Surah At-Tawba: Verse 5 - فإذا انسلخ الأشهر الحرم فاقتلوا... - English

But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (5)

7. Details as they appear in the fifth verse carry the seventh ruling. When war in defense of a correct objective breaks out against any power, all available combat resources should be used fully and conclusively. That is a time when showing mercy and appeasement would be showing cowardice.

From the same fifth verse comes the eighth ruling, that is, trust in a non-Muslim who has become a Muslim depends on three things. (A) Taubah (repentance) over disbelief in the past, (B) the establishing of Salah and (C) the paying of Zakah as due. Until these three conditions have been implemented practically, the option of war will not be withdrawn simply on the basis that someone has recited the Kalimah of Islam. When after the passing away of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، some people refused to pay Zakah, Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ had declared a Jihad against them. On that occasion, by referring to this very verse in support of his action, he was able to convince and satisfy all Companions ؓ .

8. The ninth question in these verses concerns the meaning of the expression: يَوْمَ الْحَجِّ الْأَكْبَرِ‌ (yaumu 'l-hajju 'l-akbar: The day of the great hajj). The sayings of early commentators differ in this matter. Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas, Sayyidna ` Umar, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar, and Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Zubayr ؓ say that ` the day of the greater hajj means ` the day of ` Arafah' because the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said: الحج العرفۃ ('Arafah is the Hajj). (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)

9. Some others have said that it signifies: یوم النحر (yaumu 'n-nahr: the day of sacrifice), that is, the tenth of Dhu al-hijjah. In order to accommodate all these sayings, Sufyan ath-Thawri and other authorities have said that all five days of the Hajj are the substantiation of: یوم الحج الاکبر (yaumu -'l-hajju 'l-akbar: the day of the greater hajj) which includes ` Arafah and Yaumu 'n-nahr both. As for the use of the word یوم yaum or day in the singular, it is in accordance with the usage elsewhere as the Holy Qur'an calls a few days of the battle of Badr by the name of یوم الفرقان :yaumu 'l-Furqan in the singular form. Then, there are the common wars of Arabia. They too are identified by the word yaum or day - even though, they may have been spread over many more days - such as, یوم البعاث :yaumu 'l-bu` ath, یوم الاحد :yaumu l'Uhud etc. And since ` Umrah is called ` the smaller hajj, ( حج اصغر), therefore, it was to make it distinct that Hajj was called حج الاکبر ` the greater hajj' حج الاکبر (al-hajju '1-akbar). This tells us that, in the terminology of the Qur'an, Hajj as it takes place every year is nothing but ` the greater hajj' حج الاکبر (al-hajju '1-akbar). As for the popular assumption that the year in which ` Arafah falls on a Friday is specially ` the greater hajj,' it has no real basis except that the year in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ performed his last Hajj (حجۃ الوداع hajjatu 'l-wady`) just happened to be the year in which ` Arafah fell on the day of Jumu'ah. No doubt, this is a matter of distinction in its own place, but it has nothing to do with the sense of this verse.

In his Ahkam a1-Qur'an, Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas has said: By calling the days of Hajj as ` the greater hajj,' the problem that ` Umrah cannot be performed during the days of Hajj has also been resolved here - because, the Holy Qur'an has specified these days for ` the greater hajj.'

(5)

This is the Ayah of the Sword

Mujahid, `Amr bin Shu`ayb, Muhammad bin Ishaq, Qatadah, As-Suddi and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said that the four months mentioned in this Ayah are the four-month grace period mentioned in the earlier Ayah,

(So travel freely for four months throughout the land.) Allah said next,

(So when the Sacred Months have passed...), meaning, `Upon the end of the four months during which We prohibited you from fighting the idolators, and which is the grace period We gave them, then fight and kill the idolators wherever you may find them.' Allah's statement next,

(then fight the Mushrikin wherever you find them), means, on the earth in general, except for the Sacred Area, for Allah said,

(And fight not with them at Al-Masjid Al-Haram, unless they fight you there. But if they attack you, then fight them. )2:191 Allah said here,

(and capture them), executing some and keeping some as prisoners,

(and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush), do not wait until you find them. Rather, seek and besiege them in their areas and forts, gather intelligence about them in the various roads and fairways so that what is made wide looks ever smaller to them. This way, they will have no choice, but to die or embrace Islam,

(But if they repent and perform the Salah, and give the Zakah, then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) Abu Bakr As-Siddiq used this and other honorable Ayat as proof for fighting those who refrained from paying the Zakah. These Ayat allowed fighting people unless, and until, they embrace Islam and implement its rulings and obligations. Allah mentioned the most important aspects of Islam here, including what is less important. Surely, the highest elements of Islam after the Two Testimonials, are the prayer, which is the right of Allah, the Exalted and Ever High, then the Zakah, which benefits the poor and needy. These are the most honorable acts that creatures perform, and this is why Allah often mentions the prayer and Zakah together. In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Ibn `Umar said that the Messenger of Allah said,

(I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer and pay the Zakah.) This honorable Ayah (9:5) was called the Ayah of the Sword, about which Ad-Dahhak bin Muzahim said, "It abrogated every agreement of peace between the Prophet and any idolator, every treaty, and every term." Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas commented: "No idolator had any more treaty or promise of safety ever since Surah Bara'ah was revealed. The four months, in addition to, all peace treaties conducted before Bara'ah was revealed and announced had ended by the tenth of the month of Rabi` Al-Akhir."

(5)