Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:61

"And if they incline to peace..."

• "Janaha" (inclined) to it or towards it: It means when one leans or tilts.
• "Al-Silm" (peace): It is feminine, just as its opposite, "al-harb" (war), is feminine. A poet said:

  Peace: you take from it what you are content with, And war: a mere breath of it is enough to choke you.

• It is recited with both the fatha (al-salam) and the kasra (al-silm) on the sin.
• Regarding its abrogation: Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) held that this verse is abrogated by the words of the Exalted: "Fight those who do not believe in Allah" (At-Tawbah: 29). Mujahid held that it is abrogated by: "Kill the polytheists wherever you find them" (At-Tawbah: 5).
• The correct view: The matter is left to the discretion of the Imam regarding what he sees as beneficial for Islam and its people, whether it be war or peace. It is not an absolute obligation to fight them forever, nor is it an absolute obligation to accept a truce forever.
• Al-Ashhab al-Uqayli recited: "Fajnah" (incline) with a damma on the nun.
• "And rely upon Allah": Do not fear their concealing of treachery in their inclination toward peace, for Allah is sufficient for you and will protect you from their plotting and deception.
• Mujahid said: He means the tribe of Qurayza.

"But if they intend to deceive you, then sufficient for you is Allah. It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers. And He brought together their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together; but Allah brought them together. Indeed, He is Exalted in Might and Wise."