2/217-218 — The measure of the measure
"They ask you about fighting in the sacred month. Say: fighting in it is a great thing. But barring from God's way, covering over Him, barring from the Sacred Mosque and driving its people out of it are greater with God. Fitna is greater than killing."
| Pan | Content |
|---|---|
| What is asked about | Fighting in the sacred month — kabīr (great) |
| What is set against it | Barring from the way, covering over, barring from the mosque, driving out the people — akbar (greater) |
Note: the first pan is not made lighter. The verse does not say "it is unimportant", it says kabīr. Then it sets down the second pan.
This is a method seen earlier in the sūra (it was treated in the section on 2/190-195): the ruling is not given without a comparison being made.
ٱلْفِتْنَةُ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ ٱلْقَتْلِ — at verse 191 it said ashaddu (heavier), here akbar (greater). The same sentence twice, with two different adjectives. The root of the word (ف-ت-ن — to test gold in fire) was treated in the section on verse 191.