ENTITLED, SHE WHO IS TRIED;m REVEALED AT MEDINA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
O TRUE believers, take not my enemy and your enemy for your friends,n
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 show
friendship unto them;o 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 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:p but I
cannot obtain aught 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.
l See cap. 7, p. 123, note x.
m This chapter bears this title because it directs the women who desert
and come over from the infidels to the Moslems to be examined, and tried
whether they be sincere in their profession of the faith.
n This passage was revealed on account of Hateb Ebn Abi Balpaa, 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
o The verb here used has also a contrary signification, according to
which the words may be rendered, and yet openly show friendship unto them.
p For in this Abraham's example is not to be followed. See chapter 9,
p. 148.
1 Idem. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 192.
O LORD, suffer us not to be put to trial by the unbelievers:q 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
praiseworthy.
Peradventure GOD will establish friendship between yourselves and such of
them as ye now hold for enemies:r 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:s 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.
10 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.t Nor
shall it be any crime in you if ye marry them, provided ye give them their
dowries.u 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.
q 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
r 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
s 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
t 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
u For what is returned to their former husbands is not to be considered
as their dower.
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Vide Gagnier, not in Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 91.
3 Al Beidâwi. 4 See cap. 48, p. 380, &c. 5 Al
Beidâwi.
If any of your wivesx escape from you to the unbelievers, and ye have
your turn by the coming over of any of the unbelievers' wives to you;y 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,z that they will not associate anything with GOD, nor steal, nor
commit fornication, nor kill their children,a nor come with a calumny which
they have forged between their hands and their feet,b 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;c they despair of the life to come,d as the infidels despair
of the resurrection of those who dwell in the graves.
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