At-Tawba 9:12 · The Repentance · Arabic, translation, recitation

Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"But if they break their oath after having made an agreement with you, if they revile your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief- oaths mean nothing to them- so that they may stop."

Pickthall (classic)+

"And if they break their pledges after their treaty (hath been made with you) and assail your religion, then fight the heads of disbelief - Lo! they have no binding oaths - in order that they may desist."

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and taunt you for your Faith,- fight ye the chiefs of Unfaith: for their oaths are nothing to them: that thus they may be restrained."

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

Allah says, if the idolators with whom you conducted peace treaties for an appointed term break

أَيْمَـنِهِمْ

(their oaths) meaning, terms of their treaties, and covenants

وَطَعَنُواْ فِى دِينِكُمْ

(and attack your religion...) with disapproval and criticism, it is because of this that one who curses the Messenger, peace be upon him, or attacks the religion of Islam by way of criticism and disapproval, they are to be fought. This is why Allah said afterwards,

فَقَـتِلُواْ أَئِمَّةَ الْكُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لاَ أَيْمَـنَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَنتَهُونَ

(then fight (you) against the leaders of disbelief -- for surely, their oaths are nothing to them -- so that they may stop.) so that they may refrain from the disbelief, rebellion and the transgression they indulge in. Qatadah and others said that the leaders of disbelief were Abu Jahl, `Utbah and Shaybah, Umayyah bin Khalaf, and he went on to mention several others. Al-A`mash narrated from Zayd bin Wahb from Hudhayfah; "The people of this Ayah were never fought again." A similar statement was reported from `Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him. However, this Ayah is general, even though the specific reason behind revealing it was the idolators of Quraysh. So this Ayah generally applies to them and others as well, Allah knows best. Al-Walid bin Muslim said that Safwan bin `Amr narrated that `Abdur-Rahman bin Jubayr bin Nufayr said that when Abu Bakr sent an army to Ash-Sham, he advised them, "You will find some people with shaved heads. Therefore, strike the swords upon the parts that contain the devil, for by Allah, it is better to me to kill one of these people than to kill seventy other men. This is because Allah said,

فَقَـتِلُواْ أَئِمَّةَ الْكُفْرِ

(then fight (you) against the leaders of disbelief.)" Ibn Abi Hatim collected it.

Tafsir Saʿdi

English translation, public domain

После повеления соблюдать договора с теми из многобожников, которые исправно выполняют свои обязательства перед мусульманами, Всевышний Аллах повелел правоверным сражаться с теми из них, которые нарушают свои обязательства, расторгают мирные договора с мусульманами, помогают тем, кто сражается против них, и насмехаются над мусульманской верой. Под поношением религии в этом аяте подразумеваются любые слова и поступки, направленные против ислама или Священного Корана. Всевышний повелел мусульманам сражаться с предводителями неверующих, которые поносят Его религию и поддерживают вероисповедание сатаны. Он особо отметил предводителей неверия, потому что их преступления - наиболее тяжкие и потому что за ними следуют все остальные неверующие. Из этого можно заключить, что всякий, кто оскорбляет религию и пытается опровергнуть ее, относится к предводителям неверия. Такие люди не признают клятв и обязательств, потому что не собираются выполнять их. Напротив, они всегда поступают вероломно, предательски нарушая свои обещания. И, возможно, если мусульмане станут сражаться с ними, они перестанут оскорблять ислам и даже обратятся в него.

Commentary

It will be recalled that a cease-fire agreement with the Quraysh of Makkah was concluded at Hudaibiyah in the Hijrah year 6. That the Quraysh will not stick to the agreement was foretold in verse 7 of Su-rah At-Taubah: كَيْفَ يَكُونُ لِلْمُشْرِ‌كِينَ عَهْدٌ (how can the Mushriks have a treaty...). Then, came verses 8, 9 and 10 with the causes of their pledge breaking. And in the 11th verse it was announced that, despite having broken their solemn covenant, if these Mushriks become Muslims and start expressing their faith in Islam through prayers and fasting, then, Muslims are duty-bound to keep their present dealings with them free of any effects from the past. In fact, they should take them to be their brothers in faith and treat them as such. In verse 12 cited above, Muslims have been told about the course of action they should take in the event these people do break their pledge, as prophesied earlier.

The actual words of the text read: وَإِن نَّكَثُوا أَيْمَانَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَطَعَنُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ فَقَاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْكُفْرِ‌ (And if they break their oaths after they have made a covenant and speak evil of your Faith, then fight the leaders of infidelity - 12). It is worth noting that the present situation in the text demanded the use of فَقَاتِلُوھُم (faqatiluhum: then fight them). The Holy Qur'an has said: فَقَاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْكُفْرِ‌ (then fight the leaders of infidelity) which bypasses the use of a shorter pronoun at this place. The word: أَئِمَّةَ (a'immah: leaders) is the plural of Imam. The sense is that these people by breaking their word of honor turned into leaders of infidelity and thus became deserving of a war against them. This statement also carries the wisdom and justification of the command to fight. Some commentators say that ` leaders of infidelity' at this place refers to the chiefs of the tribe of Quraysh in Makkah who kept on instigating people against Muslims and remained busy making war preparations. Fighting against them was particularly mentioned because these people were the real source of power the Makkans were credited with. In addition to that, since they were the ones with whom Muslims had bonds of close kinship, there was the possible apprehension that some concession could be granted in their case.

Honest critical study of Islam by Protected Non-Muslim Citizens of Dar al-Islam is possible - vilification is not

Some commentators have interpreted the words: (speak evil of your faith) to mean that speaking evil of the Faith of Muslims is included under contravention of pledge. A person who speaks evil of Is-lam and the Shari’ ah of Islam cannot continue to be a party to the treaty with Muslims. But, according to a consensus of Muslim jurists, it means vilification that is done to insult and belittle Islam and Muslims, openly and publicly. Honest intellectual criticism while conducting research into problems and rulings remains exempt from its purview - then, it is not supposed to be vilification in its lexical sense.

Therefore, for non-Muslim citizens of Dar al-Islam, any honest intellectual criticism can be allowed, but what cannot be allowed is vilification, contempt, insult or outrage against Islam.

In the same verse (12), it was said: إِنَّهُمْ لَا أَيْمَانَ لَهُمْ ,(in fact, they have no oaths). The sense is that these are the kind of people none of whose oaths are trustworthy - because, they are addicted to breaking their oaths and committing breaches of trust. Then, the use of the plural form of oaths here could also mean: ` when they broke their oath, they also absolved Muslims of any responsibility for their oath and pledge.'

At the end of verse 12, it was said: لَعَلَّهُمْ يَنتَهُونَ (so that they may stop). This last sentence tells us that the objective of Jihad carried out by Muslims should never be the conquest of countries like common kings or to hurt the enemy and to take vengeance as belligerent people around the world would love to do. Instead of doing anything like that, when it comes to fighting that they must, the driving objective should be compassion for the enemy, the empathy and the desire that they would stop doing what was not right.