Transliteration:( Kaifa wa iny-yazharoo 'alaikum laa yarquboo feekum illanw wa laa zimmah; yurdoo nakum biafwaahihim wa ta'baa quloobuhum wa aksaruhum faasiqoon )
"How will it be when they overpower you? They will not regard [19] any relationship or covenant. They please you with their mouths, but their hearts refuse. And most of them are disobedient [20]."
This verse highlights the hypocrisy and betrayal of the treaty-breaking disbelievers. Should they ever gain power over the Muslims, they would show no regard for kinship, no respect for agreements, and would not hesitate to oppress believers. Their history shows consistent disloyalty, and therefore, trusting them blindly is against wisdom.
The verse teaches that a Muslim must act with insight. Trust is not extended where treachery is proven, and obedience to anyone—even parents, teachers, or guides—must never result in disobedience to Allah. The rule is clear:
"Obey not the creation to disobey the Creator."
Hence, no worldly relationship should stand in the way of religious obligations.
The Qur’an uses the phrase “most of them”, indicating that not all disbelievers are treacherous. Some may still honor their covenants, but the majority are disobedient, especially in their failure to uphold promises. This clarifies that Islamic responses should be measured and just, distinguishing between those who are treacherous and those who are faithful.
8. How When if you are overpowered by them, they regard not the ties, either of kinship, (Ill) or of covenant (Dhimmah) With their mouths they please you, but their hearts are averse to you, and most of them are rebellious.
Allah encourages the believers to show enmity to the idolators and to dissociate from them, affirming that they do not deserve to enjoy a covenant of peace, because of their Shirk in Allah and disbelief in Allah’s MessIf these disbelievers have a chance to defeat Muslims, they will cause great mischief, leave nothing unharmed, disregard the ties of kinship and the sanctity of their vows. `Ali bin Abi Talhah, `Ikrimah and Al-`Awfi narrated that Ibn `Abbas said, “Ill means kinship, while, Dhimmah means covenant.” Ad-Dahhak and As-Suddi said similarly.
(9:8) How can there be any covenant with the other polytheists for were they to prevail against you, they will respect neither kinship nor agreement. They seek to please you with their tongues while their hearts are averse to you,[10] and most of them are wicked.[11]
10. That is, “Though outwardly they negotiated for peace treaties, they cherished evil intentions in their hearts, and waited for an opportune moment to break them. And this was borne by later experiences.”
11. They were evil-doers because they had no sense of moral responsibilities nor did they hesitate to break moral limits.
For a faster and smoother experience,
install our mobile app now.
Related Ayat(Verses)/Topics