Surah Al-Hajj

22:39

أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا۟ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ ٣٩

Permission ˹to fight back˺ is ˹hereby˺ granted to those being fought, for they have been wronged.[1] And Allah is truly Most Capable of helping them ˹prevail˺.

— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

[1] For over thirteen years, Muslims had not been allowed to fight back against the brutality of the Meccan pagans, leading to the emigration of the Prophet and many of his companions to Medina. As the hostilities continued, this verse was later revealed allowing Muslims to fight back in self-defence.

This verse marks one of the first permissions for Muslims to defend themselves through combat, as they were being oppressed and wronged. It emphasizes that Allah is capable of granting them victory against their oppressors.