Intimidating the enemy and fighting them, and citing the saying of Allah the Exalted: “You intimidate them with it”

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, what is your opinion of this statement? Is it correct in its absolute form, that one must terrorize the enemy and fight him in every place and by any means? He cites as evidence for this the statement: and that this is absolute.

Answer:
No, my brother, it is not absolute. This is restricted to the musta'min (non-Muslim granted safe conduct), the mu'ahid (treaty partner), and the dhimmi (non-Muslim under Muslim protection). It is not permissible to intimidate them. This applies to the enemy who is at war. As for the treaty partner, the dhimmi, and the musta'min, they are not to be intimidated. They have the same rights as Muslims, and they are bound by the same obligations as Muslims. Just as it is not permissible for you to intimidate a Muslim, it is not permissible to intimidate one who holds a treaty, a trust, or a dhimmah (protection).
This is treachery and deception, and it is not permissible in Islam. One should have understanding (fiqh) in these matters and ask the people of knowledge. A person should not issue a ruling for himself based on the opinion of an ignorant person or a malicious one. This is the understanding of the Khawarij (an early sect that declared sinners disbelievers); the Khawarij are the ones whose understanding is like this. As for the understanding of the people of the Sunnah and the scholars, they refer some texts to others, interpret some with others, restrict the absolute, and specify the general. This is the profession of the people of knowledge. The profession of the ignorant and the malicious is to play with the Book of Allah the Exalted and Majestic. Yes.