أَلَا تُقَاتِلُونَ قَوْمًا نَكَثُوا أَيْمَانَهُمْ وَهَمُّوا بِإِخْرَاجِ الرَّسُولِ وَهُمْ بَدَءُوكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ أَتَخْشَوْنَهُمْ فَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَخْشَوْهُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿۱۳﴾ قَاتِلُوهُمْ يُعَذِّبْهُمُ اللَّهُ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ وَيُخْزِهِمْ وَيَنْصُرْكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَيَشْفِ صُدُورَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿۱۴﴾ وَيُذْهِبْ غَيْظَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَيَتُوبُ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ﴿۱۵﴾ أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تُتْرَكُوا وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلَا رَسُولِهِ وَلَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلِيجَةً وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿۱۶﴾

﴾13﴿ Alaa tuqaatiloona qawman nakasooo aimaanahum wa hammoo bi ikhraajir Rasooli wa hum bada'ookum awwala marrah; atakhshawnahum; fallaahu ahaqqu an takhshawhu in kuntum mu'mineen
﴾14﴿ Qaatiloohum yu'az zibhumul laahu bi aideekum wa yukhzihim wa yansurkum 'alaihim wa yashfi sudoora qawmim mu 'mineen
﴾15﴿ Wa yuzhib ghaiza quloobihim; wa yatoobullaahu 'alaa mai yashaaa'; wallaahu 'Aleemun Hakeem
﴾16﴿ Am hasibtum an tutrakoo wa lammaa ya'lamil laahul lazeena jaahadoo minkum wa lam yattakhizoo min doonil laahi wa laa Rasoolihee wa lalmu'mineena waleejah; wallaahu khabeerum bimaa ta'maloon

﴾13﴿ Will you not fight a people who broke their oaths and strove to expel the Messenger (may Allah bless him and give him peace), and it was they who started (the fighting) the first time? Do you fear them? Allah is more deserving that you should fear Him, if you are believers.
﴾14﴿ Fight them so that Allah may punish them at your hands, disgrace them, help you against them, and heal the hearts of the believing people.
﴾15﴿ And He will remove the anger from the hearts of the disbelievers and show mercy to whom He wills (by granting faith). And Allah is All-Knowing, Wise.
﴾16﴿ Do you think that you will be left (without being tested), while Allah has not yet made evident those among you who strive (in His cause) and do not take as close confidants anyone except Allah, His Messenger, and the believers? And Allah is well aware of what you do.

[13] In this verse, two more traits of the disbelievers are mentioned, along with encouragement to the believers to fight those polytheists who possess these qualities.
This encouragement is delivered through five methods:
1. The word (أَلاَ) — used for urging and drawing attention strongly.
2. Mention of two reasons (علل) for fighting them — their past betrayal and aggression.
3. The rhetorical question (أَتَخْشَوْنَهُمْ) — “Do you fear them?” — meant to shame or challenge the believers.
4. The statement (فَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَوْهُ) — “Then Allah has more right that you fear Him.”
5. The condition (إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ) — “If you are truly believers.” — This appeals to their identity and commitment to faith.
As for (وَهَمُّوا) — “they intended,” the word ham here means active plotting or effort, because mere thoughts are not sinful.
The phrase (بِإِخْرَاجِ) refers either to their expulsion of the Prophet and believers from Makkah, in which they were successful, or to their attempt to expel them from Madinah, in which they were unsuccessful.
[14] In this verse, the command to fight is declared after the reasons for fighting have been explained. It also mentions four benefits of engaging in battle:
1. (يُعَذِّبْهُمُ اللَّهُ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ) — “Allah will punish them at your hands” — here, punishment refers to their being killed.
2. (وَيُخْزِهِمْ) — “and disgrace them” — this includes capturing them and humiliating them publicly.
3. (وَيَنصُرْكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ) — “and He will give you victory over them.”
4. (وَيَشْفِ صُدُورَ قَوْمٍ مُّؤْمِنِينَ) — “and heal the hearts of believing people” — meaning Allah will bring joy and relief to the hearts of the believers who were hurt by the enemy’s hostility.
[15] In this verse, two additional benefits of fighting are mentioned:
1. (وَيُذْهِبْ غَيْظَ قُلُوبِهِمْ) — “and remove the rage from their hearts” — the pronoun (قُلُوبِهِمْ) refers to the disbelievers.
This means that some among them, after witnessing the truth and the strength of the believers, will have their anger and hatred extinguished, possibly leading them to guidance.
2. (وَيَتُوبُ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَن يَشَاءُ) — “and Allah will accept the repentance of whom He wills.”
This part of the verse is a new, independent statement (کلام مستأنف), as indicated by the verb being in the nominative (مرفوع) form.
It highlights that some disbelievers, even after hostility, may repent—and Allah, out of His mercy, may guide them and accept their repentance.
[16] This verse serves as encouragement toward jihad.
The key message is that Allah, the Exalted, does not leave the believers without putting them to a test. That test comes in two forms:
1. Jihad in the path of Allah.
2. Disassociation (Barā’ah) from the polytheists.
The phrase (وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذُوا) — “and they did not take…” — is mentioned because this surah declares disassociation, and true barā’ah means cutting all ties and loyalties with the disbelievers.
As for (وَلِيجَةً) — scholars like Farrāʾ say it refers to secret alliances or friendships, while Rāghib defines it more broadly: a walījah is anyone in whom one places trust and shares confidential matters.
Thus, the verse emphasizes that full loyalty must be to Allah and His Messenger alone—free from hidden attachments to the disbelievers.