Tafsir of Al-Hashr 59:5

"Whatever you cut down of any Līnah"—Līnah refers to the palm tree in general, according to al-Hasan, Mujāhid, Ibn Zayd, ‘Amr ibn Maymūn, and al-Rāghib. It is a noun form (fi‘lah) derived from al-lawn (color), and its yā is a substitute for a wāw due to the kasrah preceding it, similar to dīmah. Its plural is alwān. Ibn ‘Abbās and a group of linguists said: It refers to any palm tree that is not of the ‘Ajwah variety. Abū ‘Ubaydah and Sufyān said: It is that whose dates are lawn—a type of date. Sufyān added: It is intensely yellow, to the extent that it is translucent to its pit, which can be seen from the outside. Abū ‘Ubaydah also said: It is the mixed varieties of palms that are neither ‘Ajwah nor Barnī. Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq (may God be pleased with him) said: It is the ‘Ajwah. Al-Aṣma‘ī said: It is the Daqal (inferior date). It is also said: It is the short palm tree. Al-Thawrī said: It is the noble palm tree, as if they derived it from al-layn (softness), and thus its plural is layn, and its plural is also cited as liyān, as in the verse of Imru’ al-Qays: "And a base [stalk] like the high Liyān, which the strong one kindled with fuel." It is also said: It refers to tree branches because of their softness, though this is an odd view.

Those who argued that it means a palm tree—whether derived from lawn or layn—cited the verse of Dhū al-Rummah: "As if a cluster above it were a bird’s nest, upon a Līnah with a tall trunk, swayed by its southerly wind." One might say: He intended by Līnah the noble palm tree, for he is describing the she-camel's noble lineage, and the object of comparison should hint at that meaning.

"Whatever (mā)" is conditional, made accusative by "you cut down (qaṭa‘tum)," and "of any Līnah" is an explanation for it. This is why the pronoun is feminine in His saying: "or you left them (taraktumūhā) standing on their roots"—meaning: you let them be and did not interfere with them at all. The response to the condition is His saying: "it was by the permission of God"—meaning: that action, whether cutting them or leaving them, was by the command of God Almighty that reached you through His Messenger (peace and blessings of God be upon him), or by His (Exalted and Majestic) will and decree. ‘Abd Allāh, al-A‘mash, and Zayd ibn ‘Alī recited qūman (in the form of fu‘l, like ḍurb), which is the plural of qā’im (standing). Another recitation is qā’iman, as an active participle in the masculine, referring to the grammatical form of mā, while keeping uṣūlihā in the feminine. Another recitation is uṣlihā with two ḍammahs [shortening the plural uṣūl], either by dropping the wāw as sufficient with the ḍammah, or it is read with two ḍammahs without elision or lightening.

This is linked to an implied agent as the ‘illah (cause) for it. That implied agent is conjoined to another implied agent; meaning: "So that He might honor the believers and disgrace the disobedient"—meaning: to abase them. God (Exalted is He) permitted both the cutting and the leaving. It is also permissible for it to be conjoined to His saying: "by the permission of God." If the ‘illah is conjoined to the sabab (cause/means), there is no need for such implication.

By "the disobedient" (al-fāsiqīn) is meant those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture. Using the explicit noun instead of a pronoun is to indicate the reason for the ruling. That the cutting and the leaving are included in the rationale is the apparent meaning. Their disgrace in the cutting of the Līnah lies in their heartbreak over their loss at the hands of their enemies, the Muslims; and in leaving them, it lies in their heartbreak over their remaining in the hands of those enemies. This is stated in al-Intiṣāf.

Some said: These two heartbreaks occur regardless of which is cut and which is left, for palm trees are generally dear to their owners, and their souls do not easily permit their enemies to dispose of them as they wish. Its value to the owner who planted it is greater than its value to an owner who did not plant it. I have heard some planters say: "The palm branch to me is like a finger of my own hand." The realization of heartbreak over the loss is more apparent if the cut tree is a noble one, just as the realization of it over their remaining in the hands of their Muslim enemies is realized if they are left behind.

What some traditions indicate is that some of the Companions would cut the noble trees and others would cut the others, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) approved of both—the former because his intent was to enrage the disbelievers, and the latter because his intent was to preserve the noble trees for the Muslims. This occurred at the beginning of the Muslims' descent upon those disbelievers and their besieging them. It is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) ordered the cutting of their palm trees at the start of the war, so they said: "O Muhammad, you used to forbid corruption in the land; what is this cutting and burning of palm trees?" Then the verse "Whatever you cut down of any Līnah..." was revealed. It did not mention the burning because it is in the same category as cutting, so it was sufficient to mention the latter. As for mentioning the "leaving" [of the trees], even though they considered that to be corruption as well, it was to establish that cutting is not, in fact, "corruption" in the same category as what is actually corruption, signaling their equivalence in that regard.

The verse is used as evidence for the permissibility of demolishing the dwellings of the disbelievers, cutting their trees, and burning their crops to further enrage them. The conclusion of what the jurists mentioned on this matter is: If it is known that these will remain in the hands of the disbelievers, then destruction and burning is preferable; otherwise, leaving them is preferable, unless it entails a [strategic] benefit.