The First Revelation Permitting Jihad

📖Sunan al-Nasā’ī 3085
Ibn Abbas reported: When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was expelled from Mecca, Abu Bakr said, “They have expelled their Prophet. Verily, unto Allah we belong and unto Him we will return. They will surely be ruined. Then, it was revealed: Permission is given to those who are being fought because they were wronged, for Allah has power to support them (22:39). I knew that there would be fighting.” Ibn Abbas said, “It was the first verse to be revealed about fighting.

Description:
This hadith highlights the first verse revealed about fighting in Islam. It came after the Prophet ﷺ was unjustly expelled from Makkah by his own people, despite calling only to the worship of Allah. The permission for fighting was not for aggression, but solely as a defense against oppression and persecution. Islam made it clear from the beginning that warfare is only justified when believers are wronged, driven from their homes, or prevented from practicing their faith. This verse sets the foundation that fighting in Islam is defensive, not offensive.

Quranic Context:

📖Quran 22:39
Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory.

📖Quran 22:40
They are those who have been evicted from their homes without right—only because they said, “Our Lord is Allah.” Had Allah not checked the aggression of some people by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques—where Allah’s Name is much mentioned—would have been demolished. And Allah will surely help those who support His cause. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.

This verse was revealed in Arabia, where both Jews and Christians still used the word Allah to refer to the Creator. Even though some of them had different interpretations about Allah’s nature, their interpretation did not change the reality, they were still referring to the One God. That’s why Allah mentioned that in their places of worship (churches, synagogues, monasteries), His Name is remembered, The same applies today: whether someone says Allah or God, as long as they are pointing to the One Creator of the heavens and earth, they are speaking about the same Lord. Islam acknowledges this truth but corrects the distortions that came later.

So the verse shows two things:

1. Islam gave permission to fight only to stop oppression, not to attack other religions.

2. Quran 22:40 itself highlights that if Allah did not allow some people to defend against aggression, then even monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques would have been destroyed. This shows Islam did not come to destroy other faiths, but rather to protect their right to worship freely, This is why the scholars explain that the very first verses of fighting emphasize defense against oppression, not aggression. It was revealed after the Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims were expelled from Makkah, persecuted, and left without any safe place to worship Allah, So, this verse proves that Islam saved not only Muslims, but also Christians and Jews (and others) from tyrants who destroy religious freedom and create corruption in society.