Here the “believers” are addressed (v. 13), and the objects of the fighting are people who have broken their oaths and – according to verse 13 – intended to expel the messenger. The purpose of the fighting here is so that the hearts of the believers will be healed and their rage assuaged (v. 15).

Among the Quran’s twelve commands to fight, this particular command is unique in specifying that Allah will punish the enemy by the physical hands of the “believers.” Some scholars have suggested that this verse represents a shift from an understanding that Allah will himself punish sinful nations to an understanding that “believers” will deliver the punishment on behalf of Allah.