Hikma › Qur'an › Surah Al-Anfal › Verse 58

Surah Al-Anfal — 8:58

وَإِمَّا تَخَافَنَّ مِن قَوْمٍ خِيَانَةً فَٱنۢبِذْ إِلَيْهِمْ عَلَىٰ سَوَآءٍ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْخَآئِنِينَ

Wa immaa takhaafana min qawmin khiyaanatan fambiz ilaihim 'alaa sawaaa'; innal laaha laayuhibbul khaaa'ineen

Eğer bir topluluğun anlaşmaya hıyanet etmesinden korkarsan, sen de onlara karşı anlaşmayı bozarak aynı şekilde davran. Doğrusu Allah hainleri sevmez.

And if you fear treachery from a people, cast their treaty back to them on equal terms. God does not love the treacherous.

Reflection

The verb is nabadha, to throw a thing down or fling it aside, the same verb used of those who cast the scripture behind their backs. Renunciation here has to be an act done in the open. ʿAlā sawāʾ is generally read as leaving both sides equally informed, so neither can be struck while still believing itself covered, and the closing clause puts the one acting under the same judgment as the party feared.

← 8:57 8:59 →

Read all of Surah Al-Anfal

Reflect on this verse with Hikma · Get the Hikma app