قرآن ﴿ ذلك بأن الذين كفروا اتبعوا الباطل وأن الذين آمنوا اتبعوا ألحق من ربهم كذالك يضرب الله للناس أمثالهم فإذا لقيتم الذين كفروا فضرب الرقاب حتى إذا أثخنتموهم فشدوا الوثاق فإما منا بعد وإما فداء حتى تضع الحرب أوزارها ذلك ولو يشاء الله لانتصر منهم ولكن ليبلوا بعضكم ببعض والذين قتلوا في سبيل الله فلن يضل أعمالهم ﴾ محمد ٣-٤
فقال ﴿ فإذا لقيتم الذين كفروا ﴾ من مشركي العرب بتوحيد الله تعالى ﴿ فضرب الرقاب ﴾ يعني الأعناق ﴿ حتى إذا أثخنتموهم ﴾ يعني قهرتموهم بالسيف وظهرتم عليهم ﴿ فشُدّوا الوثاق ﴾ يعني الأسر ﴿ فإما مَنًّا بعد ﴾ يعني عتقاً بعد الأسر فيمن عليهم ﴿ وإما فداءً ﴾ يقول فيفتدي نفسه بماله ليقوى به المسلمون على المشركين ثم نسختها آية السيف في براءة وهي قوله ﴿ فاقتلوا المشركين حيث وجدتموهم ﴾ يعني مشركي العرب ﴿ حتى تضع الحرب أوزارها ﴾ يعني ترك الشرك حتى لا يكون في العرب مشرك وأمر ألا يقبل منهم إلا الاسلام ثم إستأنف فقال ﴿ ذلك ﴾ يقول هذا أمر الله في ألمن والفداء حدثنا عبدالله قال حدثني ابي قال حدثني الهذيل قال قال مقاتل إذا أسلمت العرب وضعت الحرب أوزارها وقال في سورة الصف ﴿ فأيّدنا الذين آمنوا على عدوهم فأصبحوا ظاهرين ﴾ بمحمد حين أسلمت العرب
تفسير مقاتل بن سليمان
{ This is because those who have disbelieved have followed after futility, and because those who have believed have followed the truth from their Lord; thus Allah puts forth to people their parables. So whenever you face those who have disbelieved, strike the necks until you have thoroughly brought them down; and tighten the shackles. Afterwards either an act of kindness or ransom, until the war puts down its burdens. Such it is; and if Allah had willed, He would have avenged Himself of them, but rather that some of you might put others of you to the test. And those who are killed in the cause of Allah – their deeds will not be in vain } Muhammad 3-4
He says: { So whenever you face those who have disbelieved } : among the Arabs who idolatrize against the oneness of Allah Most High ; { strike the necks } : that is, the neck area in general; { until you have thoroughly brought them down } : that is, overpowered them by the sword and prevailed over them; { and tighten the shackles } : that is, imprisonment. { Afterwards either an act of kindness } : that is, release after being taken captive; { or ransom } : He is saying: He may use his wealth to ransom himself, so that with it the Muslims can be strengthened over the Idolaters. Then the verse of the sword in the “Absolution” surah abrogated it, this being His word: { Kill the Idolaters wherever you find them } [Al-tawba 5] , that is, the Idolaters among the Arabs. { Until the war puts down its burdens } : that is, they abandon idolatry [shirk] until there are no more Idolaters among the Arabs; He orders that nothing but Islam be accepted from them. Then He continues and says: { Such it is } ; He is saying that this is a command from Allah for acts of kindness or ransom. Abdullah related to us, saying: My father related to me, from Al-Hudhail, from Muqatil, who said: When the Arabs yield into Islam, the war puts down its burdens. And He says in surah Al-saff: { We came to the aid of those who believed, against their enemy, and they became the ones who prevailed } [Al-saff 14] : by way of Muhammad, when the Arabs yielded into Islam.
Tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulaiman