ﱯ ﱰ ﱱ ﱲ ﱳ ﱴ ﱵ ﱶ ﱷ ﱸ ﱹ ﱺ ﱻ ﱼ ﱽ ﱾ ﱿ ﲀ ﲁ ﲂ ﲃ ﲄ ﲅ ﲆ ﲇ ﲈ ﲉ ﲊ ﲋ ﲌ ﲍ
They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.
Tafsir
Verse range: 4:89
When the Almighty said previously: {Do you wish to guide one whom Allah has sent astray?} (An-Nisā’: 88), which was a rhetorical question expressing astonishment, He confirmed this improbability by stating: They have reached such a degree of disbelief that they wish you, O Muslims, would become disbelievers.
Since they have reached this extreme in their obstinacy regarding disbelief, how can you then hope for their faith?
The phrase {فتكونون سواء} (so that you become alike) is in the nominative case (rafʿ) due to being coordinated (nasq) with {تكفرون} (you disbelieve). The meaning is: They wish that you would become [disbelievers]. The conjunction fa (so) is connective.
It is not permissible to treat this as the response (jawāb) to the wish (tamannī). If the intention were to mean, "If they disbelieve, they become equal," it would be in the accusative case (naṣb). A similar example is: {They wish you would compromise, so they would compromise} (Al-Qalam: 9). If it were read as {فيدهنوا} (so they compromise) as the response, it would be grammatically permissible. Another example is: {And the disbelievers wish that you would neglect your weapons and your baggage so they could raid you} (An-Nisā’: 102).
The meaning of {فتكونون سواء} is: so that you and they become equal in disbelief. However, mentioning only the addressees (you) suffices for the meaning because the context makes the inclusion of the others clear.
Know that after the Almighty explained the disbelief and the extremity of their error to the believers, He then explained to the believers the manner of interaction with them, saying: {So do not take allies from among them until they emigrate in the cause of Allah}. Several issues arise here:
This verse indicates that it is not permissible to ally with polytheists, hypocrites, or those notorious for heresy and atheism. This is strongly confirmed by the Almighty’s general statement: {O you who have believed, do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies} (Al-Mumtaḥinah: 1).
The reason for this is that the most precious and greatest thing for all people is religion, as it is the means by which one draws near to Allah and seeks felicity in the Hereafter. Since this is the case, the enmity arising from matters of religion is the greatest type of enmity. Therefore, seeking love and allegiance in a matter where the greatest cause of enmity is present is prohibited. And Allah knows best.
Regarding the phrase: {So do not take allies from among them until they emigrate}. Abu Bakr al-Rāzī said the implied meaning is: until they embrace Islam and emigrate, because emigration in the cause of Allah only occurs after Islam. Thus, the verse indicates the obligation of emigration after Islam. Even if they embrace Islam, there is no alliance between us and them until after emigration. This is analogous to His saying: {You have no guardianship over them in anything until they emigrate} (Al-Mumtaḥinah: 7).
Know that this obligation was only necessary during the time when emigration was mandated. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "I am free from every Muslim who resides among the polytheists, and I am free from every Muslim who is with a polytheist." Thus, emigration was obligatory until the Conquest of Makkah, after which the obligation of emigration was abrogated.
It is narrated from Ṭāwūs, from Ibn ‘Abbās, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said on the Day of the Conquest of Makkah: "There is no Hijra (emigration) after the Conquest, but [there remains] Jihad and intention." It is also narrated from Al-Ḥasan that the ruling of the verse remains valid for everyone who resides in the Dār al-Ḥarb (Abode of War), considering the obligation of emigration to the Dār al-Islām (Abode of Islam) still standing.
Know that emigration sometimes occurs by moving from the Abode of Disbelief to the Abode of Faith. At other times, it occurs by moving away from the actions of the disbelievers to the actions of the Muslims. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The emigrant is one who abandons what Allah has forbidden."
The scholars have stated that emigration in the cause of Allah means emigrating from abandoning what is commanded and committing what is forbidden. Since all these aspects are considered, it is appropriate that Allah mentioned a general term encompassing all of them, saying: {until they emigrate in the cause of Allah}.
The Almighty did not say: until they emigrate from disbelief, but rather said: {until they emigrate in the cause of Allah}, which includes emigrating from the Abode of Disbelief and emigrating from the outward signs (shi‘ār) of disbelief. Furthermore, the Almighty did not stop at mentioning emigration but restricted it by being in the cause of Allah. This is because emigration from the Abode of Disbelief to the Abode of Islam, or from the signs of disbelief to the signs of Islam, might occur for some worldly purpose. What is truly considered is that this emigration takes place for the sake of Allah’s command.
Then the Almighty said: {But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and do not take from among them a protector or a helper}.
The meaning is: If they refuse to emigrate and remain in their places outside the city, then seize them when you are able, and kill them wherever you find them, whether in the settled areas or the sanctuaries. And do not take from among them in this state a protector (walī) to manage any of your affairs, nor a helper (naṣīr) to support you against your enemies.
Know that when the Almighty commanded the killing of these disbelievers, He exempted two situations:
**{Except those who join with a people between whom and you there is a treaty, or those who come to you, their hearts constrained from fighting you or fighting their own people. And if Allah had willed, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So if they withdraw from you and do not fight you and offer you peace, then Allah has made for you no way against them.}**
