The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 699
PT. 10 AT-TAUBAH CH. 9 فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلوةَ وَاتَوُا الزَّكُوةَ But if they repent, and. 11 observe Prayer and pay the your Zakāh, then they are brethren in faith. And We explain the Signs for a people who have knowledge. 1174 فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَنُفَصِّلُ الْآيَتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ وَاِنْ نَّكَثُوا أَيْمَانَهُمْ مِّنْ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ And if they break their oaths. 12 after their covenant, and attack b وَطَعَنُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ فَقَاتِلُوا أَيمَةَ your religion, then fight these leaders of disbelief-surely, الْكُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لَا أَيْمَانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ they have no regard for their يَنْتَهُونَ oaths that they may desist. 1175 Commentary: a7:154; 9:5. 2:191; 4:92. Islam (9:9); and (4) they were transgressors, i. e. the first to attack Muslims (the present verse). This verse emphasizes the heinousness of the crime of disbelievers by adding the word (one who trusts). These disbelievers would not be true even to those who trusted them. Thus, the present and the preceding two verses mention the reasons why Muslims were commanded to wage war against these idolaters in 9:5. These reasons are: (1) they were treacherous and perfidious; they professed to be 1175. Commentary: friendly to Muslims, but as soon as they found an opportunity to injure them, they broke their plighted word and this in spite of the fact that Muslims trusted them (9:8 and the present verse); (2) they even disregarded the ties of relationship and killed their own kinsmen merely 1174. Commentary: The words, they are your brethren in faith, mean that not only should all hostilities cease against such disbelievers as repent, but they are to be looked upon as brethren and treated as such. See also note on 9:5, above. because the latter had embraced Islam (9:8); (3) their object in making war was to prevent men from embracing 1139 This verse leaves no doubt as to the fact that Muslims were bidden to fight disbelievers only if they broke their covenant and attacked Islam with a view to injuring it. It also makes it clear that the object in fighting disbelievers was to make them "desist" from transgression. attack your طعنوا في دينكم ,The words religion), do not refer to mere verbal taunts and reproaches but to actual