60:11 Al-Mumtahana (She that is to be examined)

{ وَإِنْ فَاتَكُمْ شَيْءٌ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ إِلَى الْكُفَّارِ } بأن ذهبن مرتدات { فَعَاقَبْتُمْ فَآتُوا الَّذِينَ ذَهَبَتْ أَزْوَاجُهُمْ مِثْلَ مَا أَنْفَقُوا } كما تقدم أن الكفار إذا كانوا يأخذون بدل ما يفوت من أزواجهم إلى المسلمين، فمن ذهبت زوجته من المسلمين إلى الكفار وفاتت عليه، لزم أن يعطيه فعلى المسلمون من الغنيمة بدل ما أنفق { وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي أَنْتُمْ بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ } فإيمانكم بالله، يقتضي منكم أن تكونوا ملازمين للتقوى على الدوام.

ثم قال تعالى "وإن فاتكم شيء من أزواجكم إلى الكفار فعاقبتم فآتوا الذين ذهبت أزواجهم مثل ما أنفقوا" قال مجاهد وقتادة هذا في الكفار الذين ليس لهم عهد إذا فرت إليهم امرأة ولم يدفعوا إلى زوجها شيئا فإذا جاءت منهم امرأة لا يدفع إلى زوجها شيء حتى يدفع إلى زوج الذاهبة إليهم مثل نفقته عليها وقال ابن جرير حدثنا يونس حدثنا ابن وهب أخبرني يونس عن الزهري قال أقر المؤمنون بحكم الله فأدوا ما أمروا به من نفقات المشركين التي أنفقوا على نسائهم وأبى المشركون أن يقروا بحكم الله فيما فرض عليهم من أداء نفقات المسلمين فقال الله تعالى للمؤمنين به "وإن فاتكم شيء من أزواجكم إلى الكفار فعاقبتم فآتوا الذين ذهبت أزواجهم مثل ما أنفقوا واتقوا الله الذي أنتم به مؤمنون" فلو أنها ذهبت بعد هذه الآية امرأة من أزواج المؤمنين إلى المشركين رد المؤمنون إلى زوجها النفقة التي أنفق عليها من العقب الذي بأيديهم الذي أمروا أن يردوه على المشركين من نفقاتهم التي أنفقوا على أزواجهم اللاتي آمن وهاجرن ثم ردوا إلى المشركين فضلا إن كان بقي لهم والعقب ما كان بقي من صداق نساء الكفار حين آمن وهاجرن وقال العوفي عن ابن عباس في هذه الآية: يعني إن لحقت امرأة رجل من المهاجرين بالكفار أمر له رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه يعطى مثل ما أنفق من الغنيمة وهكذا قال مجاهد "فعاقبتم" أصبتم غنيمة من قريش أو غيرهم "فآتوا الذين ذهبت أزواجهم مثل ما أنفقوا" يعني مهر مثلها. وهكذا قال مسروق وإبراهيم وقتادة ومقاتل والضحاك وسفيان بن حسين والزهري أيضا. وهذا لا ينافي الأول لأنه إذا أمكن الأول فهو الأولى وإلا فمن الغنائم اللاتي تؤخذ من أيدي الكفار وهذا أوسع وهو اختيار ابن جرير ولله الحمد والمنة.

Perhaps Allah will make a Friendship between You and Those, whom You hold as Enemies

Allah said to His faithful servants, after ordering them to be enemies with the disbelievers,

عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَجْعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ عَادَيْتُم مِّنْهُم مَّوَدَّةً

(Perhaps Allah will make friendship between you and those, whom you hold as enemies.) meaning affection after animosity, tenderness after coldness and coming together after parting from each other,

وَاللَّهُ قَدِيرٌ

(And Allah has power (over all things),) Allah is able to gather opposites and bring together hearts, after feeling hostility and hardness. In this case, the hearts will come together in agreement, just as Allah said when He mentioned His favor on the Ansar,

وَاذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُم أَعْدَآءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَاناً وَكُنتُمْ عَلَى شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُمْ مِّنْهَا

(And remember Allah's favor on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His grace, you became brethren and were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it.) (3:103) Also the Prophet said to them,

«أَلَمْ أَجِدْكُمْ ضُلَّالًا فَهَدَاكُمُ اللهُ بِي، وَكُنْتُمْ مُتَفَرِّقِينَ فَأَلَّفَكُمُ اللهُ بِي؟»

(Did I not find you misguided, and Allah guided you through me; and divided, and Allah united your hearts through me) Allah the Exalted said,

وَإِن يُرِيدُواْ أَن يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِى أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ - وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعاً مَّآ أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

(He it is Who has supported you with His help and with the believers. And He has united their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah has united them. Certainly He is Almighty, All-Wise.) (8:62,63) And in the Hadith:

«أَحْبِبْ حَبِيبَكَ هَوْنًا مَا، فَعَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ بَغِيضَكَ يَوْمًا مَا، وَأَبْغِضْ بَغِيضَكَ هَوْنًا مَا، فَعَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ حَبِيبَكَ يَوْمًا مَا»

(Love your loved one moderately, because one day, he might become your enemy. Hate your hated one moderately, because one day, he might become your loved one.) Allah's statement,

وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) means, Allah forgives the disbelief of the disbelievers if they repent from it, returned to their Lord and surrendered to Him in Islam. Surely, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful to those who repent to Him from their sins, no matter what type of the sin it is.

The Permissibility of being Kind to Disbelievers who do not fight against the Religion And Allah's statement;

لاَّ يَنْهَـكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَـتِلُوكُمْ فِى الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُمْ مِّن دِيَـرِكُمْ

(Allah does not forbid you with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes,) means, those who did not have a role in your expulsion. Therefore, Allah does not forbid you from being kind to the disbelievers who do not fight you because of the religion, such as women and weak disbelievers,

أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ

(to deal kindly) to be gentle with them,

وَتُقْسِطُواْ إِلَيْهِمْ

(and justly with those) to be fair with them

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ

(Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity.) Imam Ahmad recorded that Asma' bint Abu Bakr said, "My mother, who was an idolatress at the time, came to me during the Treaty of Peace, the Prophet conducted with the Quraysh. I came to the Prophet and said, `O Allah's Messenger! My mother came visiting, desiring something from me, should I treat her with good relations' The Prophet said,

«نَعَمْ صِلِي أُمَّك»

(Yes. Keep good relation with your mother.)" The Two Sahihs recorded this Hadith. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Zubayr said, "Qutaylah came visiting her daughter, Asma' bint Abi Bakr, with some gifts, such as Dibab, cheese and clarified (cooking) butter, and she was an idolatress at that time. Asma' refused to accept her mother's gifts and did not let her enter her house. `A'ishah asked the Prophet about his verdict and Allah sent down the Ayah,

لاَّ يَنْهَـكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَـتِلُوكُمْ فِى الدِّينِ

(Allah does not forbid you with those who fought not against you on account of religion) until the end of the Ayah. Allah's Messenger ﷺ ordered Asma' to accept her mother's gifts and to let her enter her house." Allah's statement,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ

(Allah loves those who deal with equity.) was duly explained in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Hujurat. We also mentioned the authentic Hadith,

«الْمُقْسِطُونَ عَلى مَنَابِرَ مِنْ نُورٍ عَنْ يَمِينِ الْعَرْشِ، الَّذِينَ يَعْدِلُونَ فِي حُكْمِهِمْ وَأَهَالِيهِمْ وَمَا وَلُوا»

(The just, who are fair in their decisions, families and those under their authority, will be on podiums made of light, to the right of the Throne.)

The Prohibition of being Kind towards Combatant Disbelievers

إِنَّمَا يَنْهَـكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ قَـتَلُوكُمْ فِى الدِّينِ وَأَخْرَجُوكُم مِّن دِيَـرِكُمْ وَظَـهَرُواْ عَلَى إِخْرَجِكُمْ أَن تَوَلَّوْهُمْ

(It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out that Allah forbids you to befriend them.) (60:9) means, `Allah forbids you from being kind and befriending with the disbelievers who are openly hostile to you, those who fought against you, expelled you and helped to expel you. Allah the Exalted forbids you from being their friends and orders you to be their enemy.' Then Allah stresses His threat against being friends with them, by saying,

وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُمْ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الظَّـلِمُونَ

(And whosoever will befriend them, then such are the wrongdoers.) As He said;

يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَـرَى أَوْلِيَآءَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِّنكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as protecting friends, they are but protecting friends of each other. And if any among you takes them (as protecting friends), then surely, he is one of them. Verily, Allah guides not those people who are the wrongdoers) (5:51)

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ إِذَا جَآءَكُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَـتُ مُهَـجِرَتٍ فَامْتَحِنُوهُنَّ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَـنِهِنَّ فَإِنْ عَلِمْتُمُوهُنَّ مُؤْمِنَـتٍ فَلاَ تَرْجِعُوهُنَّ إِلَى الْكُفَّارِ لاَ هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّ وَءَاتُوهُم مَّآ أَنفَقُواْ وَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَلاَ تُمْسِكُواْ بِعِصَمِ الْكَوَافِرِ وَاسْـَلُواْ مَآ أَنفَقْتُمْ وَلْيَسْـَلُواْ مَآ أَنفَقُواْ ذَلِكُمْ حُكْمُ اللَّهِ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌوَإِن فَاتَكُمْ شَىْءٌ مِّنْ أَزْوَجِكُمْ إِلَى الْكُفَّـرِ فَعَـقَبْتُمْ فَآتُواْ الَّذِينَ ذَهَبَتْ أَزْوَجُهُمْ مِّثْلَ مَآ أَنفَقُواْ وَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ الَّذِى أَنتُمْ بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ

And if you lose any of your wives that is to say if you lose one or more of them — or it means if you lose anything of their dowries — by their going to the disbelievers as apostates and so you retaliate you embark upon a raid and capture spoils from them then give those whose wives have gone from the spoils the like of what they have expended for their having lost it to the disbelievers. And fear God in Whom you believe. And indeed the believers did what they had been commanded to do in the way of paying back the disbelievers the dowries of their former wives and the believers the dowries of the women who had apostatised. Afterwards however this stipulation was annulled.

وَإِن فَاتَكُمْ شَيْءٌ مِّنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ إِلَى الْكُفَّارِ‌ فَعَاقَبْتُمْ فَآتُوا الَّذِينَ ذَهَبَتْ أَزْوَاجُهُم مِّثْلَ مَا أَنفَقُوا ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ الَّذِي أَنتُم بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ

And if some of your [ non-Muslim ] wives have slipped from you, [ and their present non-Muslim husbands do not pay to you the dower as aforesaid,] and you have your turn [ of paying dower to the previous non-Muslim husbands of your present wives ], then [ instead of paying dower to them,] give those whose wives have slipped the like amount of what they had paid [ to them ]. And fear Allah, the One in whom you believe. (60:11)

The verb ` aqabtum is derived from mu ` aqabah. It means 'to retaliate'. This meaning is possible here [ as reported by Qatadah, Mujahid and Qurtubi ]. In this case, it implies that if some of the wives of the Muslims desert to disbelievers, it was legally binding on them in terms of the treaty to pay back the dowers given to them by the Muslim husbands, just as the Muslims gave them back the dowers given by the pagan husbands to the emigrant Muslim women. But since the pagans failed to reciprocate, and did not pay the dower money, the believing husbands are entitled to retaliate by withholding an amount equal to what was due on the disbelieving husbands who married the deserting wives of the Muslims, and did not pay it. How this withheld amount will be spent is mentioned in the following sentence: فَآتُوا الَّذِينَ ذَهَبَتْ أَزْوَاجُهُم مِّثْلَ مَا أَنفَقُوا (... then [ instead of paying dower to them,] give those whose wives have slipped the like amount of what they had paid.) This means that the amounts withheld as aforesaid shall be given to the Muslims whose wives had gone to the pagans, and they did not pay back their dowers to their Muslim husbands.

Another sense of the verb ` aqabtum, aqqabtum and a'qabtum in its variant form is 'to acquire spoils of war'. The verb ` aqabtum is read in these variant forms (qira’ at) by various master readers of the Qur'an. Authorities like Qatadah and Mujahid have said that all these three forms of the verb mean to 'acquire spoils of war'. In this case the verse means: if the Muslim husbands' wives fled to the unbelievers and, in terms of the treaty, they did not return the dowers to the Muslim husbands, they would be compensated from the booty acquired in war.1

(1) A third interpretation of the word is that it is derived from 'aqibah' which means 'turn', and the infinitive mu'aqabah means 'to take turn in riding a horse etc.' In this case the verb aqabtum in the verse would mean: 'you have your turn', and the sense would be that when it is your turn to pay the dowers to the unbelievers, you should, instead of paying it to them, pay it to those Muslims whose wives have deserted them and joined the unbelievers who did not return to their husbands the dower they had paid to deserting wives and were entitled, by virtue of the treaty, to take it back from the unbelievers. This interpretation is adopted by 'Alusi in R4-ul-Ma’ ani, and by Maulana Ashraf Thanawi (رح) . The translation in the text is based on it. (Mulammad Taqi Usmani)

Did some of the Muslim Women become Apostates and flee to Makkah?

Some of the authorities believe that the situation mentioned in this verse arose only in one incident. The wife of Sayyidna ` Iyad Ibn Ghanam Quraishi, Umm-ul-Hakam bint Abi Sufyan, abandoned the Islamic Faith and fled to Makkah. However, later on she reverted to Islam.

Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ reports that about six women altogether abandoned Islam and deserted to the unbelievers, one of whom is the woman whose name has been given in the previous paragraph. The other five of them were infidels from outset and remained in Makkah at the time of migration. When this verse was revealed dissolving the marriage between Muslims and pagans, they stubbornly clung to their disbelief and were not willing to embrace the Faith. As a result, these women were also counted among those whose dowers should be paid to their Muslim husbands by the pagans of Makkah. But they did not pay, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ compensated for the loss of their dowers from the spoils of war.

This indicates that there is only one incident where a woman actually became an apostate and fled to Makkah from Madinah. The rest of the five women were unbelievers from beginning. As reported earlier, even the woman who abandoned Islam and fled to Makkah later on reverted to Islam. [ Qurtubi ]. Baghawi cites, on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، that all five women who are counted as apostates reverted to Islam later on. [ Mazhari ].