Tafsir-Surah-Al-Mumtahanah-Ayat 8–9-The-Relationship-of-Muslims-with-Non-Muslims

 

60:8 Allah forbids you not, as regards those who have not fought against you on account of the religion, nor expelled you from your homes, that you should be kind to them and be just with them; verily, Allah loves the just.

60:9 Allah only forbids you, as to those who have fought against you on account of the faith, and expelled you from your homes, and have supported in your expulsion, that you should befriend them. And whoever befriends them—those—they are the wrongdoers.

Relationship with the Previous Part

In the previous part, the believers are commanded to disown the disbelievers and to imitate Prophet Ibrahim and the believers with him in this regard. They are also reassured that Allah is able to change all matters in the blink of an eye by causing the disbelievers to embrace Islam, which indeed occurred. This part then addresses the relationship between the believers and those disbelievers who do not fight against the Muslims, do not drive the believers out of their homes, and do not assist others in doing so.

60:8 Allah forbids you not as regards those who have not fought against you on account of faith, nor expelled you from your homes, that you should be kind to them and be just with them; verily, Allah loves the just.

This Ayah establishes a foundational principle that the believers should follow regarding friendship, enmity, social relations, and avoidance.

Abdul Allah Bin Az-Zubair narrated from his father, may Allah have mercy on them, that this Ayah was revealed concerning Asma’ Bint Abi Bakr. Her mother, Qiylah, was a disbeliever. She visited her daughter Asma’ and brought her gifts. Asma’ said, “I shall not accept your gifts, and you shall not enter my house until I take permission from Messenger Muhammad [Peace be upon him].” Then Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, informed Messenger Muhammad of the matter. Thus, Allah, Exalted be He, revealed: [60:8 Allah forbids you not as regards those who have not fought against you on account of faith…].

Hisham bin Urwa said, “My father told me that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them, said, ‘During the time of the Messenger [peace be upon him], my mother, who was a disbeliever, came to visit me, seeking to maintain ties of kinship. I asked the Prophet, “Shall I maintain ties of kinship with her?” He said, “Yes.”’” Ibn Uyaynah said, [“Then Allah revealed: [60:8 Allah forbids you not as regards those who have not fought against you on account of faith…].”

60:8 Allah forbids you not as regards those who have not fought against you on account of faith…

Allah does not forbid the believers from being kind to disbelievers who do not fight against them, such as women and weak people. Kindness includes maintaining good relations with relatives, helping neighbors, and showing hospitality, since such people do not fight the believers on account of faith and do not expel them from their homes. Moreover, Allah does not forbid the believers from being just and fair toward such disbelievers by giving them their rights, fulfilling promises made to them, and returning their trusts, as Allah loves those who are just and fair.

The intended meaning is that Allah does not forbid the believers from showing kindness to disbelievers who have made covenants with them not to fight against them.

60:9 Allah only forbids you as to those who have fought against you on account of faith, and expelled you from your homes, and have supported in your expulsion, that you should befriend them. And whoever befriends them—those—they are the wrongdoers.

Allah only forbids the believers from being kind to those who have fought against them on account of faith and belief in the Oneness of Allah, such as the disbelievers of Makkah and those similar to them. Allah also forbids kindness toward those who expelled the believers from their homes and supported others in doing so. Furthermore, Allah forbids the believers from befriending or forming alliances with such disbelievers.

And whoever befriends them—those—they are the wrongdoers.

Those among the believers who befriend and ally with disbelievers who fought against the believers, expelled them from their homes, and supported their expulsion are wrongdoers. They are described as wrongdoers because they wrong themselves by befriending and allying with those who do not deserve friendship or alliance. Rather, such people are enemies of Allah and His Messenger and deserve enmity and hatred.

Summary Ruling

• It is permissible for the believers to be kind to and befriend disbelievers who do not fight them on account of faith and do not expel them from their homes.
• It is impermissible for the believers to be kind to or befriend disbelievers who have fought against them on account of faith, expelled them from their homes, and supported others in doing so.

Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Mumtahanah Ayat 8–9

• It is permissible for the believers to be kind to and befriend disbelievers who do not fight against them, do not expel them from their homes, and do not support others in their expulsion. The believers should be just and fair with such people, as Allah loves those who are just.
• It is impermissible for the believers to be kind to or befriend disbelievers who have fought against them, expelled them from their homes, and supported their expulsion. Those among the believers who show kindness to and befriend such disbelievers deserve severe punishment.

 

Tafsir of Surah Al-Mumtahanah, Ayat 4–7 Imitating Prophet Ibrahim and the Believers with Him

 

60:4 You have a good example in Abraham and those with him when they said to their people, ‘Truly we disown you and what you worship besides Allah. We disbelieve in you and enmity and hatred have arisen between us and you forever until you believe in Allah alone,’ save the saying of Ibrahim to his father. ‘I shall seek forgiveness for you, and I have no power to avail you against Allah at all.’ ‘O our Lord, in You, we put our trust, and to You we turn, and to You is the return.’

60:5 Our Lord! Make us not a trial for those who disbelieve; and forgive us. Our Lord! Indeed, You are the All-Mighty, the Wise.

60:6 Surely you have a good example in them for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day. And whoever turns away, truly Allah is the Self-sufficient, the All-Praiseworthy.

60:7 It may be that Allah will bring about love between you and those with whom you are at enmity. And Allah is All-Able, and Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

Relationship with the Previous Part

Allah, Exalted be He, had prohibited the believers in the preceding passage from befriending the disbelievers. He then commands the believers to imitate Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, and those who believed with him in their disavowal of the disbelievers, even when those disbelievers were close relatives such as fathers or brothers. Prophet Ibrahim and his followers openly declared their enmity toward the disbelievers because they rejected belief in Allah. If the disbelievers were to believe in Allah, this enmity would change into love and friendship.

This passage also identifies an exception: believers are not to imitate Prophet Ibrahim when he promised to seek forgiveness for his father. Prophet Ibrahim made this promise prior to realizing that his father was an enemy to Allah due to his disbelief in the Oneness of Allah.

Tafsir

60:4 You have a good example in Abraham and those with him when they said to their people, ‘Truly we disown you and what you worship besides Allah. We disbelieve in you and enmity and hatred have arisen between us and you forever until you believe in Allah alone,’ save the saying of Ibrahim to his father. ‘I shall seek forgiveness for you, and I have no power to avail you against Allah at all.’ ‘O our Lord, in You, we put our trust, and to You we turn, and to You is the return.’

60:5 Our Lord! Make us not a trial for those who disbelieve; and forgive us. Our Lord! Indeed, You are the All-Mighty, the Wise.

60:6 Surely you have a good example in them for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day. And whoever turns away, truly Allah is the Self-sufficient, the All-Praiseworthy.

60:7 It may be that Allah will bring about love between you and those with whom you are at enmity. And Allah is All-Able, and Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.
O believers, you have an excellent example in Prophet Ibrahim and those who believed with him when they declared their disavowal of the disbelievers. They said to their people, ‘We disown you and what you worship besides Allah. We disbelieve in all that you worship besides Allah. Enmity and hatred have arisen between us and you forever until you believe in the Oneness of Allah.’

The implied meaning addresses  believers who might consider allying themselves with disbelievers. It urges them to emulate Prophet Ibrahim and his followers, who disowned their people because they rejected belief in the Oneness of Allah, Exalted be He.

…save the saying of Ibrahim to his father. ‘I shall seek forgiveness for you, and I have no power to avail you against Allah at all.’
Allah, Exalted be He, then clarifies an exception in the matter of imitating Prophet Ibrahim.
O believers, you have a good example in Prophet Ibrahim except in the statement he made to his father when he said, ‘I shall ask Allah to forgive you, and I have no power to protect you against the punishment of Allah if you insist on disbelieving in His Oneness.’ The believers must not imitate Prophet Ibrahim in this specific instance by asking Allah to forgive the disbelievers. Prophet Ibrahim made this supplication only because he had previously promised his father to do so. When he realized definitively that his father was an enemy to Allah, he disowned him.

In summary, the believers must not imitate Prophet Ibrahim in asking forgiveness for the disbelievers.

Some believers had asked Allah to forgive their deceased fathers who died in disbelief, imitating Prophet Ibrahim’s request for his father. Allah, Exalted be He, then revealed:

9:113 It is impermissible for the Prophet and the believers to pray for forgiveness for the disbelievers even if they are close relatives after it has become clear to them that they will be the dwellers of Hell.

9:114 Ibrahim’s prayer for forgiveness for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him; and when he knew that he was an enemy of Allah, he disowned him. Indeed, Ibrahim was tender-hearted, forbearing. [Surah At-Tawbah: 113–114]

‘O our Lord, in You, we put our trust, and to You we turn, and to You is the return.’

The Ayah describes the stance adopted by Prophet Ibrahim and the believers after disowning their people. They declared: ‘O our Lord, in You, we put our trust concerning all our affairs. Our Lord, to You we turn, asking You to forgive us our sins. Our Lord, to You we shall return in the Hereafter.’

The Believers are instructed to imitate Prophet Ibrahim and his followers in this regard: reliance upon Allah in all matters, seeking His forgiveness, and affirming that all creatures will return to Him in the Hereafter.

60:5 Our Lord! Make us not a trial for those who disbelieve; and forgive us. Our Lord! Indeed, You are the All-Mighty, the Wise.

Prophet Ibrahim and the believers continued their supplication, saying, ‘Our Lord, do not make us a trial for those who disbelieve by granting them dominance over us. Such dominance would lead them to believe that they follow the straight path while we follow falsehood. Our Lord, forgive us our sins. Indeed, You are the All-Mighty, whom none can overcome, and the Wise in all Your deeds and statements.’

Mujahid, may Allah have mercy on him, commented: regarding the phrase ‘Make us not a trial for those who disbelieve,’ it means: ‘Our Lord, do not punish us by the hands of the disbelievers or with a punishment from You, lest the disbelievers say, “If they were upon the right path, they would not be punished.”’

60:6 Surely you have a good example in them for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day. And whoever turns away, truly Allah is the Self-sufficient, the All-Praiseworthy.

This Ayah reinforces the command to imitate Prophet Ibrahim and those who believed with him, taking them as exemplars.
O believers, you have a good example in Prophet Ibrahim and his followers. This example is for whoever hopes for the reward of Allah in this world and the Hereafter and seeks deliverance from Hell and its severe punishment on the Day of Judgment.

And whoever turns away, truly Allah is the Self-sufficient, the All-Praiseworthy.

Whoever turns away from the right path and disobeys Allah by befriending the disbelievers harms only himself. He will incur loss and face grievous punishment on the Day of Judgment. Truly, Allah is the Self-Sufficient, the All-Praiseworthy. Allah has no need of His creatures, while all creatures depend on Him. He is praised in all His statements and deeds, and none deserves worship but Him. Allah grants immense reward to those who praise and thank Him.

60:7 It may be that Allah will bring about love between you and those with whom you are at enmity. And Allah is All-Able, and Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.
O believers, it may be that Allah will bring about affection between you and those with whom you are now in enmity. Your enemies may embrace Islam, and thus enmity will transform into love and discord into harmony. Indeed, Allah is All-Able, All-Forgiving, All-Merciful. Allah can change matters instantly. He forgives the sins of those who repent and His mercy encompasses all who seek His forgiveness and mercy.

Many of the Arab disbelievers embraced Islam after the conquest of Makkah and became upright Muslims. Thereafter, close ties arose between them and those who had accepted Islam earlier. Together they fought for the sake of Allah and performed righteous deeds.

The Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Mumtahanah, Ayat 4–7

• Prophet Ibrahim is a role model for the believers in disowning the disbelievers. Every believer should follow Prophet Ibrahim in this regard, except concerning his promise to seek forgiveness for his father.  Prophet Ibrahim only made this supplication due to a prior promise; the believers must not ask Allah to forgive the disbelievers.

• Prophet Ibrahim and the believers with him disowned the disbelievers because they worshipped deities besides Allah. This enmity continues until the disbelievers believe in the Oneness of Allah, at which point it transforms into love and friendship.

• Allah, Exalted be He, teaches the believers the supplications recited by Prophet Ibrahim and his followers. They expressed their reliance upon Allah for all their needs, repented of their sins, and asked Allah not to make them a trial for the disbelievers by granting the latter dominance, which would lead them to think they followed guidance while the believers followed misguidance. They also asked Allah to forgive their sins, for He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

• Those who turn away from the path of guidance harm none but themselves. Allah is Self-Sufficient and in no need of any creature, while all creatures are in need of Him.

• Allah is All-Praiseworthy in His statements and deeds, and He is the All-Wise in all His actions and pronouncements.

• The believers obeyed Allah by disowning their relatives for His sake. Out of His mercy and generosity, Allah later guided many of those relatives to the path of guidance, and they embraced Islam and became sincere believers.

• Allah is Able to change hearts and affairs instantly.