لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِى مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً ۚ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُعْتَدُونَ 10
Translations
They do not observe toward a believer any pact of kinship or covenant of protection. And it is they who are the transgressors.
Transliteration
Lā yarqubūn fī mu'min in illā wa lā dhimmah; wa ulā'ika hum al-mu'tadūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns those who violate covenants and oaths with believers, showing no respect (wara') or honor toward them, nor do they observe the rights of protection (dhimmah) owed to those under Islamic protection. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as referring to the hypocrites and those who betrayed truces with the Prophet ﷺ, particularly regarding the broken covenants of the polytheists of Mecca. Such people are identified as transgressors (al-mu'tadūn) who overstep the bounds of justice and honor.
Revelation Context
Surah At-Tawbah was revealed in the 9th hijri year, primarily addressing the hypocrites (munāfiqūn) of Madinah and the polytheists of Arabia who repeatedly broke treaties with the Prophet ﷺ. This ayah specifically condemns those who violated their covenants and showed no regard for the sanctity of oaths, contributing to the surah's theme of accountability for treachery and broken promises.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Whoever breaks a covenant, Allah will break his back,' recorded in various collections. Additionally, Sunan An-Nasa'i records that the Prophet emphasized the sanctity of covenants: 'Whoever makes a covenant with a people should not strengthen it nor weaken it until the covenant expires.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that honoring agreements and showing respect to those we make covenants with—whether believers or others under our protection—is a fundamental Islamic principle, and those who abandon such sacred obligations are among the transgressors. For modern believers, this emphasizes the importance of integrity in contracts, treaties, and interpersonal commitments as a reflection of Islamic character.
Related Ayahs
لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِى مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ ۙ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ ۙ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْـًٔا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ
Allāh has already given you victory in many regions and [even] on the day of Ḥunayn, when your great number pleased you, but it did not avail you at all, and the earth was confining for you with [i.e., in spite of] its vastness; then you turned back, fleeing.
قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلٌ ٱقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَـٰرَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَجِهَادٍ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allāh and His Messenger and jihād [i.e., striving] in His cause, then wait until Allāh executes His command. And Allāh does not guide the defiantly disobedient people."
أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ ٱلتَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَأْخُذُ ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتِ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Do they not know that it is Allāh who accepts repentance from His servants and receives charities and that it is Allāh who is the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful?
مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يَعْمُرُوا۟ مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ شَـٰهِدِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِم بِٱلْكُفْرِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلنَّارِ هُمْ خَـٰلِدُونَ
It is not for the polytheists to maintain the mosques of Allāh [while] witnessing against themselves with disbelief. [For] those, their deeds have become worthless, and in the Fire they will abide eternally.