Tafsir of Al-Mumtahanah 60:1

Classification: Medinan. It consists of thirteen verses and was revealed after al-Aḥzāb.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

{O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the truth, having driven out the Messenger and yourselves [only] because you believe in Allah, your Lord. If you have come out for jihad in My cause and seeking My pleasure, [take them not as allies]. You confide affection to them, but I am most knowing of what you have concealed and what you have declared. And whoever does that among you has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way. If they gain dominance over you, they will be to you as enemies and extend against you their hands and their tongues with evil, and they wish you would disbelieve.}

Narrated: It is reported that a freedwoman of Abu ‘Amr ibn Sayfi ibn Hashim, named Sarah, came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Medina while he was preparing for the Conquest (of Mecca). He asked her, "Have you come as a Muslim?" She said, "No." He asked, "Have you come as a migrant?" She said, "No." He asked, "Then why have you come?" She replied, "You were my family, masters, and kin, but my masters are gone"—meaning they were killed at Badr—"and I have fallen into severe need." The sons of ‘Abd al-Muttalib helped her, clothed her, and provided for her.

Then Hatib ibn Abi Balta‘a came to her, gave her ten dinars and a garment, and entrusted her with a letter to the people of Mecca. Its text read: "From Hatib ibn Abi Balta‘a to the people of Mecca: Know that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) intends to come to you, so take your precautions."

Sarah departed, and Gabriel descended with the news. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent ‘Ali, ‘Ammar, ‘Umar, Talha, al-Zubayr, and al-Miqdad—who were horsemen—saying: "Go until you reach the garden of Khakh; there you will find a woman carrying a letter from Hatib to the people of Mecca. Take it from her and let her go; if she refuses, strike off her head." They caught up with her, but she denied it and swore an oath. They were about to turn back, but ‘Ali (ra) said, "By Allah, we have not lied, nor has the Messenger of Allah lied." He drew his sword and said, "Produce the letter, or I will take your head." She produced it from her hair braid.

It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) granted amnesty to everyone on the day of the Conquest except four, and she was one of them. The Messenger of Allah summoned Hatib and asked, "What drove you to this?" He replied, "O Messenger of Allah, I have not disbelieved since I embraced Islam, nor have I deceived you since I advised you, nor have I loved them since I parted from them. But I was a man attached to Quraysh"—meaning a stranger among them, not of their own blood—"and all the Emigrants with you have relatives in Mecca who protect their families and wealth, except me. I feared for my family and wanted to do them a favor, knowing that Allah’s punishment would descend upon them and that my letter would not avail them anything." The Prophet (ﷺ) believed him and accepted his excuse.

‘Umar said, "Let me strike the neck of this hypocrite, O Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: "What do you know, ‘Umar? Perhaps Allah has looked upon the people of Badr and said: 'Do whatever you wish, for I have forgiven you.'" ‘Umar’s eyes overflowed with tears, and he said, "Allah and His Messenger know best."

Linguistic and Exegetical Notes:

• "Do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies": The verb tattakhidhu (take) is transitive to two objects: ‘aduwwi (My enemies) and awliya’ (allies). ‘Aduww is a fa‘ul form from ‘ada (to transgress), like ‘afuw from ‘afa. Because it is in the form of a verbal noun (masdar), it is applied to the plural just as it is to the singular.
• "You offer them affection": If you ask what tulquna (you offer) relates to, I say it may relate to la tattakhidhu (do not take) as a state (hal) of its pronoun, or it may be an adjective (sifa) for awliya’. It may also be an independent sentence (isti’naf).
• "Offering": Al-ilqa’ (offering/casting) is an expression for conveying affection and revealing it to them. The ba’ in bil-mawadda (with affection) is either an intensifier for transitivity or it implies a deleted object—meaning: "You convey to them the news of the Messenger because of the affection between you."
• "And they have disbelieved": This is a state (hal) either from "Do not take" or from "You offer," meaning: "Do not take them as allies while this is their state."
• "They drive out the Messenger": This is an independent sentence explaining their disbelief, or a state of their disbelief.
• "That you believe": This provides the reason for their driving you out.
• "If you have come out": This relates to "Do not take," meaning: "Do not take My enemies as allies if you are My allies."
• "You conceal": This is an independent sentence. It means: "What benefit is there for you in your concealment, when you know that concealment and declaration are equal in My knowledge?"
• "If they gain mastery over you": Meaning if they overcome you, they will be your enemies in truth, not allies. They will stretch out their hands and tongues against you with fighting and insults.
• "And they wished": If you ask why the response to the condition is in the present tense, but then he says "and they wished" in the past tense, I say: The past tense here carries a nuance. It is as if it were said: "They wished for your apostasy before anything else." They desire to inflict upon you all worldly and religious harms, but your return to disbelief is the most urgent harm to them, for they know that your religion is dearer to you than your own souls.