And when He, glorified and exalted is He, informed them that He had returned to them their covenant, and they were mixed with the people of Islam, He made for them a means of salvation if they preferred to remain over polytheism while informing them that there is no salvation for them because they are in His grasp. He said addressing them and every polytheist, causing them to be aware of the disavowal: "So travel freely." And traveling means to expand in movement and distance from cities and settlements while minimizing food and drink; for this reason, the one who fasts is called a traveler. The intended meaning here is absolute movement.

And when traveling is applied to others, He clarified the meaning by saying: "in the earth," meaning: in any direction you wish.

"Four months" means: from the days of Hajj, so the last of them will be the tenth month of Rabī' al-Ākhir. You will be secure in them, safety will not befall you with harm, rather you will go in them wherever you wish, or you will fortify your strongholds and prepare your weapons and gather your scattered affairs. We will not betray you; for our religion is based on virtues. If it were not for the matter relating to our souls, we would not have abandoned your covenant nor broken your contract. However, the danger lies in the soul, and signs of treachery and indications of evil have appeared from you. "And against which soul after my soul shall I fight?" So when the four months have passed, prepare yourselves for our fight and arm yourselves for our encounter.

And when Islam had appeared after being hidden, and had strengthened after being weak, He began their admonition with the word that is first said to one whose hearing is to be reprimanded and whose heart is to be awakened, and to alert him that what follows is an important matter that requires more attention. He said: "And know that you," meaning: O disbelievers, even if you are many, "are not able to frustrate Allah," for His knowledge encompasses all things, and He is capable of every possible thing.

"And that Allah" means: due to His encompassing majesty and honor, "will disgrace the disbelievers," meaning: all of them from you and from others in this world and the Hereafter; for His saying has preceded that, and the word cannot be changed with Him. And disgrace means humiliation along with the exposure of disgrace and shame. He made the description evident in the place of the pronoun, generalizing and linking the ruling to it; and perhaps the turning to the address indicates that whoever abandons the command of Allah out of favoritism towards a relative or kin is one of them, and his obligation has been absolved. Let him save himself, and there is no salvation for him, or it may be for the purpose of enticing the disbelievers, sweetening the address, and terrifying them with the threats of punishment.