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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

اور اگر تم کو کسی قوم سے دغا بازی کا خوف ہو تو (ان کا عہد) انہیں کی طرف پھینک دو (اور) برابر (کا جواب دو) کچھ شک نہیں کہ خدا دغابازوں کو دوست نہیں رکھتا

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.

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