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Sale, 1734

CHAP. LX.

Intitled, She who is tried [a] ; revealed at Medina.


In the name of the most merciful God.
O Tue believers, take not my enemy and your enemy for your friends [b] , showing kindness towards them; since they believe not in the truth which hath come unto you, having expelled the apostle and yourselves from your native city, because ye believe in God, your Lord. If ye go forth to fight in defence of my religion, and out of a desire to please me, and privately shew friendship unto them [c] ; verily I well know that which ye conceal, and that which ye discover: and whoever of you doth this, hath already erred from the straight path. If they get the better of you, they will be enemies unto you, and they will stretch forth their hands and their tongues against you with evil: and they earnestly desire that ye should become unbelievers. Neither your kindred nor your children will avail you at all on the day of resurrection, which will separate you from one another: and God seeth that which ye do. Ye have an excellent pattern in Abraham, and those who were with him, when they said unto their people, Verily we are clear of you, and of the idols which ye worship, besides God: we have [447] renounced you; and enmity and hatred is begun between us and you forever, until ye believe in God alone: except Abraham’s saying unto his father, Verily I will beg pardon for thee [a] : but I cannot obtain ought of God in thy behalf. O Lord, in thee do we trust, and unto thee are we turned; and before thee shall we be assembled hereafter. O Lord, suffer us not to be put to trial by the unbelievers [b] : and forgive us, O Lord; for thou art mighty and wise. Verily ye have in them an excellent example, unto him who hopeth in God and the last day: and whoso turneth back; verily God is self sufficient, and praise worthy. Peradventure God will establish friendship between yourselves and such of them as ye now hold for enemies [c] : for God is powerful; and God is inclined to forgive, and merciful. As to those who have not borne arms against you on account of religion, nor turned you out of your dwellings, God forbiddeth you not to deal kindly with them, and to behave justly towards them [d] : for God loveth those who act justly. But as to those who have borne arms against you on account of religion, and have dispossessed you of your habitations, and have assisted in dispossessing you, God forbiddeth you to enter into friendship with them: and whosoever of you entereth into friendship with them, those are unjust doers. O true believers, when believing women come unto you as refugees, try them: God well knoweth their faith. And if ye know them to be true believers, send them not back to the infidels: they are not lawful for the unbelievers to have in marriage; neither are the unbelievers lawful for them. But give their unbelieving husbands what they shall have expended for their dowers [e] . Nor shall it be [448] any crime in you if ye marry them, provided ye give them their dowries [a] . And retain not the patronage of the unbelieving women: but demand back that which ye have expended for the dowry of such of your wives as go over to the unbelievers; and let them demand back that which they have expended for the dowry of those who come over to you. This is the judgment of God, which he establisheth among you: and God is knowing and wise. If any of your wives [b] escape from you to the unbelievers, and ye have your turn by the coming over of any of the unbelievers’ wives to you [c] ; give unto those believers whose wives shall have gone away, out of the dowries of the latter, so much as they shall have expended for the dowers of the former: and fear God, in whom ye believe. O prophet, when believing women come unto thee, and plight their faith unto thee [d] , that they will not associate anything with God, nor steal, nor commit fornication, nor kill their children [e] , nor come with a calumny which they have forged between their hands and their feet [f] , nor be disobedient to thee in that which shall be reasonable: then do thou plight thy faith unto them, and ask pardon for them of God; for God is inclined to forgive, and merciful. O true believers, enter not into friendship with a people against whom God is incensed [g] ; they despair of the life to come [h] , as the infidels despair of the resurrection of those who dwell in the graves.

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[a] This chapter bears this title because it directs the women who desart and come over from the infidels to the Moslems to be examined, and tried whether they be sincere in their profession of the faith.

[b] Take not my enemy and your enemy for your friends, &c.] This passage was revealed on account of Hateb Ebn Abi Baltaa, who understanding that Mohammed had a design to surprise Mecca, wrote a letter to the Koreish, giving them notice of the intended expedition, and advised them to be on their guard: which letter he sent by Sarah, a maid-servant belonging to the family of Hâshem. The messenger had not been gone long, before Gabriel discovered the affair to the prophet, who immediately sent after her; and having intercepted the letter, asked Hateb how he came to be guilty of such an action? To which he replied that it was not out of infidelity, or a desire to return to idolatry, but merely to induce the Koreish to treat his family, which was still at Mecca, with some kindness; adding that he was well assured his intelligence would be of no service at all to the Meccans, because he was satisfied God would take vengeance on them. Whereupon Mohammed received his excuse and pardoned him; but it was thought proper to forbid any such practices for the future [1] .

[1] Idem. V. Abulf. vit. Moh. p. 103.

[c] And privately shew friendship unto them;] The verb here used has also a contrary signification, according to which the words may be rendered, and yet openly shew friendship unto them.

[a] Except Abraham’s saying unto his father, Verily I will beg pardon for thee;] For in this Abraham’s example is not to be followed. See chap. 9. p. 164.

[b] Suffer us not to be put to trial by the unbelievers;] i.e. Suffer them not to prevail against us, lest they thence conclude themselves to be in the right, and endeavour to make us deny our faith by the terror of persecution [1] .

[1] Al Beidawi.

[c] Peradventure God will establish friendship between you, &c.] And this happened accordingly on the taking of Mecca; when Abu Sofiân and others of the Koreish, who had till then been inveterate enemies to the Moslems, embraced the same faith, and became their friends and brethren. Some suppose the marriage of Mohammed with Omm Habîba, the daughter of Abu Sofiân, which was celebrated the year before, to be here intended [2] .

[2] V. Gagnier not. in Abulf. vit. Moh. p. 91.

[d] As to those who have not borne arms against you, &c.] This passage, it is said, was revealed on account of Koteila bint Abd’al Uzza, who having, while she was an idolatress, brought some presents to her daughter, Asma bint Abi Becr, the latter not only refused to accept them, but even denied her admittance [3] .

[3] Al Beidawi.

[e] But give their unbelieving husbands what they shall have expended for their dowers.] For according to the terms of the pacification of al Hodeibiya [4] , each side was to return whatever came into their power belonging to the other; wherefore when the Moslems were, by this passage, forbidden to restore the married women who should come over to them, they were at the same time commanded to make some sort of satisfaction, by returning their dowry.
It is related that, after the aforesaid pacification, while Mohammed was yet at al Hodeibiya, Sobeia bint al Hareth, of the tribe of Aslam, having embrace Mohammedism, her husband, Mosâfer the Makhzumite, came and demanded her back; upon which this passage was revealed: and Mohammed, pursuant thereto, administered to her the oath thereafter directed, and returned her husband her dower; and then Omar married her [5] .

[4] See chap. 418. p. 45, &c.

[5] Al Beidawi.

[a] Provided ye give them their dowries;] For what is returned to their former husbands is not to be considered as their dower.

[b] Any of your wives;] Literally, anything of your wives; which some interpret, any part of their dowry.

[c] And ye have your turn, &c.] Or, as the original verb may also be translated, and ye take spoils; in which case the meaning will be, that those Moslems, whose wives shall have gone over to the infidels, shall have a satisfaction for their dower out of the next booty. This law, they saw, was given because of the idolaters, after the preceding verse had been revealed, refused to comply therewith, or to make any return of the dower of those women who went over to them from the Moslems [1] ; so that the latter were obliged to indemnify themselves as they could.

[1] Idem.

[d] See the Prelim. Disc. §. II. p. 47. Some are of opinion that this passage was not revealed till the day of the taking of Mecca; when, after having received the solemn submission of the men, he proceeded to receive that of the women [2] .

[2] Idem.

[e] See chap. 81.

[f] Nor come with a calumny, &c.] Jallalo’ddin understands these words of their laying their spurious children to their husbands.

[g] A people against whom God is incensed;] i.e. The infidels in general; or the Jews in particular [3] .

[3] See chap. 1. p. 1.

[h] They despair of the life to come;] By reason of their infidelity; or because they well know they cannot expect to be made partakers of the happiness of the next life, by reason of their rejecting of the prophet foretold in the law, and whose mission is confirmed by miracles [4] .

[4] Al Beidawi.