Tafsir of At-Tawbah 9:4

(Except for those with whom you made a treaty from among the polytheists): This is an exception based on what is found in al-Kashshaf regarding the implied meaning in His saying, "So travel [freely] throughout the land" (v. 2), etc. For the speech is an address to the Muslims, based on the meaning that [it is] an acquittal from Allah and His Messenger to those among the polytheists with whom you made a treaty. So say to them: "Travel [freely]," except for those among them with whom you made a treaty—and they did not breach it—then fulfill their treaty for them. It is in the sense of a corrective istidrak (exception/amendment), as if it were said: "Do not grant a respite to the covenant-breakers beyond four months, but as for those who did not breach [the treaty], fulfill their treaty for them and do not treat them as you treat the covenant-breakers."

An objection was raised: How can the exception be valid when an extraneous sentence—His saying, "And an announcement from Allah" (v. 3)—has intervened between the exception and that from which it is excepted? For this, as established, is a conjunction to "acquittal." The response is that this sentence is not entirely extraneous, because it holds the meaning of a command to announce; as if it were said: "So say to them: 'Travel,' and know that Allah is free from them, but as for those with whom you made a treaty..."

Some have made it a corrective exception to the previous renunciation, in which fighting was delayed for four months; the end result is the same. It is said: It is an exception to the [word] "the polytheists" in the first instance, a view held by al-Farra’. This was refuted on the grounds that the persistence of the generalization in the Almighty’s saying, "Indeed, Allah is free from the polytheists" (v. 3), contradicts it. Others said it is an exception to the second [instance of] "the polytheists," which was refuted by the fact that the persistence of the generalization in the first contradicts it. Claiming a return to both [instances], when the entities from which the exception is taken in the two sentences are not on the same level, is not sound.

Making the second [mention] a reference—that they are the polytheists from whom these are excepted—has led to the claim that the introduction of an exception is an artifice unlikely to be found in the miraculous construction of the text. Furthermore, His saying, "fulfill their treaty," would then require that it be treated as the consequence of an implied condition, which is also contrary to the apparent meaning. The apparent meaning is that it is a declarative sentence, and the fa (so) is present because the initial noun phrase (mubtada’) contains the meaning of a condition. Since it refers to specific people, it is not general, thus it resembles a condition; therefore, the fa enters into its predicate. Even if one were to concede [that it is general], it is not harmful; al-Akhfash held that the fa is added in the predicate of a relative clause (mawsul) without requiring generalization.

Al-Qutb argued in support of what is in al-Kashshaf that there are two sentences here to which the exception could be attached: the sentence of acquittal and the sentence of respite. However, attaching the exception to the sentence of acquittal necessitates that there is no acquittal from some of the polytheists; thus, it must be attached to the sentence of the four-month respite. This contains an oversight: the intent is the acquittal from the treaties of the polytheists, not from their persons. There is no dispute that Allah and His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—are not free from the treaties of the covenanting [parties] who have not breached them, even if they were free from their persons through a form of interpretation. So understand this.

Ibn al-Munir said: It is possible that His saying, "So travel," is an address to the polytheists without an implied command preceding it, and that the exception is, in this case, from His saying, "to those with whom you made a treaty." As if it were said: "An acquittal from Allah and His Messenger to the covenanting parties, except for those remaining on the treaty; so fulfill their treaty for them, O Muslims." In this, there is a transition from the address to the Muslims in "Except for those with whom you made a treaty" to the address to the polytheists in "So travel," then a shift from the first person to the third person in "and know that you will not cause failure to Allah, and that Allah..." (v. 2). And the original was "will not cause failure to Me." In this shift, after the first shift, there is artistic mastery in the styles of rhetoric, an exaltation of the matter, and an aggrandizement of the affair. Then, this shift is followed by a return to the address in His saying, "Except for those with whom you made a treaty," etc. All of this belongs to the beauties of eloquence. This is the end [of his quote]. It is not hidden that this involves excessive forced interpretation.

"Min" (from) is said to be explanatory, and it is said to be partitive. "Thumma" (then) in His saying, "then they did not reduce you" (v. 4), is to indicate their steadfastness on their treaty despite the passage of time. Yanqusuakum (they did not reduce you), with the unpointed sad, as read by the majority, allows for the verb to take one object; shay’an (anything) is then an accusative of source (masdar), meaning: they did not reduce you by any measure of reduction, neither little nor much. It is also permissible for it to take two objects, in which case shay’an is the second object, meaning: they did not reduce you by anything of the conditions of the treaty, but fulfilled them for you completely. 'Ikrimah and 'Ata’ read yanqudukum, with the pointed dad, and the speech is then upon an ellipsis of an annexed noun, meaning: they did not break your treaties by anything of the breaking. This is a reading suitable for a treaty, but the reading of the majority is more striking because of the contrast with "fulfill," and it is free from the necessity of forced ellipsis.

"(And they did not support)": That is, they did not help anyone against you from among your enemies, as the Banu Bakr aggressed against the Khuza’ah, and the Quraysh supported them with arms, as previously mentioned.

"(So fulfill their treaty for them)": That is, perform it for them in full.

"(To their term)": That is, until its expiration. Do not treat them as you treat the covenant-breakers. It is said: The Banu Damrah and Banu Mudlij, two clans of Kinanah, had nine months remaining of their treaty, so he fulfilled their treaty for them. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that he said: These are the Quraysh who made a treaty with the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, at the time of al-Hudaybiyah, and there remained of their term four months after the Day of Sacrifice, so Allah, Exalted is His majesty, commanded His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to fulfill that treaty for them until its term. This is contrary to what has been corroborated by the narrations that the Quraysh broke the treaty, as you have known, and the relied-upon [opinion] is the first one.

"(Indeed, Allah loves the righteous)": An explanation for the necessity of compliance and a warning that observing the treaty is of the category of righteousness, and that equating the treacherous and the faithful is contrary to that, even if the one with whom the treaty is made is a polytheist.