'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying: 'Glorified and exalted is He: "And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection until he hears the words of Allah. Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know."' 'How can there be for the polytheists a treaty with Allah and with His Messenger except for those with whom you made a treaty at the Sacred Mosque? So long as they are upright for you, be upright for them. Indeed, Allah loves the righteous.' The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was commanded in this verse - after the command to fight the polytheists - that whenever a polytheist requests a treaty by which he may be safe to hear the Qur'an and see the state of Islam, he should grant him that, which is the protection, and it is from the concept of [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN:jewar]. Then he was commanded to deliver him to safety if he does not accept Islam and is not guided to it. Al-Hasan said: 'It is a definitive Sunnah until the Day of Resurrection.' Mujahid, Al-Dhahhak, and Al-Suddi said: 'This is abrogated by His saying: "So kill the polytheists" [At-Tawbah: 5].' Others said: 'This verse's ruling was only for the duration of the four months that were set for them as a deadline.' And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Until he hears the words of Allah," means the Qur'an. It is an addition of a description to a described thing, not an addition of a creation to a Creator. The meaning is: and he understands its rulings, commands, and prohibitions. He mentioned hearing with the ears as it is the way to understanding. Hearing may also come in the speech of the Arabs used to mean understanding, as when you say to someone you addressed but he did not accept from you: 'You did not hear my words,' meaning: you did not understand them. This is found in the Book of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, in several places. And 'anyone' in this verse is raised by an action that is explained by His saying: "Seeks your protection." And the beginning is weak for the authority of the action for 'if.' And His saying: 'That' is a reference to this kindness in granting protection, hearing, and delivering to safety. And 'they do not know' means their ignorance of their guidance in following Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'How can there be for the polytheists a treaty with Allah?' This verse.

It is a word of inquiry, and it is in the context of astonishment and distancing, meaning: how could there be a covenant for the polytheists when they have broken it and openly transgressed? Then he excluded from the generality of the polytheists the people who were given a covenant at the Sacred Mosque, meaning: in its direction. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said in what was narrated from him: this refers to Quraysh. Al-Suddi said: it refers to Banu Judhaymah from al-Dail. Ibn Ishaq said: it refers to the tribes of Banu Bakr, who entered during the time of Hudaybiyyah in the period that was between the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and Quraysh. There was no breach except by Quraysh and Banu al-Dail from Banu Bakr. The Muslims commanded to fulfill the covenant for those who had not breached it. Some said: it refers to Khuzā'ah, as Mujahid said, but this is rejected by the Islam of Khuzā'ah in the year of the conquest. Some who said that they are Quraysh stated: this verse was revealed, and they did not remain steadfast, but rather they breached it, so the postponement of them was revealed for four months after that. Al-Tabari narrated this saying from Ibn Zayd, which is weak and contradictory, because at the time of the call to prayer for the four months, there was no one from them except a Muslim, and that was after the conquest of Mecca by a year. Likewise, Khuzā'ah, as stated by Al-Tabari and others.

And His saying, the Exalted, "Indeed, Allah loves the righteous" means by it those who fulfill the covenant from the believers. Therefore, it came with a definite term for fulfilling the covenant, which includes faith.