfare are communicated with clarity, persuasiveness, and ethical precision.
The rhetorical configuration of QS al-Baqarah .
: 190Ae193 exemplifies the distinctive ring composition characteristic of Semitic Rhetoric.
This passage comprises three interdependent partsAi an initial parallelism (Part I: piece AAeB), a single central pivot (Part II: piece C), and a final concentric pattern (Part i: piece DAeE)Aiarranged concentrically around a central axis that functions as the semantic pivot of the entire unit.
Through this symmetrical organization, the passage manifests the essential features of Semitic rhetorical design: an opening parallelism, a singular central focus, and a concluding correspondence that reaffirms and completes the initial theme.
Table 4.
The structure of passage Part Piece Verse Wa qatilu fi sabilillahi alladhina yuqatilunakum wa la taAotadu.
Allaha la yuhibbu al-muAotadin.
Fight in GodAos cause against those who fight you, but do not overstep the limits: God does not love those who overstep the limits.
Waqtuluhum haythu thaqiftumuhum wa akhrijuhum min haythu .
Kill them wherever you encounter them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, wal-fitnatu ashaddu mina al-qatl.
for persecution is more serious than killing.
BAo wa la tuqatiluhum Aoinda al-Masjidil-Haram hatta yuqatilukum fih.
fa in qatalukum faqtuluhum.
kadhalika jazaAou al-kafirin.
Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there.
If they do fight you, kill themAeAe this is what such disbelievers deserveAe AAo Fa in intahaw fa inna Allaha ghafurun rahim.
Wa qatiluhum hatta la takuna fitnatun wa yakuna ad-dinu lillah.
fa in intahaw fa la Aoudwana i Rhetorical Foundations of QurAoanic War Ethics: An Integrating Semitic Rhetoric and Classical Balaghah Vol.
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illa Aoala az-zalimin.
but if they stop, then God is most forgiving and merciful.
Fight them until there is no more persecution, and worship is devoted to God.
If they cease hostilities, there can be no .
hostility, except towards aggressors.
Part I conveys the fundamental principle of warfare: believers are commanded to fight only those who initiate hostilities and are strictly prohibited from transgressing limits.
This normative injunction forms the opening frame of the rhetorical structure, which later finds its counterpart in Part i.
In this closing section, the command to fight is reiterated but with greater specificityAiwar is to be waged only to remove fitnah .
eligious persecutio.
and must cease immediately once the enemy desists, except against those who persist in injustice.
Thus.
Part I and Part i constitute the outer pair (AAeAA), jointly conveying the core message that warfare in Islam is bounded and defensive in nature.
Furthermore, the second segment of Part I .
he opening of v.
introduces a principle of reciprocity, requiring Muslims to resist the enemy as they themselves have been This section corresponds to the opening of Part i .
he end of v.
, which articulates a similar principle in a specific contextAinamely, that fighting in al-Masjid alHaram is permissible only if the enemy initiates aggression.
These corresponding segments (BAeBA) reinforce the QurAoanic principle of just warfare, in which resistance is justified solely as a response to prior aggression.
At the center of this composition lies Part II, which contains the statement Auwalfitnatu asyaddu mina al-qatlAy .
ersecution is worse than killin.
This declaration functions as both the rhetorical and theological pivot of the passage.
According to the principles of Semitic Rhetoric, such a central position is deliberate, revealing the core purpose of the entire discourse.
As the organizing axis of the composition, this phrase articulates the moral foundation of jihad: defending faith and removing oppression rather than pursuing aggression or territorial expansion.
Its semantic and structural influence extends to every segment and piece of the text, linking the surrounding commands of warfare into a coherent 38 M.
Abdel Haleem.
The Quran: A New Translation.
Oxford WorldAos Classics (New York: Oxford University Press, 2.
, 21Ae22.
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Each directive finds its justification through this pivotal idea, making the central statement the point from which meaning radiates outward and to which all elements return.
Collectively, the passage forms a mirror compositionAiAAeBAeCAeBAAeaiin which the central clause anchors the rhetorical symmetry and theological unity of the discourse.
Thematically, the QurAoan does not present war as an end in itself but rather as a means for self-defense, the establishment of justice, and the elimination of oppression.
The ethical values emphasized are proportionality, the prohibition of transgression, respect for forgiveness, and the restriction of enmity only to those who commit injustice.
40 This rhetorical analysis demonstrates that the QurAoanic discourse on warfare is deeply grounded in moral principles, creating a balance between the historical reality of conflict and the universal values of humanity.
Contemporary Ethical Implications of QurAoanic War Injunctions in QS.
2: 190-193
Within the QurAoanic discourse on warfare.
QS.
al-Baqarah 2:190Ae193 articulates one of the most ethically nuanced paradigms of conflict in religious scripture.
The passage does not merely regulate combat but redefines it within a moral, theological, and rhetorical At its core lies a moral vision in which warfare is not a pursuit of domination or political gain but a means of defending human dignity and religious freedom.
Through the interplay of Semitic Rhetorical Analysis (SRA) and classical Arabic rhetoric (Balagha.
, the QurAoan constructs a discourse that transcends legal prescription, shaping a timeless ethic of restraint, justice, and compassion.
This integration reveals that QurAoanic war ethics are profoundly rhetorical rather than merely juridical.
The Semitic structure provides the architectural balance that sustains the moral logic of the passage, while Balaghah animates this logic through persuasive eloquence and emotive force.
Together, these rhetorical systems construct a holistic ethical framework: warfare is legitimized only by justice, restrained by ethics, and sanctified by 39 Khadijah Mohd.
Mustaffa Abdullah, and Abdul Karim Ali.
AoIdealism of Jihad and War from the Quranic PerspectiveAo.
AlBayan, 15.
, 2017: 240Ae41, doi:10.
1163/22321969-12340053.
40 Ahmad Baidowi et al.
AoPromoting QurAoanic Verses That Reject ViolenceAo.
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 10.
, 2021: 23Ae24, doi:10.
36941/ajis-2021-0150.
Muhammad Rusdi et al.
AoIslam and the Ethics of WarAo, 1Ae Rhetorical Foundations of QurAoanic War Ethics: An Integrating Semitic Rhetoric and Classical Balaghah Vol.
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divine purpose.
The QurAoanic discourse thus anticipates modern notions of ethical warfare and humanitarian law by insisting that armed struggle must always serve a higher moral cause and remain bounded by compassion and proportionality.
In verse 2: 190, the QurAoan initiates its ethical directive with a symmetrical command: AuFight in GodAos cause against those who fight you, but do not overstep the Ay The Semitic structure establishes a moral equilibrium between obligation and restraintAipermitting combat only as a response to aggressionAiwhile the eloquent brevity of la tatadu .
o not overstep the limit.
encapsulates the entire moral code of war.
This rhetorical economy enshrines the principle of proportionality, which resonates with contemporary humanitarian norms forbidding excessive force or harm to non-combatants.
The verse thus anticipates the ethical principles that underpin modern international humanitarian law, grounding them not in secular reason but in divine command.
The rhetorical coherence between structure (SRA) and style (Balagha.
in verse 2: 191 further amplifies the ethical balance.
Structurally, the verse frames legal reciprocity AiAukill them wherever you encounter themAyAi within a rhetorical symmetry that mirrors moral causality: the response is conditioned by prior aggression.
Stylistically, the rhythmic parallelism and phonetic symmetry evoke gravity and restraint rather than triumphalism.
This balance transforms the verse from a license for violence into a statement of moral justice, emphasizing that the objective of combat is not annihilation but the restoration of peace and moral order.
Verse 2: 192 deepens this ethic through a rhetorical turn from confrontation to reconciliation: Aubut if they stop, then God is most forgiving and merciful.
Ay The Semitic structure, marked by the conditional fa in intahaw, delineates a moral boundary that signals the cessation of combat upon the enemyAos withdrawal.
Simultaneously, the stylistic invocation of divine mercy .
hafur rahi.
tempers juridical justice with compassion.
The 41 Muhammad Rusdi et al.
AoIslam and the Ethics of WarAo, 1Ae2.
42 Reny Provost and Vishakha Wijenayake.
AoCollateral Kids: Weighing the Lives of Children in TargetingAo.
Leiden Journal of International Law, 37.
, 2024: 1018Ae38, doi:10.
1017/S0922156524000219.
43 Liyakat Takim.
AoPeace and War in the QurAoan and Juridical Literature: A Comparative PerspectiveAo.
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 38.
, 2011: 142, doi:10.
15453/0191-5096.
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rhetorical transition from law to mercy mirrors the QurAoanAos moral logicAiconflict is legitimate only as long as oppression persists, but reconciliation becomes obligatory once hostility ends.
This conditional ethic prefigures modern restorative justice paradigms, emphasizing reconciliation over retribution.
By integrating Semitic Rhetorical structure and Balaghah, verse 2: 193 achieves both logical and moral completeness: AuFight them until there is no more persecution, and worship is devoted to God.
If they cease hostilities, there can be no .
hostility, except towards aggressors.
Ay Structurally, the verse forms a circular composition bounded by mercy and justice.
stylistically, it refines the ethical message through contrast, metonymy, and lexical symmetry.
The key phrase la udwana illa ala al-zalimin (Authere can be no .
hostility, except towards aggressorsA.
encapsulates the QurAoanAos enduring war ethic: justice as the only legitimate motive and moral limit of violence.
contemporary ethical terms, this principle resonates with the doctrine of jus ad bellum Ai war as a last resort justified only against oppressionAi45 and jus in belloAiethical restraint in the conduct of war.
Collectively.
QS.
2: 190Ae193 constructs a theology of disciplined warfare divinely sanctioned yet ethically bounded.
The fusion of rhetorical structure and stylistic eloquence transforms these verses from legal injunctions into a moral philosophy of conflict.
Contemporary readers can discern in them a prototype of ethical warfare that prioritizes justice, limits aggression, and promotes reconciliation.
In an age where war is often dehumanized and instrumentalized,47 these QurAoanic injunctions invite a return to moral consciousness, reminding humanity that even in conflict, the divine command is not domination but restraint, not vengeance but restoration.
44 Jean Chrysostome K.
Kiyala.
AoCombining Social Justice with Restorative and Transitional Justice: An Agenda for an Integrative Justice Model in Transitional SocietiesAo, in Restorative and Transitional Justice: Perspectives.
Progress and Considerations for the Future, ed.
Jessica Evans (Nova Science Publishers.
Inc.
, 2.
, 81Ae177.
45 Larry May.
AoThe Principle of Just CauseAo, in War, by Emily Crookston, ed.
Larry May, 1st edn (Cambridge University Press, 2.
, 49Ae66, doi:10.
1017/CBO9780511840982.
46 Jens David Ohlin.
AoThe Basic Structure of Jus in BelloAo, in The Cambridge Handbook of the Just War, ed.
Larry May, 1st edn (Cambridge University Press, 2.
, 234Ae54, doi:10.
1017/9781316591307.
47 PaweC ocigaj.
AoSavage Wars and Conflict DehumanizationAo, in Routledge Handbook of the Future of Warfare, ed.
Artur Gruszczak and Sebastian Kaempf (Taylor and Francis, 2.
, 442Ae51.
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The ethical implications of this passage thus extend beyond the historical context of the early Muslim community.
They provide a timeless moral compass for contemporary societies grappling with the ethics of violence, resistance, and humanitarian intervention.
By reading QS.
2: 190Ae193 through the dual lens of Semitic Rhetorical structure and Arabic eloquence, one uncovers a sophisticated moral discourse that anticipates modern humanitarian principles while grounding them in the spiritual vocabulary of divine justice and mercy.
The QurAoanAos war ethics, therefore, remain profoundly relevantAinot as relics of a bygone era but as a living moral vision for peace through justice and compassion.
Conclusion This study has demonstrated that the integration of Semitic Rhetorical Analysis (SRA) and Balaghah (Arabic rhetori.
provides a comprehensive interpretive framework for understanding the QurAoanic ethics of warfare in QS.
al-Baqarah .
: 190Ae193.
Through SRA, the passage reveals a concentric and symmetrical structure (AAeBAeCAeBAAeAA) that embodies the fundamental principles of QurAoanic war ethics: prohibition of aggression, obligation of proportional self-defense, respect for sacred time and space, and cessation of conflict when the adversary desists.
This structural symmetry highlights that the QurAoanic construction of war ethics is not merely normative but also rhetorical and aesthetic, reinforcing the moral message through balanced composition and textual harmony.
Meanwhile.
Balaghah uncovers the micro-rhetorical artistry that amplifies this moral vision.
Devices such as jinas .
, tibaq .
, istiAoarah .
, and mushakalah .
tylistic correspondenc.
enhance the coherence, rhythm, and persuasive force of the text.
These rhetorical strategies transform legal injunctions into an ethically charged and spiritually resonant message, emphasizing proportionality, restraint, and compassion even within the context of conflict.
The findings of this study also resonate with insights offered by classical Quranic Exegetes such as al-Tabari, al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Kathir consistently interpret 48 Imron Sahoh and Yasmin Sattar.
AoThe idea of peace and conflict resolution in IslamAo.
Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 37.
, 2016: 333Ae34.
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these verses as proving ethical limits on warfare, particularly the prohibition of aggression .
a tatad.
, the legitimacy of fighting only against those who start hostilities, and the obligation to cease fighting when the enemy desists.
Similarly, al-Sadi emphasizes that the command to fight in this passage is inseparable from the ethical constraints that go with it, underscoring the QuranAos broader goal of justice and restraint in conflict.
The rhetorical patterns shown through SRA and Balaghah therefore do not replace classical tafsir but rather illuminate the literary and structural mechanisms through which these ethical principles are articulated in the Quranic discourse.
Together, the structural balance of SRA and the stylistic precision of Balaghah articulate a QurAoanic ethic of war that is both juridically sound and morally elevated.
Warfare is sanctioned only as a defensive response, strictly bounded by ethical limits, and aimed ultimately at restoring justice and peace.
The passage thus situates combat within a framework of divine mercy AiAufa in intahaw fa inna Allaha ghafurun rahimAyAi affirming that reconciliation is the ultimate goal once hostility ceases.
In a contemporary context, these findings demonstrate that the QurAoanic paradigm not only anticipates the foundational principles of modern humanitarian lawAiproportionality, non-aggression, and the protection of non-combatantsAibut also serves as a moral corrective to modern practices of warfare that frequently violate justice and humanity.
Hence, the combined application of SRA and Balaghah not only clarifies the internal coherence of the QurAoanic text but also reaffirms its enduring significance in shaping the global discourse on peace.
This study is limited to a single QurAoanic passage (QS.
al-Baqarah .
: 190Ae.
Future research could investigate whether the rhetorical patterns identified here are consistently employed across other QurAoanic passages addressing conflict, peace, reconciliation, or justice, thereby enabling a more comprehensive assessment of the QurAoanAos ethical and rhetorical discourse.
Extending this integrative analytical framework may also deepen scholarly understanding of how rhetorical structure functions to reinforce moral principles within the QurAoanic text.
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