The Time Limit for the Mustaa'min Disbeliever in the Verses of Surat al-Tawbah

Question:
I say, Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. In the exegesis of the previous verses in Surat al-Bara'ah, some tafsirs specify the time limit for the musta'min disbeliever who came to seek or endure [safety] as only four months, as mentioned in the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, while others say only one year. We hope you will clarify this for us.

Answer:
What is in Surat al-Tawbah is not as the questioner said. In Surat al-Tawbah, when Allah commanded the jihad against the disbelievers, the disbelievers were divided into two groups. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had previously been prohibited from fighting and prohibited from jihad. When Allah legislated jihad, the disbelievers were divided into two groups: one group had a treaty for a specific duration. For this group, their specified term is completed, and when their term ends, war is declared against them.
The second group consists of people who do not have treaties. These people are not started against with fighting immediately after the obligation of fighting is established, but they are given a period of four months. Four months. After that, war is declared against them if they do not submit to Islam. This is the intended meaning. So these four months are for those who do not have, who do not have, specified treaties. Yes.