Conciliation and Conflict in the Meccan and Medinan Qur'an: A Thematic Study of Suras 6 to 9

Abstract

Despite its important social implications, the subject of conciliation in the Qur'an remains an under-researched field of study. This article focuses on the relationship between conciliation and conflict in Suras 6 to 9, a section of the muṣḥaf in which two Meccan suras are followed by two Medinan suras. In assessing the importance of conciliation in the Qur'an, this article considers its pervasiveness, manifestations, emphasis, and coherent thematic development. The analysis utilises two influential commentaries, the premodern Arabic exegesis by al-Rāzī (d. 606/1209) and the contemporary Urdu exegesis by Iṣlāḥī (d. 1997) which, taken together, provide complementary linguistic and structural insight. I will argue that conciliation is emphasised firstly in the Meccan component through the exemplars of prophetic restraint and divine mercy, and the central notion of iṣlāḥ. Iṣlāḥ forms the central axis around which equilibrium is maintained in the divine world order, a process of divine education in the form of revelation and prophetic instruction, which prevents and contains disputes. Secondly, Medinan injunctions highlight the importance of unity and the sanctity of maintaining peace treaties, thereby supporting the Qur'anic principle of non-compulsion in faith. In the course of analysis it becomes clear that, even during conflict (which is subject to extensive restrictions), conciliation remains of paramount importance.