{ Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, and do not transgress; indeed Allah does not love those who transgress. And kill them wherever you get to them, and drive them away from where they drove you away; sedition is more severe than killing. But do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there, then if they fight you, kill them; such is the retribution of the Disbelievers. If they cease, indeed Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more sedition and religion belongs to Allah; and if they cease, there is no hostility except against those who oppress } Al-baqara 190-193

Then the Most High ordered fighting the Disbelievers { until there is no more sedition [fitnah] } : that is, idolatry [shirk]. Ibn ‘Abbas, Abu Al-‘Aliya, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatada, Rabi’, Muqatil ibn Hayyan, Al-Suddi, and Zaid ibn Aslam said this. { And religion belongs to Allah } : that is, the religion of Allah is the one high and manifest over all other religions. … In that jihad involves demolishing lives and killing men, the Most High warned that the disbelief in Allah [kufr] that they embrace, the associating others with Him [shirk], and hindering His cause, are more drastic, severe, formidable, and engulfing than killing; for this reason He said { Sedition is more severe than killing } . Abu Malik said: That is, what you all are committing is more serious than killing. Abu Al-‘Aliyah, Mujahid, Sa’id ibn Jubair, ‘Ikrama, Al-Hasan, Qatada, Al-Dahhak, and Al-Rabi’ ibn Anas, regarding His word { Sedition is more severe than killing } , said: He is saying that shirk is more severe than killing. … So then the Most High ordered fighting the Disbelievers { until there is no more sedition } that is, no more idolatry. Ibn ‘Abbas, Abu Al-‘Aliya, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatada, Al-Rabi’, Muqatil ibn Hayyan, Al-Suddi, and Zaid ibn Aslam said this.