سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْفَالِ
Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 58
وَإِمَّا تَخَافَنَّ مِن قَوْمٍ خِيَانَةً فَٱنۢبِذْ إِلَيْهِمْ عَلَىٰ سَوَآءٍ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْخَآئِنِينَ ﴿58﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
If you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) fear treachery from any people throw back (their covenant) to them (so as to be) on equal terms (that there will be no more covenant between you and them). Certainly Allâh likes not the treacherous.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِمَّا
wa-immā
And if
تَخَافَنَّ
takhāfanna
you fear
مِن
min
from
قَوْمٍ
qawmin
a people
خِيَانَةًۭ
khiyānatan
betrayal
فَٱنۢبِذْ
fa-inbidh
throw back
إِلَيْهِمْ
ilayhim
to them
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
on
سَوَآءٍ ۚ
sawāin
equal (terms)
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
لَا
lā
(does) not
يُحِبُّ
yuḥibbu
love
ٱلْخَآئِنِينَ
l-khāinīna
the traitors
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.
58. And if you fear treachery from a people, then throw their treaty back to them on equal terms [61]. Surely, Allah does not like the treacherous.
[61]
Treaty with a Nation and Islam’s Foreign Policy, Severe Condemnation of Deceit and Treachery:
In this verse, Muslims are being commanded that if there is a peace treaty with any nation, whether that nation is within your state or outside it, and you fear betrayal or treachery from that nation, then you cannot undertake any secret action or conspiracy against them. In such a situation, you must openly declare to that nation that the treaty between you is now over, so that they are not left under any deception and you are not accused of breaking the treaty. An example of this is the incident where Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah ؓ had a time-bound treaty with Rome. Observing the movements and activities of the enemy, Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah ؓ also began to gather troops at the Roman border and intended to attack Rome as soon as the treaty period ended. Seeing this situation, Sayyiduna Anbasa ؓ came to him and warned him that, according to the commands of the Book and Sunnah, he could not do this—unless he first informed the enemy of his intention. Accordingly, Sayyiduna Muawiyah ؓ withdrew the troops.
The Enemy’s Breach of Treaty Should Be Considered a Declaration of War:
However, if the violation of the treaty comes from the other party, then such a declaration is not necessary. The other party’s breach of faith itself will be considered a declaration of war. An example of this is the incident where, according to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, there was a time-bound peace treaty between the Muslims and the disbelievers of Makkah. Banu Bakr were allies of the polytheists of Makkah, and Banu Khuza’ah were allies of the Muslims. The Quraysh of Makkah, supporting Banu Bakr, openly attacked Banu Khuza’ah. Some men from Banu Khuza’ah came to Madinah as complainants, and even the Quraysh admitted to this breach of treaty, because after this, Abu Sufyan came to Madinah to renew the treaty. But the Prophet (ﷺ) did not accept his request, and ultimately, this very breach and treachery by the Quraysh became the reason for the attack on Makkah and its conquest.
[61]
Treaty with a Nation and Islam’s Foreign Policy, Severe Condemnation of Deceit and Treachery:
In this verse, Muslims are being commanded that if there is a peace treaty with any nation, whether that nation is within your state or outside it, and you fear betrayal or treachery from that nation, then you cannot undertake any secret action or conspiracy against them. In such a situation, you must openly declare to that nation that the treaty between you is now over, so that they are not left under any deception and you are not accused of breaking the treaty. An example of this is the incident where Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah ؓ had a time-bound treaty with Rome. Observing the movements and activities of the enemy, Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah ؓ also began to gather troops at the Roman border and intended to attack Rome as soon as the treaty period ended. Seeing this situation, Sayyiduna Anbasa ؓ came to him and warned him that, according to the commands of the Book and Sunnah, he could not do this—unless he first informed the enemy of his intention. Accordingly, Sayyiduna Muawiyah ؓ withdrew the troops.
The Enemy’s Breach of Treaty Should Be Considered a Declaration of War:
However, if the violation of the treaty comes from the other party, then such a declaration is not necessary. The other party’s breach of faith itself will be considered a declaration of war. An example of this is the incident where, according to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, there was a time-bound peace treaty between the Muslims and the disbelievers of Makkah. Banu Bakr were allies of the polytheists of Makkah, and Banu Khuza’ah were allies of the Muslims. The Quraysh of Makkah, supporting Banu Bakr, openly attacked Banu Khuza’ah. Some men from Banu Khuza’ah came to Madinah as complainants, and even the Quraysh admitted to this breach of treaty, because after this, Abu Sufyan came to Madinah to renew the treaty. But the Prophet (ﷺ) did not accept his request, and ultimately, this very breach and treachery by the Quraysh became the reason for the attack on Makkah and its conquest.
