[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:1]
The immediate occasion for the revelation of this passage was a letter, secretly despatched from Madina, through a slave songstress of Makka who came to Madina posing as a destitute but was a spy, by Hatib, a muhajir, addressed to the Makkans, giving them notice of the intended Muslim expedition to Makka, and advising them to arm themselves to fight against the Holy Prophet. Jibrail revealed the affair to the Holy Prophet who immediately sent Ali, Miqdad and Ammar after her. The spy, when intercepted, readily presented herself for a search, denying the charge she was accused of. Having full faith in the knowledge of the Holy Prophet, Ali threatened her with slaughter if she did not produce the letter. Then she brought the letter from the long tresses of her hair. On being questioned, Hatib offered the excuse that it was solely due to his natural desire to save his unprotected family at the hands of the Makkan pagans. The Holy Prophet, in view of his past conduct, graciously asked him to seek pardon from Allah.
This was shortly before the conquest of Makka, but the principle is of universal importance. There cannot be any intimacy with the enemies of your faith and people, who are persecuting your faith and seeking to destroy you and your faith. You should not do so even for the sake of your relatives, as it compromises the life and existence of your whole community. For treachery the plea of children and relatives will not be accepted when the day of judgement comes. Children, family and friends will be of no avail.
The command to avoid contact with the enemies of the truth is the basis of the doctrine of tabarra. Tabarra is not vulgar vilification or wanton abuse. It is that which has been commanded in this verse.
[Shakir 60:2] If they find you, they will be your enemies, and will stretch forth towards you their hands and their tongues with evil, and they ardently desire that you may disbelieve.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:2] (see commentary for verse 1)
[Shakir 60:3] Your relationship would not profit you, nor your children on the day of resurrection; He will decide between you; and Allah sees what you do.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:3] (see commentary for verse 1)
[Shakir 60:4] Indeed, there is for you a good example in Ibrahim and those with him when they said to their people: Surely we are clear of you and of what you serve besides Allah; we declare ourselves to be clear of you, and enmity and hatred have appeared between us and you forever until you believe in Allah alone-- but not in what Ibrahim said to his father: I would certainly ask forgiveness for you, and I do not control for you aught from Allah-- Our Lord! on Thee do we rely, and to Thee do we turn, and to Thee is the eventual coming:
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:4]
Refer to the commentary Anam: 75 and Bara-at: 114 and Maryam: 41 to 48 for "there is for you an excellent pattern in Ibrahim." Ibrahim warned Azar, not his father but the patriarch of his family and his people, against idolatry and prayed for Azar, but when they became open enemies of Allah, he dissociated himself from them and left his home, his family and his people. "Those with him" were his wife and nephew Lut and those who believed in Allah who went into exile with him. The enemies of Allah are the enemies of the believers. Therefore the believers must cut themselves off from them, unless they repent and submit themselves to Allah.
The believers must put their trust in Allah and seek His protection from becoming so weak as to tempt the disbelievers to try to attack and destroy them.
For fitnat see commentary of Baqarah: 102 and Anfal: 25.
Imam Jafar bin Muhammad as Sadiq said:
[Shakir 60:5] Our Lord! do not make us a trial for those who disbelieve, and forgive us, our Lord! surely Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:5] (see commentary for verse 4)
[Shakir 60:6] Certainly there is for you in them a good example, for him who fears Allah and the last day; and whoever turns back, then surely Allah is the Self-sufficient, the Praised.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:6] (see commentary for verse 4)
[Shakir 60:7] It may be that Allah will bring about friendship between you and those whom you hold to be your enemies among them; and Allah is Powerful; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:7]
That which has been stated in this verse happened on taking of Makka, when some of the leading Quraysh, who had till then been invertebrate enemies of Islam, apparently embraced the faith and their hostility was neutralised.
[Shakir 60:8] Allah does not forbid you respecting those who have not made war against you on account of (your) religion, and have not driven you forth from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with them justly; surely Allah loves the doers of justice.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:8]
Fairness and equity are made obligatory in dealing with every creature of Allah whatever his beliefs may be, unless they exceed all bounds and come out to destroy the faith and the faithful.
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
Islam enjoins kindness, fairplay and justice to non-violent non-muslims.
[Shakir 60:9] Allah only forbids you respecting those who made war upon you on account of (your) religion, and drove you forth from your homes and backed up (others) in your expulsion, that you make friends with them, and whoever makes friends with them, these are the unjust.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:9] (see commentary for verse 8)
[Shakir 60:10] O you who believe! when believing women come to you flying, then examine them; Allah knows best their faith; then if you find them to be believing women, do not send them back to the unbelievers, neither are these (women) lawful for them, nor are those (men) lawful for them, and give them what they have spent; and no blame attaches to you in marrying them when you give them their dowries; and hold not to the ties of marriage of unbelieving women, and ask for what you have spent, and kt them ask for what they have spent. That is Allah's judgment; He judges between you, and Allah is Knowing, Wise.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:10]
Under the treaty of Hudaybiya [see Fat-h: 1 clause (ii) and (iii),] whosoever wished to join the Holy Prophet had the liberty to do so, but if claimed back by the guardian should be returned. A party of men and women came to the Holy Prophet and embraced Islam among whom was Saba daughter of Harith. Her husband came and demanded her return under clause (iii). But as the Quraysh had already broken the treaty, some instructions were necessary as to what should be done in such circumstances. Muslim women married to pagan husbands were oppressed for their faith and some of them came to Madina as refugees. After this verse, they were not to be resumed to the custody of their pagan husbands, as the marriage of believing women with non-muslims is held to be dissolved if the husbands do not accept Islam. In order to give no room of complaint to the pagans, the dower they had given on marriage should be repaid to the husband.
Islam recognises the change of faith as one of the causes of separation.
The believers are told to examine women who come to them as fugitives from the idolaters and find out their real and inner motives that they are prompted by the sole desire of serving Islam and of saving their faith, and are not pretenders. The examination should be directed, among other things, to the points mentioned in verse 12. They were required
(i) not to worship any god save one true God, Allah;
(u) not to steal;
(iii) not to indulge in sex outside the marriage tie;
(iv) not to commit infanticide,
(v) not to disobey the laws and principles of Islam.
Ma arjulihanna literally means "not to utter slander which they have forged between their hands and feet", which implies the practice of ascribing their spurious (illegitimate) children to their husbands.
La yaqtulna awladahunna (not to kill their children) also refers to abortion.
[Shakir 60:11] And if anything (out of the dowries) of your wives has passed away from you to the unbelievers, then your turn comes, give to those whose wives have gone away the like of what they have spent, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah in Whom you believe.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:11] (see commentary for verse 10)
[Shakir 60:12] O Prophet! when believing women come to you giving you a pledge that they will not associate aught with Allah, and will not steal, and will not commit fornication, and will not kill their children, and will not bring a calumny which they have forged of themselves, and will not disobey you in what is good, accept their pledge, and ask forgiveness for them from Allah; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:12] (see commentary for verse 10)
[Shakir 60:13] O you who believe! do not make friends with a people with whom Allah is wroth; indeed they despair of the hereafter as the unbelievers despair of those in tombs.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 60:13]
See commentary of Mujadilah: 14 and verses 1 to 3 of this surah for not turning to disbelievers for friendship.
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
The last portion of this verse asserts that to believe that the people of the grave have no existence at all and are just dust and decayed bones is kufr (infidelity).
[Shakir 4:101] And when you journey in the earth, there is no blame on you if you shorten the prayer, if you fear that those who disbelieve will cause you distress, surely the unbelievers are your open enemy.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 4:101]
This verse refers to salat ul khawf (offering of salat while facing an enemy in a battle) and salat ul qasr (offering of salat during a journey)- curtailing the salat (zuhr, asr and isha)by half. The journey should be for a lawful purpose and for not less than (nearly) 27 miles. For details refer to books o fiqh.
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
Laysa alaykum junah or la junaha (used in several verses of the Quran) signifies the negation of obligation, but the Holy Prophet had acted as if it was an obligation, as per verse 158 of al-Baqarah. So salatul khawf and salatul qasr must be prayed in its curtailed form.
The conditional clause (if you fear) pertains to the form of prayer to be offered when there is imminent danger of an enemy attack, because the first part of the verse has already dealt with the form of prayer prescribed for a traveller. It must also be noted that the conditional clause does not restrict the order (to curtail prayer) to the circumstances of fear, because there was "fear" at that time at all hours. It is like the phrase in verse 23 of this surah which does not restrict the prohibition.
[Shakir 4:102] And when you are among them and keep up the prayer for them, let a party of them stand up with you, and let them take their arms; then when they have prostrated themselves let them go to your rear, and let another party who have not prayed come forward and pray with you, and let them take their precautions and their arms; (for) those who disbelieve desire that you may be careless of your arms and your luggage, so that they may then turn upon you with a sudden united attack, and there is no blame on you, if you are annoyed with rain or if you are sick, that you lay down your arms, and take your precautions; surely Allah has prepared a disgraceful chastisement for the unbelievers.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 4:102]
Verse 102 lays down the method of offering congregational salat when an attack by the enemy is imminent. Even in such moments of danger, prayer can not be put off. So pre-eminently important the duty of offering salat is in the code of Islam that it must be offered in every circumstance and at the appointed hours. The religion of a faithful is continually present with him. It brings the individual (his self) into closer touch with his Lord, and his self escapes from enslavement to freedom. On the 10th of Muharram in 61 Hijra, Imam Husayn, while offering the dhibhin azim (see commentary of al-Saffat: 107), translated the ordinance of this verse into action. For three days the Imam, his friends and relatives were without food and water. From all sides they were surrounded by the enemy. At dawn the Imam asked his son Ali Akbar to recite the azan. Tayammum was performed. The Holy Imam led the congregational fajr salat. The devotees who stood in front of the Imam to guard the prayers fell on the ground when arrows shot by the enemy hit them. In the evening, the holy Imam was alone, every pore of his body a bleeding wound, he slid over the burning sand of Naynawa from his horse, and prayed the asr salat. Swords, arrows, spears, daggers, lances, stones hit him from all directions. The sacred blood of Muhammad, Ali and Fatimah flowed (from the Imam's body) in a stream over the sandy soil.
At Hudaybiyah the Muslims were fighting against the advance troopers of the infidels, commanded by Khalid bin Walid. The Holy Prophet asked Bilal to recite azan for zuhr prayers. When the salat was completed Khalid regreted very much to have missed the golden opportunity of attacking the Muslims while they were praying, and decided not to do it again next time. Through this verse Allah asked the Holy Prophet to adopt the method mentioned in it in future under such circumstances.
Do not infringe the prescribed law of prayer in any of its details. When out of danger or not journeying pray the salat in its proper, regular form as duly prescribed.
Kitaban mawqutan means it must be offered at appointed hours in every circumstance. The obligatory prayers are unavoidable so far as man is in possession of his senses.
[Shakir 4:103] Then when you have finished the prayer, remember Allah standing and sitting and reclining; but when you are secure (from danger) keep up prayer; surely prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 4:103] (see commentary for verse 102)
