سَتَجِدُونَ ءَاخَرِينَ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يَأْمَنُوكُمْ وَيَأْمَنُوا۟ قَوْمَهُمْ كُلَّ مَا رُدُّوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْفِتْنَةِ أُرْكِسُوا۟ فِيهَا ۚ فَإِن لَّمْ يَعْتَزِلُوكُمْ وَيُلْقُوٓا۟ إِلَيْكُمُ ٱلسَّلَمَ وَيَكُفُّوٓا۟ أَيْدِيَهُمْ فَخُذُوهُمْ وَٱقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ ۚ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكُمْ جَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَـٰنًا مُّبِينًا 91
Translations
You will find others who wish to obtain security from you and [to] obtain security from their people. Every time they are returned to [the influence of] disbelief, they fall back into it. So if they do not withdraw from you or offer you peace or restrain their hands, then seize them and kill them wherever you overtake them. And those - We have made for you against them a clear authorization.
Transliteration
Satajiduna akharina yuriduna an ya'manukum wa ya'manu qawmahum kulla ma ruddu ilal-fitnati urkisu fiha fa-in lam ya'tazilu kum wa yulqu ilaykumu assalam wa yakuffu aydiyahum fa-khuzuhum wa-qtuluuhum haythu thaqiftumuhum wa-ula'ikum ja'alna lakum alayhim sultanam mubina
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses hypocrites and the double-minded among the enemy who seek to live in peace with both Muslims and their own hostile people, constantly wavering between belief and disbelief. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, if such individuals persist in this duplicitous behavior and do not withdraw from hostility, cease communication with the enemy, and refrain from fighting the Muslims, then Muslims are permitted and authorized to fight and eliminate them wherever encountered. This verse establishes clear rules of engagement regarding those whose allegiance remains ambiguous and dangerous.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed during the Medinan period when the Muslim community faced threats from both external enemies (pagan Arabs) and internal threats (hypocrites and wavering tribes). It specifically addresses the practical issue of those who attempted to maintain dual loyalties—being safe with Muslims while also remaining connected to hostile polytheist groups. The broader context (4:88-91) discusses how to handle the problem of hypocrites and those with divided hearts during the early Islamic state.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari 4494: The Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded that whoever changes their religion should be killed. This hadith relates to the principle of dealing with those who betray the Islamic community. Additionally, Sunan Abu Dawud 2682 discusses the rules of war and when it is permissible to fight those who pose a threat to the Muslim community.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds Muslims that national and spiritual security requires clear boundaries and decisive action against those who pose genuine threats through deception and divided loyalty. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of integrity, transparency in relationships, and the principle that ambiguity in matters of faith and security cannot be tolerated indefinitely—one must choose a clear path.
Related Ayahs
أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا۟ يُدْرِككُّمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِى بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ ۗ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌ يَقُولُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِۦ مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَقُولُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِۦ مِنْ عِندِكَ ۚ قُلْ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَالِ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ ٱلْقَوْمِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا
Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction. But if good comes to them, they say, "This is from Allāh"; and if evil befalls them, they say, "This is from you." Say, "All [things] are from Allāh." So what is [the matter] with those people that they can hardly understand any statement?
فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱعْتَصَمُوا۟ بِهِۦ فَسَيُدْخِلُهُمْ فِى رَحْمَةٍ مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلٍ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَيْهِ صِرَٰطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا
So those who believe in Allāh and hold fast to Him - He will admit them to mercy from Himself and bounty and guide them to Himself on a straight path.
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ مُّحِيطًا
And to Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And ever is Allāh, of all things, encompassing.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ حَقًّا ۚ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا
Those are the disbelievers, truly. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.