The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتَّ
مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ
يَنقُضُونَ
عَهْدَهُمْ
فِي كُلِّ
مَرَّةٍ...
8: 56. They are those with whom thou didst make a Covenant, but they break their covenant every time
C1224. The immediate occasion was the repeated treachery of the BanuQuraiza after their treaties with the Muslims. But the general lesson remains, as noted in the two following verses.
Treachery in war is doubly wrong, for it endangers so many lives. Such treachery should be punished in such a way that it gets no chance again. Not only the actual perpetrators but those who follow their standard should be rendered powerless.
And the broken treaty should be denounced so that the innocent party can at least fight on equal terms.
From actual physical warfare we can carry the same lesson to spiritual warfare. A truce or understanding is possible with those who respect definite principles, not with those who have no principles and are merely out for oppression and wickedness.
...وَهُمْ لاَ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿٥٦﴾
and they have not the fear (of Allah).
فَإِمَّا
تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ
فِي الْحَرْبِ
فَشَرِّدْ بِهِم
مَّنْ خَلْفَهُمْ
لَعَلَّهُمْ
يَذَّكَّرُونَ ﴿٥٧﴾
8: 57. If ye gain the mastery over them in war, disperse, with them, those who follow them, that they may remember.
C1224a. The purpose of the verse is to urge Muslims to act against their enemies described above with a severity and resoluteness which would serve as a deterrent to other enemies of Islam who might be inclined to follow their example and act treacherously towards Muslims. (Eds.).
وَإِمَّا تَخَافَنَّ
مِن قَوْمٍ
خِيَانَةً
فَانبِذْ إِلَيْهِمْ
عَلَى سَوَاء...
8: 58. If thou fearest treachery from any group, throw back (their covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms:
...إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ الخَائِنِينَ ﴿٥٨﴾
for Allah loveth not the treacherous.
Asad’s Version:
8: 56 They are those with whom you did make a covenant, but they break their covenant every time, and they have not the fear [of God].
8: 57 If you gain the mastery over them in war, disperse, with them, those who follow them, that they may remember.
8: 58 If you fear treachery from any group, throw back [their covenant] to them, on equal terms: for God love not the treacherous.