Surah Al-Mumtahanah (The Tested Woman) - Chapter 60

It has thirteen verses and was revealed in Medina.

Verse 1:

This verse establishes the fundamental prohibition against forming alliances based on affection with those who are enemies of Allah and His Messenger, especially when these enemies have actively rejected the truth brought by the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Key Points Addressed:

1. Prohibition of Alliance (لا تتخذوا... أوليآء): The core command is the prohibition of taking enemies as awliyā' (protectors, close allies).
2. The Nature of the Affection (تلقون إليهم بالمودة): This affection is explicitly mentioned as the mechanism of the forbidden alliance.
3. The Reason for Hostility: The verse highlights the hypocrisy of the enemies: they show hostility and expel the believers only because the believers affirm their faith in Allah (إن كنتم خرجتم جهادا...).
4. The Condition of the Believers: The verse addresses those believers who have migrated (made Hijra) for the sake of Allah's cause (جهادا فى سبيلى) and seeking His pleasure (ابتغآء مرضاتى).
5. The Secret Communication (تسرون إليهم بالمودة): This points to the danger of hidden affection and secret communication, which contradicts the outward declaration of faith and the struggle against the enemies.
6. Divine Omniscience (وأنا أعلم بمآ أخفيتم ومآ أعلنتم): Allah asserts His complete knowledge, encompassing both hidden intentions and open actions, thereby invalidating any attempt to deceive Him or mask true loyalties.
7. Consequence of Transgression (فقد ضل سوآء السبيل): Whoever engages in this forbidden act has deviated from the straight path (سواء السبيل), indicating a severe spiritual and practical error.

Al-Mumtahanah (The Tested Woman): (1) O you who have believed...

There are several issues concerning this verse:

Issue 1: Connection to the Previous Verses

It should be noted that what connects this verse to the preceding ones is that both address the state of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in relation to the people present in his time, such as the Jews, Christians, and others. Some of them agreed to peace treaties and acknowledged his truthfulness, including the Banu Nadir, who said: "By God, he is the Prophet whose description and attributes we find in the Torah." Others denied this and engaged in fighting, either openly or secretly, appearing outwardly Muslim while harboring disbelief inwardly. The connection to the previous section is clear, as the end of that Surah details the praiseworthy attributes of God Almighty, such as His Unity, while the beginning of this Surah details the sanctity of mixing with those who do not acknowledge these attributes.

Issue 2: The Occasion of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)

It is narrated that this verse was revealed concerning Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah. He wrote a letter to the people of Mecca stating that the Messenger of God (PBUH) was preparing for the conquest and intended to attack them, advising them to take precautions. He sent this letter with a woman affiliated with Banu Hashim, named Sarah, who was traveling from Mecca to Medina.

The Prophet (PBUH) asked her: "Have you come as a Muslim?" She replied, "No." He asked: "Have you come as an emigrant (Muhajirah)?" She replied, "No." He asked: "Then what brought you?" She said: "The patrons (Mawali) were killed on the Day of Badr, so I am in severe need." The Banu al-Muttalib helped her, clothed her, provided her with transport, and provisioned her. Hatib came to her, gave her ten dinars, clothed her with a fine garment, and asked her to carry that letter to the people of Mecca.

As she was setting out, God informed the Prophet (PBUH) of this. He sent Ali, Umar, Ammar, Talha, and Zubayr—all skilled horsemen—after her. They overtook her and questioned her about it, but she denied it and swore an oath. Ali (peace be upon him) said: "By God, we have not lied, nor has the Messenger of God lied." He drew his sword, and she produced the letter from her braided hair. They brought the letter to the Messenger of God (PBUH), who presented it to Hatib. He confessed, saying: "I have family and wealth in Mecca, and I wished to gain favor with them, knowing that God Almighty would inflict His wrath upon them." The Prophet (PBUH) confirmed his statement and accepted his excuse.

Umar said: "Leave him to me, O Messenger of God, so I may strike the neck of this hypocrite." The Prophet (PBUH) replied: "How do you know, O Umar? Perhaps God Almighty has looked upon the people of Badr and said to them: 'Do whatever you wish, for I have forgiven you.'" Umar's eyes filled with tears, and he said: "God and His Messenger know best." Then this verse was revealed.

As for the interpretation of the verse: The address in {That is because those who disbelieve} has already been discussed. Similarly, regarding Iman (faith), whether it is a single entity (belief in the heart) or multiple things (acts of obedience), as the Mu'tazila held.

Regarding the Almighty's saying: {Do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies}: Ittakhadha (to take as) takes two objects: ‘adwiyya (My enemy) and awliya’ (allies). ‘Adw (enemy) is derived from ‘ada, similar to ‘afw from ‘afa. Because it is on the pattern of a verbal noun (masdar), it is used for the plural as well as the singular. Enmity is the opposite of friendship, and they cannot coexist in the same place, at the same time, from the same perspective. However, they can be negated in the realm of possibility.

Al-Zajjaj and al-Karrabisi interpreted {‘adwiyya} as "an enemy in religion." The Prophet (PBUH) said: "A man follows the religion of his close friend, so let each one of you look at whom he befriends." He also said to Abu Dharr: "O Abu Dharr, what is the strongest tie of faith?" He replied: "God and His Messenger know best." The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Loyalty for the sake of God, love for the sake of God, and enmity for the sake of God."

Regarding the Almighty's saying: {casting towards them affection}: There are two issues here:

To what does {talqūna} (you cast) relate? There are several views:

1. The author of Al-Nathm says it is an adjective describing the indefinite noun awliya’ (allies), as stated by Al-Farra'.
2. Al-Kashshaf suggests it can be a hal (circumstantial adverb) describing the pronoun within la tattakhidhū (do not take), and awliya’ is an adjective for it.
3. It can be a new, independent clause (isti'naf), not modifying awliya’. The bā' (in bil-mawaddah) is like the bā' in {And whoever intends therein deviation by wrongdoing} (Al-Hajj: 25). The meaning is: you cast to them the Prophet's secrets and news out of the affection that exists between you and them. This is supported by {you secretly convey to them affection} (implied by context, referring to the secret communication).

1. How is it possible to take an enemy as an ally when enmity contradicts love and affection, which are necessary for such taking? We say it is not impossible, as the enmity might be concerning one matter, while the love and affection are concerning another. Do you not see God's saying: {Indeed, among your spouses and your children are enemies to you} (At-Taghabun: 14), while the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Our children are our heart's flesh"?

2. Why did He say {‘adwiyya} (My enemy) and not just {‘adwukum} (your enemy)? The command implies the latter, but it is not necessary that someone who is an enemy to the believers is also an enemy to God, as seen in the verse about spouses and children being enemies to you.

3. Why did He say {‘adwiyya wa ‘adwukum} (My enemy and your enemy) and not the reverse? Enmity between the believer and the disbeliever stems from the love of God and His Messenger. The believer's love for God Almighty is for a reason (li-‘illah), whereas God's love for the servant is without a reason (lā li-‘illah), as He is absolutely self-sufficient and needs nothing else. That which is without a reason takes precedence over that which is for a reason. Furthermore, if a relationship pertains to both parties, the higher party takes precedence over the lower party.

4. Why did He say {awliya’} (allies, plural) and not {waliyyan} (ally, singular)? Just as a noun defined by the definite article (Al-) encompasses every individual instance, so too does a noun defined by idafa (possession/relation).

5. Some say the bā' in bil-mawaddah is superfluous. We have already established that superfluity in the Qur'an is impossible. The bā' carries a meaning, so it cannot truly be superfluous.

Then the Almighty says: {And they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth, expelling the Messenger and yourselves because you believe in Allah, your Lord, if you have come out striving in My cause and seeking My pleasure.}

{And they have disbelieved}: The wāw (and) here indicates a state (wāw al-hāl), meaning: their state was that they disbelieved in what came to you of the religion (or the Qur'an), {expelling the Messenger and yourselves}—meaning from Mecca to Medina—{because you believe in Allah, your Lord}.

Regarding {if you have come out}: Al-Zajjaj said this is a conditional clause whose response is stated earlier: "Do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies." The phrases {striving in My cause and seeking My pleasure} are in the accusative case (manṣūb) because they are objects of the implied verb (i.e., you came out for the purpose of striving...).

{you secretly convey to them affection}: According to Muqatil, this means sincerity/good counsel.

Then He mentions that nothing about their affairs is hidden from Him, saying: {And I know what you conceal and what you reveal}. This means what you hide of affection for the disbelievers and what you reveal. It is not unlikely that this is general regarding everything hidden and revealed. Some scholars say: He knows the secrets of the servant, what is hidden, the outward, the inward, of their actions and states.

Regarding {And whoever of you does that}: The pronoun may refer back to concealing, casting affection, or taking the disbelievers as allies, as these actions were mentioned previously.

Regarding the Almighty's saying: {he has certainly strayed from the level path}: There are two interpretations:

1. According to Ibn Abbas: He deviated from the intended path in his belief.
2. According to Muqatil: He missed the intended path of guidance.

There are several inquiries regarding this part of the verse:

{if you have come out} is related to {la tattakhidhū} (do not take), meaning: Do not ally with My enemies if you are My allies. {And you secretly convey} is a new, independent clause, meaning: What benefit is there in your secrecy when you know that concealment and revelation are equal in My knowledge?

Someone might ask: {your Lord, if you have come out} is a conditional sentence, and if so, the condition {if you have come out} cannot exist without the consequence (the prohibition). Yet, it is known that the condition can exist without that prohibition. We reply: This entire structure is a condition for the implication of that prohibition, not for the prohibition itself in explicit wording. The combination (coming out for God's sake and the prohibition) cannot exist without the latter because the former (coming out) always exists. Thus, the benefit lies in seeking My pleasure, as coming out might be for God's pleasure or it might not be.

He said: {what you conceal (ukhfaytum) and what you reveal (u‘lintum)} and did not say: {what you secretly convey (asrartum) and what you reveal}, even though the latter is more fitting with the preceding {you secretly convey (tusirrūna)}. We reply: There is a greater emphasis in {ukhfaytum} (conceal), as concealment is stronger than secret conveyance (israr). This is supported by {He knows the secret and what is more hidden} (Taha: 7), meaning more hidden than the secret.

He said: {what you conceal} and mentioned knowledge of concealment before revelation, even though the latter necessitates the former, but not vice versa (in our human understanding). This precedence is relative to our knowledge, not God's knowledge, as both are equal in His sight, as mentioned before. Furthermore, the focus is on explaining what is more hidden, which is disbelief, so it is mentioned first.

What is the benefit of saying {And whoever of you does that} when it is known that whoever does this action {has certainly strayed from the level path}? We reply: If {minakum} refers to the believers, it is clear, because someone who commits this act is not necessarily a believer.

Then He informs the believers of the enmity of the disbelievers of Mecca, saying: