HOW COULD they who ascribe divinity to aught beside God be granted a covenant by God and His Apostle, unless it be those [of them] with whom you [O believers] have made a covenant in the vicinity of the Inviolable House of Worship? [As for the latter,] so long as they remain true to you, be true to them: for, verily, God loves those who are conscious of Him. 7 How could God and His Messenger grant them (pagans) peace when if they were to acquire superiority over you, they would respect none of the peace treaties nor their kindred relations with you! They only try to please you by paying lip-service to you but their hearts are against you and most of them are evil-doers. 8 They have exchanged the signs of Allah for a small price and averted [people] from His way. Indeed, it was evil that they were doing. 9 In a Believer they respect not the ties either of kinship or of covenant! It is they who have transgressed all bounds. 10 If they repent, perform their prayers, pay religious tax, they would be your brothers in the religion. We explain Our revelations to people of knowledge. 11 And if they violate their oaths after their covenant and revile your religion, fight those leaders of infidelity - verily no oaths will hold in their case that haply they may desist. 12 Will you not fight against those who have broken their oaths and conspired to expel the Messenger? They were the first to attack you. Do you fear them? Surely, Allah has better rights that you fear Him, if you are believers. 13 Fight them, and God will chastise them at your hands and degrade them, and He will help you against them, and bring healing to the breasts of a people who believe, 14 and will remove the wrath that is in their hearts. And God will turn in His mercy unto whom He wills: for, God is all-knowing, wise. 15 Are you under the illusion that you would be left just like this, whereas Allah has not yet made known those of you who will fight and not confide their secrets with anyone except Allah and His Noble Messenger and the Muslims? And Allah is Well Aware of your deeds. 16