Like the whole of Surat al-Tawbah, this verse must be understood in the context in which it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions, and the passage must be read in a connected way, so it is clear to whom the verses are referring. This instruction was revealed to bring an end to a long struggle with the Makkan idolaters who had driven the Muslims out, and various battles which ensued over the following decade. \ The general rule is that peaceful relations are maintained with all people, but the exceptions are those who were actively hostile to the Muslims: **“Allah does not forbid you from dealing kindly and fairly with those who have neither fought nor driven you out of your homes. Surely Allah loves those who are fair.”** ([60:8](https://quran.com/60/8)). If any group seeks peace with Muslims, the Muslims are instructed to accept: **“If they incline towards peace, then incline to it also and trust in Allah. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”** ([8:61](https://quran.com/8/61)). This ruling fits within the broader ethics of honesty, sincerity, and maintaining trusts and treaties which Islam emphasizes. \ In this passage, the believers are instructed to fulfill their treaty with those idolaters who had not violated their covenant, so long as they maintain it ([9:4](https://quran.com/9/4), 7). As for those who are hostile, violate their covenants, and attack the religion, seeking to turn people away from it, this Surah announces that their covenant is coming to an end, while giving them a four months’ notice. Moreover, this declaration was made on the most important day of Hajj to ensure that the message reached far and wide. \ This is consistent with the Quranic teaching found in [8:58](https://quran.com/8/58): **“And if you fear betrayal from a people, then openly terminate your treaty with them. Surely Allah does not love the treacherous.”** In this verse, “fear betrayal” means to see signs of betrayal. This is because foreign policy decisions are dependent on the reading of such signs. \ The verses go on to clarify that the reason for this war is the hostility and treachery of the idolaters. Furthermore, the verse immediately following this one ([9:6](https://quran.com/9/6)) makes clear that this is not a command to force anyone to accept Islam: any polytheist who wishes may seek asylum with the Muslims to hear the Qur’an and decide for himself whether to accept Islam. This is why the verses emphasize the need to fight the “leaders of disbelief” ([9:12](https://quran.com/9/12)), i.e. those who are hostile to Islam. \ The intent of these verses then is not to forcibly convert non-Muslims to Islam or to kill them all, but to protect Muslim territory from encroachment or attack by hostile parties. \ It is worth remembering the broader principles of the Quran which rule out faith based on coercion ([2:256](https://quran.com/2/256), [11:28](https://quran.com/11/28)).

The full context makes clear that this verse was a command to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions to fight hostile idolaters, not to wage war against all non-believers or force anyone to accept Islam.