Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:61

Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War): Verse 61

{وَإِن جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلْمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ}

Exegesis:

After establishing what instills fear in the enemy (i.e., military strength and preparedness), the verse clarifies the ruling concerning their inclination toward peace.

If they incline (جنحوا) toward reconciliation (الصلح), then the ruling is to accept the reconciliation.

• Linguistics: Al-Nadr stated: Janaḥa al-rajulu ilā fulān (The man inclined toward so-and-so) and Ajnaḥa lahu (He inclined to him) mean he followed him and submitted to him.
• The meaning here is: If they lean toward peace, then you should lean toward it.
• The feminine pronoun in lahā (to it) refers back to the action (al-junḥah - the inclination), similar to the structure in: {إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ} (Indeed, your Lord, after it [the deed], is Forgiving and Merciful), where ba'dihā refers to their action.
• Al-Kashshāf's View: The author of Al-Kashshāf mentioned that Al-Sālm (peace) is feminized as the opposite of its counterpart, which is Al-Ḥarb (war).
  • The poet said:

    Peace takes from you what you are pleased with, And war suffices you with sips of its breaths.

• Recitation Variants: Abū Bakr recited li-l-salmi with a kasra on the Sīn (Si-lmi), while the rest recited it with a fatḥa (Sa-lmi). Both are valid linguistic forms.

Regarding Abrogation (Naskh):

• Qatādah's View: This verse is abrogated by the verses: {اقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ} (Slay the polytheists wherever you find them) (At-Tawbah: 5) and {قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ} (Fight those who do not believe in Allah) (At-Tawbah: 29).
• Other Scholars' View: The verse is not abrogated, but it mandates accepting peace when it serves the Muslims' best interest (al-ṣalāḥ).
  • If the Muslims have the upper hand, they are not permitted to agree to a truce for a full year.
  • However, if the polytheists have the strength, it is permissible for the Muslims to agree to a truce for ten years, following the example of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), who made a truce with the people of Mecca for ten years, though they broke the pact before the term was complete.

{وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ} (And rely upon Allah):

This means entrusting the matter of the covenant you make with them to Allah, so that He may be your helper in ensuring safety, and so that He may grant you victory over them if they break the covenant and deviate from fulfilling it.

{إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ} (Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing):

This serves as a warning against breaking the treaty, because Allah knows what the servants conceal in their hearts and hears what they say.

• Mujāhid's View: This verse was revealed concerning Banū Qurayẓah and Banū Naḍīr. However, its revelation concerning them does not prevent its application based on its apparent general meaning. And Allah knows best.

Verse 62:

{وَإِن يُرِيدُوا أَن يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ * وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَّا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ}