The Sword Verse

Book excerpt: The thoughtful reader of the Qur'ān will probably pause in confusion, for how does one reconcile this verse with tens of other verses that call for tolerance, such as Q 2.256 (Pickthall trans.): "There is no compulsion in religion...." The baffled reader encounters two contrasting spirits, as if facing the conflicted protagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson's novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A kind of schizophrenia seems incarnated in the Qur'ān with its verses of peace (which resemble the character of Dr. Jekyll) and its verses of killing (which reflect the character of Mr. Hyde), and the reader is left to ponder these questions:Why does the Qur'ān's text present a double personality?How can a Muslim take the Qur'ān as the guide for living one's life when it has two contrasting spirits?Which should the Muslim follow: the verses that reflect Jekyll or Hyde?