سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْفَالِ
Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 56
ٱلَّذِينَ عَـٰهَدتَّ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ يَنقُضُونَ عَهْدَهُمْ فِى كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يَتَّقُونَ ﴿56﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They are those with whom you made a covenant, but they break their covenant every time and they do not fear Allâh.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
Those who
عَـٰهَدتَّ
ʿāhadtta
you made a covenant
مِنْهُمْ
min'hum
with them
ثُمَّ
thumma
then
يَنقُضُونَ
yanquḍūna
they break
عَهْدَهُمْ
ʿahdahum
their covenant
فِى
fī
[in]
كُلِّ
kulli
every
مَرَّةٍۢ
marratin
time
وَهُمْ
wahum
and they
لَا
lā
(do) not
يَتَّقُونَ
yattaqūna
fear (Allah)
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
56. Those who made a covenant with youﷺ, then break their covenant every time [59], and they do not fear (Allah).
[59]
The Charter of Madinah, Its Clauses, and the Sequential Acceptance by the Jewish Tribes:
Among these worst of creatures are especially those people who repeatedly break their covenants. Here, these people refer to the Jews of Madinah. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived in Madinah, he initiated treaties with the Jews of Madinah and other polytheist tribes, which later became famous as the Charter of Madinah. The important clauses of the treaty made with the Jews were as follows:
1. Muslims and Jews will live together in peace and harmony. Neither will oppress or wrong the other. Their relations will be based on goodwill and mutual benefit.
2. If Madinah is attacked by an external enemy, both Muslims and Jews will jointly defend it and will share the expenses proportionally.
3. The Jews will decide their disputes themselves according to their own law. However, if they wish, they can bring their cases to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for judgment. In that case, the decision made by him will be binding upon them.
4. The Quraysh and their supporters will not be given refuge.
5. No person will be held guilty because of his ally. 6. All participants of this treaty are forbidden from causing unrest and bloodshed in Madinah.
7. If any dispute arises among the parties to this treaty, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will decide it. [ابن هشام ج اول 1: 503، 504]
There were three Jewish tribes settled in Madinah. All three accepted this treaty one after the other. But, according to their hereditary habit, they repeatedly violated this treaty. They tried to rekindle enmity between the Aws and Khazraj. They engaged in secret and hostile activities in collaboration with the hypocrites. Once, a Muslim woman went to a goldsmith in the market of Banu Qaynuqa‘, and they mischievously exposed her, which led to a riot between the two parties. After the Battle of Badr, Ka‘b ibn Ashraf himself went to Makkah and incited the polytheists of Makkah to war against the Muslims. On one occasion, the Jews tried to kill the Prophet ﷺ by dropping a stone on him from the roof. At the time of the Battle of Khaybar, they tried to serve him poisoned mutton at a feast. In short, their betrayals, covenant-breaking, and hostile activities are so numerous that it is not possible to mention them all here.
[59]
The Charter of Madinah, Its Clauses, and the Sequential Acceptance by the Jewish Tribes:
Among these worst of creatures are especially those people who repeatedly break their covenants. Here, these people refer to the Jews of Madinah. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived in Madinah, he initiated treaties with the Jews of Madinah and other polytheist tribes, which later became famous as the Charter of Madinah. The important clauses of the treaty made with the Jews were as follows:
1. Muslims and Jews will live together in peace and harmony. Neither will oppress or wrong the other. Their relations will be based on goodwill and mutual benefit.
2. If Madinah is attacked by an external enemy, both Muslims and Jews will jointly defend it and will share the expenses proportionally.
3. The Jews will decide their disputes themselves according to their own law. However, if they wish, they can bring their cases to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for judgment. In that case, the decision made by him will be binding upon them.
4. The Quraysh and their supporters will not be given refuge.
5. No person will be held guilty because of his ally. 6. All participants of this treaty are forbidden from causing unrest and bloodshed in Madinah.
7. If any dispute arises among the parties to this treaty, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will decide it. [ابن هشام ج اول 1: 503، 504]
There were three Jewish tribes settled in Madinah. All three accepted this treaty one after the other. But, according to their hereditary habit, they repeatedly violated this treaty. They tried to rekindle enmity between the Aws and Khazraj. They engaged in secret and hostile activities in collaboration with the hypocrites. Once, a Muslim woman went to a goldsmith in the market of Banu Qaynuqa‘, and they mischievously exposed her, which led to a riot between the two parties. After the Battle of Badr, Ka‘b ibn Ashraf himself went to Makkah and incited the polytheists of Makkah to war against the Muslims. On one occasion, the Jews tried to kill the Prophet ﷺ by dropping a stone on him from the roof. At the time of the Battle of Khaybar, they tried to serve him poisoned mutton at a feast. In short, their betrayals, covenant-breaking, and hostile activities are so numerous that it is not possible to mention them all here.
