Tafsir of Al-Fath 48:16

Surah Al-Fath (The Victory) - Verse 17

Original Context: When the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: {You will never follow us} (Al-Fath: 15) and {You will never go out with me ever} (At-Tawbah: 83), the ones who remained behind (the Mukhallafoon) were a large group from various tribes. A need arose to clarify the acceptance of their repentance, as they did not persist in that state, nor were they among those hardened in hypocrisy. Rather, some among them improved their condition and rectified their intentions.

Condition for Acceptance of Repentance: A sign was established for the acceptance of their repentance: they would be summoned to fight a people of great might (awli ba's shadeed). If they obeyed, they would receive a good reward. This contrasts with the case of Thaalabah, who refused to pay Zakat, then brought it, but the Prophet (PBUH) did not accept it from him, and the matter remained so, with no one among the Companions accepting it from him.

Distinction between Thaalabah and the Mukhallafoon: The difference between Thaalabah's situation and that of these people lies in two aspects:

1. Divine Knowledge and Change: It is possible that Thaalabah's condition was unchanging in God's knowledge, so no sign was specified for his repentance. However, the condition of these Arabs changed; according to the doctrine of the Ahl al-Sunnah, after the Prophet (PBUH), none of the hypocrites remained in hypocrisy.
2. Necessity of Clarification: There was a greater need to clarify the status of this large multitude. If this clarification had not been given, the matter could have led to sedition (fitnah) among the Muslim factions.

Interpretations of {You will be summoned to a people of great might} (awli ba's shadeed): The most famous and apparent interpretation is:

1. Banu Hanifa: Who followed Musaylimah, and Abu Bakr fought them.
2. The Persians and Romans: Whom Umar fought.
3. Hawazin and Thaqif: Whom the Prophet (PBUH) fought.

The strongest view is that the summons originated from the Prophet (PBUH), even if other interpretations seem more apparent. The evidence for this strength is that the Ahl al-Sunnah agree that the Arabs' situation became clear during the Prophet's time; only an openly disbelieving person or a pious, pure believer remained. The Prophet (PBUH) refrained from praying over the hypocrites' dead, and the believers avoided associating with them—to the extent that 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit, despite being among the believers, was not spoken to by them for a period.

If God mentioned this as a sign for the revelation of their true state, then there would be no point in making it a sign if their state had already been revealed otherwise. If it was revealed through this, it must have been during the Prophet's time, because if the Prophet (PBUH) had refused to accept them due to following him, then Abu Bakr and Umar would also have been prevented, based on the verses: {Follow him} (Al-A'raf: 158) and {Follow me} (Maryam: 43).

Addressing Objections: If someone argues this view is weak for two reasons:

1. The Prophet (PBUH) said: {You will never follow us} (Al-Fath: 15) and {You will never go out with me ever} (At-Tawbah: 83). How could they follow him despite this negation?
2. The description {of great might} (awli ba's shadeed); after that, the Prophet (PBUH) had no war against a people of great might, as awe had seized people's hearts, and the disbelievers no longer possessed such strength after that.

Response to Objections:

1. Regarding the Negation: This statement must be qualified. It means: "You will never follow me while you are in your current state." This qualification is necessary because we all agree that some of them embraced Islam and improved their Islam—in fact, the majority did. It was not permissible for the Prophet (PBUH) to say they were not Muslims, based on the verse: {And do not say to one who offers you peace, "You are not a believer"} (An-Nisa: 94). With the acceptance of their Islam, it was not permissible to prevent them from Jihad, which was obligatory upon them. This was qualified, and their good state became clear. The Prophet (PBUH) summoned them to Jihad; some obeyed, and others refrained, revealing their true status—who persisted in disbelief and who settled upon faith.
2. Regarding "Great Might": The meaning of {You will never follow us} (Al-Fath: 15) pertains only to this specific battle. The statement {You will never go out with me} (At-Tawbah: 83) referred to others—the hypocrites who stayed behind during the Battle of Tabuk.

As for the consensus of the majority, there is no contradiction. We affirm that the Prophet (PBUH) summoned them first, and Abu Bakr (RA) also summoned them after knowing the permissibility from the Prophet's action. We only assert that the Prophet (PBUH) summoned them. If they say Abu Bakr summoned them, there is no conflict between the two statements. If they say the Prophet (PBUH) did not summon them, then denying it absolutely is far-fetched, as it is possible it occurred, especially since the Prophet (PBUH) recited God's words: {If you should love Allah, then follow me} (Al 'Imran: 31) and {And indeed, it is He who is the straight path} (Az-Zukhruf: 61). Some loved Allah and chose to follow the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as it is unlikely that their group would remain in hypocrisy and disbelief after the circle of Islam widened and the Arabs united upon faith. The day the Prophet (PBUH) said {You will never follow us}, most Arabs were still upon disbelief and hypocrisy, as this was before the Conquest of Makkah and before the capture of many strongholds.

Regarding the Claim of No Further Wars with Great Might: We do not accept this. The Prophet (PBUH) summoned them to war at the time of Al-Hudaybiyyah, as he went out in the state of Ihram with the sacrificial animals to show the Quraysh that he did not seek fighting, and they refused. He then said, "You will be summoned to war." There is no doubt that an opponent who is armed and fighting possesses greater might than one who is not. Thus, he knew from the situation in Makkah that they would not respect a pilgrim or one performing Umrah. Therefore, {of great might} means those possessing weapons of iron, which constitute great might.

Those who hold that the summoner was Abu Bakr or Umar use the verse to support their Caliphate, and its indication is clear. In that case, {you will fight them or they will submit} indicates that one of the two outcomes will occur.

There is a reading where aw (or) is in the accusative case, implying an (that), meaning: "You will fight them until they submit."

Analysis of Aw (Or): The particle aw (or) in this context, like in the phrase {for their husbands or} (Al-Baqarah: 228), only appears between two mutually exclusive things and indicates restriction. For example, one says the number is even or odd, but not "it is Zayd or Amr" unless the context restricts it. If someone says, "I will stick with you or you pay my right," it implies the time is restricted to two phases: a phase of sticking and a phase of paying the right, with no time existing outside of these two actions. This weakens the view that the summoner was Umar and the people were the Persians and Romans, because both parties agreed to pay the Jizyah (tribute), so the fighting would not necessarily extend until they embraced Islam, as they could pay the Jizyah.

Significance of {If you obey, Allah will give you a good reward, but if you turn away as you turned away before}: This verse contains a benefit: if turning away is due to an excuse, as in {There is no blame upon the blind} (An-Nur: 61), the one turning away does not receive a painful punishment. Therefore, God says: {but if you turn away as you turned away before}, meaning: if your turning away is based on false assumptions and baseless beliefs, as it was when you said with your tongues but not your hearts, {Our wealth and families occupied us} (Al-Fath: 11), then God will punish you with a painful punishment.

Surah Al-Fath (The Victory) - Verse 17

{There is no blame upon the blind, nor is there blame upon the lame, nor is there blame upon the sick, and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will admit him to Gardens beneath which rivers flow, but whoever turns away, He will punish him with a painful punishment.}

Explanation:

This verse clarifies the exemption for those with physical impediments from participating in Jihad when the call is issued.

1. Exemption for Impediments: {There is no blame upon the blind, nor is there blame upon the lame, nor is there blame upon the sick}—these individuals are excused from the obligation of fighting.
2. Reward for Obedience: {and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will admit him to Gardens beneath which rivers flow}—this is the reward for those who fulfill the command when able.
3. Punishment for Refusal: {but whoever turns away, He will punish him with a painful punishment.} This severe punishment is reserved for those who turn away when they are not excused by a valid impediment, contrasting with the excused ones mentioned earlier.