They wish you would disbelieve as they have disbelieved, so you may all be alike. So do not take them as allies unless they emigrate in the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and do not take any of them as allies or helpers,26
They but wish that you should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee 607 in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever you find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks;-
607 Flee: the verbal form from which the noun hijrah is derived. Bukhari interprets this rightly as fleeing from all that is forbidden. This would include hijrah in the technical sense of leaving a place in which the practice of religion is not allowed. But it is more general, in time of war, if a man is willing to submit to discipline and refrains from infringing orders issued, he has proved his fidelity and may be treated as a member of the community at war. On the other hand, if he by false pretences comes into the inner counsels merely to betray them, he may rightly be treated as a traitor or deserter and be punished for his treason or desertion; or if he escapes, he can be treated as an enemy and is entitled to no mercy. He is worse than an enemy; he has claimed to be one of you in order to spy on you, and been all the time helping the enemy.
They would love to see you deny the truth even as they have denied it, so that you should be like them. Do not, therefore, take them for your allies until they forsake the domain of evil 108 for the sake of God; and if they revert to [open] enmity, seize them and slay them wherever you may find them. And do not take any of them 109 for your ally or giver of succour,
108 See surah 2, verse 218, as well as note on verse 97 of this surah.
109 I.e., any of those who have not "forsaken the domain of evil" and are wavering between belief and disbelief.
26 The verse discusses a group of people who nominally became Muslims and secretly supported the enemies of Muslims. For those hypocrites to prove their loyalty, they were commanded to emigrate and join the ranks of the believers, or they would be considered enemies.