At-Tawbah (The Repentance): Verse 123

It is reported from Al-Hasan that he said: This verse was revealed before the command to fight all polytheists. Subsequently, it was abrogated by the verse: {Fight against the polytheists, all of them} (At-Tawbah: 36).

However, the sound scholars (Al-Muhaqqiqūn) rejected this abrogation. They argued that when Allah commanded fighting all polytheists, He guided them to the most appropriate and sound method in that matter: to begin with those nearest, then proceed to those farther away.

Do you not see that the command for Da‘wah (invitation to Islam) followed this order? Allah says: {And warn your nearest kindred} (Ash-Shu‘arā’: 214). The command for military expeditions (Ghazawat) also followed this order: The Prophet (peace be upon him) first fought his own people, then moved to campaign against the rest of the Arabs, and then moved to conquer the Levant (Ash-Shām). When the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) finished with the affairs of Ash-Shām, they entered Iraq.

We maintain that beginning military action with nearby locations is preferable for several reasons:

1. Impossibility of Simultaneous Action: Confronting everyone at once is impossible. Since all are equal in the obligation of fighting due to their disbelief and hostility, and since combining the action is impossible, preference (Tarjīḥ) becomes necessary. Closeness is an apparent preference, just as it is in Da‘wah and in all important matters. Do you not see that in enjoining good and forbidding evil, dealing with those present is preferable to traveling to distant lands for that purpose? Thus, one must begin with the nearest.
2. Lesser Expense: Beginning with the nearest requires less expenditure (Nafaqāt) and fewer needs for mounts, equipment, and tools.
3. Protection of Families: When the fighting group moves from the near to the far, they expose their families (Dharārī) to potential tribulation (Fitnah) in the interim.
4. Assessing Threat and Ease of Victory: Neighbors of the Islamic lands are either strong or weak.
   • If they are strong, their aggression against the Islamic lands is more severe and frequent than that of distant disbelievers. The stronger and more frequent evil is more deserving of repulsion.
   • If they are weak, the Muslims' dominance over them will be easier, and achieving the glory of Islam through their defeat will be nearer and simpler. Thus, starting with them is preferable.
5. Knowledge of Conditions: It is easier for a person to be aware of the condition of those near him than those far away. Therefore, the Muslims' ability to fight the near ones is easier because they know the nature of their circumstances, the extent of their weaponry, and the size of their armies.
6. Ease of Logistics: Since the Islamic lands are vast, if the people of every region occupy themselves with fighting the disbelievers nearest to them, the logistical burden (Mu’ūnah) will be easier, and achieving the objective will be simpler.
7. Prioritizing the Easier Obligation: When two obligations coincide, the one that is easier to fulfill must be prioritized. Closeness is a cause of ease; therefore, one must begin with the nearest.
8. Precedent (Sunnah): We have established that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) began Da‘wah with those nearest, then those farther, and similarly in all important matters. When a Bedouin sat at a dining mat and reached his hand toward the distant sides of the mat, the Prophet (PBUH) told him: "Eat what is nearest to you." These points demonstrate that beginning with the nearest is obligatory.

Objection: Perhaps bypassing the nearest to reach the farthest is more beneficial, because the farthest might think that the nearest were bypassed because they were not considered worthy of attention.

Response: That is only one possibility, whereas we have presented numerous possibilities. Matters of worldly benefit are based on prioritizing what yields the greater benefit over what yields the lesser. Furthermore, what we have stated applies only when it is impossible to fight both the near and the far simultaneously. If it is possible to engage all of them, then there is no debate that combining the action is preferable. Thus, it is established that this verse is not abrogated at all.

Al-Zajjaj mentioned three readings for the word ghilẓah (harshness): with a fatḥah (Ghalẓah), a ḍammah (Ghulẓah), and a kasrah (Ghilẓah).

The author of Al-Kashshāf stated: Ghilẓah (with kasrah) means great severity. Ghulẓah (with ḍammah) is like a pressing force (ḍaghṭah), and Ghalẓah (with fatḥah) is like anger (sakhaṭah).

This verse indicates a command to be severe toward them, similar to Allah’s saying: {And be harsh with them} (At-Tawbah: 73), and {Do not lose heart} (Āl ‘Imrān: 139; An-Nisā’: 104). Regarding the Companions, Allah describes them as: {Mighty against the disbelievers} (Al-Mā’idah: 54) and {harsh against the disbelievers} (Al-Fatḥ: 29).

The commentators have various interpretations for ghilẓah: some said it means courage, some said severity, and some said wrath.

Know that Ghilẓah is the opposite of tenderness (riqqah); it is severity in inflicting punishment. Its benefit is that it is more effective in deterring and preventing evil deeds. However, the command in this matter is not absolute; sometimes gentleness and kindness are needed, and sometimes force is required. For this reason, Allah said: {and let them find harshness in you}, indicating that one should not rely solely on harshness, as that would cause repulsion and lead to the scattering of the people.

Therefore, the phrase {let them find in you harshness} implies a limitation of harshness. It is as if He is saying: They must find in your character a degree of harshness, but this statement is only appropriate for one whose general disposition is mercy and compassion, yet who is not entirely devoid of a measure of severity.

This harshness is only considered in matters related to inviting to the religion, either through establishing proof and evidence, or through fighting and striving (Jihād). It is not meant for matters related to buying and selling, social interaction, or eating together.

This means that one’s readiness for striving and fighting should be due to the piety (Taqwā) of Allah, not for the pursuit of wealth or status. If the enemy shows readiness for Islam, the Muslim refrains from fighting him. If the enemy shows readiness to pay the Jizyah (poll tax), the Muslim leaves him alone. If the enemy forces become numerous, the Muslim takes spoils of war according to Allah’s ruling.