Al-Fath: 25
"And the Hady (sacrificial animals)..."
It is read as al-hady and al-huda, with both the light and heavy ya. It refers to that which is gifted to the Kaaba.
- In the accusative case (al-hady): As a conjunction to the pronoun in saddukum (they hindered you). Meaning: They hindered you and they hindered the Hady.
- In the genitive case (al-hady): As a conjunction to al-Masjid al-Haram. Meaning: They hindered you from slaughtering the Hady.
- In the nominative case (al-hady): Meaning: "And the Hady was hindered."
"Restrained from reaching its place of sacrifice"
Restrained means held back from reaching its destination. Its place is the location where its slaughter becomes lawful—that is, mandatory. This is evidence for Abu Hanifa that the one prevented from completing Hajj (muhsar) must slaughter his Hady within the Sacred Precincts (Haram).
If you ask: How did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his companions slaughter their Hady at al-Hudaybiyyah, when it was only partially in the Haram?
I say: Part of al-Hudaybiyyah is within the Haram. It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah’s (ﷺ) tents were in the Hill (outside the sanctuary), but his place of prayer was in the Haram.
If you ask: If he slaughtered in the Haram, why is it said "restrained from reaching its place"?
I say: The intended place is the customary one, which is Mina.
"Whom you did not know"
This is an adjective for both the men and women collectively. An (that) is a substitute of inclusion (badal ishtimal) for them, or for the pronoun in ta‘lamuhum.
"Lest you should commit a crime against them"
Ma‘arra (crime/shame) is a noun derived from ‘arrah, meaning to afflict someone with something they dislike or find burdensome.
"And you might be affected by them without knowing"
This relates to "lest you trample them." It means: lest you trample them while unaware of their presence. Wat’ (trampling) and daws (crushing) are expressions for destruction and annihilation. As the poet said:
"You trampled us with rage, like the trampling of a shackled, aged camel."
And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The last trampling Allah trampled was at Wajj."
The meaning: There were Muslims in Mecca mixed with the polytheists, indistinguishable and not known by their locations. It is as if it were said: "Were it not for the dislike of destroying believing people who are among the polytheists—while you are unaware of them—thereby causing you harm and distress by their destruction, He would not have restrained your hands from them." The response to "Were it not" (lawla) is omitted because the context implies it. It is also possible that "If they had been separated" acts as a repetition for lawla, as both return to the same meaning, and "He would have punished" becomes the response.
If you ask: What crime (ma‘arra) would befall them if they killed them unknowingly?
I say: They would incur the obligation of blood money (diya) and expiation (kaffara), and the polytheists would slander them, saying they did to their own people what they did to us without distinction. There is also the sin of negligence if any shortcoming occurred on their part.
If you ask: What is the purpose of the statement, "That Allah may admit into His mercy whom He wills"?
I say: It is the reason for what the verse points to and was brought for: the restraining of hands from the people of Mecca and the prohibition of killing them, in order to protect the believers among them. It is as if He said: "The restraint and the prevention of punishment were so that Allah might admit into His mercy"—meaning, into His guidance toward increased goodness and obedience—those among them who are believers, or to admit into Islam those among the polytheists who desire it.
"If they had been separated"
Meaning: If they had been distinguished and separated from one another. It is derived from zalahu yaziluhu. It is also read as law tazayalu.
"When those who disbelieved had set up in their hearts pride, the pride of the Age of Ignorance, then Allah sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers and imposed upon them the word of righteousness, and they were more entitled to it and worthy of it. And Allah is Ever-Knowing of all things."
