Overall meaning : Almighty Allah addresses the believers, saying: Why are you thus divided concerning the hypocrites and whether or not they are unbelievers when Allah Himself has cast them back into unbelief on account of their evil misdeeds? They are unquestionably unbelievers. Would those of you who doubt this and think well of the hypocrites, then, guide those Allah has forsaken and misguided? You can by no means guide those whom Allah has led astray.
Then He informs the faithful that these hypocrites hope they would fall into unbelief as they themselves have, so that they may be all alike, and warns them against taking them as supporters until they believe and migrate in the cause of Allah from the abode of unbelief to the abode of faith. If, however, they turn away from faith and migration in Allah’s cause, and continue their hostility against them, then the believers should take them prisoner and kill them wherever they find them, and not to take any of them, under such circumstances, as allies or supporters, with the exception of those who join a people with whom the believers have a peace treaty, or those who come over to the believers because their hearts forbid them to fight against them or against their own people, in which case they are neither with the believers nor against them, and so the believers should not fight against them. Allah then reminds the faithful that had He pleased, He would have given these peaceable hypocrites power over them, so that they would have taken arms against them, but He has, by His grace, kept them from doing the believers any harm. Therefore, if they cease their hostility and offer the believers peace, the believers are not allowed to fight against them, nor take them prisoner nor seize any spoils from them.
Allah Almighty also informs the believers that they will find another type of hypocrites who seek security from the believers by feigning faith and from their own people by worshipping whatever they worship besides or other than Allah. Whenever they are called to unbelief they plunge headlong into it. If these hypocrites neither offer the believers peace nor cease their hostilities against them, Allah instructs, the believers should fight against them, lay hold of them and kill them wherever they find them. In their case, Allah explains, He has given the believers clear and absolute authority to kill them for their treachery.