The Quran

Preface

ثُمَّ أَنتُم هٰؤُلاءِ تَقتُلونَ أَنفُسَكُم وَتُخرِجونَ فَريقًا مِنكُم مِن دِيارِهِم تَظاهَرونَ عَلَيهِم بِالإِثمِ وَالعُدوانِ وَإِن يَأتوكُم أُسارىٰ تُفادوهُم وَهُوَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَيكُم إِخراجُهُم ۚ أَفَتُؤمِنونَ بِبَعضِ الكِتابِ وَتَكفُرونَ بِبَعضٍ ۚ فَما جَزاءُ مَن يَفعَلُ ذٰلِكَ مِنكُم إِلّا خِزيٌ فِي الحَياةِ الدُّنيا ۖ وَيَومَ القِيامَةِ يُرَدّونَ إِلىٰ أَشَدِّ العَذابِ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغافِلٍ عَمّا تَعمَلونَ

Yusuf Ali

After this it is ye, the same people, who slay among yourselves, and banish a party of you from their homes; assist (Their enemies) against them, in guilt and rancour; and if they come to you as captives, ye ransom¹ them, though it was not lawful for you to banish them. Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? but what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life?- and on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For God is not unmindful of what ye do.

I understand “ransom them” here to mean “take ransom for them,” though most of the Commentators take it to mean “give ransom for them,” Muṣṭafā had made a Pact which, if it had been faithfully observed by all parties, would have brought a reign of law and order for Mad in ah. But some of the treacherous Jews never intended to observe its terms. They fought and slew each other and nor only banished those who were obnoxious to them but intrigued with their enemies. If by any chance they came back into their hands as captives, they demanded ransom for them to return to their homes although they had no right to banish them at all. If we understand by “ransom them” pay “ransom for them to release them from the hands of their enemies,” it would mean that they did this pious act for show, although they were themselves the authors of their unlawful banishment. I think the former makes better sense.