لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِي مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُعْتَدُونَ ﴿۱۰﴾ فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَنُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۱۱﴾ وَإِنْ نَكَثُوا أَيْمَانَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَطَعَنُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ فَقَاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْكُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لَا أَيْمَانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَنْتَهُونَ ﴿۱۲﴾

﴾10﴿ Laa yarquboona fee mu'minin illanw wa laa zimmah wa ulaaa 'ika humulmu 'tadoon
﴾11﴿ Fa in taaboo wa aqaamus Salaata wa aatawuz Zakaata fa ikhwaanukum fid deen; wa nufassilul Aayaati liqawminy ya'lamoon
﴾12﴿ Wa in nakasooo aimaanahum mim ba'di 'ahdihim wa ta'anoo fee deenikum faqaatilooo a'immatal kufri innahum laaa aimaana lahum la'allahum yantahoon

﴾10﴿ They do not consider the believer's right to kinship or covenant, and these are the special people who are among the transgressors
﴾11﴿ So if they repent from these deeds and establish prayer and give zakat, then they are your brothers in religion. And We explain the rules in detail for a people who know
﴾12﴿ And if they break their oaths after they have sworn them and mock your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief Indeed, they are not subject to any oaths. Fight them until they are deterred (from disbelief)

[10] In this verse, two traits are mentioned:
1. (لَا يَرْقُبُونَ) — “They do not regard [ties].” This is not a repetition of what came before, because the earlier instance was specific, while here it is general.
2. (الْمُعْتَدُونَ) — “They are transgressors.” This adds an extra layer to their wickedness, meaning they do not merely ignore rights or treaties, but also commit oppression and injustice along with it.
Thus, it shows the severity of their hostility—both in breaking bonds and engaging in outright aggression.
[11] In this verse, there is encouragement to repent. However, the purpose here differs from verse (5):
In verse (5), the aim was to prohibit fighting and grant protection for life and wealth—so the phrase used was (فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ) — “then let them go their way.”
But in this verse, the purpose is to recognize the validity of their covenant—and for those whose covenant is considered valid, they are treated as brothers in faith, hence the phrase (فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ) — “then they are your brothers.”
So, there is no repetition between the verses; each serves a different legal and moral objective.
The phrase (وَنُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ) — “And We explain the verses” — refers to the clarification of the traits of those whose covenant is accepted, and those traits are the very reasons for fighting or refraining from it.
[12] In this verse, the intended group is the polytheist treaty-holders (mu‘āhidīn), because the verse begins with (إِنْ)—“if”—indicating a conditional case. That is, if these treaty-holders break their promise before the term ends, then fight them.
In this verse, three traits of such individuals are mentioned.
This verse is also used as evidence that if anyone mocks or insults Islam, he is considered a disbeliever—whether he is a polytheist, a treaty-holder (mu‘āhid), or a dhimmī (non-Muslim under Muslim protection). Once such a person insults Islam, his treaty and safety are void. (Sources: al-Khāzin, al-Madārik)
“Ṭaʿn” (insult/mockery) means to attribute something inappropriate to the religion, to belittle it, to insult the Prophet, the Qur’an, or any other religious ruling. Such mockery is kufr (disbelief).
These individuals are called “Imams of kufr” in the verse because they establish and lead the foundations of disbelief, and others follow in their footsteps.
The word (أَيْمَانَهُمْ) refers to oaths they took while making treaties. They are called “oaths” because, during treaty-making, swearing is often involved.
The phrase (إِنَّهُمْ لَا أَيْمَانَ لَهُمْ)—“They have no oaths”—initially acknowledged their oaths, but later negated them because, by breaking their promises, it became as if the oaths never existed.