Al-Mumtahanah: 12
{And they shall not kill their children}
It is also recited as yuqattilna (with a shaddah), meaning: the burying of infant daughters alive.
{And they shall not bring forth a slander which they forge between their hands and their feet}
A woman would pick up a newborn and say to her husband, "This is my child from you." The phrase "slander forged between her hands and her feet" is a metonym for the child she falsely attributes to her husband, because the womb in which she carries it is between her hands, and the private part from which she gives birth is between her feet.
{And they shall not disobey you in what is good}
Meaning: in what you command them of virtuous acts and forbid them of shameful ones. It is also said: everything that aligns with the obedience of Allah is "good" (ma'ruf).
If you ask: If He had sufficed with saying "and they shall not disobey you," would it not be known that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) only commands what is good?
I reply: This serves as a warning that obeying a created being in the disobedience of the Creator is worthy of the utmost caution and avoidance.
Narrated: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) finished the pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) of the men on the day of the Conquest of Mecca, he began the pledge of the women while he was on Safa, and Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was below him, taking the pledge from them on his behalf and conveying his words. Hind bint Utbah, the wife of Abu Sufyan, was veiled and disguised, fearing the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) might recognize her.
He (ﷺ) said: "I take your pledge that you will not associate anything with Allah." Hind raised her head and said: "By Allah, we worshipped idols, and you are taking from us a covenant you did not take from the men; you pledge the men to Islam and Jihad."
He (ﷺ) said: "And that you will not steal." She said: "Abu Sufyan is a stingy man, and I have taken some of his wealth; I do not know if it is lawful for me or not." Abu Sufyan said: "Whatever you have taken in the past or future is lawful for you." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) laughed, recognized her, and said: "Are you Hind bint Utbah?" She said: "Yes, so forgive what has passed, O Prophet of Allah, may Allah forgive you."
He said: "And that you will not commit adultery." She said: "Does a free woman commit adultery?" (In another narration: "None of them ever committed adultery.")
He (ﷺ) said: "And that you will not kill your children." She said: "We raised them as infants, and you killed them as adults; you and they know best." (Her son, Hanzala ibn Abi Sufyan, had been killed at Badr). Umar laughed until he fell on his back, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) smiled.
He said: "And that you will not bring forth a slander." She said: "By Allah, slander is an ugly thing, and you only command us to righteousness and noble character."
He said: "And that you shall not disobey me in what is good." She said: "By Allah, we did not sit in this gathering intending to disobey you in anything."
Regarding the method of the pledge:
- It is said: He called for a vessel of water, dipped his hand in it, and they dipped their hands in it.
- It is said: He shook hands with them, with a Qatari garment over his hand.
- It is said: Umar shook hands with them on his behalf.
{O you who have believed, do not make allies of a people with whom Allah has become angry; they have despaired of the Hereafter just as the disbelievers have despaired of the inhabitants of the graves.}
