Commentary By Maulana Wahiduddin khan
1. When the Prophet Muhammad decided…
When the Prophet Muhammad decided to proceed against Makkah, he made his plans very quietly so that the Makkans should have no advance warning. At that time a Badri Companion, Hatib ibn ‘Ali Balta‘a, secretly wrote to the Makkans about the plan in a letter and sent it covertly in the name of some Makkans, so that the Makkans would be grateful to him and in return they would refrain from inflicting harm upon his family members who were staying in Makkah. But this betrayal became known through Revelation and the messenger was caught on the way. Every such action is against the demand of Faith.
2. During the state of war, when the…
During the state of war, when the position is that Islam and non-Islam have become polarised on separate fronts, it is the responsibility of the people of Islam to sever their relations with the non-Islamic front, even if their relatives and dear ones are part of it. Being a believer in Truth and at the same time having close relations with the enemies with whom one is at war is totally wrong.
5. In the beginning, Abraham conveyed…
In the beginning, Abraham conveyed the message of the oneness of God to his family in the manner of a well-wisher. After he had carried out his mission and had come to the end of his arguments, when his hearers persisted in their rejection of the Truth, he completely separated himself from them. But this was a very difficult stage, because his stated intention to distance himself from them amounted to an invitation to the rejecters of Truth to harass the Faithful in every possible way, ultimately degrading them by the use of force to make up for their own defeat in the field of arguments. That is why Abraham subsequently offered up this special prayer, ‘O, Lord! Do not make us the target of the atrocities of the oppressors.’ To absolve oneself of the responsibility for the guidance of relatives does not entail enmity in the usual sense. It is simply the final expression of firm conviction. From this point of view this action becomes imbued with a missionary value. So, sometimes it happens that a person who is not affected by the language of a‘message’, is successfully won over by the language of ‘faith’.
9. As far as justice and fair play are…
As far as justice and fair play are concerned, they will be given to everybody? whether friend or foe. But having friendships with those who are at war with one is not proper.
10. Here, allusion is made to certain Islam…
Here, allusion is made to certain Islamic rules relating to family affairs applicable in the light of the circumstances prevailing after the execution of the Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty.
12. In this verse those terms have been…
In this verse those terms have been mentioned on which a pledge is taken from a woman and after which she is taken into the fold of Islam. Among these conditions, two conditions are of basic importance, i.e. refraining from ascribing partners to God and obedience to the Prophet. The remaining stated and un-stated requirements are automatically included in these two conditions.
