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At-Tawbah 8

Ayah 8 of 129 · Medinan

كَيۡفَ وَإِن يَظۡهَرُواْ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَا يَرۡقُبُواْ فِيكُمۡ إِلّٗا وَلَا ذِمَّةٗۚ يُرۡضُونَكُم بِأَفۡوَٰهِهِمۡ وَتَأۡبَىٰ قُلُوبُهُمۡ وَأَكۡثَرُهُمۡ فَٰسِقُونَ ٨

How [can there be a treaty] while, if they gain dominance over you, they do not observe concerning you any pact of kinship or covenant of protection? They satisfy you with their mouths, but their hearts refuse [compliance], and most of them are defiantly disobedient.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. كَيۡفَHowkayfa
  2. وَإِنwhile, ifwa-in
  3. يَظۡهَرُواْthey gain dominanceyaẓharū
  4. عَلَيۡكُمۡover youʿalaykum
  5. لَاthey do not regard (the ties)lā
  6. يَرۡقُبُواْthey do not regard (the ties)yarqubū
  7. فِيكُمۡwith youfīkum
  8. إِلّٗا(of) kinshipillan
  9. وَلَاand notwalā
  10. ذِمَّةٗۚcovenant of protectiondhimmatan
  11. يُرۡضُونَكُمThey satisfy youyur'ḍūnakum
  12. بِأَفۡوَٰهِهِمۡwith their mouthsbi-afwāhihim
  13. وَتَأۡبَىٰbut refusewatabā
  14. قُلُوبُهُمۡtheir heartsqulūbuhum
  15. وَأَكۡثَرُهُمۡand most of themwa-aktharuhum
  16. فَٰسِقُونَ(are) defiantly disobedientfāsiqūna

Tafsir

How can they have a treaty with you and an assurance of protection when they are your enemies? If they gain the upper hand over you they will not be mindful of Allah in relation to you, nor will they respect any relationship or any treaty. Instead, they will impose the worst punishment on you. They please you with fancy speech uttered by their tongues, but their hearts do not agree with their tongues. They will not fulfil what they promise and most of them deviate from following Allah by breaking the treaty.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran