َ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَتَمَاسَّا فَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَإِطْعَامُ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا ذَلِكَ لِتُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿۴﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحَادُّونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ كُبِتُوا كَمَا كُبِتَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَقَدْ أَنْزَلْنَا آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ ﴿۵﴾

﴾4﴿ Famal lam yajid fa siyaamu shahraini mutataabi'ayni min qabli any-yatamaaassaa famal lam yastati' fa-it'aamu sitteena miskeena; zaalika litu'minoo billaahi wa rasoolih'wa tilka hudoodul laah; wa lilkaafireena 'azaabun aleem
﴾5﴿ Innal lazeena yuhaaaddoonal laaha wa Rasoolahoo kubitoo kamaa kubital lazeena min qablihim; wa qad anzalnaaa aayaatim baiyinaat; wa lilkaa fireena 'azaabum muheen

﴾4﴿ So whoever cannot find (a slave to free) must fast for two consecutive months before they come together (engage in marital relations). But whoever is unable (to fast) must feed sixty needy people. This is so that you may have faith in Allah the Exalted and His Messenger. These are the limits set by Allah, and for the disbelievers, there is a painful punishment
﴾5﴿ Indeed, those who oppose the commands of Allah the Exalted and His Messenger will be humiliated, just as those before them were disgraced. And surely, We have sent down clear verses, and for the disbelievers, there is a disgraceful punishment

[4] The expiation is required in this order: first, freeing a slave; if one is unable to do that, then fasting for two consecutive months; and if that is also not possible, then feeding sixty poor people.
“That is so you may believe in Allah and His Messenger” — this refers to giving the expiation in the prescribed order, refraining from the statement of ẓihār, and abstaining from intimacy until the expiation is fulfilled. All of these are described as acts of faith, which shows that actions are also part of faith.
“And these are the limits set by Allah” — a limit is something that has been precisely defined, and therefore adding to or reducing it is forbidden. Thus, in the rulings of Allah, increasing through innovation or decreasing through sin is prohibited.
[5] After mentioning the limits (ḥudūd), this verse warns those who oppose them. “Yuḥāddūna” (oppose) refers to those who go against the prescribed limits of the Shariah and instead establish their own laws from their desires. The term ḥudūd (limits) is general — it includes the prescribed punishments set by Shariah, as well as all rulings established by the Book of Allah and authentic hadith.
The commentator Al-Alusi, in Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, has written a detailed discussion, the summary of which is that this verse is a severe warning for corrupt rulers and leaders who, in opposition to Shariah, create their own rulings and call them “law.” He further says that when Shariah and man-made law are in conflict, then anyone who considers man-made law superior — believing it to be more logical or beneficial, and sees Shariah as unsuitable or not aligned with human welfare — such a person is a disbeliever, but with the condition that he believes the law to be better and views Shariah negatively.
However, political and administrative regulations for the sake of public order or military discipline, which are devised by people of insight and do not contradict the core principles of Shariah — or even if they merely differ from juristic opinions — are permissible. On this topic, it is worthwhile to consult Al-Siyāsah al-Sharʿiyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him).
“Kubitū” means humiliation, disgrace, destruction, curse, and falling on one’s face. This is a declarative sentence implying the future, or it could be a supplicatory phrase meant to teach the believers.
“Just as those before them were humiliated” refers to the Jews, whose humiliation has been mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah and Surah al-Nisā’, and will also be mentioned in Surah al-Ḥashr.