Quran 4:90 — An-Nisaa, verse 90
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
But as for those who seek refuge with people with whom you have a treaty, or who come over to you because their hearts shrink from fighting against you or against their own people, God could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So if they withdraw and do not fight you, and offer you peace, then God gives you no way against them.
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ يَصِلُونَ إِلَىٰ قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ مِيثَاقٌ أَوْ جَاءُوكُمْ حَصِرَتْ صُدُورُهُمْ أَنْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ أَوْ يُقَاتِلُوا قَوْمَهُمْ ۚ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَسَلَّطَهُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ فَلَقَاتَلُوكُمْ ۚ فَإِنِ اعْتَزَلُوكُمْ فَلَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ وَأَلْقَوْا إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلَمَ فَمَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ سَبِيلًا
illā alladhīna yaṣilūna ilā qawmin baynakum wabaynahum mīthāqun aw jāūkum ḥaṣirat ṣudūruhum an yuqātilūkum aw yuqātilū qawmahum walaw shāa l-lahu lasallaṭahum ʿalaykum falaqātalūkum fa-ini iʿ'tazalūkum falam yuqātilūkum wa-alqaw ilaykumu l-salama famā jaʿala l-lahu lakum ʿalayhim sabīlan
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- except those that betake themselves to a people who are joined with you by a compact, or come to you with breasts constricted from fighting with you or fighting their people. Had God willed, He would have given them authority over you, and then certainly they would have fought you. If they withdraw from you, and do not fight you, and offer you peace, then God assigns not any way to you against them.
- Muhammad Asad
- unless it be such [of them] as have ties with people to whom you yourselves are bound by a covenant, or such as come unto you because their hearts shrink from [the thought of] making war either on you or on their own folk - although, if God had willed to make them stronger than you, they would certainly have made war on you. Thus, if they let you be, and do not make war on you, and offer you peace, God does not allow you to harm them.
- Sahih International
- Except for those who take refuge with a people between yourselves and whom is a treaty or those who come to you, their hearts strained at [the prospect of] fighting you or fighting their own people. And if Allāh had willed, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So if they remove themselves from you and do not fight you and offer you peace, then Allāh has not made for you a cause [for fighting] against them.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | إِلَّاillā | Except | — |
| 2 | ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna | those who | — |
| 3 | يَصِلُونَyaṣilūna | join | وصل |
| 4 | إِلَىٰilā | [to] | — |
| 5 | قَوْمٍۭqawmin | a group | قوم |
| 6 | بَيْنَكُمْbaynakum | between you | بين |
| 7 | وَبَيْنَهُمwabaynahum | and between them | بين |
| 8 | مِّيثَـٰقٌmīthāqun | (is) a treaty | وثق |
| 9 | أَوْaw | or | — |
| 10 | جَآءُوكُمْjāūkum | those who come to you | جيأ |
| 11 | حَصِرَتْḥaṣirat | restraining | حصر |
| 12 | صُدُورُهُمْṣudūruhum | their hearts | صدر |
| 13 | أَنan | that | — |
| 14 | يُقَـٰتِلُوكُمْyuqātilūkum | they fight you | قتل |
| 15 | أَوْaw | or | — |
| 16 | يُقَـٰتِلُوا۟yuqātilū | they fight | قتل |
| 17 | قَوْمَهُمْ ۚqawmahum | their people | قوم |
| 18 | وَلَوْwalaw | And if | — |
| 19 | شَآءَshāa | (had) willed | شيأ |
| 20 | ٱللَّهُl-lahu | Allah | أله |
| 21 | لَسَلَّطَهُمْlasallaṭahum | surely He (would have) given them power | سلط |
| 22 | عَلَيْكُمْʿalaykum | over you | — |
| 23 | فَلَقَـٰتَلُوكُمْ ۚfalaqātalūkum | and surely they (would have) fought you | قتل |
| 24 | فَإِنِfa-ini | So if | — |
| 25 | ٱعْتَزَلُوكُمْiʿ'tazalūkum | they withdraw from you | عزل |
| 26 | فَلَمْfalam | and (do) not | — |
| 27 | يُقَـٰتِلُوكُمْyuqātilūkum | fight against you | قتل |
| 28 | وَأَلْقَوْا۟wa-alqaw | and offer | لقي |
| 29 | إِلَيْكُمُilaykumu | to you | — |
| 30 | ٱلسَّلَمَl-salama | [the] peace | سلم |
| 31 | فَمَاfamā | then not | — |
| 32 | جَعَلَjaʿala | (has) made | جعل |
| 33 | ٱللَّهُl-lahu | Allah | أله |
| 34 | لَكُمْlakum | for you | — |
| 35 | عَلَيْهِمْʿalayhim | against them | — |
| 36 | سَبِيلًۭاsabīlan | a way | سبل |