• Providential victory at Hunayn

• Idolaters prohibited from approaching the Sacred Mosque

At-Tawbah (Al-Bara’at) Verses 25 – 29

لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِى مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْـًٔا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ

“Most certainly did God help you in many (battle) fields, and on the day of Hunayn, when made you vain1your great numbers, but they2availed you nothing, and was straitened the earth against you with all its extensiveness, then ye turned back in retreat.” (9:25)

ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَعَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ

“Then did send down God His tranquillity3upon His Apostle and upon the believers4, and did send down hosts which ye did not see, and chastised those who disbelieved; and that is the recompense of the infidels5.” (9:26)

ثُمَّ يَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“Then will God turn6merciful after this to whomsoever He willeth; and verily God is the Oft-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.” (9:27)

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ فَلَا يَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ ٱلْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَـٰذَا وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةً فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦٓ إِن شَآءَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

“O’ ye who believe! Verily, Verily the idolaters are unclean, so they shall approach not the Sacred Mosque after this their year; and if ye fear poverty, then soon will God enrich you through His grace if He willed; Verily God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (9:28)

قَـٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَلَا بِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَلَا يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ وَلَا يَدِينُونَ دِينَ ٱلْحَقِّ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ حَتَّىٰ يُعْطُوا۟ ٱلْجِزْيَةَ عَن يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَـٰغِرُونَ

“Fight ye those who believe not in God, and nor in the Last Day, and nor do they prohibit what God and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the (‘Jizya’) Tributory7tax with their hand and they remain subjected8.” (9:29)

Commentary

Verse 25

After the capture of Mecca by the Muslims, the infidels began collecting a huge force at a place between Mecca and Taif called Hunayn. On receipt of the news about the activity of the infidels, the Holy Prophet, with 10,000 Muslims of Madina and two thousand Muslims of Mecca, marched towards Hunayn. The enemy numbered only 4,000 headed by Malik Ibn Awf al-Nasri. A prominent companion of the Holy Prophet in view of the strength of the Muslims and the enemy being in a smaller number, got proudly confident of an easy victory over the enemy without depending upon God’s help. This did not please God.

The result was that the enemy fled and the Muslims instead of chasing the enemy out of the field, fell into plundering the booty. This was due to the undue confidence inspired by the proud premature announcement of an easy victory, and the enemy seeing the Muslims totally busy in plundering, returned and rendered a renewed attack on the Muslims who could not stand the surprise, and fled deserting the Holy Prophet. However much the Holy Prophet himself shouted to get back the Muslims to meet the enemy, none turned up. There remained only nine men from Bani Hashim, viz., (1) ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib, (2) Abbas, (3) Abu Sufyan Ibn Harith, (4) Nawfil Ibn Harith, (5) Fazl Ibn Abbas, (6) Rabiah Ibn Harith, (7) Abdullah Ibn Zubair, (8) and (9) Utba and Mu’tab, the two sons of Abu-Lahab.

The one from the Ansar who remained in the field was Aimun, son of Umme Aimun, who was martyred at the hands of the enemy.

It is now left to every intelligent reader to enquire or to ascertain from the detailed books of Islamic history as to where were all the others who deserted the Holy Prophet who later posed themselves as the greatest heroes of Islam and the Muslims, who immediately after the departure of the Holy Prophet from the world, claimed to be the Greatest Wel-wishers of the faith and the faithful. However, it will be sufficient to state here in the interest of brevity that only the above-mentioned ten persons remained in the Muslim ranks and the rest returned after a great shouting from a mountain by Abbas, for so far away the deserters had gone to save their own lives leaving the Holy Prophet in the midst of the overpowering enemy.

It is a matter of surprise and disgrace that certain commentators while giving many other superfluous details about the verses, have consistently restrained themselves from exposing many historic facts of importance and special significance about the correct knowledge of the guidance which the Holy Qur’an provides.

It was the wonderful valour and the amazing courage and godly strength of ‘Ali who always stood fast by the side of the Holy Prophet and the heavenly help given to the Holy Prophet that the crushing defeat which the Muslims would have had suffered was turned into a glorious victory for the faith and the faithful, (both, here and at Uhud).

Verses 26 - 27

By ‘The hosts which he did not see’ are meant the Angels who were sent to help the Holy Prophet as it was done at Badr and the other occasions. Besides, it is also reported that when the treacherous ones in his ranks fled, the Holy Prophet threw a handful of dust towards the enemy, and the enemy began to retreat in chaos, confusion and turmoil leaving behind them all their equipment.

It is reported that a number of people came to the Holy Prophet and said: ‘O’ Apostle of God: we have embraced Islam, much of our properties, men and women and children have been taken away as booty.’ The Holy Prophet ordered that all men, women and children belonging to these people, in whosoever’s share they might have gone, of his own free will be restored to them and he who did not like to restore his share to the people without any compensation might receive the compensation from the Holy Prophet. Excepting a very few, every one of the Muslims willingly complied with the instruction.

A man came to the Holy Prophet and said: ‘O’ Apostle of God: Thou hath not done justice in distributing the booty.’ The Holy Prophet said: ‘Who is there then more just than me to do justice?’ Some Muslims who were nearby, wanted the orders of the Holy Prophet to kill the man, but the reply from the Holy Prophet was ‘Wait ye until such men of their own accord get out of the faith and get killed by the Best of men.’ Accordingly, the man along with his companion, was slain by ‘Ali at the Battle of Naharwan.

The believers who remained firm at the Battle of Hunayn with the Holy Prophet were also included in receiving the Divine Tranquillity along with the Holy Prophet, in Verse 9:40 the companion is deprived of this honour. (A.P.)

Verse 28

This clearly establishes the doctrine that the heathens are unclean people and thus water at their hands and food prepared by them is also unclean and should not be touched by the Muslims. The commentators of Baidawi, Kashshaf and Tafsir al-Kabir also agree to this.

When the idolaters were stopped from even approaching the Holy Mosque in the Ka’ba, the Muslims got perturbed and said that if the infidels are forbidden from even approaching the Mosque, whom to get come from, for it was mostly the idolatrous public that used to bring grains, etc. for sale at Mecca. It was then that this verse was revealed.

According to the correct interpretation of this verse and according to the further explanation of it by the Holy Imams, anything wet, be that any article of food or drink or anything else touched by an idolater, should not be used by the Muslims without getting it cleaned and, otherwise, it should not be used at all9.

Verse 29

‘Jiziyah’ is derived from ‘Jaza’ The Jews had been for a long time assisting the idolatrous enemies of Islam who were aiming to uproot Islam. Every time they were caught badly in the hands of the Muslims, they implored for a truce, and the Holy Prophet was granting them the respite to amend their conduct. What was wanted of the Jews and the Christians was only to remain peaceful and honour their own undertakings of the several treaties which they frequently and habitually violated. But the Jews as a people proved themselves to be the most unreliable characters and granting them any further respite was nothing short of perpetuating their continued and persistent menace to the other peaceful and peace-loving people, particularly the poor Muslims. The great Christian power of Rome was on the other hand mobilising fast for the subjection of Islam and the Islamic power, by an unprovoked aggression.

The only remedy was to do away with it which had been continuing, and irrespective of the respite given to it, the menace instead of getting subsided was only on the increase. The only way out of the situation was what God willed in this verse. Even here it is to be noted that Islam enjoins peace and protection at its own cost to all such Jews and the Christians alike (treating them as the people of the Book) provided they themselves of their own free-will, choose to be benefited by the magnanimous offer under which the Jews and the Christians were allowed to have the civil liberties and protection and care, with the freedom of preaching their religion, being exempted from the military service. ‘Jizya.’ is only a tax to meet the cost of their protection and care which would be an undertaking of the Muslim state.

In contrast to what Islam preached and did, one could easily judge what Christendom did with the helpless Jews through the Edict of Milan when the poor Jews suffered the most barbarous and heart-rending miseries and tortures at the hands of the so-called followers of the faith started in the name of Christ and how the poor miserable men, women and even innocent children met the most painful death of being exiled to be buried in the heavy fall of snow in the Alps and of being buried alive in closed houses, besides the wholesale slaughter effected in the other open places.

There are four qualifications said about the disbelievers, those:

1. not believing in God.

2. not believing in the Resurrection Day.

3. not following what is forbidden by God or the Holy Prophet.

4. not submitting to the religion of truth.

The question is about the first and the second qualifications said about those, while they say they believe in God, if not the Jews, the Christians believe in the Day of Resurrection and also the Zoroastrians, yet they have been termed as the unbelievers in the two doctrines. The justification for this is that these qualities are so inter-related that one is the necessary consequence of the other. If the last consequence is the negation of all and the assertion of one is the assertion of all, thus their not yielding to the true religion means the negation of all three antecedents in reality.

Another point is, that who are those meant by the term ‘the people of the Book’. From the context of the Holy Qur’an and the authentic traditions, it has been proved that the Christians, and the Jews are undoubtedly included in the term, and regarding the Zoroastrians, the majority of the jurists of the School of the Ahl Al-Bayt considers them also to be included in the term. Refer to verse 22:17, and this view is supported by the passage wherein the polytheists have been considered as a separate and different class after the Jews and the Christians and the Zoroastrians and the Sabeyeen, and there are authentic traditions indicating that the Holy Prophet and Hazrat ‘Ali in their respective reigns treated the Zoroastrians in the same manner as the Jews and the Christians were treated.

Regarding the unbelievers other than the Arab pagans and those three classes whether they should be included in the term ‘people of the Book’ or the term ‘Polytheists’ however the difference between the people of the Book and the polytheist in treatment is that the former can get immunity and security by paying the tributary tax ‘jizya’ to the Islamic authority of the State but in other respects such as personal cleanliness, permanent matrimony, inheritance, etc. according to the opinions of the majority of the jurists of the School of the Ahl Al-Bayt, they are the same. (A.P.).

• 1. Vainly over-confident.
• 2. Their great number i.e., strength.
• 3. Arabic ‘Sakeena.
• 4. Those faithful ones who did not desert the Holy Prophet and did not run away from the battlefield.
• 5. Refer to verse 9:40.
• 6. i.e. might or might not accept the repentance of those who deserted and ran away.
• 7. Protection, Tax. See ‘Fiqh’.
• 8. Refer to verse 22:17. This passage indicates that those who deserted the Holy Prophet on the occasion were sinners and of them those if whom God willed will accept their repentance.
• 9. Refer to ‘Fiqh’.