(38–40) “Tell those who disbelieve that if they desist, what has already passed will be forgiven them; but if they return, the precedent of the former peoples has already taken its course. Fight them until there is no more religious persecution and religion belongs entirely to Allah. If they desist, then Allah sees all that they do. But if they turn away, know that Allah is your Protector—what an excellent Protector and what an excellent Helper!”
This is part of His kindness toward His servants. Neither their disbelief nor their persistent obstinacy prevents Him, Most High, from calling them to the path of sound judgment and guidance and forbidding them from the causes of error and ruin that will destroy them. He therefore says: “Tell those who disbelieve that if they desist” from their disbelief by submitting to Allah alone, without associating any partner with Him,
“what has already passed will be forgiven them”—namely, their past offenses. “But if they return” to their disbelief and obstinacy, “the precedent of the former peoples has already taken its course,” for the nations that denied the truth were destroyed. Let them therefore await the fate that befell the obstinate; the truth of what they used to mock will soon become known to them.
This is His address to those who deny the truth. As for His address to the believers, when commanding them how to deal with the disbelievers, He says: “Fight them until there is no more religious persecution”—that is, polytheism and obstruction from the way of Allah—and until they submit to the rulings of Islam, “and religion belongs entirely to Allah.” This is the objective of fighting and striving against the enemies of the faith: to repel the harm they pose to religion and defend the religion of Allah, for which He created humankind, until it prevails over all other religions.
“If they desist” from the wrongdoing they are committing, “then Allah sees all that they do”; nothing concerning them is hidden from Him.
“But if they turn away” from obedience and hasten headlong into ruin, “know that Allah is your Protector—what an excellent Protector”: He takes His believing servants into His care, secures what is beneficial for them and facilitates (1) their religious and worldly interests. “And what an excellent Helper”: He grants them victory, protecting them from the schemes of the wicked and the concerted attacks of evildoers.
Whoever has Allah as his Protector and Helper has nothing to fear; but whoever has Allah against him has neither honor nor any power to stand.