• The false excuses given by the hypocrites for not going to war along with the believers

• God forgives and chastises whomsoever He wills

• The persons exempted from going to battle

Al-Fath Verses 11 – 17

سَيَقُولُ لَكَ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ مِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ شَغَلَتْنَا أَمْوَالُنَا وَأَهْلُونَا فَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا يَقُولُونَ بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ مَا لَيْسَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ قُلْ فَمَنْ يَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا إِنْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ ضَرًّا أَوْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ نَفْعًا بَلْ كَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا

Those of the desert1Arabs who stayed behind will say unto thee “Engaged us our wealth and our families, so ask thou pardon for us.” They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts;2Say (unto them O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) “Who then can control anything for you from God if He intendeth unto you a harm or if He intendeth unto you a profit? Nay! God is, of whatever ye do, well-aware.” (48:11)

بَلْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنْ لَنْ يَنْقَلِبَ الرَّسُولُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِيهِمْ أَبَدًا وَزُيِّنَ ذَٰلِكَ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَظَنَنْتُمْ ظَنَّ السَّوْءِ وَكُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا بُورًا

“Nay! ye thought that never would return the Apostle and the believers unto their families, and that was made fairseeming in your hearts, and ye did think an evil3thought, and ye were a people undone” (48:12)

وَمَنْ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَإِنَّا أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ سَعِيرًا

And whosoever believeth not in God and His Apostle Verily We have prepared for the disbelievers the flaming fire. (48:13)

وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا

And God’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; He forgiveth whom He willeth and chastiseth whom He willeth; and God is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. (48:14)

سَيَقُولُ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ إِذَا انْطَلَقْتُمْ إِلَىٰ مَغَانِمَ لِتَأْخُذُوهَا ذَرُونَا نَتَّبِعْكُمْ يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُبَدِّلُوا كَلَامَ اللَّهِ قُلْ لَنْ تَتَّبِعُونَا كَذَٰلِكُمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَسَيَقُولُونَ بَلْ تَحْسُدُونَنَا بَلْ كَانُوا لَا يَفْقَهُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

Soon will say those who stayed4behind when ye go forth unto the gains to take them: “Let us (too) follow you;” desire they to change the word of God. Say thou (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!): “Never shall ye follow us (for) thus hath (already) said God before.” But they will say: “Nay! ye are jealous of us.” Nay! they understand not but only a little. (48:15)

قُلْ لِلْمُخَلَّفِينَ مِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ سَتُدْعَوْنَ إِلَىٰ قَوْمٍ أُولِي بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ تُقَاتِلُونَهُمْ أَوْ يُسْلِمُونَ فَإِنْ تُطِيعُوا يُؤْتِكُمُ اللَّهُ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا وَإِنْ تَتَوَلَّوْا كَمَا تَوَلَّيْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا

Say thou unto those of the desert Arabs who stayed behind; “Ye shall be called against a people of mighty prowess; ye shall fight against them until they submit, then if they obey, God will grant you with a goodly recompense, and if ye turned back as ye did turn back before,5He will chastise you with a painful chastisement. (48:16)6

لَيْسَ عَلَى الْأَعْمَىٰ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى الْأَعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّ يُعَذِّبْهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا

It shall not be on the blind a blame, and nor on the lame be a blame, and nor on the sick be a blame (if they go not to fight); And whosoever obeyeth God and His Apostle, He7will admit him to the gardens ’neath which flow rivers; and whosoever turneth back, He will chastise him with a painful chastisement. (48:17)

Commentary

Verse 11

The reference is to the people apprehended attack of the Meccans upon the Muslims who were leaving as unarmed pilgrims and fearing the expedition to Mecca to meet some calamity at the hand of the Meccans, lagged behind giving lame and false excuses and did not accompany the Holy Prophet. They are admonished saying none could prevent, if God wills to harm or profit them.

Verse 14

The kingdom of the heavens and the earth is God’s. Evil would naturally and essentially have its requital but since God is Oft-forgiving and Merciful, the door of sincere repentance, is always wide open for sinners to avoid the punishment. But the determination of the pardon or the punishment depends upon the independent decision of the Lord.

It is said that the Treaty at Hudaibiyya was made in the sixth year of Hijrat (Migration to Madina) and in the seventh year befell the expedition to Khaybar. The Holy Prophet said that God had Commanded that every one who was at Hudaibiyya, i.e., all those who had sworn allegiance to the Holy Prophet, should proceed to Khaybar - and promised a sure victory, and said that the others need not join the expedition.

Verse 15

Since the promised success at Khaybar would not be without a rich return, those who lagged behind and did not accompany the Holy Prophet to Mecca, with false and lame excuses, now desired to join the expedition. It seems to be the divine object of proving the faithful and the treacherous ones among those who swore allegiance at Hudaibiyya, as well as to deprive those who were absent from the pilgrimage group to Mecca, from having the credit of fighting for God’s cause and being benefited by the material return for it. For Jihad was not to please anybody or for any personal gain but for the cause of Truth.

Verse 16

The fight against a people of mighty prowess referred to here is interpreted by various commentators as the people of Iran, the Romans, and the others whom the Muslims fought after the Holy Prophet. These are unfounded conjectures for the verse says that the desert Arab who lagged behind the pilgrimage expedition to Mecca, would very soon be called, i.e., summoned by the Holy Prophet to fight with the kind of the hosts mentioned here, but in the case of the wars which the Muslim monarchy fought for its territorial expansion after the Holy Prophet, there was no call to the people from him.

It was nothing but the lust for power and glory that stimulated the people. Hence the reference is to the hard fight the people were put to at Mu’ta, Tabuk and Hunayn where the cowards and the faithless ones in the Muslim ranks, took to their heels deserting the Holy Prophet in the heat of the battle, practically in the hands of the enemy.

The Commentators differ about the identity of the people of mighty prowess and some thought it as a reference to the Romans, Persians or the Arabs – heretics - with whom the Muslims fought after the Holy Prophet but the use of the prefix – ‘S’ indicates a near future, to refer to the expedition of Tabuk, Mu’ta which took place in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet re. which the passage predicts a reverse. (A.P.)

Verse 17

Kinds of the people exempt from the call to fight in the way of God at Khaybar are mentioned here. With the promise of the reward for the steadfast ones there is the announcement of the grievous punishment to those who turn back. Let the reader enquire from history as to who all took to flight on the occasions of the trials in the subsequent battles, and know their actual position and their ultimate fate in the life hereafter.8

• 1. The nomads.
• 2. This indicates that there were hypocrites also among those who lived and moved with the Holy Prophet. Hence merely having been with him, is not creditable.
• 3. Outcome of the lack of ‘Sakinah’ Tranquillity and faith
• 4. Those who fearing the Meccans did not accompany the Holy Prophet in his first attempt of Pilgrimage which resulted in the Treaty of Hudaibiyya.
• 5. At Uhud when the people including the prominent companions fled away from the field, deserting the Holy Prophet when only ‘Ali, Hamza and a few others stood fast and Hamza was martyred.
• 6. Refer to verses 9:90-93.
• 7. God.
• 8. For details refer to Tabari, Rawdhat al-Ahbab, Tarikh al-Khamis, Abul-Fida etc.