Qitāl (Armed Fighting)
The qitāl verses concern armed fighting in specific historical circumstances — not a general command to violence. They were revealed in stages: first patience in Mecca, then permission to defend after injustice and expulsion (22:39). For each verse, at-Tabari explains the occasion and the conditions: fight those who fight you but do not transgress (2:190); cease as soon as they cease (2:192); grant protection to anyone who seeks it (9:6); and honour treaties made (9:7). The default toward those who do not fight you remains kindness and justice (60:8). So read each verse in full, in its context, through Tabari's tafsir — a verse read in isolation gives a distorted picture.
