9:123

Salaam all,

9:123
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ قَاتِلُواْ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَكُم مِّنَ الْكُفَّارِ وَلِيَجِدُواْ فِيكُمْ غِلْظَةً وَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ
Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo qatiloo allatheena yaloonakum mina alkuffari walyajidoo feekum ghilthatan waiAAlamoo anna Allaha maAAa almuttaqeena

The Aya says:
O you faithful, fight those who are next to you among the rejecters and let them find in you firmness and be aware that Allah is on the side of the mindful.

My personal note:
The context of the Aya is that their neighbors of the rejecters were the Byzantines who were hostile with hostile intentions. At the same period all neighboring states were in a state of war with each other. So, the context applies to that period. The other issue is that this Aya applies to state to state affairs and not to individuals or mob groups. So a Muslim group cannot use this Aya. Additionally, a Muslim state cannot use this Aya to justify attacking a non-hostile neighboring state even if they were rejecters.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Ya ayyuha: O you
Allatheena: those who
Amanoo: made themselves safe/ attained faith
Note: the root is Hamza-M-N and it means safe or safety. AMANOO is an action that is derived from the root and that is completed. It means: the action of making the object (not mentioned and therefore the subject and the object can be the same entity here) become safe happened by the subject (third person plural). So, it ends up meaning: they made themselves safe.

Qatiloo: fight
Note: the root is Qaf-T-L and it means killing or actions that potentially can lead to death including injury and others. QATILOO is an order or a request addressed to a plural. It means: Fight in an interactive manner.

Allatheena: those who are
Yaloonakum: next to you/ adjacent to you (plural)
Note: the root is W-L-Y and it means direction or following direction with some guarantee. It can be literal as in something next to the other or following the other in space or time. Conceptually, It comes close to guardianship. WALI is either the one who is a guardian or the one who receives guardianship of another or both. In this context it is literal. YALOONAKUM is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of being next to the pbject (plural you) is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural). In his context it points to being adjacent to.

Mina: of/ from
Alkuffari: the rejecters
Note: The root is K-F-R and it means cover or bury in the ground, as in put the seed in the ground and cover it. This is then used conceptually for many purposes as in discarding and rejecting as well as burying. ALKUFFARI are the rejecters or non believers.

Walyajidoo: and let them find/ and let them experience
Note: WA in this context is for more elaboration on the subject at hand. L is for emphasis or to make something imperative. YAJIDOO is derived from the root W-J-D and it means in one concrete meaning the water that has accumulated in the desert. This is then used to mean a find that is really important. YAJIDOO is an action that is happening or will be happening. It means: the action of finding or experiencing is happening by the subject ( third person plural).
Feekum: in you (plural)
Ghilthatan: thickness/ firmness
Note: the root is Gh- L-THA and it means thick or hard in a conceptual manner. The meaning becomes specific by the context of the sentence. GHILTHA means thickness or hardness and it points to strength and firmness.
waiAAlamoo: and know (plural)/ know for fact/ Be aware
Note: WA here is to resume a sentence. iAALAMOO is derived from the root Ain-L-M and it means knowing/knowledge or knowledge of facts. iAALAMOO is an order or a request addressed to a group. It means: know or know for fact.

Anna: that
Allaha: Allah
maAAa: with/ on the side of
almuttaqeena : the ones who make themselves conscious/ guard/ the mindful.
Note: the root W-Qaf-Y and it means guard and protect. Since the best way to guard is through consciousness, then I am using consciousness as a meaning here. ALMUTTAQEENA are the ones who make themselves conscious or the ones who make themselves guard.

Salaam all and have a great day

Hussein