لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِى مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً ۚ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُعْتَدُونَ
9:8.
Important Words:
مومن (one who trusts) is the active participle from آمن which is derived from امن which means, he was or became safe or secure or free from fear. امنه علی کذا means, he trusted him in respect of such a thing. آمنه means, he rendered him safe or secure or free from fear; he trusted or confided in him. آمن بهmeans, he believed in him. مؤمن therefore, means, a believer; a faithful person; a person who trusts or confides in others; one who affords security and protection. المومن is also one of the attributes of God, meaning, He Who grants security and protection to His creatures (Lane).
Commentary:
This verse emphasizes the heinousness of the crime of disbelievers by adding the word مومن (one who trusts). These disbelievers would not be true even to those who trusted them. Thus, the present and the preceding two verses mention the reasons why Muslims were commanded to wage war against these idolaters in 9:5. These reasons are: (1) they were treacherous and perfidious; they professed to be friendly to Muslims, but as soon as they found an opportunity to injure them, they broke their plighted word and this in spite of the fact that Muslims trusted them (9:8 and the present verse); (2) they even disregarded the ties of relationship and killed their own kinsmen merely because the latter had embraced Islam (9:8); (3) their object in making war was to prevent men from embracing Islam (9:9); and (4) they were transgressors, i.e. the first to attack Muslims (the present verse).
9:8.
This and the preceding two verses give the reasons why Muslims were commanded to wage war against such idolaters (9:5). The reasons are: (1) They were treacherous and perfidious; they professed to be friendly to Muslims, but as soon as they found an opportunity to injure them, they broke their plighted word and this in spite of the fact that Muslims had trusted them. (2) They even disregarded the ties of relationship and slew their own kinsmen merely because the latter had embraced Islam (9:8). (3) Their object in making war was to prevent men from embracing Islam (9:9). (4) They were the first to attack Muslims (9:13).