[Those with whom you made a treaty, but then they break their treaty in every instance].
Al-Kalbi said: These are a people among those who had made a truce with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), yet they would break the treaty. So Allah commanded concerning them with His command, saying: [So if you gain dominance over them in war] meaning: if you overcome them,
[then disperse by them those behind them] meaning: then make them an example for those who are behind them, [that perhaps they will remember] He says: that perhaps they will believe, for fear that there might befall them what befell those who broke the treaty.
﴿الَّذِينَ عَاهَدْتَ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهدهم فِي كل مرّة﴾.
قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ:
هَؤُلاءِ قَوْمٌ مِمَّنْ كَانَ وادع رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَكَانُوا يَنْقُضُونَ الْعَهْدَ، فَأَمَرَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ بِأَمْرِهِ، فَقَالَ: ﴿فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْب﴾ أَيْ: تَظْفَرُ بِهِمْ.
﴿فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ من خَلفهم﴾ أَيْ: فَعِظْ بِهِمْ مَنْ سِوَاهُمْ ﴿لَعَلَّهُم يذكرُونَ﴾ يَقُولُ: لَعَلَّهُمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ؛ مَخَافَةَ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِهِمْ مَا نَزَلَ بِالَّذِينَ نقضوا الْعَهْد