— “Abode of the Emigrants”: that is, Medina at that time.
— “They shall have what the Emigrants have”: namely, an equal right to fay’ and war booty.
— “And upon them is what is upon the Emigrants”: such as jihad and other obligations.
— “Like the Bedouin Muslims”: those living in the desert who neither migrated nor fought.
— “Then ask them for jizya”: require them to pay the poll-tax, a sum taken from non-Muslims as a sign of their subjugation; its root is jazā’, as though it were a recompense for sparing their lives.
— “If they refuse”: i.e. decline both Islam and payment of the jizya.
— “You lay siege to the people of a fortress”: a fortress is any well-defended stronghold; besieging them means tightening the noose around them.
— “The protection (dhimma) of Allah and the protection of His Messenger”: here dhimma means covenant.
— “That you dishonor your covenants”: i.e. that you break your treaties.

Overall meaning of the ḥadīth: The noble Companion Buraydah ibn al-Ḥuṣayb (may Allah be pleased with him) relates what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do when he dispatched armies and detachments to fight in the path of Allah. He would instruct the commanders to shield themselves from Allah’s punishment by embracing piety, and he ordered them—after seeking Allah’s help—to set out and fight the unbelievers so that disbelief might be removed and all religion belong to Allah alone. He forbade them treachery in covenants, taking from the spoils before they were distributed, mutilating the dead, and killing those not liable to be killed, such as children. When they met the enemy, they were to offer three alternatives: embrace Islam, pay the jizya, or fight. If the enemy chose Islam, they were then given two further choices: either to migrate to the Abode of Hijra, in which case they would enjoy the same rights and bear the same duties as the Emigrants—