86وَإِذا حُيّيتُم بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيّوا بِأَحسَنَ مِنها أَو رُدّوها ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كانَ عَلىٰ كُلِّ شَيءٍ حَسيبًاMuhammad AsadBut when you are greeted with a greeting [of peace], answer with an even better greeting, or [at least] with the like thereof.1 Verily, God keeps count indeed of all things.Lit., "greet with better than it, or return it". In the above context, this obviously refers to an offer of peace by people with whom the believers are at war as well as to individual persons who, while possibly belonging to the enemy, have, to all outward appearances, peaceful intentions. In accordance with the injunctions, "if they incline to peace, incline thou to it as well" (8:61), and "if they desist (from fighting), then all hostility shall cease" (2:193), the believers are obliged to make peace with an enemy who makes it clear that he wants to come to an equitable understanding; similarly, they must show every consideration to individual persons from among the enemies who do not actively participate in the hostilities (see also verse 94 of this surah).