Surah At-Tawba 9:8 — translation and meaning

التوبة · Verse 8 / 129 · Page 188

ۚ كَيْفَ وَإِن يَظْهَرُوا عَلَيْكُمْ لَا يَرْقُبُوا فِيكُمْ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً يُرْضُونَكُم بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتَأْبَى قُلُوبُهُمْ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ

Word by Word

ۚ
كَيْفَ
kayfa
How
وَإِن
wa-in
while, if
يَظْهَرُوا
yazharu
they gain dominance
عَلَيْكُمْ
alaykum
over you
لَا
la
they do not regard (the ties)
يَرْقُبُوا
yarqubu
they do not regard (the ties)
فِيكُمْ
fikum
with you
إِلًّا
illan
(of) kinship
وَلَا
wala
and not
ذِمَّةً
dhimmatan
covenant of protection
يُرْضُونَكُم
yur'dunakum
They satisfy you
بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ
bi-afwahihim
with their mouths
وَتَأْبَى
wataba
but refuse
قُلُوبُهُمْ
qulubuhum
their hearts
وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ
wa-aktharuhum
and most of them
فَاسِقُونَ
fasiquna
(are) defiantly disobedient

Transliteration

Kaifa wa iny-yazharoo 'alaikum laa yarquboo feekum illanw wa laa zimmah; yurdoo nakum biafwaahihim wa taabaa quloobuhum wa aksaruhum faasiqoon

Translation

How [can there be a treaty] while, if they gain dominance over you, they do not observe concerning you any pact of kinship or covenant of protection? They satisfy you with their mouths, but their hearts refuse [compliance], and most of them are defiantly disobedient.

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

How can they have a treaty with you and an assurance of protection when they are your enemies? If they gain the upper hand over you they will not be mindful of Allah in relation to you, nor will they respect any relationship or any treaty. Instead, they will impose the worst punishment on you. They please you with fancy speech uttered by their tongues, but their hearts do not agree with their tongues. They will not fulfil what they promise and most of them deviate from following Allah by breaking the treaty.

Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

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