[…] «And remember Allah» — with the takbīr at the stoning of the jamarāt — «on numbered days» (Q. 2:203) — the three days of tashrīq [1]

«So whoever hastens» — hurries in departing from Minā — «in two days» — on the second of the days of tashrīq, after stoning his jimār — «there is no sin upon him» — by hastening — «and whoever delays» — in it [that is, at Minā], until he has spent the night of the third and stoned his jimār — «there is no sin upon him» — by that; that is, they have a choice in the matter. And the negation of sin is «for whoever is mindful [of Allah]» — who is mindful of Allah in his hajj, because he is the pilgrim in reality — «And be mindful of Allah, and know that to Him you will be gathered» (Q. 2:203) — in the hereafter, and He will requite you

for your deeds. He, Glorified and Exalted, mentioned in these āyāt the rites of the hajj, and commanded the servants to complete the hajj and the ʿumra for Allah, without riyāʾ [ostentation] or sumʿa [courting a reputation], because the hajj is the act of worship most given to riyāʾ. You will not find a pilgrim to whom any piece of news is put but that he mentions some piece of news about the Hijaz — that is, exulting in his hajj. For this reason He said: «And complete the hajj and the ʿumra for Allah» (Q. 2:196). And He commanded iḥsān [doing well]; and iḥsān is the servant’s doing well in his words and his deeds, and his doing well in his intention, and his doing well in his opinion, in that he thinks well of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and of His servants. The Lord says on the tongue of His prophet: ⟨I am as My servant thinks of Me.⟩ [2] And the Messenger ﷺ says: ⟨Let none of you die except while he thinks well of Allah.⟩ [3] And He commanded His servants, when they have completed their hajj, to be abundant in the remembrance of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, as they remember their fathers, or with a more intense remembrance. The hajj outwardly is making for the House and performing the rites of the hajj; the real hajj is the return to Allah, Blessed and Exalted. So whoever has discharged that hajj until he reaches the Presence, let him be abundant in the remembrance of Allah, Blessed and Exalted — nothing concerns him but Allah — until he tastes the remembrance of Allah, Blessed and Exalted. For this reason He addressed the knowers [of Allah]: «So when you have completed your rites» — by the real hajj — «and remember Allah as you remember your fathers» (Q. 2:200). The child in his infancy mentions his father at every need that befalls him, and in his manhood he takes pride in mentioning his father. So just as the servant mentions his father in both states, out of pride and out of need, the knower of Allah remembers his Lord out of pride and out of need — rather, more intensely than that. For the child may come to do without his father through a guardian other than him, whereas the knower finds no doing without Allah, Blessed and Exalted

and he sees nothing other than Him. For this reason He urged the increase of the remembrance of Allah after arrival at the Presence of Allah, Blessed and Exalted. Among people there is one whose aim is this world only; among them is one who wants this world and the Hereafter; among them is one who wants this world and sells his Hereafter for his present life; and among them is one who sells his present life for his Hereafter. Four classes — Allah mentioned all of them in this āya. So among them is «one who says: Our Lord, give us in this world» he asks for this world only «and he has no share in the Hereafter» (Q. 2:200) «and among them is one who says: Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire» (Q. 2:201) This one asked for the good of this world and the good of the Hereafter. The third will come in the āya: «And among people is one whose speech pleases you concerning the life of this world, and he calls Allah to witness over what is in his heart, while he is the most obstinate in dispute» (Q. 2:204) This one sold his Hereafter for his present life. And the fourth — he is the most complete of them — sold himself and purchased the Hereafter. «And remember Allah during numbered days» (Q. 2:203) One says ayyām maʿdūdāt — the plural of maʿdūda — and one does not say yawm maʿdūda: the masculine is not qualified by the feminine. But since it is permissible to say ayyāman maʿdūda, as came earlier: «The Fire will not touch us except for numbered days» (Q. 2:80) qualifying a plural with the feminine is permissible. So maʿdūdāt here is the plural of maʿdūda, a feminine plural qualifier. Mālik and al-Shāfiʿī differed over the numbered days. Mālik says: the Day of Sacrifice and the two that follow it. Al-Shāfiʿī says: the days of tashrīq are the numbered days, on the evidence of «so whoever hastens on in two days» of the days of tashrīq «there is no sin upon him; and whoever delays, there is no sin upon him» (Q. 2:203) The āya made the numbered days part of the days of stoning, which are the days of tashrīq. So the first day, the Day of Sacrifice, is numbered. And Allah said in the āya of the hajj: «And remember Allah during numbered days» (Q. 2:203) And the known days, for Mālik, are three days after the Day of Sacrifice. So the first day is, for him, numbered and not known; the two days are numbered and known; and the fourth day is known and not numbered. This is Mālik’s position. And the pilgrim, if he has stoned the pillar on the two days and gone off to Mecca, there is no sin upon him — this is the hastening on. And whoever delays until he has completed the three days, there is no sin upon him. He expressed it by denying sin because among the pilgrims there is one who says that whoever hastens on has sin upon him, and among them one who says that whoever delays has sin upon him; so the āya denied sin in both cases. This is «for whoever is mindful [of Allah]» (Q. 2:203)

by complying with Allah’s command and avoiding His prohibition, because this one is the pilgrim in reality. ⟨Whoever performs the pilgrimage and does not speak obscenely and does not transgress returns from his sins as on the day his mother bore him.⟩ [4] ⟨The accepted pilgrimage has no recompense except the Garden.⟩ [5] And the accepted pilgrimage — its sign — is that the pilgrim returns humble, renouncing the world, and turning toward Allah, Blessed and Exalted. One of the reprobates made the pilgrimage to Allah’s Sacred House and returned, and one day his soul called him to the acts of disobedience he used to commit, and he heard […].

Do you do this while you are a pilgrim? — so he desisted from that [6], and this is the sign of the accepted pilgrimage. «And know» «that you» «to Him»

«you will be gathered» (Q. 2:203) in the Hereafter, so He will requite you for your deeds; or: you will be gathered to Him in any case. The real pilgrim too is gathered to the Presence of Allah, Blessed and Exalted. «And among people is one whose speech pleases you concerning the life of this world» (Q. 2:204) This āya was sent down concerning a man called al-Akhnas b. Sharīq. [7] He was a hypocrite, sweet of speech toward the Prophet ﷺ. He would swear, when he was present with the Prophet ﷺ that he believed in him and loved him, […] and Allah, Blessed and Exalted, gave him the lie in that. He passed by a crop and some donkeys belonging to certain Muslims, and he burned the crop and hamstrung the donkeys by night. When he was present with the Prophet he was a believer, loving and truthful; and when he turned away he set about making enmity against his Companions and corrupting things against them. He, Exalted, said: «And among people is one whose speech pleases you concerning the life of this world» (Q. 2:204) and [it does] not

and it does not please you in the Hereafter, because it runs counter to his belief. «and he calls Allah to witness as to what is in his heart» — that it accords with what he says — «and he is the most obstinate in dispute» (Q. 2:204) — severe in enmity toward you and toward your followers, because of his hostility to you. This is the third category: the hypocrite has sold his Hereafter for his world. «And when he turns away» — he departs from you — «he strives» — he walks — «in the earth, to work corruption in it and to destroy the tilth and the progeny» — [these] are part of the corruption — «And Allah does not love corruption» (Q. 2:205) — He is not pleased with it. «And when it is said to him: Fear Allah» — in what you do — «pride takes hold of him» — disdain and zeal carry him to act — «with the sin» — which he was commanded to guard against — «so enough for him» — [what] suffices him — «is Hell; and how evil a resting-place» (Q. 2:206) — the bedding. […]. «Allah does not love corruption» (Q. 2:205), least of all the corruption of this hypocrite in tilth and progeny, because Allah, Blessed and Exalted, when He created Ādam and sent him down to the earth and made him a vicegerent in it, taught him the crafts by which his children would live; and Ādam’s craft was tillage. [8] And Allah, Blessed and Exalted, placed the blessing in progeny and in tillage, so that it is greater in these things than it is in all other things. If you reflect, you find that most people do not sow: few of them are those who occupy themselves with agriculture, and those who do occupy themselves with agriculture occupy themselves only in part of their time. Despite this, you see that a human being eats nothing but what is sown. Had Allah not sent down the blessing upon what is sown, this would not have been possible. And He placed the blessing in animals — sheep, cattle and camels. In most cases these livestock give birth only once in the year, and when one gives birth she bears a single offspring; and if it varies, she bears two. Whoever wants meat must slaughter one of them, and whoever wants to sell sells something of them; and you do not go out but that you meet

a herd of camels, or a herd of cattle or of sheep. And if you think about beasts of prey, and about dogs, and even about cats, you find them giving birth twice in the year; each time they bear eight young. And people do not occupy themselves with slaughtering them, nor with selling them, and you never see many of them at all. If you came across five dogs, you would say: this is a great many dogs. And you find a hundred cows, and you find a hundred sheep. Had the blessing not descended upon livestock, this would not be so. So for this reason this hypocrite has acted contrary to Allah, Blessed and Exalted, in that he occupied himself with destroying the tilth and the livestock. «And when it is said to him: Fear Allah, pride takes hold of him» (Q. 2:206). This is the extreme of arrogance. Whoever is told, Fear Allah, and does not humble himself is arrogant. For this reason it was said to ʿUmar: Fear Allah; and he rubbed his cheek, may Allah be pleased with him, on the ground, in humility before Allah the Exalted. [9] «And among the people is he who sells his self» (Q. 2:207) — he is Ṣuhayb al-Rūmī, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He was at Mecca; and when the Messenger ﷺ emigrated, he set out for the emigration, and with him were eight persons. The unbelievers met them and killed his companions, all of them, until he alone remained. They confronted him in order to keep him from the emigration. He had with him a quiver filled with arrows. He said to them: ⟨My people, you know that I am the best archer among you, and this quiver of mine is filled with arrows. If you wish to stand between me and the emigration to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, then I shall empty my quiver into you — and with every arrow I shall kill one of you — and when what is in my quiver is spent, I shall fight you with my sword until I die. Then do after that what you wish. And it is better for you that I give you my property which I left at Mecca and that you leave me to go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.⟩ So they agreed to that. When he reached the environs of Medina, Abū Bakr met him and said to him: ⟨The sale has profited.⟩ He said to him: ⟨What is this?⟩ He said to him: ⟨An āya has been sent down concerning you.⟩ And he recited to him this āya: «And among the people is he who sells his self» — he expends it in obedience to Allah — «seeking the good pleasure of Allah» — His pleasure. And he is Ṣuhayb; he emigrated to Medina and left his property to them. «And Allah is Compassionate toward the servants» (Q. 2:207) — in that He guided them to that in which His pleasure lies. This is the fourth category:

— sold his present life for his Hereafter. The Muslim sold himself, by his own choice, to Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and its price was the Garden. The elect sold their souls, by their own choice, to Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and its price was the good pleasure of Allah, Blessed and Exalted. The common believers’ price for their souls is the Garden: «Allah has purchased from the believers their souls and their properties, in that the Garden shall be theirs» (Q. 9:111) And the elect’s price for their souls is the good pleasure of Allah, Blessed and Exalted. «And among people is one who sells his soul» that is, he sells it «seeking the good pleasure of Allah; and Allah is Gentle toward [His] servants» (Q. 2:207) The servant must expend his property for Allah, and his children for Allah, and his own soul for Allah. Whoever expends his property for Allah finds annihilation in the acts: he knows that there is no agent in existence but Allah. Annihilation in the acts is the price of the one who expends his property for Allah. Whoever surrenders his children to Allah finds annihilation in the attributes of Allah, Blessed and Exalted. And whoever surrenders his own soul to Allah finds annihilation in the Essence of Allah, Blessed and Exalted: he is annihilated from his own self and subsists through Allah. «And that to your Lord is the final end» (Q. 53:42) «And Allah is Gentle toward [His] servants» (Q. 2:207) «O you who believe, enter into submission wholly» (Q. 2:208) This āya was sent down concerning ʿAbd Allah b. Salām and his companions. When they entered Islam they went on venerating the Sabbath and disliking the flesh of camels and their milk, following their old religion; so it was sent down concerning them: «O you who believe, enter into submission» into Islam «wholly» that is, in all of its ordinances [10] «and do not follow the footsteps of Satan» the paths of Satan — his making division seem fair «he is to you a manifest enemy» (Q. 2:208) manifest in enmity So they turned back and came to do everything the Muslims do. Included in this, down to the present, is whoever follows certain customs and holds to racial division after Islam has said: «The believers are only brothers» (Q. 49:10) and who leaves aside certain things in which there is no harm, following blameworthy customs.

«Enter into submission wholly» (Q. 2:208) This is an address that takes in all the Muslims together: that they enter into Islam wholly

in all its parts. The hadith explains it: ⟨The Muslim is he from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe.⟩ [11] Or it is an address to every human being, that he bring all his limbs into Islam. He enters Islam with all his limbs: he walks only to what Allah has commanded, and does not strike with his hands except by Allah’s command, and does not look with his eyes except by Allah’s command, and does not speak with his tongue, nor eat into his belly, nor partake of the appetite of his private parts, except in conformity with the command of Allah, Blessed and Exalted. This is entering Islam wholly. This is the entry of the soul. And the heart strips off all blameworthy traits of character and puts on all praiseworthy traits; and the spirit leaves off turning toward any other than Allah, Blessed and Exalted; and the inmost secret passes away in the Essence of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and sees nothing other than Him. This is entering Islam wholly. «But if you slip» — you have inclined away from entering into the whole of it — «after the clear proofs have come to you» — the manifest arguments that it is the truth — «then know that Allah is Mighty» — nothing renders Him unable to take vengeance on you — «Wise» (Q. 2:209) — in His handiwork. «Do they wait» — what are they waiting for, that is, those who leave off entering Islam wholly — «except that Allah should come to them» — the command of Allah, Blessed and Exalted — «in canopies» — the plural of ẓulla — «of the clouds» — the clouds — «and the angels» — and that is the coming of the angels — «and the matter is decided» — so the decree of their destruction is accomplished — «and to Allah the matters are returned» (Q. 2:210) — so He recompenses every servant according to his deed: if good, then good; and if evil, then evil. «Ask» O Muhammad «the Children of Israel» — by way of rebuke — «how many a clear sign We gave them» — what is the number of the manifest signs they received, such as the splitting of the sea and the sending down of the manna and the quails; and all these signs they exchanged for unbelief — «And whoever exchanges the favour of Allah» (Q. 2:211)

what He has bestowed upon him of the signs, because they are a cause of guidance — «after it has come to him» — [exchanging it] for unbelief — «then Allah is severe in punishment» (Q. 2:211) — for him. «It has been made to seem fair to those who disbelieve» (Q. 2:212). It was revealed concerning the unbelievers of Mecca. They used to mock the poor among the Muslims and deride them — men like Bilāl, ʿAmmār and Ṣuhayb. So the Exalted said: «It has been made to seem fair to those who disbelieve» — of

the people of Mecca — «the life of this world» — by deception, so they loved it. They used to love this world and to see it as everything: when they found wealth they found what they loved, and they supposed that everything had been completed for them, so they pay no regard to their Hereafter nor to their Master — «and they mock» — they mock on that account — «at those who believe» — on account of their poverty — «and» — they deride the poor among the Muslims — «those who guarded themselves» — against shirk — and they are these [poor ones] — «are above them on the Day of Resurrection» — and these poor ones, whom they deride and at whom they laugh, will be above them on the Day of Resurrection, in the degrees of the Garden, while they are in the lowest reach of the Fire. «And Allah provides for whom He wills without reckoning» (Q. 2:212) — an ample provision in the Hereafter, unlike this world, for this world is bounded and everything in it is bounded; and Allah, Blessed and Exalted, provides for His friends with a provision beyond reckoning. Allah mentioned in this āya that the godfearing will be above the people on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever desires this standing above them, let him take the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as his model in leaving this world and what is in it. The Messenger ﷺ was brought the treasuries of the earth, the fifths of the spoils were conveyed to him, and kings east and west presented him vast wealth — and he did not hold back a single dirham of this for himself. Rather he enriched others and strengthened the Muslims with what Allah gave him, and left himself out, so much so that he ﷺ died with his coat of mail pledged with a Jew against the maintenance of his dependents. [12] This standing above them: whoever aims at it must renounce this world, turn toward Allah, Blessed and Exalted, choose what is with Allah, and have it be dearer to him than what is with people. «Mankind was a single community» — people, before the sending of the prophets, were upon a single community, a single religion, which is faith; then they differed, in that some believed and some disbelieved — «so Allah sent the prophets» — to them — «as bearers of good tidings» — to whoever believed, of the Garden — «and as warners» — to whoever disbelieved, of the Fire — «and He sent down with them the Book» — the books — «with the truth, that it might judge between the people concerning that in which they differed» (Q. 2:213) — of

religion «And none differed over it» religion «except those who were given it» that is, the Book — some believed and some disbelieved «after the clear proofs had come to them» the manifest arguments for [divine] oneness «out of envy among themselves. Then Allah guided those who believed to that over which they differed» that is, of that over which they differed «over it, of the truth» to the truth «by His permission» (Q. 2:213) This expression contains an inversion, a putting first of what is later and a putting later of what is first. Allah guided those who believed from disagreement to the truth; He did not guide them from the truth to disagreement, but rather from disagreement to the truth. The lām stands in the place of min and min in the place of the lām, and this occurs in the speech of the Arabs. The Qurʾan came down in Arabic: everything the Arabs utter, the Qurʾan utters. «And Allah guides whom He wills to a straight path» (Q. 2:213) the way of truth. Allah, Blessed and Exalted, took the covenant upon the progeny of Ādam: «Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes» (Q. 7:172) so every one of them is born upon this faith. For this reason the Messenger ﷺ mentioned: ⟨Every newborn is born upon the primordial nature; it is his two parents who make him a Jew, or make him a Christian, or make him a Magian.⟩ [13] He did not say: make him a Muslim. A human being is born upon Islam. If he goes over in unbelief to Christianity or to Judaism he is an apostate; and if he remains upon Islam he has remained upon the primordial nature: «the primordial nature of Allah upon which He created mankind — there is no altering the creation of Allah» (Q. 30:30) «Or did you suppose that you would enter the Garden» (Q. 2:214) It was sent down concerning a hardship that befell the Muslims. At the beginning of their affair the Muslims were harmed with every kind of harm; the unbelievers met them with every injury, until the Messenger ordered them to emigrate to Abyssinia. After that the Messenger ﷺ emigrated with his own noble person to Medina the Radiant, and the unbelievers did not cease to harm the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions. The severest thing he met from the unbelievers was the Day of the Trench: the unbelievers called one another from every quarter to Medina, while [the Muslims] were neighbours to their enemies the Jews, with the hypocrites among them, so that they met severe harm from the Jews. The Qurʾan described them: «and the hearts reached the throats» (Q. 33:10) So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ supplicated, and Allah granted them relief. He said: ⟨One of those before you would be harmed⟩

⟨in his religion, and the saw would be set upon his head and he would be split until he was split into two halves, and that would not turn him back from his religion. And one of them would have a comb of fire taken to him, parting his skin from his flesh until his skin was flayed off while he was alive, and that would not turn him back from his religion. By Allah, Allah will surely bring this affair to completion, until the rider travels from Ṣanʿāʾ to Ḥaḍramawt fearing none but Allah, and the wolf for his sheep.⟩ [14] And every messenger Allah sent was harmed, and his people were harmed, until he said: «When is Allah’s help?» (Q. 2:214) — even the Messenger ﷺ and his Companions. «Or did you suppose that you would enter the Garden when there has not yet come to you the like» the likeness of what came to «of those who passed away before you» (Q. 2:214) of the believers, in the way of trials — so that you might be patient

as they endured patiently. «There touched them hardship» — […] — «and affliction» — illness — «and they were shaken» — they were disquieted by kinds of

affliction. «Until the Messenger says» — that is, until the Messenger said — «and those who believed with him» — [saying this] because they deemed the help slow in coming, the hardship upon them having reached its limit — «When [will] Allah’s help [come]?» — when will Allah’s help come, which we were promised? And they were answered on Allah’s part: «Behold, Allah’s help is near» (Q. 2:214) — its coming is near. This is Allah’s way, Blessed and Exalted: «and you will never find, for the way of»

«of Allah any change» (Q. 33:62) «They ask you what they should spend» (Q. 2:215) The questioner was ʿAmr b. al-Jamūḥ. [15] He was an old man possessed of property, and he asked the Prophet ﷺ about what he should spend and on whom he should spend. «They ask you» O Muhammad «what they should spend» that which they are to spend «Say» to them «Whatever good you spend» from any property, little or much. This states the thing spent, which the questioner asked about. «it is for the parents» He answered concerning the recipient, which is the other half [of the question] «and the near of kin, and the orphans, and the poor, and the wayfarer» (Q. 2:215) A person spends of his property, little or much, whatever he wishes — that is all. And the channel of alms is the parents, the near of kin, the orphans, the poor and the wayfarer: they have the better claim to it. «And whatever good you do» spending or other than it «Allah knows it» (Q. 2:215) and He will requite [you] for it. As for spending: it is everything a man spends. The Messenger ﷺ says: ⟨Do not fall short of anything you have the power to do, even by half a date, [16] even by your emptying the bucket into your brother’s vessel, even by your meeting him with a good word and a cheerful face.⟩ [17] All of these are alms. Even that you go about with him in his need, whether it is met or not met — all of these are alms. «And whatever good you do, Allah knows it» (Q. 2:215) and He will requite [you] for it. «It is prescribed» made obligatory «upon you is fighting» against the unbelievers «though it is hateful» detested «to you» (Q. 2:216) naturally, because of its hardship. When Allah made jihad obligatory upon us, this obligation weighed heavily on the souls of the Muslims. «And it may be that you hate a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you» (Q. 2:216) because the soul inclines toward the appetites that bring about its ruin and shrinks from the obligations that bring about its happiness. So there may be good for you in fighting, though you hate it, since in it lies either victory and spoil or martyrdom and reward; and there may be evil in abandoning it, though you love it, since in it lies humiliation, poverty and the loss of reward. «And Allah knows» what is good for you «while you do not know» (Q. 2:216) so hasten to what He commands you. «They ask you about the sacred month, about fighting in it» (Q. 2:217) The occasion for the sending down of this āya: the Prophet ﷺ sent out the first of his raiding parties, with ʿAbd Allah b. Jaḥsh over it and eight men with him. They fought the polytheists and killed Ibn al-Ḥaḍramī on the last day of Jumādā al-Ākhira, and it was confused for them with Rajab; so the unbelievers reproached them with having held it lawful.

The Prophet ﷺ sent out, two months before Badr, eight of his Companions, and he wrote a letter for their commander ʿAbdallāh b. Jaḥsh and sealed it, and he wrote him another letter, saying to him: ⟨Travel in Allah’s Name, with Allah’s blessing. Do not open this letter until you have travelled two days. When you have travelled two days, open the letter. And do not compel anyone to travel with you: whoever wishes to travel with you, let him travel, and whoever wishes to turn back, let him turn back.⟩ When he had travelled two days he opened the letter and found in it: ⟨By Allah’s Name. Travel with Allah’s blessing until you come to Baṭn Nakhla⟩ — a place between al-Ṭāʾif and Mecca — ⟨and when you meet the caravan of Quraysh, perhaps you will bring us some good from them.⟩ [18] So they travelled on until they reached Baṭn Nakhla on the last day of Jumādā al-Ākhira, before Rajab — and it is a month in which fighting is forbidden. When the unbelievers saw them, ʿAbdallāh b. Jaḥsh said to them: shave the head of one of you. So they shaved the head of one of them, and when they saw him with his head shaved they said: these are a people who have come only for the ʿumra. So they felt secure, and the Companions fell upon them, and Wāqid [19] shot ʿAmr b. al-Ḥaḍramī, and he fell dead; and he was the first of the polytheists to be killed, and this man was the first to kill in Allah’s path. And [they] fled

Nawfal; and they took captive ʿUthmān b. ʿAbdallāh and al-Ḥakam b. Kaysān, and took as booty two camels and much provision, and brought it to Medina. The unbelievers of Quraysh reproached the Messenger ﷺ. They said to him: you fight in the land of the Sanctuary and in the sacred months. And they took to reproaching the Muslims who were at Mecca: this messenger of yours, you ṣubāh [renegades], has come to treat as licit the sacred months and the Sanctuary of Allah, Blessed and Exalted. And the Prophet ﷺ said: he had not commanded them to fight in the sacred months. So this āya was sent down: «They ask you about the sacred month» — the one in which fighting is forbidden — «fighting in it» — a substitution [for “the sacred month”] — «Say: fighting in it is great» — enormous — «and a barring» — preventing people — «from the path of Allah» — His religion — which is their own doing, theirs — «and disbelief in Him» — and disbelief in Allah, Blessed and Exalted — «and» barring from «the Sacred Mosque, and the expulsion of its people from it» — and they are the Prophet ﷺ and the believers who were with him; they are the people of the Mosque, and they expelled them from Mecca. This is «greater» — more enormous in sin — «in Allah’s sight» — Blessed and Exalted — than fighting in the Sanctuary. [20] «And the sedition» — polytheism on your part — «is greater than the killing» — of you — «and they will not cease» — the unbelievers — «fighting you» — O believers — «until they turn you back from your religion» — to unbelief — «if they are able» (Q. 2:217)

from us never ceases. The unbelievers do not cease fighting the believers in order to turn them back to unbelief, when they are able to do so.

[…] «[whoever] of you turns back from his religion, and dies while he is an unbeliever — those, there have come to nothing» — have become void — «their works»

the righteous [ones] — «in this world and the Hereafter» (Q. 2:217) — so no account is taken of them and no reward [accrues] for them. And the qualification by dying in that [state] entails that, had he returned to Islam, his work would not have been annulled: he is rewarded for it, and he does not repeat it — like the pilgrimage, for example. Al-Shāfiʿī holds this. And when

[…] this āya, the Muslims rejoiced. They knew that they were absolved of sin in this deed of theirs, but they had no

[…] and they held the spoils in abeyance. «And those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide in it forever» (Q. 2:217) the apostates.

There was sent down: «Those who believed and those who emigrated» they parted from their homelands «and strove in the path of Allah» to exalt His religion «those hope for the mercy of Allah» the reward of Allah «and Allah is Forgiving» to the believers «Merciful» (Q. 2:218) And the Prophet ﷺ had held the spoils in abeyance; then he took the fifth for himself and divided the remainder among those who were present at

the raiding party.

Allah, Blessed and Exalted, described the believers by emigration. Emigration is of two kinds: an emigration from the land of unbelief to the land of Islam — and this emigration came to an end with the conquest of Mecca: ⟨There is no emigration after the conquest⟩ [21] — and an emigration from the homelands of the self, from human appetites, to the worship of Allah, Blessed and Exalted; and this one never comes to an end. And jihad is of two kinds: a lesser jihad and a greater jihad. The Messenger ﷺ said: ⟨We have returned from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad.⟩ They said: ⟨Is striking with the swords the lesser jihad?⟩ He said: ⟨Yes; and the greater jihad is the jihad of the self, of caprice and of Satan.⟩ [22] For the one who fights in the first arena — the utmost of his case is that he be killed by the sword,

so that he becomes a martyr; and the one who fights in the second arena — the utmost of his case is that he be annihilated in the Essence of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and become a knower, a ṣiddīq. And the ṣiddīqūn are higher in station than the martyrs, on the evidence of the āya: «of the prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs and the righteous» (Q. 4:69) — he mentioned the ṣiddīqūn before the martyrs. And emigration is of two kinds: an emigration from one land to another land, and an emigration from the familiar things of the self to what the Lord, Majestic and Exalted, loves.

«They ask you about wine and gambling» (Q. 2:219). Four āyāt were sent down concerning wine: «And of the fruits of the date-palms and the grapes you take from it an intoxicant and a goodly provision» (Q. 16:67). This is the first of what was sent down concerning wine; this āya praised wine:

«an intoxicant and a goodly provision» (Q. 16:67). So the Muslims took the drinking of wine to be licit, and they drank it while it was lawful, until ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allah be pleased with him, asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: ⟨Messenger of Allah, ask Allah to make clear to us concerning wine a clarifying statement. This wine makes the intellect absent and brings corruptions; and this gambling, in which a man comes upon abundant wealth without effort — ask Allah, Blessed and Exalted, to make clear to us the ruling on this.⟩ So the second āya was sent down: «They ask you about wine and gambling» — what is the ruling on them both — «Say: in them both» — in the practice of them both — «is great sin» — enormous, because of what comes about on account of them: quarrelling, mutual reviling and obscene speech

«and benefits for the people» — by way of pleasure and delight in wine, and the getting of money without toil in gambling. When this āya was sent down, some of the Companions drank wine and some of them left it. Some of them said, «benefits for the people» — that it comprises the benefits; and some of them said, «in them both is great sin» — that in great sin there is no advantage. «And the sin of them both» — what arises from them of corruptions — «is greater than the benefit of them both» (Q. 2:219). When it was sent down, a group drank it and others abstained. Then ʿUmar said:

⟨O Allah, make clear to us concerning wine a clarifying statement.⟩ Then ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAwf — and he was among the wealthy of the Companions — made a banquet for the Companions, and they ate and drank wine. And when the sunset prayer came, they put forward one of them, and he

drunk, and he recited Sūrat al-Kafirūn and dropped the lāʾāt [the negative particles of the sura], all of them. So ʿUmar said: ⟨O Allah, make clear to us concerning wine a clarification that heals.⟩ And there was sent down: «Do not approach the prayer while you are drunk, until you know what you are saying» (Q. 4:43). Then some of them said:

It has been forbidden; and others said: No, it has been forbidden at the times of prayer only. So some of them would leave wine when morning came, until he had prayed the five prayers; and after them he would take wine and pass the night drunk, and when morning came he came to the morning sober and prayed. Then ʿUmar said: ⟨O Allah, make clear to us concerning wine a clarification that heals.⟩ And there was sent down: «O you who believe, wine and gambling and idol-stones and divining-arrows are only an abomination of Satan’s work, so shun it, that you may prosper. Satan desires only to cast enmity and hatred between you by means of wine and gambling, and to turn you away from the remembrance of Allah and from the prayer. Will you then not cease?» (Q. 5:90–91) — cease. Then ʿUmar said: ⟨O Allah, we have ceased; O Allah, we have ceased.⟩ [23] So wine was forbidden from that day, and its prohibition was made severe. The most severe prohibition is the prohibition of wine. For this reason ʿAli, may Allah ennoble his face, said: ⟨If wine were poured into a well and a minaret were built over it, I would not give the call to prayer from it; and if it were poured⟩

⟨into a sea, and the sea were laid bare and grass grew, I would not pasture my beasts on it.⟩ [24] Jibrīl said to the Messenger ﷺ: Allah has praised four traits in Jaʿfar al-Ṭayyār. So the Messenger asked Jaʿfar; he said to him: ⟨What are the four traits which Allah has praised in you in the Jāhiliyya?⟩ He said: ⟨By Allah, Messenger of Allah, had Allah not informed you, I would not have informed you. I never drank wine at all in the Jāhiliyya, because I am more in need of what increases my intellect than of what removes it. And the second: I never worshipped an idol at all, because I saw that it neither harms nor benefits. And the third: I never committed fornication at all in the Jāhiliyya, because I am a jealous man: I do not love anyone who touches my womenfolk or my daughters, and what I do not like to be done to me I do not do to anyone. And the fourth: I never lied at all, because I saw that lying is baseness.⟩ [25]

«And they ask you what they should spend» — what is its measure? — «Say» to them: spend — «the surplus» (Q. 2:219) — that is, what is in excess of need; and do not spend what you need and so ruin yourselves. The Messenger ﷺ says: ⟨Begin with yourself, then with those you support. The best charity is that which comes out of a surplus of wealth.⟩ [26] And despite this, Abū Bakr spent all

his property, and the Messenger ﷺ confirmed him in it. One day the Prophet ﷺ called for spending in the path of Allah. ʿUmar said: It coincided with property I had; it coincided with my having found eight thousand dīnārs. I said: Every good

came, outstripping me to it […] today […]

half of the property I had, and I brought it to the Messenger ﷺ. I said to him: I had eight thousand dīnārs; four [thousand] I have put in the path of Allah, and four I have kept for my dependents — let this be mine with Allah, Blessed and Exalted. Then Abū Bakr came and said: ⟨All the property I have is charity in the path of Allah.⟩ The Messenger said:

⟨What are you keeping for your dependents?⟩ He said: ⟨Allah and His Messenger will suffice them.⟩ The Messenger ﷺ said: ⟨Between the two of you is what lies between your two sayings.⟩ [27] This one said that he had kept half of what he had for his dependents, and Abū Bakr said: Allah and His Messenger will suffice them. ʿUmar said: ⟨By Allah, I will never race you after this day.⟩ This is the proof of Abū Bakr’s superiority over ʿUmar; but superiority in every respect belonged to none but the Messenger ﷺ. As for anyone other than the Messenger: if he is superior in one respect, he is surpassed in [another] respect. What predominated in Abū Bakr was the state of maʿrifa, in ʿUmar what predominated was the state of the shariʿa, in ʿUthmān what predominated was the ṭarīqa, and in ʿAli what predominated was the

ḥaqīqa, though all of them were complete in all four matters. So for this reason Abū Bakr is the most excellent of the Companions, but some of the Companions surpass him in some things. And you find people unequal: you find this one complete in this respect, deficient in that respect, surpassing in this. The aspects of the good are many; whatever agrees with a person, that is his door. You find a servant of Allah upon whom Allah has opened in prayer and has not opened upon him in fasting; and one upon whom He has opened in fasting and has not opened for him in the remembrance of Allah; and one upon whom He has opened in remembrance and has not opened for him in almsgiving; and one for whom He has opened in almsgiving and has not opened for him in recitation. Whatever Allah has opened for you, keep to that door alone and you will find the good. Allah loves from the servant only that he do good. «And do good, that you may prosper» (Q. 22:77). «And thus» — as He has made clear to you what has been mentioned — «does Allah make clear to you the signs, that you may reflect» (Q. 2:219) […]

«this world and the Hereafter» (Q. 2:220) — Allah has made every sign clear, so that the servant may be one who reflects, in all circumstances, upon this world and the Hereafter, and so you take what is most beneficial for you in the two. Allah, Blessed and Exalted — His signs are of [several] kinds: dazzling signs, such as the evidentiary miracles of the prophets; and signs that break the customary course, such as thunderclaps and lightning and the falling of rains — whenever this is renewed before the servant, he knows that this is a sign among the signs of Allah; and the eclipse of the sun and of the moon, and other things besides; and a sign in every atom — you find no atom in existence but that it is a sign among the signs of Allah, Blessed and Exalted …

⟨And in everything there is a sign of His⟩

⟨showing that He is One.⟩

[28] So the rational human being sees nothing without seeing a sign and reflecting upon this world and the Hereafter. For this world is the title-page of the Hereafter, and the outward is the title-page of the inward. So when you see something beautiful, it reminds you of the ḥūr al-ʿīn and of what is in the Garden of anything […], or it reminds you of what is higher than that: the beauty of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and the face of His Messenger ﷺ. And when you see something ugly, you remember Munkar and Nakīr. And when you hear a rebuff, you remember the rebuff with Allah, Blessed and Exalted. And when you see acceptance, it reminds you of acceptance with Allah, Blessed and Exalted. And when you see [someone] turning toward [you], it reminds you of Allah’s turning toward you. And when you see [someone] turning away, it reminds you of Allah’s turning away from you, and so you seek refuge in Allah from that. Everything you see of the outward is the title-page of what is with Allah, Blessed and Exalted, of the inward. For this reason He said in this āya that He has made the signs clear to us in all their aspects, so that we may reflect upon this world and the Hereafter.

«And they ask you about the orphans» (Q. 2:220) — and about the constraint they encounter concerning them. When the āya was sent down: «Those who consume the property of orphans wrongfully consume only fire in their bellies, and they shall be roasted in a blaze» (Q. 4:10), they complained of the matter of the orphans. They said: What are we to do with the property of the orphans? Are we to mix their property with our property and so fall into constraint? Or are we to set their property apart — and if we set it apart, it is lost? And how are we to prepare food for them? And in this way they felt constrained in the matter of the orphans. Allah the Exalted said

«And they ask you about the orphans. Say: setting things right for them» — in their property, by making it grow, and your mingling with them — «is better» — than leaving that — «And if you mingle with them» — you mix your expenditure with their expenditure — «then [they are] your brothers» — they are your brothers in religion, and it belongs to the condition of a brother that he mingle with his brother, so that is permitted to you. A person may put his orphan’s property into his own property and keep it safe for him, so that when he attains his maturity of judgement he hands his property over to him; and he takes from it his maintenance and his clothing and reckons it against him, and what remains he hands over to him when he grows strong and attains his maturity of judgement. This is what is most beneficial in the matter of the orphans. «And Allah knows the one who corrupts» — their property in the course of mingling; whoever intends corruption, Allah knows him — «from the one who sets right» — and whoever intends setting right, him too Allah knows, and so He requites each of the two — «And had Allah willed, He would have burdened you» — He would have straitened you by forbidding the mingling — «Allah is Mighty» — prevailing in His command — «Wise» (Q. 2:220) — in His making. There has come down, concerning the merits of

spending on the orphan, the saying of the Messenger ﷺ: ⟨Whoever prepares food and brings an orphan with him to it, the Garden becomes his due.⟩ [29] And his saying: ⟨I and the one who takes charge of an orphan are like these two in the Garden⟩ [30] — and he pointed with the index finger and the middle finger. And how is a man to act when he takes charge of an orphan: is he to strike him by way of discipline, or not strike him, since a severe threat has come down concerning striking the orphan? But this does not apply to striking for his upbringing and his correction, for many a blow is better for the orphan than a sweet morsel he has eaten. So whoever strikes him by way of discipline and in seeking his uprightness — there is no constraint in that and no sin; and whoever strikes the orphan merely because of his weakness, that one is the sinner. «And do not marry idolatresses until they believe» (Q. 2:221). […]: one of the Companions had married a slave woman — he was ʿAbd Allah b. Rawāḥa; and Ḥudhayfa b. al-Yamān: both of them owned a slave woman, and he set her free and married her, and he was reproached for that — why does he not marry a free woman, an equal match for him? «And do not marry idolatresses» — the unbelieving women — «until they believe» — it is unlawful to give a Muslim in marriage to an unbeliever — «and a believing slave woman is better than an idolatress» — [even if she is] free — «though she please you» (Q. 2:221) — for her beauty and her wealth. And this is restricted to [women] other than the women of the People of the Book, by the āya

«And the chaste women from among those who have been given the Book» (Q. 5:5), which was sent down in the last sura to be sent down. Whoever wishes to marry, let him choose a Muslim, believing woman. The Messenger ﷺ says: ⟨A woman is married for four [things]: for her wealth, for her lineage⟩

⟨and for her beauty, and for her religion. So take hold of the one who has religion — may your hands be rubbed with dust.⟩ [31] Whoever wants to marry, let him look to the one who has religion. Even if she is homely, she is better than a beautiful woman who has no religion; and if she is a slave woman, or a freedwoman, and religious, she is better than a woman of lineage and wealth who has no religion. One of the righteous had an outstanding daughter, and men sought her hand from every quarter. He had a black slave called Mubārak, the father of ʿAbd Allah b. al-Mubārak. He summoned him and said to him: I am consulting you. My daughter has reached the age of marriage and men have sought her hand, all of them, and I would like you to give me your opinion about her. The slave said to him: ⟨You are of the Arabs. The Arabs choose high lineage; the people of your time choose wealth; and your Prophet chooses religion alone.⟩ So he said to him: I choose what the Prophet ﷺ chose; and I have seen no one, in my estimation, better in religion than you. I have given her to you in marriage. This is the father of ʿAbd Allah b. al-Mubārak, who covered the horizons with knowledge. «And do not give [your women] in marriage to the polytheists» — the unbelievers — «until they believe. A believing slave is certainly better than a polytheist, even though he please you» — on account of his wealth and his beauty — «Those» — the people of polytheism — «call to the Fire» — by their calling to the action that necessitates it; so marriage with them is not fitting — «And Allah calls» — upon the tongue of His messengers — «to the Garden and to forgiveness» — the action that necessitates them — «by His permission» — by His will; so answering Him is obligatory, by giving His friends [of Allah] in marriage — «And He makes His signs clear to the people, that they may remember» (Q. 2:221) — that they may take heed. «And they ask you about menstruation» (Q. 2:222)

The occasion for the descent of this āya: when a woman menstruated they would withdraw from her; they would put her out of the house. And some of them did not avoid the woman at the time of her menstruation. So they asked the Messenger ﷺ. «And they ask you about menstruation» (Q. 2:222) — menstruation, or its place — what is to be done with women during it. «Say: It» — menstruation — «is a hurt» — something filthy, or

its place. «So keep apart from the women» — that is, abstain from intercourse with them — «during menstruation» — its time or its place — «and do not»

«approach them» — in intercourse — «until they are pure» — they wash after it ceases — «and when they have purified themselves, come to them» — in intercourse — «from where Allah has commanded you» — by avoiding it during menstruation, and that is the front; and do not go beyond it to anything else — «Allah loves» — He rewards and honours — «those who repent» — from sins — «and He loves those who purify themselves» (Q. 2:222) — from filth — «Your women are a tilth for you» (Q. 2:223). They asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the saying of the Jews. The Jews used to say to the Muslims: whoever comes to his wife in the front from the direction of the back, the child comes squint-eyed and comes a fool.

So they asked the Messenger ﷺ about that. «Your women» — your wives — «are a tilth for you»

the place of your sowing only, because it is the place where the child is sown. «So come to your tilth» — [that is,] its place, and that is the front — «however you wish»

— in whatever way you wish: standing, or sitting, or lying down, or facing, or from behind. All of this is a refutation of the saying of the Jews: whoever comes to his wife in her front from the direction of her back, the child comes squint-eyed. The manner of the sunna is that the woman lie on her back and the man come to her from above her, as the Messenger ﷺ used to do. [32] «And send forward for yourselves»

righteous action, such as pronouncing the Name at intercourse: ⟨By Allah’s Name: The Entirely Merciful, The Especially Merciful. O Allah, keep Satan far from us, and keep Satan far from what You have provided us.⟩ [33] Whoever says this at intercourse — if Allah decrees a child, he will be guarded from Satan, and there is written for his father, for the number of his breaths, a good deed for every breath; and a single good deed is better than the world and what is in it. For this reason he said

«And send forward for yourselves» — righteous action, namely pronouncing the Name at intercourse — «and fear Allah» — in His command and His prohibition.

«And know that you will meet Him» — by the resurrection, and He will requite you for your deeds — «And give good tidings to the believers» (Q. 2:223) — those who are godfearing: give them good tidings of the Garden. «And do not make Allah» — swearing by Allah — «an obstacle» — a cause that prevents — «to your oaths, that you should act righteously» — that you should not act righteously — «and be godfearing». A certain man had sworn that he would not do [something], and afterwards, when he wanted to go back to what he used to do, he said: the oath prevents me, for I swore by Allah. So this āya was sent down: do not make the oath a cause preventing you from doing what is good. «and that you make peace between people. And Allah is Hearing» — of your words — «Knowing»

of your states «Allah does not hold you to account for inadvertence in your oaths» (Q. 2:225) which is what the tongue runs ahead to without intent. With the Shāfiʿīs: “No, by Allah”; “Yes, by Allah.” With the Mālikīs: one who is certain of something and swears to it, and then the contrary of it becomes clear. «but He holds you to account for what your hearts have earned» what they intended of the oaths, when you break them «and Allah is Forgiving» of what was inadvertence «Forbearing» (Q. 2:225) in delaying the punishment of the one who deserves it «For those who forswear their wives» they swear not to have intercourse with them «a waiting of four months» (Q. 2:226) waiting four months «then if they go back»

they intended to return to intercourse after the oath. [34] «then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful» — «Forgiving» — to them, for the harm they inflicted upon the woman by the oath; «Merciful» (Q. 2:226) — to them: when they intend to return, they bring the expiation only, and their wives become lawful to them. Whoever swears that he will not have intercourse with his wife for the duration of this world is held back four months; after four months he either expiates his oath or his wife is divorced from him. This holds in every kind of oath. As for the […] that the jurists speak of, I do not know it; it is neither in the Book nor in the Sunna. «And if they resolve upon divorce» — by not returning; then let them pronounce it — «Allah is Hearing» — of their words — «Knowing» (Q. 2:227) — of their resolve. After the waiting that has been mentioned there is nothing but the return or the divorce. «And the divorced women shall wait» — let them wait — «by themselves» — from marriage — «three courses» (Q. 2:228) — which pass from the time of the divorce: she menstruates and becomes pure, and menstruates and becomes pure, and menstruates and becomes pure. These are three qurūʾ.

«And it is not lawful for them to conceal what Allah has created in their wombs» — of a child or of menstruation — […] «they believe in Allah and the Last Day». «And their husbands» — their spouses — «have the better right to take them back» — to return to them, even if they refuse — in that, [that is] in the time of waiting — «if they desire reconciliation» — between the two of them, and not the harming of the woman; and this is an incitement to intend it, not a condition for the permissibility of the return — «And they have» — against the husbands — «the like of what is upon them» — the woman has a right against the man just as the man has a right against the woman — «in a fitting manner» — fitting in the Law: good companionship, the leaving off of harm, and the like — «and men have a degree over them» — a superiority in right, in that the women are obliged to obey them, in return for the dower the men have paid and for the maintenance — «and Allah is Mighty» — in His dominion — «Wise» (Q. 2:228) — in what He has ordained for His creation. Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has commanded good companionship with women. The Messenger ﷺ says: ⟨There is no good in women, and no enduring without them.⟩ ⟨I have never seen any among those deficient in intellect and religion more apt to carry off the reason of a resolute man than one of you.⟩ [35] So keep company with them and consult them, for the sake of good companionship, and go against them, because they are deficient in intellect. [36] There was a man in the time of one of the prophets who asked the prophet of that time to supplicate Allah for him, and the Prophet ﷺ supplicated Allah. Allah said to His prophet: Tell so-and-so that I have given him three requests; let him wish for what he will — three things, which he will find

as he wishes. He said: Let me first consult my wife. He came and said to her: We used to ask Allah for something, and today the asking has come from Allah: He has given me three requests to ask of Him. The woman said: The first is that He make me the most beautiful of the women of the world. So he supplicated, and she became the most beautiful of the women of the world; her beauty filled the house. She rose and began to adorn herself. He said to her: Where to? She said: To a king who suits me. He said to her: I implore you, do not do this — and he pressed her. She insisted on going to the king of that time. So he said: O Allah, let the second request be that You turn her into an ape — and she became an ape. Two of the requests were lost. She began to weep. He said: What is to be done now? She said:

Ask Allah to return me to my [former] state, and I will remain with you. So he asked Allah, and she returned to her state and remained with him.

All the requests were lost; he gained nothing, because of his wife’s folly. [37] «Divorce» — the pronouncement of divorce after which there is a return — «is twice» (Q. 2:229) — whoever divorces a woman may marry her a second time; and if he divorces her a second time, he may marry her. [38]

«then retention» — so you must retain them after it; after the second divorce there is nothing but the retention alone — «in a fitting manner» — without harm — «or release» — a sending of them away — «with kindness» (Q. 2:229). If he adds another pronouncement of divorce,

he makes it irrevocable. «And it is not lawful for you» — O husbands — «to take anything of what you have given them» — of the dowers — […]

It is not permissible for a man to divorce a woman and take anything of her property that he gave to her previously — «unless the two of them fear»

the two spouses — «that they will not maintain Allah’s limits» — that is, unless the cause of the divorce is that the two of them feared that they would not maintain Allah’s limits — «So if you fear that they will not maintain Allah’s limits, there is no blame upon the two of them for what she gives to ransom herself» (Q. 2:229) — if it was.

The man does not want to divorce his wife, and the woman has turned refractory and refuses to remain with the husband, until the two of them have ascertained that they are unable to uphold Allah’s limits by remaining together. Then khulʿ is permissible: that the woman ransom herself from the husband with property — whether the bridal gift, or less than it, or more than it. This is the ground for khulʿ. One of the women Companions came to the Prophet ﷺ and she was a righteous woman. She said to him: ⟨Messenger of Allah, as for me — my husband, I hold nothing against him in religion, nor in anything else, and he discharges what is incumbent upon him; only I no longer love him.⟩ He said to her: ⟨What is the cause of that?⟩ She said: ⟨Nothing, except that I saw him coming along with his companions, and I looked at him, and he was the shortest of them and the ugliest of them in face. But I have seen nothing in him to be censured; only I will not remain with him.⟩ The Messenger ﷺ said: ⟨Did he give you property as a bridal gift?⟩ She said: ⟨Yes, he gave me a garden of date palms as a bridal gift.⟩ He said: ⟨Will you return his garden to him?⟩ She said: ⟨Yes, and I will add to it.⟩ He said ﷺ: ⟨Return his garden to him.⟩ So she returned the garden to the husband, and she was divorced. This is the basis for khulʿ. [39] «Those» — the rulings mentioned — «are Allah’s limits, so do not transgress them; and whoever transgresses Allah’s limits — those are the wrongdoers» (Q. 2:229). «And if he divorces her» — the husband, after the two [pronouncements] — «she is not lawful to him thereafter» — [that is, after] the third pronouncement of divorce — «until she marries» — she weds — «a husband other than him» (Q. 2:230), and he has intercourse with her, as in the hadith which the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhārī and Muslim] transmitted. It is related that a beautiful woman of the Companions came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: ⟨My husband divorced me three times and made my divorce irrevocable, and another man married me, and I found him unable to come to me, for what he has is like the fringe of a garment.⟩ The Messenger ﷺ said: ⟨Do you want to return to the husband who made your divorce irrevocable? No — not until you taste his sweetness and he tastes your sweetness.⟩ [40] That is, intercourse. She came the next day and said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: ⟨What you used to tell me has come about: he tasted of me and I tasted of him.⟩ The Messenger ﷺ said: ⟨Your first statement convicts you of lying — that what he has is like the fringe of a garment.⟩ So the Messenger ﷺ barred her from returning to the first husband. [41] And the second husband, whom she had claimed to be incapable of intercourse, said: ⟨Messenger of Allah, what a liar she is. I shake her out as a hide is shaken out.⟩ And he brought two children whom she had borne him. The Messenger ﷺ said: ⟨These two children are more like their father than the crow is like⟩

⟨the crow.⟩ [42] And she loved to return to her first husband, but the Messenger ﷺ barred her. She came in the time of Abū Bakr, and Abū Bakr barred her. She came in the time of ʿUmar, and ʿUmar said: ⟨I was present at your⟩ coming ⟨to the Messenger ﷺ and to Abū Bakr; and if you seek to return to your first husband I will stone you.⟩

«And if he divorces her» — the second husband — «there is no blame upon the two of them» — the wife and the first husband — «that they return to one another» (Q. 2:230)

to the marriage — «if they think that they will uphold Allah’s limits». «And those» — the [rulings] mentioned — «are Allah’s limits; He makes them clear to a people who know» (Q. 2:230). «And when you divorce the women and they reach their term» — they draw near the expiry of their waiting period — «then retain them» — by taking them back before the expiry of the waiting period — «in kindness» — without harm — «or release them in kindness» — leave them until their waiting period expires. When the waiting period expires, she is finally separated [from him]. «And do not retain them» — by taking [them] back — «to cause harm» — rather, taking back is for reconciliation only; as for taking back with the intent to cause harm, do not do it — «so that you transgress» against them, by forcing [them] to ransom themselves and to [seek] divorce, and by prolonging the confinement. «And whoever does that has wronged himself» — by exposing it to Allah’s punishment — «and do not take Allah’s signs in mockery» — [as something] mocked, by contravening them — «and remember Allah’s favour upon you» — [namely] Islam — «and what He has sent down upon you of the Book» — the Qurʾan — «and the Wisdom» (Q. 2:231)

the rulings it contains — «He admonishes you thereby» — by your giving thanks for it [the favour] through acting upon it — «and fear Allah, and know that Allah is Knowing of all things» (Q. 2:231) — nothing is hidden from Him. «And when you divorce the women» (Q. 2:232). The occasion for the revelation of this āya is that the sister of Maʿqil b. Yasār was divorced by her husband, and afterwards he sought again to take her back, and she consented, but her brother refused. So it was revealed. [43] «And when you divorce the women and they reach their term» — they draw near the expiry of their waiting period — «then do not prevent them» — O guardians, do not prevent them — «from marrying their husbands» — who had divorced them — […]

the husbands and the women — «among themselves in kindness» — [in kindness] according to the Law — «That» — the prohibition — «whoever among you believes in Allah and the Last Day is admonished thereby» — because he is the one who benefits from it — «That for you» — the abandonment of preventing [them from marrying] — «is purer» — better — «for you, and more cleansing» — for you and for them, because of what is feared for the two spouses by way of suspicion, on account of the attachment between them — «and Allah knows» (Q. 2:232)

what there is of benefit in it — «and you do not know» (Q. 2:232) — that; so follow His command. «And those who have borne [children]» — the mothers — «shall suckle» — let them suckle — «their children for two terms» — two years — «complete» — an emphatic qualifier — «for whoever wishes to complete the suckling» — and nothing beyond it — «And upon the one to whom the child is born» — he being the father — «is their provision» — the feeding of the mothers — «and their clothing» — in return for the suckling, if they have been divorced — «in kindness» — according to his capacity — «No soul is charged except [according to] its scope» — its capacity — «No mother shall be harmed on account of her child» — because of him, by being compelled to suckle him when she has refused — «and no» — shall be harmed — «one to whom a child is born, on account of his child» — because of him, by being charged beyond his capacity. The attribution of the child to each of the two, in both places, is for the sake of evoking compassion. «And upon the heir» — the father’s heir, that is, the child — «the like of that» — which falls upon the father toward the mother, of provision and clothing — «But if the two of them wish» — the two parents — «weaning» (Q. 2:233)

weaning him before the two years, proceeding «from mutual consent» — agreement — «from them both, and consultation» — between the two of them, so that the child’s benefit in it may appear — «there is no fault upon them» — in that — «And if you wish» — an address to the fathers — «to have your children suckled» — by wet-nurses other than the mothers — «there is no fault upon you» — in it — «when you hand over» — to them — «what you have given» — what you intended to give them of the wage — «in kindness» — handsomely, as with a willing heart — «And fear Allah, and know that Allah is Seeing of what you do» (Q. 2:233) — nothing of it is hidden from Him. «And those who are taken in death» — they die — «among you and leave behind» — they leave — «wives, they shall wait» — let them wait — «by themselves» — after them, [refraining] from marriage

«four months and ten» (Q. 2:234) — of nights. This applies to those who are not pregnant; the waiting period of the pregnant is that they deliver their burden, by the āya of [Sūrat] al-Ṭalāq; and the slave woman is at half of that, by the Sunna. «Then when they reach their term» — the period of their waiting expires — «there is no fault upon you concerning what they do with themselves» — of adorning themselves and making themselves available to suitors — «in kindness»

according to the Law. «And Allah is Aware of what you do» (Q. 2:234) — knowing its inward as [He knows] its outward. «And there is no fault upon you concerning that wherein you hint» — you intimate — «at it, of proposing to the women» — those whose husbands have died, during the waiting period, as when a person says, for example: how beautiful you are, and who could find the like of you, and many a man desires you [44] — «or you conceal» — you harbour [it] — «within yourselves» — of

the intention of marrying them — «Allah knows that you will mention them» — in the proposal — and you cannot abstain from them, so He has permitted you the hint. «But do not promise them secretly» — [that is,] marriage [45] — «unless you speak a word that is honourable» — what is recognised in the Law by way of hinting; that is permitted you. «And do not resolve upon the tie of marriage» — upon contracting it — «until the writ» — what is prescribed of the waiting period — «reaches its term» — by its coming to an end — «And know that Allah knows what is within yourselves» — of resolve and otherwise — «so beware of Him» — lest He punish you — «and know that Allah is Forgiving» — to whoever is wary of Him — «Forbearing» (Q. 2:235) — in deferring the punishment from the one who deserves it. This is the waiting period of death: four months and ten nights. It abrogated «provision up to the year» (Q. 2:240). The waiting period was at first a complete year, and the āya that precedes it in the arrangement abrogated it — [part] of the wisdom of the Qurʾan. The reason for this is that Allah created Ādam over forty years while he was sticky clay, and forty years from dark altered mud, and forty years like baked pottery — so that is forty [years] three times over — and then He breathed the spirit into him. [46] This is the root of Ādam’s creation. When Allah commanded the spirit to enter Ādam’s body, the spirit refused, until the Lord said to it: enter unwillingly, and you will come out unwillingly. So the spirit entered, and when it reached the nose Ādam sneezed and said al-Ḥamdu li-Llāh [the praise is for Allah]. He is the first to have said this word, and the angels responded to his sneeze with a blessing and said: for this you were created. Then when there passed

the spirit, until it reached his knees, he wanted to rise. For this reason the Real (al-Ḥaqq) addressed him: «The human being was created of haste» (Q. 21:37). [47] And the children of Ādam have never ceased to be hasty. Then, when the spirit pervaded him, he rose up walking, and he became a living creature after having been inanimate.

The first to say subḥāna Allah [glory be to Allah] were the angels, the bearers of the Throne; the first to say al-Ḥamdu li-Llāh [the praise is for Allah] was Ādam, upon him be peace; the first to say lā ilāha illā Allah was Nūḥ, upon him be peace; the first to say Allahu akbar [Allah is greater] was Ibrāhīm — these are the enduring righteous [deeds] — and the first to say lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-Llāh al-ʿAli al-ʿAẓīm [there is no capacity and no power save by Allah, the High, the Great] was Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. [48] The origin of Ādam’s creation was forty years, three times. For this reason the son of Ādam is created in his mother’s womb forty days as a sperm-drop, forty days as a clot, forty days as a lump of flesh, and then the spirit is breathed into him. [49] Forty, three times, is four months. The waiting period was legislated to guard lineages, so that they do not become mixed. When the man dies, the woman sits [in waiting] four months; if she is pregnant, the pregnancy must become evident, because the spirit is breathed into it, and the spirit, when it occurs, may occur faintly at the beginning of the matter — but if ten days are added, it must move a great deal. So ten days were added to the four months. This is the waiting period of the woman whose husband has died, except when she is pregnant: when she delivers her child, her womb has been cleared. «And there is no blame upon you if you divorce the women so long as you have not touched them» — that is, have intercourse with them — «or assigned them an assignment» — a bridal gift. Divorce before touching is unobjectionable — «and provide for them» — give them what

they may enjoy — «upon the one of ample means» — the wealthy among you — «his measure, and upon the straitened one» — the one narrow in provision — «his measure»

It conveys that one does not look to the wife’s measure, but only to the husband’s state — «as a provision» — a providing — «in a fitting manner»

according to the Law — «an obligation upon the doers of good» (Q. 2:236). The wisdom in the provision is that divorce breaks the woman’s spirit, and whoever breaks a Muslim’s spirit ought to mend it; for this reason the provision was legislated after divorce. «And if you divorce them before you have touched them, having assigned them an assignment, then half of what you assigned» — if the bridal gift has been settled and the divorce has occurred before consummation, then half the bridal gift belongs to the woman and half of it remains with the husband — «except» — but — «that they remit»

the wives — except when the wife remits: since he contracted [marriage] with me and there is nothing between us, let him take his property. «or he remits in whose hand is the knot of marriage» — or the husband remits. [50] The woman gives way, or the man gives way — «and that you remit is nearer to godfearing» — and the man’s remission is better, because the man is stronger and more complete — «and do not forget liberality among yourselves» — in any case let one of you be liberal toward the other, either the man or the woman — «Allah is Seeing of what you do» (Q. 2:237), so He will requite you for it. «Maintain the prayers» — the five, by performing them at their times — «and the middle prayer» — it is the afternoon prayer, or the dawn prayer, or the noon prayer, or another: [these are] opinions. Allah has made prayer obligatory upon this community, and what is obligatory of prayer is five prayers in the day and the night. Verses in the Qurʾan indicate it, among them this one. He said: «Maintain the prayers» — and al-ṣalawāt is a plural, and the least a plural [denotes] is three — «and the middle prayer» — the middle prayer is conjoined to them, and the middle prayer is disputed. So from this five prayers result. «and stand before Allah devoutly obedient» (Q. 2:238) — stand before Allah in prayer devoutly obedient. It is said: obedient; and it is said:

silent. They used to speak during the prayer at the beginning of Islam, and when this āya came down they were commanded to keep silence

in the prayer. [51]

The Messenger said: ⟨In the prayer there is occupation.⟩ [52] And the five prayers are expiations. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ⟨If there were a river at the door of one of you in which he bathed five times every day, would that leave anything of his grime? They said: No, Messenger of Allah. He said: So too the five prayers.⟩ [53] ⟨The five prayers are an expiation for what lies between them.⟩ [54] The Real, Blessed and Exalted, addressed Mūsā and said to him: ⟨I give Muhammad and his community a prayer which is four⟩ rakʿas ⟨— it is the noon prayer. In the first⟩ rakʿa ⟨I forgive them all their sins; in the second the angels seek forgiveness for them, and whomever the angels seek forgiveness for I do not punish; in the third the gates of heaven are opened to them, and there is answered …⟩

⟨… for them the supplication; and on the fourth I settle My good pleasure upon them, and I shall not be angry with them thereafter.⟩ [55] «But if you fear» — an enemy, or a flood, or a beast of prey — «then on foot» — so pray on foot: rijālan is the plural of rājil, that is, walking — «or mounted» — the plural of rākib. This is the prayer of fear. One who is in fear may pray mounted, or pray walking, and may speak. «And when you are secure» — from the fear — «then remember Allah» — pray — «as He taught you what you did not know» (Q. 2:239) — before His teaching it — of its obligatory elements and its requisites. The middle prayer is the best of the five prayers. It was concealed so that you would keep all five prayers, just as the Night of Decree was concealed within this blessed month so that you would hold vigil through all the nights of Ramadan; and just as the walī was concealed among persons so that you would honour all Muslims; and just as the hour of answered prayer was concealed within Friday; and just as the Greatest Name was concealed among the names; and just as the accepted act of worship was concealed among all acts of worship — so that the servant would be eager for every good. It has been transmitted that it is the dawn prayer: this is Mālik’s position, [56] because of its heaviness upon souls. And it is said that it is the afternoon prayer, [57] and this is the strongest

of the positions, because of the hadiths transmitted that indicate it. On the day of the Trench, when the Messenger ﷺ had prayed the noon prayer, they were occupied with confronting the unbelievers until the sun set, and the Messenger ﷺ said:

⟨May Allah fill their graves and their houses with fire — they kept us from the middle prayer.⟩ [58] And the prayer missed was the afternoon prayer. A sound hadith; and it is explicit that the afternoon prayer is the middle prayer.

«And those of you who are taken in death» — they die — «and leave behind» — they leave — «wives» — then let them bequeath — «a bequest»

«for their wives» — and let them give them — «provision» — that by which they are provided for, of maintenance and clothing — «until» — the completion of — «the year»

from their death — the waiting that is obligatory upon them «without being expelled» not expelled from their dwelling. This is the original ruling. A woman used to observe a waiting period of a full year, and the preceding āya abrogated it. «But if they leave» of their own accord «there is no blame upon you» O guardians of the deceased «in what they do with themselves of what is proper» (Q. 2:240) according to the Law, such as adorning themselves, leaving off mourning, and the cutting off of maintenance «and Allah is Mighty» in His dominion «Wise» (Q. 2:240) in His making. And the bequest mentioned is abrogated by the āya of inheritance, and the waiting of a year by the āya of four months and ten [days], which comes before it [in the text] and later in the sending down. The right of lodging stands for her according to al-Shāfiʿī. «And for divorced women» a provision they are to be given «in a proper manner» (Q. 2:241) to the measure of

what is possible — «an obligation upon those who are mindful» of Allah (Q. 2:241). He repeated it so as to take in the woman who has been touched as well, since the preceding āya concerns one other than her

«Thus» just as He has made clear to you what has been mentioned «does Allah make clear to you His signs, that you may use your reason» (Q. 2:242) that you may ponder them

«Have you not seen» an interrogative of wonder, rousing eagerness to hear what comes after it; has your knowledge not reached «those who went forth from their dwellings in thousands» four thousand, or eight thousand, or ten thousand, or […] or forty thousand, or seventy thousand [59] «in fear of death» (Q. 2:243) The plague fell in their land, so they went forth [in flight] from death. They were a people of the Children of Israel, the people of Ḥizqīl, the prophet of Allah. «and Allah said to them: Die» (Q. 2:243) When they had [fled] until they were eight days’ distance from their land, it was said to them: Die — and they all died. «then He gave them life» after eight days, through the supplication of their prophet Ḥizqīl. Ḥizqīl set about supplicating Allah and pleading with Him until they were all raised. They lived on for an age with the mark of death upon them: they would find no garment but it turned like a shroud. The foul smell that you smell among the Jews to this day is from that death. «Allah is possessed of bounty toward mankind» (Q. 2:243) and part of it is the giving of life to these «but most people» they are the unbelievers «are not grateful» (Q. 2:243) And the purpose in mentioning the report of these people is to encourage the believers to fight. Allah intends to command us to jihad, and the soul fears death; so He told this story. Those who fled from death — when Allah said to them: Die, they all died. So we, then, whether we go forward to jihad or hold back, it is all one when the time of death falls due. «And fight in the path of Allah» to exalt His religion «and know that Allah is Hearing» of your words «Knowing» (Q. 2:244) of your states, and He will requite you «Who is it that will lend to Allah» by spending his property in the path of Allah «a goodly loan» by spending it for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, out of a willing heart «so that He may multiply it for him many times over» (Q. 2:245) from ten up to more than seven hundred, [60] as will come. Allah, Blessed and Exalted, out of the perfection of

His bounty and His concern for the poor man, He named charity [given] for the Face of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, a loan. And why did He name it a loan? Because when a person asks you for property and says, “Give me,” or “Make me a gift,” you do not expect of him that he return anything to you; and if he says to you, “Lend me,” you expect that he will return to you what he took. So for this reason the servant is assured that Allah will return to him the recompense of his charity, since He named it a loan. And Allah, out of the perfection of His compassion for the poor man, has set Himself in the place of the poor man. It has come in the sound hadith that the Messenger ﷺ says: ⟨Allah will cause the human being to stand before Him on the Day of Resurrection, and will say: ‘My servant, I fell ill and you did not visit Me’⟩ — this is a great secret — ⟨‘My servant, I asked you for food and you did not feed Me. My servant, I asked you for drink and you did not give Me drink.’ He said: ‘How am I to visit You, when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ He said:⟩

⟨‘My servant so-and-so fell ill, and had you visited him you would have found that with Me.’ He said: ‘How am I to feed You, my Lord, when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ He said: ‘My servant so-and-so asked you for food, and had you fed him you would have found that with Me.’ ‘How am I to give You drink, my Lord?’ He said: ‘My servant so-and-so asked you for drink, and had you given him drink you would have found that with Me.’⟩ [61] Look at this

poor man, the lowly one standing at the door of your house asking charity of you — and tomorrow he will bring you to account. And the loan is greater in reward than the gift. The Messenger ﷺ on the night he was taken by night, found written on the gate of the Garden:

⟨Charity is for tenfold its like, and the loan for eighteen [of its like].⟩ So he said to Jibrīl: ⟨How astonishing — charity, which a person gives for the Face of Allah and which does not come back to him, and the loan, which does come back to him, and yet it is greater in reward?⟩ He said to him: ⟨Yes. A person may be given charity when he is not in need; but no one asks for a loan unless he is in need.⟩ [62] Whoever seeks a loan seeks it only out of need. So for this reason the recompense of the loan was greater with Allah than the recompense of charity. And this community — concerning them was revealed: «Whoever brings a good deed, for him is tenfold its like» (Q. 6:160). So the Messenger ﷺ said:

⟨My Lord, increase my community [in reward].⟩ So the āya of charity was revealed — it comes tomorrow, in shāʾa Allah — «The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is as the likeness of a grain that grew seven ears» (Q. 2:261) — one part for seven hundred. So the Messenger ﷺ said: ⟨My Lord, increase my community [in reward].⟩ So this āya was revealed: «Who is it that will lend Allah a goodly loan, so that He may multiply it for him many times over?» (Q. 2:245) — to more than seven hundred. The Messenger ﷺ said: ⟨My Lord, increase my community [in reward].⟩ So there was revealed: «Only the steadfast are given their reward without reckoning» (Q. 39:10). So he said: ⟨I am content with Allah as Lord.⟩ [63] So content was

the Chosen One ﷺ. «And Allah straitens» He withholds provision from whom He wills, as a trial «and expands» He broadens it for whom He wills, as a test «and to Him you will be returned» in the Hereafter, by the resurrection «Have you not seen the chiefs of the Children of Israel after Mūsā» (Q. 2:246) that is, their story «when they said to a prophet of theirs» (Q. 2:246) he is Shamwīl

«Raise up for us a king, that we may fight» with him «in the way of Allah. He said: Will you perhaps, if fighting is prescribed for you, not fight?» — perhaps, when jihad is imposed upon you as an obligation, you will not accept — «They said: And what is it with us that we should not fight in the way of Allah, when we have been driven out from our dwellings and our children» — because of them; the people of Jālūt had done that to them — «But when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away» — and they turned coward — «except a few of them» — and they are the ones who crossed the river with Ṭālūt, as will come — «And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers» (Q. 2:246) — so He will requite them. And the prophet asked his Lord to send a king, and He answered him by sending Ṭālūt. «And their prophet said to them: Allah has indeed raised up for you Ṭālūt as king» — Allah has made Ṭālūt a king over you — «They said: How can the kingship be his over us, when we are worthier of the kingship than he?» — the habit of the children of Ādam. This man does not deserve the kingship over us; he is not of the tribe of kingship, nor of the tribe of prophethood; he was a tanner or a shepherd; he is not of the tribe of Yahūdhā, nor of the tribe of Rūbīl. The tribe of Yahūdhā are the people of prophethood, and the tribe of Rūbīl are the people of kingship, and this man was of the tribe of Binyāmīn, and they do not deserve the kingship over us — «and he has not been given abundance of wealth» — he is poor, he has nothing; how is he able to establish the kingship? — «He said» to them — their prophet — «Allah has chosen him» — He chose him for the kingship — «over you, and has increased him in stature» — amplitude — «in knowledge and body» — he was the most knowing of the Children of Israel at that time, the most comely of them, and the most complete of them in form. When this āya was revealed concerning him he became the most knowing of them and the best of them in body. «And Allah gives His kingship to whom He will» — and with this there is no objecting against Allah, Blessed and Exalted; He gives His kingship to whom He will — «And Allah is Vast» — [in] His bounty — «Knowing» — of who is worthy of it (Q. 2:247). «And their prophet said to them» (Q. 2:248)

They asked him for a sign of his kingship. «Indeed the sign of his kingship is that the Ark will come to you» (Q. 2:248) — the chest. The prophets had the chest of Ādam, which he brought down with him from heaven; in it were the likenesses of all the prophets. And it had reached

Mūsā. When they fought, Allah gave them victory on account of this chest. When the Amalekites overcame them, they took the chest from them, and they would seek help by it and overcome their enemy. The Exalted said: «in it is a» sakīna — tranquillity for your hearts — «from your Lord, and a remnant of what the family of Mūsā left» — meaning Mūsā — «and the family of Hārūn» (Q. 2:248) — meaning Hārūn. The two of them had left it to them. In it were Mūsā’s two sandals and his staff, and Hārūn’s turban, and a qafīz of the manna that used to come down upon him, and fragments of the tablets that were shattered when Mūsā cast them down; their remnant was in the chest. [64]

«the angels bearing it» when you see the angels bearing this chest until they set it down before Tālūt, that is the sign of his kingship «in that is a sign for you» of his kingship «if you are believers» (Q. 2:248) So the angels bore it between heaven and earth while they looked on, until they set it down beside Tālūt. Then they acknowledged his kingship and hastened to the fighting, and he chose seventy thousand of their young men. «And when he set out» went forth «Tālūt with the troops» from Jerusalem — and the heat was severe, and they asked him for water «he said: Allah is testing you» putting you to the proof «by a river» so that the obedient among you and the disobedient might show themselves; and it is between the Jordan and Palestine [65] «so whoever drinks of it» of its water «he is not of me» of my followers «and whoever does not taste it» does not try it «he is of me — except one who scoops up a scoop with his hand» (Q. 2:249) and is content with it and does not go beyond it: he is of me. «But they drank of it» when they came up to the river they drank in quantity «except a few of them» (Q. 2:249) who limited themselves to the scoop. It is related that it sufficed them for their own drinking and for their beasts, and they were three hundred and some ten — the number of the people of Badr and the number of the messengers. [66] «Then when he had crossed it, he and those who believed with him» (Q. 2:249) and they are those who

confined themselves to the scoop. «They said: We have no power today against Jālūt and his troops» — no power to fight them. They turned coward and did not cross it. «Those who deemed» — were certain — «that they would meet Allah said» — [meet Him] at the resurrection; and they are those who were content with the scoop — «How many» — many a — […] — a company — «[a] small [company] has overcome a large company by Allah’s leave» — by His will — «and Allah is with the steadfast» (Q. 2:249) — with aid and victory. «And when they went forth against Jālūt and his troops» (Q. 2:250) — they came out to fight them and drew up in ranks

«They said: Our Lord, pour out» — pour down — «upon us steadfastness and make our feet firm» — by strengthening our hearts for jihad — «and give us victory over the disbelieving people. So they routed them» — broke them — «by Allah’s leave» — by His will — «and Dāwūd killed» (Q. 2:250–251)

And he had been in Ṭālūt’s army. «Jālūt» — the tyrant. «And He gave him» — Allah gave — Dāwūd — «the kingship» (Q. 2:251) — among

the Children of Israel. «and wisdom» — prophethood and kingship did not come together for anyone among the Children of Israel until they came together for Dāwūd, upon him be peace. He became a king and a prophet after the death of Shamwīl [Samuel] and the death of Ṭālūt; he inherited from them both. «And He taught him of what He willed» — such as the craft of coats of mail. «And were it not for Allah’s repelling of the people, some of them by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted» (Q. 2:251) — were it not that Allah repels affliction from some by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted through the mastery of the polytheists and the killing of the Muslims. [67]

«But Allah has bounty towards the worlds» (Q. 2:251) — He repels some of them by means of others. «Those» — these verses — «are Allah’s signs, which We recite» — which We relate — «to you» — Muhammad — «in truth» — truthfully — «and you» — Muhammad — «are among those sent» (Q. 2:252).