'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, the Exalted: "Except for those who reach a people between you and them is a covenant, or they come to you with their chests constrained from fighting you or fighting their people. And if Allah had willed, He would have empowered them over you, and they would have fought you. So if they withdraw from you and do not fight you and throw to you peace, then Allah has not made for you against them a way." This ruling was in the early days of Islam before the matter of obedience became firmly established among the people. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, had made peace with some tribes of the Arabs, such as the clan of Hilal ibn Uwaymir al-‘Aslami, Suraqa ibn Malik ibn Ju’shum, and Khuzaymah ibn ‘Amir ibn Abd Manaf. This verse ruled that whoever reaches from the polytheists who have no covenant between them and the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, to these people of the covenant, then he enters into their count and acts with them in terms of peace, so there is no way against him. Ikrimah, al-Suddi, and Ibn Zayd said: Then when Islam became strong and its supporters increased, this and the one after it were abrogated by what is in Surah [At-Tawbah]. And Abu ‘Ubaydah and others said: "Reaching" - in this context - means: to belong to, and from it is the saying of al-A’sha: If it is connected, she said to Bakr ibn Wa'il, and Bakr has captured her, and the noses are down. He means when she belongs. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is incorrect. Al-Tabari said: The fighting of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, against Quraysh, who are relatives of the early converts to Islam, indicates that the relatives of one who has a covenant are more deserving of being fought. If it is said: The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, did not fight Quraysh except after the abrogation of this verse, it is said: The historical accounts indicate otherwise, because the abrogator of this verse is Surah [At-Tawbah], and it was revealed after the conquest of Mecca and the conversion of all Quraysh. And His saying, the Exalted: "Or they come to you" is connected to: "They reach," and it is possible that it is based on His saying: "Between you and them is a covenant," and the meaning in both conjunctions is different. And this was also a ruling that existed before the matter of Islam became firmly established. So the polytheist, if he withdraws from fighting and comes to the abode of Islam as a peaceful person, hating to fight his people alongside the Muslims, and to fight the Muslims alongside his people, there is no way against him. And this was also abrogated by what is in [At-Tawbah]. And "constrained" means: narrowed and restricted, and from it is the constraint in speech, which is: the tightness of words upon the speaker. And al-Hasan and Qatadah read: "constrained," as al-Tabari said, and this was narrated by al-Mahdawi from ‘Asim from the narration of Hafs. And it was reported from al-Hasan that he read: "constrained ones." And in the Mushaf of Ubayy, it was omitted: "Or they come to you," and "constrained" according to the majority of grammarians is in a state of accusative as an adverbial phrase meaning: it has indeed been constrained. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And this accompanies the past action if it is in the position of the حال, and the reason for this is to differentiate between the تقدير of the حال and between a خبر مستأنف, like your saying: "Zayd came, he rode the horse." If you meant by saying: "he rode the horse" another report about Zayd, you do not need to estimate "قد." And if you meant by it the حال of Zayd, you estimate it with "قد." Al-Zajjaj said: "حَصِرَتْ": a report after a report, and Al-Mubarrid said: "حَصِرَتْ": a دعاء against them.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And some of the مفسرين said: the دعاء here is not correct, because it implies a دعاء against them not to fight their people, that is corrupt.

The author said:

And the saying of Al-Mubarrid can be understood as the دعاء against them not to fight the Muslims is a way of incapacitating them, and the دعاء against them not to fight their people is a way of belittling them, meaning: they are lesser and more insignificant, and they are to be disregarded, as you say if you want this meaning: may Allah not make so-and-so upon me nor with me either, meaning: I am sufficient without him and independent of him.

And the لام in His saying: "لَسَلَّطَهُمْ" is the جواب of "وَلَوْ," and in His saying: "فَلَقاتَلُوكُمْ" is the لام of المحاذاة and الازدواج, because it is like the first one. If the first one were not there, you would say: if Allah had willed, He would have fought you, and the meaning is to affirm the believers regarding the مقدار of النقمة and to divert it, meaning: if Allah had willed, He would have strengthened them and encouraged them against you. So since Allah has bestowed upon you the هدنة, accept it and obey in it.

And a group read "فَلَقَتَلُوكُمْ," and Al-Jahdari and Al-Hasan read: "فَلَقَتَّلُوكُمْ" with a doubled ت, and the meaning is: "if they have withdrawn from you," meaning: they have made peace with you and left you in killing. And "السَلَمَ" here means: peace, as said by Al-Rabi, and from it is the saying of Al-Tirmidhi ibn Hakim:

And that is because Tamim left peace for the lion every horse that is a wound to the liver.

And Al-Rabi said: the سَلَم here is peace, and so read it the majority of the قراء, and Al-Jahdari read "السَلْمَ" with the لام being silent, and Al-Hasan read: "السِلْمَ" with a kasra on the س and a silent لام. So the meaning of the entirety of this verse is: take the hypocritical disbelievers and kill them wherever you find them, except for whoever among them enters into the count of those between you and them is a covenant and commits to your peace, or whoever comes to you while he dislikes fighting you and fighting his people. And this is by the grace of Allah upon you and His defense of you, because if He had willed, He would have empowered those who have this characteristic of the متاركة against you and they would have fought you. So if they have withdrawn from you, meaning: if this occurs and they do not fight you, then there is no way for you against them. And this is similar to what is in Surah [Al-Mumtahana] from His saying, the Exalted: "Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you in the religion and do not expel you from your homes, that you be good to them and act justly towards them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly" [Al-Mumtahana: 8], which is abrogated by what is in Surah [At-Tawbah], as said by Qatadah, Ibn Zayd, and others.