Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:91

They are people who used to come to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and profess Islam out of hypocrisy, then return to the Quraish and relapse into idol worship. By doing this, they sought to be secure from the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and to be secure from their own people. Allah, the Exalted, refused this for them. This was stated by Ibn Abbas and Mujahid.

It is also said: The verse is regarding the hypocrites.

(Whenever they are called back to the Fitnah)—meaning, called back to polytheism, as is narrated from al-Suddi; or it is said: called back to fighting the Muslims—(they are plunged into it)—meaning, they are cast into it in the ugliest and most heinous manner. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that a man’s people would say to him: "How could you believe in this monkey, scorpion, and beetle?"

(So if they do not withdraw from you)—by refraining from attacking you in any way—(nor offer you peace)—meaning, and they do not offer you reconciliation and armistice—(and restrain their hands)—meaning, and they do not refrain from fighting you—(then seize them and kill them wherever you find them)—meaning, wherever you encounter them, reach them, or have power over them.

Some investigators hold that this verse is the counterpart to the previous verse (v. 90). Between them is an opposition: either by affirmation and negation, or by privation and possession, since one is privative and the other existential. It is not an opposition of contrariety nor an opposition of correlation, for those, as established, only exist between two existential entities.

His saying, "So if they do not withdraw from you," is the counterpart to His saying, "If they withdraw from you." His saying, "nor offer you peace," is the counterpart to His saying, "and offer you peace." His saying, "and restrain their hands," is the counterpart to His saying, "and they do not fight you." The conjunction 'and' (wa) does not necessitate order. The antecedent is composed of three parts in both verses: namely, withdrawal, refraining from fighting, and offering peace. Through these parts, the condition is fulfilled, and its consequence is not to assault them by seizure and killing, as indicated by His saying, "then Allah has not given you any way against them."

In the second verse, there is the absence of withdrawal, the absence of offering peace, and the failure to restrain themselves from fighting. Through these three parts, the condition is fulfilled, and its consequence is seizure and killing, as explicitly stated by His saying, "then seize them and kill them."

From this, it is understood that "and restrain" (wa-yakuffu) is in the sense of "and do not restrain" (wa-la yakuffu). It is a conjunction on the negated verb, not on the negation itself, evidenced by the dropping of the nun, which is the sign of the jussive mood. Conjoining it to the negation and the conditional in (if) would not be correct, as it would entail a contradiction. The meaning of "if they do not withdraw from you" is "if they do not refrain." If one were to conjoin "and restrain" to the negation, it would necessitate the simultaneous presence of "not refraining" and "refraining," and the Speech of Allah is exalted above that. Likewise, it is incorrect to consider His saying "and restrain" as a circumstantial clause, or an expository initiation, or a grammatical initiation, as each entails a contradiction. Furthermore, such a reading would necessitate the retention of the nun in "yakuffu," as is standard in such cases.

Abu Hayyan holds that the consequence in the first instance is dependent upon two things, and in the second upon three. The secret behind this is to point to the increased wickedness of these "others." The words of the scholar al-Baydawi—may Allah illuminate his affairs—in this context are not devoid of complexity, and perhaps no correct interpretation can be found for them without great effort and affectation. So contemplate this deeply.

(And those)—who are described with the aforementioned heinous qualities—(We have given you clear authority over them)—meaning, a clear argument for what We have commanded you regarding them, due to the obviousness of their enmity, the clarity of their disbelief, and their wickedness; or, a power that cannot be hidden, as We have permitted you to seize them and kill them.