CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

THE CONQUEST OF MECCA AND LATER CONFLICTS

THE PEACE TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH (6H or spring 628)
After the Battle of Trench, when Muhammad had humiliated Mecca and quashed the opposition in Medina, he felt that it was time
to begin a peace offensive. In March 628 he set in train a daring and imaginative initiative that brought the conflict to a close.
Towards the end of the sixth year of the hijrah, the Prophet had a dream in which he saw himself and his followers entering
Mecca as pilgrims. He decided to perform, accompanied by his followers, the “lesser pilgrimage” or “pious visit” (umrah) to
Mecca. The Quraysh had resolved to prevent the Muslims from entering the Kabah for worship and this prohibition applied only
to the Muslims among all Arab tribes.
Although for nearly six years there had been a more or less permanent state of war between the Muslim community at Medina
and the pagan oligarchy of Mecca, the Prophet did not anticipate actual fighting on that occasion, since the month of Dhu l-
Qadah, in which he intended to reach Mecca, was one of the four sacred months during which, in accordance with time-honored
Arabian custom, all warfare was outlawed, and particularly so in and around the Holy City. A call was issued to some of the allied
bedouin tribes in the vicinity of Medina to join the Prophet on this pilgrimage, but most of them excused themselves on some
pretext or other (see 48:11). Thus, the Prophet’s party which set out for Mecca consisted of only 1400-1500 men, all of them
dressed in the pilgrim’s garb (ihram) and, apart from their sheathed swords, unarmed. Muslims would be walking directly into
lion’s den and putting themselves at the mercy of the hostile and resentful Quraysh.
On learning of the Prophet’s approach, the Meccans decided - against all Arabian tradition - to oppose the entry of the pilgrims by
force of arms. A detachment of two hundred horsemen under the command of Khalid ibn al-Walid (who was destined to embrace
Islam less than two years later) was sent out to intercept the Prophet’s party before they reached the area outside Mecca where
violence was forbidden. Since the Prophet was neither inclined nor in a position to give battle, he turned westwards from Bir
Usfan (a place about one day’s journey from Mecca) and managed to reach the edge of sanctuary, and camped at the plain of Al-
Hudaybiyyah (nine miles north of Mecca). Eventually the Quraysh were pressured by this peaceful demonstration to sign a treaty
with the ummah.
There and then negotiations were opened between the Muslims and the Meccan oligarchy. After some preliminary discussions
conducted by various emissaries of both parties, the Prophet sent Uthman ibn Affan (who belonged to one of the most influential
Meccan clans) as his envoy. Shortly after Uthman’s arrival in Mecca, a rumor that he had been murdered reached the Muslim
camp at Hudaybiyyah. Thereupon the Prophet, expecting a treacherous attack by the Meccans, assembled his followers and,
sitting under a wild acacia tree, took, amid scenes of the greatest enthusiasm, a pledge from each one of his followers that they
would remain steadfast and fight unto death; and after the revelation of verse 48:18 of this surah, this “Pledge of the Tree” became
known to history as Bayat ar-Ridwan (“the Pledge of God’s Goodly Acceptance”).
When a few days later the rumor of Uthman’s death proved false and he himself returned to Hudaybiyyah, it became clear that the
Meccans were prepared to conclude a truce. A treaty was drawn up, stipulating the following. (1) All warfare between Mecca and
Medina should be suspended for ten years. (2) The Prophet and his followers should refrain from entering Mecca that year, but
would be free to do so the following year. (3) The Prophet also agreed that if a Meccan minor or any other person under
guardianship should go over to the Muslims without the permission of his guardian, he would be returned to the latter; but should
any follower of the Prophet - whether minor or of age - go over to the Quraysh of his own free will, he or she would not be
returned. Although this last stipulation appeared at first glance to be disadvantageous to the Muslims, it is obvious that the
Prophet agreed to it in pursuance of the principle that “there shall be no coercion in matters of faith” (2:256). The treaty was an
unpopular move on both sides. Many of the Muslims were eager for action and felt that the treaty was shameful, but Muhammad
was determined to achieve victory by peaceful means. In the following year, Muhammad and two thousands of his followers
made the lesser pilgrimage or Umrah and no doubt impressed the Meccans by their discipline and orderliness.
Hudaybiyyah was another turning point. For the first time in six years peaceful contacts were established between Mecca and
Medina, and thus the way was opened to the penetration of Islamic ideas into the citadel of Arabian paganism. The Meccans who
had occasion to visit the Muslim camp at Hudaybiyyah returned deeply impressed by the spirit and the unity of Muhammad’s
followers, and many of them began to waver in their hostility towards the faith preached by him. As soon as the perennial warfare
came to an end and people of both sides could meet freely, new converts rallied around the Prophet, first in tens, then in hundreds,
then in thousands - so much so that when the pagan Quraysh broke the truce two years after its conclusion, the Prophet could and
did occupy Mecca almost without resistance. Thus, in fact if not in appearance, the Truce of Hudaybiyyah ushered in the moral
and political victory of Islam over all Arabia.
VICTORY ACHIEVED BY THE TRUCE OF HUDAYBIYYAH
In the consensus of all the authorities, the forty-eight surah, Al-Fath (victory) commemorating this victory was revealed during
the Prophet’s return march from Hudaybiyyah to Medina.
(48:1-5) Verily, [O Muhammad,] We have laid open before you a manifest victory, [Namely, the moral victory achieved by
the Truce of Hudaybiyyah, which opened the doors to the conquest of Mecca and subsequent triumph of Islam in Arabia.] so that
God might show His forgiveness of all your faults, past as well as future, [So that God might forgive you all that is past of
your sins and all that is yet to come - thus indicating elliptically that freedom from faults is an exclusive prerogative of God, and
that every human being, however exalted, is bound to err on occasion.] and [thus] bestow upon you the full measure of His
blessings, and guide you on a straight way, [To a fulfillment of your mission, which the Truce of Hudaybiyyah clearly
presaged.] and [show] that God will succor you with [His] mighty succor. It is He who from on high has bestowed inner
peace upon the hearts of the believers, [I.e., endowed them, although they were few and practically unarmed, with calm courage
in the face of the much more powerful forces of the enemy.] so that - seeing that God’s are all the forces of the heavens and
the earth, and that God is all-knowing, truly wise - they might grow yet more firm in their faith; [and] that He might
admit the believers, both men and women, into gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide, and that He
might efface their [past bad] deeds: and that is, in the sight of God, indeed a triumph supreme!
PUNISHMENT FOR HYPOCRITES AND IDOL-WORSHIPPERS
(48:6-7) And [God has willed] to impose suffering [in the life to come] on the hypocrites, both men and women, and on
those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, both men and women: all who entertain evil thoughts about God. [I.e.,
who deny His existence or man’s responsibility to Him, or offend against the concept of His oneness.] Evil encompasses them
from all sides, and God’s condemnation rests upon them; and He has rejected them [from His grace], and has readied hell
for them: and how evil a journey’s end! For, God’s are all the forces of the heavens and the earth; and God is indeed
almighty, truly wise!
PLEDGE OF FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE
(48:8-10) Verily, [O Muhammad,] We have sent you as a witness [to the truth], and as a herald of glad tidings and a
warner - so that you [O men] might believe in God and His Apostle, and might honor Him, and revere Him, and extol His
limitless glory from morn to evening. Behold, all who pledge their allegiance to you pledge their allegiance to God: the
hand of God is over their hands. Hence, he who breaks his oath, breaks it only to his own hurt; whereas he who remains
true to what he has pledged unto God, on him will He bestow a reward supreme. [This refers, in the first instance, to the
pledge of faith and allegiance (bayat ar-ridwan) which the Muslims assembled at Hudaybiyyah gave to the Prophet (see
introductory note). Beyond this historical allusion, however, the above sentence implies that as one’s faith in God’s message-
bearer is to all intents and purposes synonymous with a declaration of faith in God Himself, so does one’s willingness to obey
God necessarily imply a willingness to obey His message-bearer. The phrase “the hand of God is over their hands” does not
merely allude to the hand-clasp with which all of the Prophet’s followers affirmed their allegiance to him, but is also a metaphor
for His being a witness to their pledge.]
HYPOCRITES WHO STAYED BEHIND
The passage below refers to the bedouin belonging to the tribes of Ghifar, Muzaynah, Juhaynah, Ashja, Aslam and Dhayl, who,
although allied with the Prophet and outwardly professing Islam, refused under various pretexts to accompany him on his march
to Mecca, since they were convinced that the Meccans would give battle and destroy the unarmed Muslims. The excuses
mentioned in the sequence were made after the Prophet’s and his followers’ successful return to Medina.
(48:11-14) Those of the bedouin who stayed behind will say to you: “[The need to take care of] our chattels and our
families kept us busy: do then, [O Prophet,] ask God to forgive us!” [Thus,] they will utter with their tongues something
that is not in their hearts. [Implying that the excuses which they would proffer would be purely hypocritical.] Say: “Who, then,
has it in his power to avert from you aught that God may have willed, whether it be His will to harm you or to confer a
benefit on you? Nay, but God is fully aware of what you do! Nay, you thought that the Apostle and the believers would
never return to their kith and kin: and this seemed goodly to your hearts. [Implying that the real sympathies of those bedouin
were with the pagan Quraysh rather than with the Muslims.] And you entertained [such] evil thoughts because you have
always been people devoid of all good!” Now as for those who will not believe in God and His Apostle - verily, We have
readied a blazing flame for all [such] deniers of the truth! But God’s is the dominion over the heavens and the earth: He
forgives whomever He wills, and imposes suffering on whomever He wills - and [withal,] He is indeed much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace. [God may forgive even the most hardened sinners if they truly repent and mend their ways.]
PROMISE OF FUTURE VICTORIES
(48:18-23) Indeed, well-pleased was God with the believers when they pledged their allegiance to you [O Muhammad]
under that tree, [I.e., at Hudaybiyyah (bayat ar-ridwan)] for He knew what was in their hearts; and so He bestowed inner
peace upon them from on high, and rewarded them with [the glad tiding of] a victory soon to come [Most of the
commentators assume that this relates to the conquest of Khaybar, which took place a few months after the Truce of
Hudaybiyyah. It is probable that this is a prophecy of the almost bloodless conquest of Mecca in the year 8 H., the victorious
establishment of Islam in all of Arabia and, finally, the tremendous expansion of the Islamic Commonwealth under the Prophet’s
immediate successors.] and [of] many war-gains which they would achieve: for God is indeed almighty, wise. [O you who
believe!] God has promised you many war-gains which you shall yet achieve; and He has vouchsafed you these [worldly
gains] well in advance, [Of what is to come to you in the hereafter.] and has stayed from you the hands of [hostile] people, so
that this [your inner strength] may become a symbol to the believers [who will come after you], and that He may guide you
all on a straight way. And there are yet other [gains] which are still beyond your grasp, [I.e., the achievement of final bliss in
the life to come] [but] which God has already encompassed [for you]: for God has the power to will anything. And [now,] if
they who are bent on denying the truth should fight against you, they will indeed turn their backs [in flight], and will find
none to protect them and none to bring them succor: [This divine promise was fulfilled in the unbroken sequence of Muslim
victories after the Truce of Hudaybiyyah, ultimately leading to the establishment of an empire which extended from the Atlantic
Ocean to the confines of China. For the conditional nature of the above promise, see 3:111.] such being God’s way which has
ever obtained in the past - and never will you find any change in God’s way! [This reference to God’s way or sunnat Allah is
twofold: on the one hand, “you are bound to rise high if you are (truly) believers” (3:139), and, on the other, “God does not
change men’s condition unless they change their inner selves” (13:11), in both the positive and negative connotations of the
concept of “change”.]
RESTRAIN FROM VIOLENCE IN MECCA
(48:24-25) And He it is who, in the valley of Mecca, stayed their hands from you, and your hands from them, after He had
enabled you to vanquish them; and God saw indeed what you were doing. [Shortly before the Truce of Hudaybiyyah was
concluded, a detachment of Quraysh warriors - variously estimated at between thirty and eighty men - attacked the Prophet’s
camp, but his followers overcame them and took them prisoner; after the signing of the treaty the Prophet released them
unharmed.] [It was not for your enemies sake that He stayed your hands from them: for] it was they who were bent on
denying the truth, and who debarred you from the Inviolable House of Worship [I.e., the Kabah, which, until the year 7 H.,
the Muslims were not allowed to approach.] and prevented your offering from reaching its destination. [See 2:196.] And had
it not been for the believing men and believing women [in Mecca], whom you might have unwittingly trampled underfoot,
[I.e., killed. After the Prophet’s and his followers’ exodus to Medina, a number of Meccans - both men and women - had
embraced Islam, but had been prevented by the pagan Quraysh from emigrating. Their identities were not generally known to the
Muslims of Medina. If Muslims were allowed to fight in order to enter Kabah, they would have unwittingly killed some of these
unknown Muslims.] and on whose account you might have become guilty, without knowing it, of a grievous wrong-: [had it
not been for this, you would have been allowed to fight your way into the city: but you were forbidden to fight] so that [in
time] God might admit to His grace whomever He wills. [I.e., so that the believers might be spared, and that in time many a
pagan Meccan might embrace Islam, as actually happened.] Had they [who deserve Our mercy and they whom We have
condemned] been clearly discernible [to you], [I.e., the believers and the pagans among the Meccans. It implies that man never
really knows whether another human being deserves God’s grace or condemnation.] We would indeed have imposed grievous
suffering [at your hands] on such of them as were bent on denying the truth.
STUBBORN DISDAIN
(48:26) Whereas they who are bent on denying the truth harbored a stubborn disdain in their hearts - the stubborn
disdain [born] of ignorance [Although this reference to the “stubborn disdain” on the part of the pagan Quraysh may have been
characteristic of their over-all attitude towards the Prophet and his mission, it is probable that its special mention here relates to an
incident which occurred at Hudaybiyyah during the truce negotiations between the Prophet and the emissary of the Meccans,
Suhayl ibn Amr. The Prophet began to dictate to Ali ibn Abi Talib the text of the proposed agreement: “Write down, ‘In the name
of God, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace’ ” ; but Suhayl interrupted him and said: “We have never heard of [the
expression] ‘the Most Gracious’; write down only what we know.” Whereupon the Prophet said to Ali: “Write, then, ‘In Thy
name, O God’.” Ali wrote as he was told; and the Prophet continued: “This is what has been agreed upon between Muhammad,
God’s Apostle, and the people of Mecca…”. But Suhayl interrupted again: “If you are (really) an apostle of God, (this would be
an admission on our part that) we have been doing wrong to you; write, therefore, as we understand it.” And so the Prophet
dictated to Ali: “Write thus: ‘This is what has been agreed upon between Muhammad, the son of Abd Allah, son of Abd al-
Muttalib, and the people of Mecca…’.” (This story is recorded in many versions, among others by Nasai, Ibn Hanbal and Tabari.)
- God bestowed from on high His [gift of] inner peace upon His Apostle and the believers, and bound them to the spirit of
God-consciousness: [Implying that their consciousness of God and of His all-pervading power enabled them to bear the
“stubborn disdain” of their enemies with inner calm and serenity.] for they were most worthy of this [divine gift], and deserved
it well. And God has full knowledge of all things.
APOSTLE’S TRUE VISION
(48:27-28) Indeed, God has shown the truth in His Apostle’s true vision: [Shortly before the expedition which ended at
Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet had a dream in which he saw himself and his followers entering Mecca as pilgrims. This dream-vision
was destined to be fulfilled a year later, in 7 H., when the Muslims were able to perform their first peaceful pilgrimage to the Holy
City.] most certainly shall you enter the Inviolable House of Worship, if God so wills, in full security, with your heads
shaved or your hair cut short, without any fear: [Male pilgrims usually shave or cut their hair short before assuming the
pilgrim’s garb (ihram), for it is not permitted to do so while in the state of pilgrimage. A repetition of the same act marks the
completion of the pilgrimage (2:196).] for He has [always] known that which you yourselves could not know. [Namely, the
future] And He has ordained [for you], besides this, a victory soon to come. [See verse 18 above.] He it is who has sent forth
His Apostle with the [task of spreading] guidance and the religion of truth, to the end that He make it prevail over every
[false] religion; and none can bear witness [to the truth] as God does. [See also 3:19 - “the only true religion in the sight of
God is man’s self-surrender unto Him”: from which it follows that any religion (in the widest sense of this term) which is not
based on the above principle is, eo ipso, false.]
TRUE BELIEVERS
(48:29) Muhammad is God’s Apostle; and those who are [truly] with him are firm and unyielding towards all deniers of
the truth, [yet] full of mercy towards one another. [See 5:54 - “humble towards the believers, proud towards all who deny the
truth”.] You can see them bowing down, prostrating themselves [in prayer], seeking favor with God and [His] goodly
acceptance: their marks are on their faces, traced by prostration. [The term “prostration” stands here for the innermost
consummation of faith, while its “trace” signifies the spiritual reflection of that faith in the believer’s manner of life and even in
his outward aspect. Since the “face” is the most expressive part of man’s personality, it is often used in the Quran in the sense of
one’s “whole being”.] This is their parable in the Torah as well as their parable in the Gospel: [The posture of humility in
prayer is indicated by prostration: i.e., Moses and Aaron “fell upon their faces”, Num. xvi. 22. Regarding the significance of the
term Injil (Gospel) as used in the Quran, see 3:4.] [they are] like a seed that brings forth its shoot, and then He strengthens it,
so that it grows stout, and [in the end] stands firm upon its stem, delighting the sowers. [Thus will God cause the believers
to grow in strength,] so that through them He might confound the deniers of the truth. [But] unto such of them as may
[yet] attain to faith and do righteous deeds, God has promised forgiveness and a reward supreme. [This relates to the
deniers of the truth spoken of in the preceding sentence - i.e., to those of them who might yet attain to faith and thus achieve
God’s forgiveness: a promise which was fulfilled within a few years after the revelation of this verse, as most of the Arabian
enemies of the Prophet embraced Islam, and many of them became its torchbearers. But in a wider sense, this divine promise
remains open until Resurrection Day, relating to everybody, at all times and in all cultural environments, who might yet attain to
the truth and live up to it.]
THE CAMPAIGN OF KHAYBAR
Relations between Quraysh and Muslims became relatively peaceful after the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The Quraysh embarked on
enlarging trade, hoping to capture their business with Syria. For the Muslims, the treaty of Hudaybiyyah had secured the southern
flank from the Quraysh and they turned their attention to a significant threat towards the North against Khaybar, a fertile Jewish
oasis a hundred miles north of Medina. Khaybar had served as an asylum for exiled Medinese Jews and as a source of that
contingent of Jews which took part in the battle of trench. The Jews of Khaybar not only fought in the battle of trench but also
promised a whole year’s crop of the orchard of Khaybar as a prize for the fighters from the tribe of Ghatafan in case of victory.
Sallam ibn Abu al Huqayq and al Yasir ibn Razzam, two Khaybar chieftains were also killed during the campaign of Trench.
The oasis of Khaybar was a strongly fortified territory, studded with castles, situated on inaccessible hills. The Jews of Khaybar
united by an ancient alliance with the Bedouin tribe of the Banu-Ghatafan worked incessantly for the formation of another
coalition against the Muslims. Without giving them more time to forge any new alliance, Muhammad began preparations for the
campaign of Khaybar, just after a few weeks of signing of peace treaty of Hudaybiyyah. He restricted the call to arms to those
who had accompanied him to al Hudaybiyyah. His purpose was to leave behind all those interested in booty and to go out with
truly loyal followers as commanded in the 48:15-16 verses below.
FIGHTING PROHIBITED FOR MATERIAL GAIN
(48:15-16) As soon as you [O believers] are about to set forth on a war that promises booty, [I.e., any expedition other than
against the Quraysh of Mecca, with whom the Prophet had just concluded a truce. This is generally taken as an allusion to the
forthcoming war against the Jews of Khaybar (in the year 7 H.), but the meaning may well be more general.] those who stayed
behind [aforetime] will surely say, “Allow us to go with you” - [thus showing that] they would like to alter the Word of
God. [Evidently a reference to 8:1 - “All spoils of war belong to God and the Apostle” - which implies that no individual warrior
can have any claim to the booty obtained in war. Moreover, fighting for the sake of booty contravenes the very principle of a “war
in God’s cause”, which may be waged only in defense of faith or liberty (2:190). It is to these principles, too, that the Prophet’s
anticipated answer, mentioned in the sequence, refers.] Say: “By no means shall you go with us: God has declared aforetime
[to whom all spoils shall belong].” [I.e., in 8:1, which was revealed in the year 2 H..] Thereupon they will [surely] answer,
“Nay, but you begrudge us [our share of booty]!” Nay, they can grasp but so little of the truth! Say unto those bedouin
who stayed behind: “In time you will be called upon [to fight] against people of great prowess in war: [This is evidently a
prophecy relating to the future wars against Byzantium and Persia.] you will have to fight against them [until you die] or they
surrender. And then, if you heed [that call], God will bestow on you a goodly reward; but if you turn away as you turned
away this time, [I.e., at the time of the expedition which resulted in the Truce of Hudaybiyyah.] He will chastise you with
grievous chastisement.”
The Muslims marched forth one thousand and six hundred strong and reached Khaybar in three days. Peace terms were offered by
the Muslims to the Jews, but they refused. In spite of valiant struggle by the Jews, fortress after fortress fell and in the end they
sued for peace. Muhammad accepted their plea and permitted them to stay on their land. The term of their surrender provided that
they would give half of their crop to the Islamic state. The capture of Khaybar may be said to have inaugurated the Islamic empire
in that the inhabitants were allowed to go on cultivating their lands, provided they gave a proportion of the fruits to the state. With
the fall of Khaybar, Jewish power no more threatened Muslims.
THE CAMPAIGN OF MUTAH (8 H or 629)
Muhammad sent fifteen Muslim missionaries to Ghat al Talh on the outskirts of Syria and all of them were put to death in cold
blood. A messenger from the Prophet to the Byzantine governor of Busra was also killed by a tribesman of Ghassan in the name
of Heraclius. In response to these murderous attacks, Muhammad sent three thousand men to Syria under the leadership of Zayd
ibn Harithah. However news of their march preceded them and Heraclius’s commissioner in Syria managed to mobilize one
hundred thousands men. When the Byzantine army attacked, the Muslims withdrew to the village of Mutah near the southern end
of the Dead Sea. Three commanders Zayd, Jafar ibn Abu Talib and ibn Rawahah all fell in this battle. Khalid ibn al Walid took the
command of the Muslim army made a tactical withdrawal and returned towards Medina.
THE CONQUEST OF MECCA AND LIBERATION OF KABAH (630C.E)
HONOR PEACE TREATY WITH UNBELIEVERS
(9:7) How could they who ascribe divinity to aught beside God be granted a covenant by God and His Apostle, [I.e., be
protected by those who believe in God and His Apostle. The specific reference to the latter is meant to stress the fact that he
speaks and acts in the name of God.] unless it be those [of them] with whom you [O believers] have made a covenant in the
vicinity of the Inviolable House of Worship? [The “covenant” alluded to is the truce-agreement concluded in 6 H at
Hudaybiyyah, in the vicinity of Mecca, between the Prophet and the pagan Quraysh, which was intended to remain a model of the
self-restraint and the tolerance expected of true believers with regard to such of the unbelievers as are not openly hostile to them.]
[As for the latter,] so long as they remain true to you, be true to them: for, verily, God loves those who are conscious of
Him.
BREACH OF THE TRUCE OF HUDAYBIYYAH
(9:8-16) How [else could it be]? [This connects with the opening clause of the preceding verse and relates to the hostile among
“those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God”.] - since, if they [who are hostile to you] were to overcome you, they would
not respect any tie [with you,] nor any obligation to protect [you]. [This refers to any tie that arises from a compact or from
blood-relationship, which imposes on both parties the obligation to protect each other in a “covenant of protection”.] They seek
to please you with their mouths, the while their hearts remain averse [to you]; and most of them are iniquitous. God’s
messages have they bartered away for a trifling gain, and have thus turned away from His path: evil, behold, is all that
they are wont to do, respecting no tie and no protective obligation with regard to a believer; and it is they, they who
transgress the bounds of what is right! [Or: who are the aggressors] Yet if they repent, and take to prayer, and render the
purifying dues, they become your brethren in faith: and clearly do We spell out these messages unto people of [innate]
knowledge! But if they break their solemn pledges after having concluded a covenant, [This refers to unbelievers who,
without having renounced their own beliefs, have concluded treaties of friendship with the Muslims. Their subsequent “breaking
of the solemn pledges” is an allusion to the breach of the truce of Hudaybiyyah by the pagan Quraysh, which, in turn, led to the
conquest of Mecca by the Muslims in the year 8 H.] and revile your religion, then fight against these archetypes of faith-
lessness [The word imam denotes not merely a leader but a person who is an object of imitation by his followers: hence, a
“model”, or “exemplar”, or “archetype”. The term kufr, which usually signifies a denial of or refusal to acknowledge the truth, is
rendered here as “faithlessness” because it refers, specifically, to a deliberate breaking of solemn engagements.] who, behold,
have no [regard for their own] pledges, so that they might desist [from aggression]. Would you, perchance, fail to fight
against people who have broken their solemn pledges, and have done all that they could to drive the Apostle away, [I.e.,
from Mecca, thus bringing about his and his followers’ exodus (hijrah) to Medina] and have been first to attack you? Do you
hold them in awe? Nay, it is God alone of whom you ought to stand in awe if you are [truly] believers! [God is more worthy
that you should stand in awe of Him.] Fight against them! God will chastise them by your hands, and will bring disgrace
upon them, and will succor you against them; and He will soothe the bosoms of those who believe, and will remove the
wrath that is in their hearts. And God will turn in His mercy unto whom He wills: for, God is all-knowing, wise. [This
relates to the unbelievers with whom the Muslims are at war: for God may, if He so wills, bring about a change of heart in them
and guide them to a realization of the truth.] Do you [O believers] think that you will be spared [Or left alone, i.e., without
being tried by means of suffering and hardship.] unless God takes cognizance of your having striven hard [in His cause]
without seeking help from any but God and His Apostle and those who believe in Him? For, God is aware of all that you
do. [Without having taken any intimate helper other than God and His Apostle and the believers.]
The treaty of Hudaybiyyah prescribed that any non-Meccan wishing to join the camp of the Quraysh or Muhammad may do so
without obstruction. The tribe of Khuzaah joined the ranks of Muhammad, and Banu Bakr joined the Quraysh. Between Khuzaah
and Banu Bakr there were a number of old unsettled blood feuds. Banu Bakr launched a surprise attack against the Khuzaah
tribesmen. The Quraysh encouraged this attack by the Banu Bakr by providing arms and equipment to them. Realizing that this
was a flagrant violation of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah by the Quraysh, Muhammad ordered to mobilize at once. With ten
thousands strong, the Muslim army entered Mecca and quickly occupied the city with minor resistance. Two Muslims were killed
and thirteen of the enemy. Muhammad announced general amnesty and forgave all those who persecuted and fought against him
and his companions. Only four men from the Quraysh were condemned to death for their previous crimes against the Muslims.
Such self-restraint and statesmanship have few parallel in the annals of history. Even Abu Sufyan, the archenemy of Islam, was
ready to embrace the faith he had fought violently for so long. Following the conquest of Mecca, the Khuzaah tribesmen killed a
man because he was a pagan. On hearing the news, the Prophet became very angry and chastised the perpetrators of this crime
and he compensated the victim’s family. A similar incident happened, when Khalid ibn al Walid killed some pagan tribesmen of
Banu Jadhimah. When the Prophet heard this news, he lifted his arms to heavens and prayed: “O God, I condemn what Khalid has
done.” The Prophet gave funds to Ali ibn Abu Talib and sent him to compensate for the victims’ damages.
BREAKING OF IDOLS IN KABAH
When Muhammad entered the Kabah, he smashed all the three hundred and sixty idols while exclaiming, “Truth has come and
falsehood has vanquished!” After the Kabah was purified of its idols, the Prophet ordered Bilal to mount to its top and from there
to recite the call of Prayer (adhan). The Muslims gathered and led by Muhammad, performed the prayer. For the last fourteen
centuries without interruption, men have been calling to prayer fives times a day from the same spot where Bilal first stood. More
than a billion Muslims all over the globe turned their faces to Mecca five times a day to worship one God alone. Muhammad
resided in Mecca for two weeks during which he organized its affairs and instructed its people in Islam. He accepted the almost
mass conversion of the city but returned himself to Medina.
TRUE GUARDIANS OF KABAH
(9:17-22) It is not for those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God to visit or tend God’s houses of worship, the while [by
their beliefs] they bear witness against themselves that they are denying the truth. It is they whose works shall come to
nought, and they who in the fire shall abide! [Some of the commentators conclude from this verse that “those who ascribe
divinity to aught beside God” are not allowed to enter mosques (God’s houses of worship). This conclusion, however, is entirely
untenable in view of the fact that in 9 H. - that is, after the revelation of this surah - the Prophet himself lodged a deputation of the
pagan Banu Thaqif in the mosque at Medina. Thus, the above verse expresses no more than the moral incongruity of the
unbelievers’ visiting or tending God’s houses of worship. As regards their exclusion from the central mosque of Islam at Mecca
(the Inviolable House of Worship), see verse 28 of this surah.] Only he should visit or tend God’s houses of worship who
believes in God and the Last Day, and is constant in prayer, and spends in charity, and stands in awe of none but God: for
[only such as] these may hope to be among the right-guided! Do you, perchance, regard the [mere] giving of water to
pilgrims and the tending of the Inviolable House of Worship as being equal to [the works of] one who believes in God and
the Last Day and strives hard in God’s cause? These [things] are not equal in the sight of God. [In this verse an allusion to
the boast of the pagan Quraysh, before the Muslim conquest of Mecca, that they were superior to all other people on account of
their guardianship of the Kabah and their providing water to pilgrims; and on being taken prisoner by the Muslims in the battle of
Badr, Al-Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle, excused on these very grounds his failure to accompany the Muslims on their exodus from
Mecca to Medina. It is probable, however, that this verse has yet another, deeper import. According to an authentic Tradition, one
of the Prophet's Companions stated in the mosque of Medina, “I would not care, after having accepted Islam, to do any good deed
beyond providing water to the pilgrims!” - Whereupon another of the Companions declared, “Nay, I would rather take charge of
the maintenance of the Inviolable House of Worship.” But yet another Companion declared, “Nay, struggle (jihad) in God's cause
is far better than what you have mentioned!” A short time afterwards the above Quran-verse was revealed to the Prophet. It would,
therefore, appear that what is meant here is the superior value of faith in God and struggle in His cause as compared with acts
which, however meritorious, are concerned only with outward forms: in brief, the immense superiority of real self-surrender to
God over mere ritual.] And God does not grace with His guidance people who [deliberately] do wrong. Those who believe,
and who have forsaken the domain of evil and have striven hard in God’s cause with their possessions and their lives have
the highest rank in the sight of God; and it is they, they who shall triumph [in the end]! Their Sustainer gives them the
glad tiding of the grace [that flows] from Him, and of [His] goodly acceptance, and of the gardens, which await them, full
of lasting bliss, therein to abide beyond the count of time. Verily, with God is a mighty reward!
EXCLUSION OF PAGAN ARABS FROM KABAH
(9:28) O you who have attained to faith! Those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God are nothing but impure: [The term
najas (“impure”) occurs in the Quran only in this one instance, and carries an exclusively spiritual meaning. To this day, the
bedouin of Central and Eastern Arabia - who, contrary to the modern town-dwellers, have preserved the purity of the Arabic
idiom to a high degree - describe a person who is immoral, faithless or wicked as najas.] and so they shall not approach the In-
violable House of Worship from this year onwards. [I.e., after the year 9 H., in which this surah was revealed. “The Inviolable
House of Worship” (al-masjid al-haram) is, of course, the Kabah and, by implication, the whole of the territory of Mecca. Prophet
Abraham and Ishmael built the Kabah as the first house of worship dedicated to one God alone. Kabah was thus liberated from
idolatry and returned back to its original purpose. This commandant, therefore, does not contradict 2:256 “there shall be no
coercion in matters of faith.”] And should you fear poverty, then [know that] in time God will enrich you out of His bounty,
if He so wills: for, verily, God is all-knowing, wise! [This refers to the apprehension on the part of some Muslims that an
exclusion of unbelievers from living in or visiting Mecca might lead to a loss of its position as a center of trade and commerce,
and thus to an impoverishment of its inhabitants.]
HIGHER RANK FOR THOSE WHO SPENT AND FOUGHT BEFORE CONQUEST OF MECCA
(57:10) And why should you not spend freely in the cause of God, seeing that God’s [alone] is the heritage of the heavens
and the earth? Not equal are those of you who spent and fought [in God’s cause] before the Victory [and those who did not
do so]: [I.e., before the conquest of Mecca in 8 H., when the Muslims were still weak and their future uncertain.] they are of a
higher rank than those who would spend and fight [only] after it - although God has promised the ultimate good to all
[who strive in His cause]. And God is aware of all that you do. [The above principle applies, of course, to the relative merits of
believers of all times who strive in God’s cause before and/or after success has been achieved.]
THE BATTLE OF HUNAYN (8 H or 630C.E)
The battle of Hunayn, a valley situated on one of the roads leading from Mecca to Taif, took place in the year 8 H., shortly after
the conquest of Mecca by the Muslims. Fifteen days of their stay in Mecca had hardly passed when news broke out which shook
the Muslims out of their joy and feeling of security. They learned that Hawazin, the tribe living a few miles to southeast of Mecca,
had mobilized its forces and marching against the Muslims in Mecca. They thought this hour of Muslim intoxication with victory
the right time to mobilize their forces for an attack. The pagan tribes of Hawazin and the Banu Thaqif joined hand with some of
their allies to form one front.
The Muslim army comprised about twelve thousand men, ten thousands of which were those who conquered Mecca and two
thousands were new converts to Islam from Quraysh including Abu Sufyan. In the narrow defiles beyond the oasis of Hunayn
they fell into an ambush prepared by the tribesmen and began to retreat in disorder after heavy losses had been inflicted on them
by the bedouin archers. It was only the example of the Prophet and his early adherents (the Meccan muhajirun and the ansar from
Medina) that saved the day and turned the initial rout of the Muslims into a decisive victory. It is to this battle that verses 9:25 and
9:26 refer, pointing out that true succor can come only from God, and that great numbers, ties of kinship and worldly wealth are
of no avail if they are “dearer to you than God and His Apostle and the struggle in His cause”.] (9:25-27) Indeed, God has
succored you on many battlefields, [when you were few;] and [He did so, too,] on the Day of Hunayn, when you took pride
in your great numbers and they proved of no avail whatever to you - for the earth, despite all its vastness, became [too]
narrow for you and you turned back, retreating: whereupon God bestowed from on high His [gift of] inner peace upon His
Apostle and upon the believers, and bestowed [upon you] from on high forces which you could not see, [I.e., spiritual forces.
See 3:124-125, relating to the battle of Uhud and 8:9, which refers to the battle of Badr. The spiritual nature of this aid is clearly
implied in the phrase, “forces which you could not or did not see”.] and chastised those who were bent on denying the truth:
for such is the recompense of all who deny the truth! But with all this, God will turn in His mercy unto whom He wills: for
God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. [This verse relates to the unbelievers and having a general import]
The Muslims attempted to besiege the Thaqif in Taif, but when it was seem that there would be no speedy surrender, Muhammad
called of the siege. The victory of Hunayn meant that, with the exception of tribes on the frontiers of Syria and Iraq, there was no
group of tribes in Arabia capable of assembling a force sufficiently strong to meet Muslims with any prospect of success.
THE CAMPAIGN OF TABUK (9 H or 631C.E)
The campaign of Tabuk was the last expedition conducted by the Prophet. A very large part of the ninth surah, At-Tawbah
(repentance) is connected with the conditions prevailing at Medina before the Prophet’s expedition to Tabuk in the year 9 H. (631
C.E), and the vacillating spirit displayed by some of his nominal followers. There is hardly any doubt that almost the whole of the
surah was revealed shortly before, during and immediately after the campaign and most of it at the time of the long march from
Medina to Tabuk.
The immediate reason for this expedition was the information which the Prophet received to the effect that the Byzantines, made
apprehensive by the rapid growth of Islam in Arabia and incited by the Prophet’s enemy Abu Amir (see note on verse 107 of this
surah), were assembling large forces on the confines of the Peninsula with a view to marching against Medina and overthrowing
the Muslims. To guard against such an assault, the Prophet assembled the strongest force the Muslims were capable of, and set out
in the month of Rajab, 9 H., towards the frontier. On reaching Tabuk, about half-way between Medina and Damascus, the Prophet
ascertained that the Byzantines were either not yet ready to invade Arabia or had entirely given up the idea for the time being; and
so - in accordance with the Islamic principle that war may be waged only in self-defense - he returned with his followers to
Medina without engaging in hostilities.
RELUCTANCE TO JOIN CAMPAIGN OF TABUK
(9:38-39) O you who have attained to faith! What is amiss with you that, when you are called upon, “Go forth to war in
God’s cause,” you cling heavily to the earth? [You are sluggish in your response, clinging to the life of this world. At the time
of the preparation for this expedition, the hypocrites and a minority among the believers displayed an extreme reluctance (referred
to in this and the following verses) to embark on a war with Byzantium: and it is this minority that the above verse reproaches for
“clinging heavily to the earth”.] Would you content yourselves with [the comforts of] this worldly life in preference to [the
good of] the life to come? But the enjoyment of life in this world is but a paltry thing when compared with the life to come!
If you do not go forth to war [in God’s cause], He will chastise you with grievous chastisement, and will place another
people in your stead - whereas you shall in no wise harm Him: for, God has the power to will anything. (9:41-42) Go forth
to war, whether it be easy or difficult [for you], and strive hard in God’s cause with your possessions and your lives: this is
for your own good - if you but knew it! Had there been [a prospect of] immediate gain, and an easy journey, they would
certainly have followed you, [O Prophet:] but the distance was too great for them. [This is a reference to the unwillingness of
some of the Muslims to follow the Prophet’s call and to set out on the expedition to the frontier. A strenuous march of about
fourteen days was needed to reach Tabuk, the goal of this expedition; and the uncertainty of its outcome, as well as the hardships
involved, gave rise to all manner of spurious excuses on the part of the half-hearted believers and hypocrites. As the next verse
shows, the Prophet accepted these excuses in many cases, and allowed the men concerned to remain at Medina.] And yet, [after
your return, O believers,] they will swear by God, “Had we been able to do so, we would certainly have set out with you!”-
[and by thus falsely swearing] they will be destroying their own selves: for God knows indeed that they are lying!
ADMONITION TO PROPHET (For accepting pleas of those who did not want to participate in the campaign)
(9:43-49) May God pardon you [O Prophet]! Why did you grant them permission [to stay at home] before it had become
obvious to you as to who was speaking the truth, and [before] you came to know [who were] the liars? [This phrase,
although expressed in the form of an invocation, has the meaning of a statement – “God pardons you” or “has pardoned you” -
absolving the Prophet of any moral responsibility for his mistaken, but humanly understandable, acceptance of equivocal pleas on
the part of those who wished to be excused from participating in the campaign. It seems that this statement of “absolution” was
primarily intended to free the Prophet from any self-reproach for his too-great liberality in this respect.] Those who [truly]
believe in God and the Last Day do not ask you for exemption from struggling with their possessions and their lives [in
God’s cause] - and God has full knowledge as to who is conscious of Him -: only those ask you for exemption who do not
[truly] believe in God and the Last Day and whose hearts have become a prey to doubt, so that in their doubting they
waver between one thing and another. For, had they been [truly] desirous of setting out [with you], they would surely have
made some preparation therefore: but God was averse to their taking the field, and so He caused them to hold back when
it was said, “[You may] stay at home with all [the others] who stay at home.” [This may refer to the permission granted by the
Prophet to certain of his followers who, for apparently legitimate reasons, were unable to take part in the campaign - a permission
of which the hypocrites only too readily availed themselves. As regards God’s “causing” those hypocrites to sin in this way, see
2:7 and 3:155.] Had these [hypocrites] set out with you, [O believers,] they would have added nothing to you save the evil of
corruption, and would surely have scurried to and fro in your midst, seeking to stir up discord among you, seeing that
there are in your midst such as would have lent them ear: but God has full knowledge of the evildoers. Indeed, even before
this time [I.e., before the expedition to Tabuk, during which these passages were revealed.] have they tried to stir up discord
and devised all manner of plots against you, [O Prophet,] until the truth was revealed and God’s will became manifest,
however hateful this may have been to them. And among them there was [many a one] who said, [I.e., at the time when the
Prophet was making preparations for the campaign.] “Grant me permission [to remain at home], and do not put me to too
hard a test!” Oh, verily, [by making such a request] they had [already failed in their test and] succumbed to a temptation
to evil: and, behold, hell will indeed encompass all who refuse to acknowledge the truth! [The term fitnah has many
meanings: e.g., test, trial, affliction, temptation to evil, seduction, persecution, oppression, discord, civil strife, etc. (8:25). Since it
is impossible in any language but Arabic to reproduce all these many shades of meaning in a single expression, the rendering of
the term fitnah must necessarily vary in accordance with the context in which it is used.]
THEY GRIEVE AT YOUR GOOD FORTUNE
(9:50-52) Should good fortune alight on you, [I.e., in the course of the expedition to Tabuk. These verses have not merely a
historical connotation but, rather, aim at depicting hypocrisy as such.] [O Prophet,] it will grieve them; and should misfortune
befall you, they will say [to themselves], “We have already taken our precautions beforehand!” - and will turn away, and
will rejoice. Say: “Never can anything befall us save what God has decreed! He is our Lord Supreme; and in God let the
believers place their trust!” Say: “Are you, perchance, hopefully waiting for something [bad] to happen to us - [the while
nothing can happen to us] save one of the two best things? [I.e., either victory or martyrdom in God’s cause] But as far as you
are concerned, we are hopefully waiting for God to inflict chastisement upon you, [either] from Himself [In the life to come]
or by our hands! Wait, then, hopefully; behold, we shall hopefully wait with you!”
GOD’S PLEASURE IS THE ONLY WORTHWHILE GOAL
(9:62-64) [The hypocrites] swear to you by God [that they are acting in good faith], with a view to pleasing you [O
believers] - the while it is God and His Apostle whose pleasure they should seek above all else, if indeed they are believers!
[The idea is that God’s pleasure is the only worthwhile goal of all human endeavor, and that a believer’s duty to surrender to the
Prophet’s guidance is but an outcome of the fact that he is the bearer of God’s message to man. See in this connection, “Whoever
pays heed unto the Apostle pays heed unto God thereby” (4:80), or, “Say O Prophet: ‘If you love God, follow me, and God will
love you’ ” (3:31).] Do they not know that for him who sets himself against God and His Apostle there is in store the fire of
hell, therein to abide - that most awesome disgrace? [Some of] the hypocrites dread lest a [new] surah be revealed [in
evidence] against them, making them understand what is [really] in their hearts. [This refers to a particular type of
hypocrite: namely, to the doubter who, not having any real convictions on this score, leaves the question of God’s existence and/or
Muhammad’s prophethood open, but nevertheless, for the sake of worldly advantage, would like to be regarded as a believer. The
ambivalent attitude of mind alluded to here implies hypocrisy not merely with regard to one’s social environment but also with
regard to oneself: an unwillingness - or, rather, fear - on the part of such people to admit to themselves what is really going on in
their hearts and the dim realization that this ambivalence is only a cover for their desire to escape from all spiritual commitment
(see 2:9 – “they would deceive God and those who have attained to faith - the while they deceive none but themselves”).]
WE WERE ONLY INDULGING IN IDLE TALK
(9:65-66) Yet, indeed, if you were to question them, they would surely answer, “We were only indulging in idle talk, and
were playing [with words].” [This may refer to the derisive remarks made by some of the hypocrites about the alleged futility of
the expedition to Tabuk.] Say: “Were you, then, mocking at God and His messages and His Apostle? Do not offer [empty]
excuses! You have indeed denied the truth after [having professed] your belief [in it]!” [See 8:64.]
PROSELYTIZING UNBELIEVERS AND HYPOCRITES
(9:73-74) O prophet! Strive hard against the deniers of the truth and the hypocrites, and be adamant with them. [Do not
compromise with them in matters of principle. Regarding the meaning of the verb jahada (he strove hard, i.e., in a righteous
cause), see 4:95. The imperative jahid is obviously used here in its spiritual connotation, implying efforts at convincing both the
outspoken unbelievers and the waverers, including the various types of hypocrites spoken of in the preceding passages. Although
the imperative is addressed in the first instance to the Prophet, it is considered to be morally binding on all believers.] And [if
they do not repent,] their goal shall be hell - and how vile a journey's end! [The hypocrites] swear by God that they have
said nothing [wrong]; yet most certainly have they uttered a saying, which amounts to a denial of the truth, [The allegation
that the Prophet deceived himself in the matter of revelation is, naturally, equivalent to disbelief in the outcome of his revelation,
i.e., the Quran.] and have [thus] denied the truth after [having professed] their self-surrender to God: for they were aiming
at something which was beyond their reach. [A reference to an abortive plot, on the part of some of the hypocrites, to kill the
Prophet during the expedition to Tabuk. However, without contesting the validity of this historical interpretation, the above
allusion has a far deeper meaning - namely, the existential impossibility of one’s ever attaining to inner peace without a positive
belief that man’s life has meaning and purpose, either of which can be glimpsed only through the revelations bestowed on those
exceptionally gifted and receptive personalities, the prophets. An indirect reference to divine revelation as the only source of this
kind of cognition appears in 96:5, that is, in the earliest Quranic passage revealed to the Prophet. Thus, torn between their half-
hearted desire to surrender themselves to God and their unwillingness to accept the divine guidance offered them by the Prophet,
the hypocrites were aiming at something which was beyond their reach.] And they could find no fault [with the Faith] save
that God had enriched them and [caused] His Apostle [to enrich them] out of His bounty! [I.e., by means of the spiritual
guidance contained in the Quran and the material welfare resulting from an adherence to its moral and social principles. The
above phrase implies that the reluctance of the hypocrites to pay heed to the Prophet was not due to their finding fault with the
Faith as such but, rather, to their lack of gratitude for the spiritual and material benefits which they had derived from it. Because
of its historical associations, most of this verse is expressed in the past tense, although its moral import is obviously timeless.]
Hence, if they repent, it will be for their own good; but if they turn away, God will cause them to suffer grievous suffering
in this world and in the life to come, and they will find no helper on earth, and none to give [them] succour.
NO FORGIVENESS FOR HYPOCRITES (death of Abdullah bin Ubayy)
(9:80-87) [And] whether you do pray [unto God] that they be forgiven or do not pray for them - [it will all be the same: for
even] if you were to pray seventy times that they be forgiven, God will not forgive them, seeing that they are bent on
denying God and His Apostle. [In Arabic usage, the number “seventy” often stands for “many”, just as “seven” is a synonym for
“several”. It is evident from many authentic Traditions that the Prophet often prayed to God that He pardon his enemies.] And
God does not bestow His guidance upon such iniquitous folk. [Those who are so deeply rooted in their iniquity and in their
insolent persistence in evildoing that they have lost all disposition for repentance and belief.] Those [hypocrites] who were left
behind rejoiced in their staying away [from war] after [the departure of] God’s Apostle, [They rejoiced in their sitting at
home - a reference to those who, under one pretext or another, excused themselves from participating in the expedition to Tabuk.
As is evident from the sequence - and clearly stated in many authentic Traditions - one of the excuses advanced was the extreme
heat of the season.] for they hated the thought of striving with their possessions and their lives in God’s cause; and they had
[even] said [to the others], “Do not go forth to war in this heat!” Say: “The fire of hell is hotter by far!” Had they but
grasped this truth! Let them, then, laugh a little - for they will weep a lot in return for what they have earned. Hence, [O
Prophet,] if God brings you again face to face with some of them, [If God brings you back from the campaign to a group of
them - i.e., to those hypocrites who remained at home under false pretences.] and then they ask your leave to go forth [to war
with you], say: “Never shall you go forth with me, nor shall you fight an enemy together with me! Behold, you were well-
pleased to stay at home on that first occasion: stay at home, then, with those who [are obliged to] remain behind!” [I.e.,
with the old men, the women, the children and the sick, who are not able or not expected to go to war.] And never shall you pray
over any of them that has died, and never shall you stand by his grave: for, behold, they were bent on denying God and
His Apostle, and they died in this their iniquity. [I.e., unless he has repented before his death. It is reported that when the life-
long opponent of the Prophet and leader of the hypocrites of Medina, Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, was dying, he sent his son to the
Prophet with the request that the latter give him his (the Prophet’s) shirt, so that he might be buried in it, and that the Prophet
should pray over him after his death. The Prophet took this request as a sign of Ibn Ubayy's repentance, and gave him his shirt and
later led the funeral prayers over his body. When Umar ibn al-Khattab vehemently protested against this clemency towards the
man whom all the believers had regarded as God’s enemy, the Prophet answered, “God has granted me a choice in this matter (a
reference to verse 80 of this surah, “whether you do pray that they be forgiven or do not pray...", etc.), and so I shall pray (for
him) more than seventy times.” Since Abd Allah ibn Ubayy died some time after the Prophet’s return from Tabuk, while verse 84
- like most of this surah - was revealed during the campaign, it is clear that the prohibition expressed in this verse relates only (as
the sequence shows) to those who “were bent on denying God and His Apostle, and who died in this their iniquity” - that is, to
unrepentant sinners.] And let not their worldly goods and [the happiness which they may derive from] their children excite
your admiration: God but wants to chastise them by these means in [the life of] this world, and [to cause] their souls to
depart while they are [still] denying the truth. [This is meant to stress the psychological importance of this problem - namely,
the insignificance of worldly happiness as compared with spiritual righteousness or the absence of it.] [They are indeed denying
it:] for, when they were called upon through revelation, “Believe in God, and strive hard [in His cause] together with His
Apostle,” [even] such of them as were well able [to go to war] asked you for exemption, saying, “Allow us to stay behind
with those who remain at home!” [I.e., with those who were either not expected to go to war - like women and children - or
handicapped by old age or illness.] They were well-pleased to remain with those who were left behind - where for their
hearts have been sealed, so that they cannot grasp the truth. [See 2:7 and 7:100-101.]
REWARD FOR BELIEVERS
(9:88-89) The Apostle, however, and all who share his faith strive hard [in God’s cause] with their possessions and their
lives: and it is they whom the most excellent things await [in the life to come], and it is they, they who shall attain to a
happy state! God has readied for them gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide: and this is the
triumph supreme!
VALID EXCUSE
(9:90-92) And there came [unto the Apostle] such of the bedouin as had some excuse to offer, [with the request] that they
be granted exemption, [The specific mention of the “bedouin” in this and the following passages probably arises from the fact
that their attitude - positive or negative - towards Islam was of the greatest importance within the context of early Muslim history,
as the message of Muhammad could not obtain a real, lasting foothold in Arabia without first securing the allegiance of those
warlike nomads and half-nomads, who constituted the great majority of the Peninsula’s population. At the time when the Prophet
was preparing to set out towards Tabuk, many of the already-converted tribesmen were willing to go to war under his leadership
and, in fact, did so, while others were afraid lest in their absence their encampments, denuded of man-power, be raided by hostile,
as yet unconverted tribes; others, again, were simply averse to exposing themselves to the hardships of a campaign in distant
lands, which did not seem to them to have any bearing on their own, immediate interests.] whereas those who were bent on
giving the lie to God and His Apostle [simply] remained at home. [I.e., without even caring to come to Medina and to excuse
themselves.] [And] grievous suffering is bound to befall such of them as are bent on denying the truth! [But] no blame shall
attach to the weak, [I.e., the old and the infirm.] nor to the sick, nor to those who have no means [to equip themselves], [At
the time in question a public treasury did not yet exist, and every participant in a military expedition was expected to provide his
own weapons and mounts.] provided that they are sincere towards God and His Apostle: there is no cause to reproach the
doers of good, for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. Nor [shall blame attach] to those who, when they came
unto you [O Prophet, with the request] that you provide them with mounts, were told by you, “I cannot find anything
whereon to mount you”, [whereupon] they turned away, their eyes overflowing with tears out of sorrow that they had no
means to spend [On their equipment].
PUNISHMENT IN AFTERLIFE
(9:93-96) Only they may rightly be reproached who asked you for exemption even though they were fully able [to go to
war]. [In this context it refers to physical competence in addition to financial means: that is, to people who were able-bodied as
well as financially in a position to equip themselves.] They were well-pleased to remain with those who were left behind -
wherefore God has sealed their hearts, so that they do not know [what they are doing]. [And] they will [still] be offering
excuses to you when you return to them [from the campaign]! Say: “Do not offer [empty] excuses, [for] we shall not
believe you: God has already enlightened us about you. And God will behold your [future] deeds, and [so will] His Apostle;
and in the end you will be brought before Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception as
well as all that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind, and then He will make you truly understand what you
were doing [in life].” When you will have returned to them, [O believers,] they will swear to you by God, [repeating their
excuses,] with a view to your letting them be. [And not punishing them. As a matter of fact, their fears were unfounded, since,
on his return from Tabuk, the Prophet took no punitive action against any of those who had failed to follow him on his campaign.]
Let them be, then: behold, they are loathsome, and hell is their goal in recompense for what they were wont to do. They
will swear to you with a view to making you pleased with them: but [even] should you be pleased with them, verily, God
shall never be pleased with iniquitous folk.
ACCEPTANCE OF REPENTANCE AND CHARITY
(9:102-104) And [there are] others [I.e., neither believers in the full sense of the word nor hypocrites, but half-hearted, confused
waverers between right and wrong, or between truth and falsehood.] - [people who] have become conscious of their sinning
after having done righteous deeds side by side with evil ones; [and] it may well be that God will accept their repentance:
for, verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. [Although it relates primarily to the vacillating Muslims who refused
to participate in the expedition to Tabuk, this verse alludes, in its wider meaning, to all sinners who - without external prompting -
become conscious of their wrongdoing and repent of it.] [Hence, O Prophet,] accept that [part] of their possessions which is
offered for the sake of God, so that you may cleanse them thereby and cause them to grow in purity, and pray for them:
behold, your prayer will be [a source of] comfort to them - for God is all-hearing, all-knowing. [In this context, it primarily
denotes the tax called zakah (the purifying dues) incumbent on every Muslim enjoying a certain minimum of property and/or
income. Since an acceptance of zakah by the head of state (or of the community) amounts to a recognition of the giver as a
“Muslim” in the Quranic sense of this term, the Prophet refused to accept it from all whose behavior had made it obvious that
they were hypocrites; the above verse, however, authorizes him (and, by implication, the authorities of an Islamic state at all
times) to accept the payment of zakah from those who express their repentance by deeds as well as by words.] Do they not know
that it is God alone who can accept the repentance of His servants and is the [true] recipient of whatever is offered for His
sake- and that God alone is an acceptor of repentance, a dispenser of grace? [Thus pointing out that no human being, not
even the Prophet, has the power to absolve a sinner of his guilt. A prophet can do no more than pray to God that He forgive the
sinners.]
THOSE WHOSE CASES WERE AT FIRST DEFERRED BUT REPENTED SHORTLY
(9:106) And [there are yet] others - [people whose cases are] deferred until God wills to judge them: He will either chastise
them or turn again unto them in His mercy - for God is all-knowing, wise. [I.e., kept in abeyance in anticipation of their
future repentance. The people referred to here are, in the first instance, the waverers who stayed away from the campaign of
Tabuk, and, by implication, all half-hearted believers who confusedly hover between right and wrong and have not yet reached
the stage of moral self-examination and repentance, with the result that their cases are deferred until such a time as their impulses
sway them entirely one way or another.]
REWARD FOR ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
(9:111) Behold, God has bought of the believers their lives and their possessions, promising them paradise in return, [and
so] they fight in God’s cause, and slay, and are slain: a promise which in truth He has willed upon Himself in [the words
of] the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Quran. And who could be more faithful to his covenant than God? Rejoice, then, in
the bargain, which you have made with Him: for this, this is the triumph supreme!
GOD’S MERCY
(9:117-119) Indeed, God has turned in His mercy unto the Prophet, as well as unto those who have forsaken the domain of
evil and those who have sheltered and succored the Faith – [all] those who followed him in the hour of distress, when the
hearts of some of the other believers had well-nigh swerved from faith. [A reference to the believers who - without valid
excuse - failed to respond to the Prophet’s call when he was setting out on the expedition to Tabuk, and who afterwards repented.]
And once again: He has turned unto them in His mercy - for, behold, He is compassionate towards them, a dispenser of
grace. And [He turned in His mercy, too,] towards the three [groups of believers] who had fallen prey to corruption, [Or:
had been left behind at the time of the expedition to Tabuk. As for “those who had fallen prey to corruption” apply, in the above
context, to those who remained behind under false pretences. The three who had fallen prey to corruption, is a reference to three
persons - namely, Kab ibn Malik, Mararah ibn ar-Rabi and Hilal ibn Umayyah (all of them from among the ansar) - who abstained
from the campaign and were thereafter ostracized by the Prophet and his Companions until the revelation of the above verse. But
while it is historically established that these three Companions were indeed among the believers who thus failed in their duty, the
context does not warrant such a restriction of its meaning to three particular persons, and that by “the three” are meant three
groups of erring believers: (1) those who had advanced equivocal excuses and were thereupon permitted by the Prophet to remain
at home (as has been alluded to in verses 43-46 as well as in the first sentence of verse 90); (2) those who absented themselves
without permission, but afterwards spontaneously repented their sin (verses 102-105); and (3) those whose cases were at first
“deferred” (verse 106), and who repented shortly after the Prophet's return from Tabuk (at which time verse 118 was revealed).]
until in the end - after the earth, despite all its vastness, had become [too] narrow for them and their souls had become
[utterly] constricted - they came to know with certainty that there is no refuge from God other than [a return] unto Him;
and thereupon He turned again unto them in His mercy, so that they might repent: for, verily, God alone is an acceptor of
repentance, a dispenser of grace. [In its wider implication - as contrasted with a purely historical allusion - the above verse
relates to all believers who temporarily deviate from the right path and then, after having realized - either spontaneously or in
consequence of outside reprobation - that they had “fallen prey to corruption”, sincerely repent their sin.] O you who have
attained to faith! Remain conscious of God, and be among those who are true to their word!
STRUGGLE AGAINST NONBELIEVERS
(9:123) O you who have attained to faith! Fight against those deniers of the truth who are near you, and let them find you
adamant; and know that God is with those who are conscious of Him. [Adamant or uncompromising with regard to ethical
principles. For the general circumstances in which war is permitted, see 2:190-194, 22:39, 60:8-9, 9:5 of this surah. The reference
to “those deniers of the truth who are near you” may arise from the fact that only those who are near can be dangerous in a
physical sense or, alternatively, that - having come from afar - they have already approached the Muslim country with an
aggressive intent.]