Recognition of the Last Sūra and its Impression on How to Interact with Non-Muslims

There is an apparent contradiction in some āyas of the two Sūrat al-Tawba and Sūrat al-Mā’ida concerning the interaction between the People of the Scripture and the polytheists. In order to resolve this contradiction, a group of interpreters have maintained the posterity of Sūrat al-Tawba, hence the abrogation of the contradictory āyas of Sūrat al-Mā’ida. Another group, by believing in the posterity of Sūrat al-Mā’ida, have considered its āyas as unequivocal, but have resorted to strange interpretations in conceptualizing the āyas of Sūrat al-Mā’ida for resolving its contradiction with Sūrat al-Tawba or have ignored the conflict of these two sūras. Yet, another group have considered the āyas of Sūrat al-Mā’ida as unequivocal and lasting only in relation to interaction with the polytheists of the People of the Scripture. Proving Sūrat al-Mā’ida to be the last revealed sūra, this article has rescinded the abrogation of its āyas and has explained the outcomes in how to interact with the People of the Book and the polytheists. Then, in resolving the contradiction, it has not maintained the abrogation of Sūrat al-Tawba; rather, by proving the twofold approach of these two sūras, it has described the āyas of Sūrat al-Mā’ida as the dominating āyas and proportionate to the peace conditions and the āyas of Sūrat al-Tawba as specific to the condition of war and conflicts.