Surah Al Fath Notes (24-27)

Source: Ibn Kathir

(24) And He it is Who has withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Makkah, after He had made you victors over them. And Allah is Ever the All-Seer of what you do.

(And He it is Who has withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Makkah after He had made you victors over them. And Allah is Ever the All-Seer of what you do.) Allah the Exalted reminds His faithful servants of His favor when He restrained the hands of the idolaters, and thereby, no harm touched the Muslims from the idolators. Allah restrained the hands of the believers and they did not fight the idolaters near Al-Masjid Al-Haram. Rather, Allah saved both parties from battle and brought forth a peace treaty that produced good results for the believers, in addition to, earning them the good end in this life and the Hereafter. We stated a Hadith from Salamah bin Al-Akwa` in which he narrated that when the Muslims brought forth those seventy idolator prisoners, they tied and paraded them before the Messenger of Allah, who looked at them and said,

(Release them, so that they earn the burden of starting hostilities and its infamy.) Thereafter, Allah the Exalted and Most Honored sent down this Ayah about that incident,

(And He it is Who has withheld their hands from you and your hands from them...) 

Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas bin Malik said, "On the day of Hudaybiyyah, eighty armed men from Makkah went down the valley coming from Mount At-Tan`im to ambush the Messen- ger of Allah. The Messenger invoked Allah against them, and they were taken, prisoners.'' `Affan added, "The Messenger pardoned them, and this Ayah was later on revealed,

(And He it is Who has withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Makkah after He had made you victors over them.)'' Muslim, Abu Dawud in his Sunan and At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i, in the Tafsir section of their Sunan, collected this Hadith.

(25) They are the ones who disbelieved (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and hindered you from Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the sacred mosque of Makkah) and the sacrificial animals, detained from reaching their place of sacrifice. Had there not been believing men and believing women whom you did not know, that you may kill them, and on whose account a sin would have been committed by you without (your) knowledge, that Allah might bring into His Mercy whom He will, if they (the believers and the disbelievers) should have been apart, We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved, with painful torment.

Allah the Exalted states that the Arab idolators from Quraysh and their allies who extended help to them against His Messenger ,

(They are those who disbelieved), they are indeed the disbelievers,

(and hindered you from Al-Masjid Al-Haram) `even though you are its people and more worthy of being responsible for it,'

(and detained the sacrificial animals, from reaching their place of sacrifice.) they prevented, because of transgression and stubbornness, the sacrificial animals from being reached to the place where they would be slaughtered. There were seventy sacrificial camels designated for sacrifice, as we will mention, Allah willing. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,

(Had there not been believing men and believing women) `living among the Makkans hiding their faith for fearing for their safety from the pagans. Otherwise, We would have given you authority over the Makkans and you would have killed them to the brink of extermination. However, there were some faithful believers, men, and women, living among them, about whom you had no knowledge of being believers and you might try to kill them.' Allah's statement,

(whom you did not know, that you may kill them and on whose account a sin would have been committed by you) an evil and erroneous act,

(without (your) knowledge, that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He wills) that Allah might delay the punishment of the pagans of Makkah to save the believers who lived among them, and so that many of the idolators might embrace Islam. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,

(if they had been apart) if the disbelievers and the believers who were living among them had been apart,

(We verily, would have punished with painful torment those of them who disbelieved) `We would have given you dominance over the disbelievers and you would have inflicted tremendous slaughter on them.' 

(26) When those who disbelieve had put in their hearts pride and haughtiness the pride and haughtiness of the time of ignorance, then Allah sent down His Sakinah (calmness and tranquillity) upon His Messenger ( SAW) and upon the believers, and made them stick to the word of piety (i.e. none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), and they were well entitled to it and worthy of it. And Allah is the All-Knower of everything.

(When those who disbelieve had put in their heart's pride and haughtiness -- the pride and haughtiness of the time of ignorance, ) when they refused to write (in the treaty document), `In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,' and, `These are the terms agreed on by Muhammad, Allah's Messenger,'

(then Allah sent down His calmness and tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers and made them stick to the word of Taqwa;) the word of Taqwa refers to sincerity, according to Mujahid. `Ata' bin Abi Rabah commented, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, alone without partners. All the dominion belongs to Him and all praise is due to Him. He is Ever Able to do everything.'' Yunus bin Bukayr said that Ibn Ishaq narrated from Az-Zuhri, from `Urwah, from Al-Miswar, commenting on,

(and made them stick to the word of Taqwa;) "`La ilaha illallah, alone without partners.''

Allah has indeed fulfilled the True Vision which He showed to His Prophet

(27) Indeed Allah shall fulfil the true vision which He showed to His Messenger (SAW) [i.e. the Prophet SAW saw a dream that he has entered Makkah along with his companions, having their (head) hair shaved and cut short] in very truth. Certainly, you shall enter Al-Masjid-al-Haram; if Allah wills, secure, (some) having your heads shaved, and (some) having your head hair cut short, having no fear. He knew what you knew not, and He granted besides that a near victory.

In a dream, the Messenger of Allah saw himself entering Makkah and performing Tawaf around the House. He told his Companions about this dream when he was still in Al-Madinah. When they went to Makkah in the year of Al-Hudaybiyyah, none of them doubted that the Prophet's vision would come true that year. When the treaty of peace was conducted and they had to return to Al-Madinah that year, being allowed to return to Makkah the next year, some of the Companions disliked what happened. `Umar bin Al-Khattab asked about this, saying, "Haven't you told us that we will go to the House and perform Tawaf around it'' The Prophet said, (Yes. Have I told you that you will go to it this year) `Umar said, "No.'' The Prophet said,

(Then you will go to it and perform Tawaf around it.) `Umar received the same answer from Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, letter for letter. This is why Allah the Exalted and Most honored said,

(Indeed Allah shall fulfill the true vision which He showed to His Messenger in very truth. Certainly, you shall enter Al-Masjid Al-Haram, if Allah wills,) and He willed that this matter shall certainly occur,

(secure,) means, `upon your entering,'

((some) having your heads shaved, and (some) having your hair cut short,) and some of them indeed had their head hair shaved, while some of them had their head hair shortened. 

(having no fear), indicating that they will be safe and will have no fear when they enter Makkah. 

This occurred in the `Umrah performed the following year, in the seventh year of Hijrah during the month of Dhul-Qa`dah. When the Messenger left from Al-Hudaybiyyah, during the month of Dhul-Qa`dah (the sixth year of Hijrah), he went back to Al-Madinah. He remained in Al-Madinah during the months of Dhul-Hijjah and Al-Muharram. In Safar, he marched forth to Khaybar, and Allah opened that city for him, partly by force and partly by its people surrendering to him. Khaybar was a wealthy province that had abundant date trees and vegetation. The Prophet hired the (defeated) Jews of Khaybar to attend to a part of its green fields and divided the province among those who attended Al-Hudaybiyyah with him. No one else except those Companions took part in attacking Khaybar, except Ja`far bin Abi Talib, who came back with his companions from Ethiopia. Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari and his people also attended that battle. None of them were absent except Abu Dujanah Simak bin Kharashah, according to Ibn Zayd. This fact is well recorded in (the Books of) history. The Prophet then returned to Al-Madinah. When the month of Dhul-Qa`dah came, the seventh year of Hijrah, the Prophet went to Makkah for `Umrah accompanied by those who were with him at Al-Hudaybiyyah. He resumed Ihram from Dhul-Hulayfah and took the sacrificial animals with him. It was said that the sacrificial animals were sixty. The Prophet and his Companions started reciting the Talbiyah aloud. When they came close to Marr Az-Zahran, he sent Muhammad bin Maslamah before him with the horses and weapons. When the idolators saw this advance regiment, they were overwhelmed with fear. They thought that the Messenger of Allah would attack them and that he had betrayed the treaty that he conducted with them, which stipulated cessation of hostilities for ten years. The idolators went quickly to Makkah to inform its people. When the Prophet made camp in the area of Marr Az-Zahran, where he was close enough to see the idols that were erected all around the Haram, he sent the weaponry, arrows, arrow cases and spears, to the valley of Ya`jaj. He next went on his way towards Makkah with the swords resting in their sheaths, just as he agreed to in the peace treaty. While the Prophet was still on the way to Makkah, the Quraysh sent Mikraz bin Hafs who said, "O Muhammad! We never knew you to be one who betrays his promises.'' The Prophet said,

(Why do you say that) Mikraz said, "You are headed towards us with the weaponry, the arrows and the spears.'' The Prophet said,

(I did not do that, I sent all that to the valley of Ya`jaj.) Mikraz said, "This is the way we knew you to be, trustworthy and keeping to your promises.'' The leaders of the disbelievers left Makkah so that they would not have to look at the Messenger of Allah and his Companions, out of rage and anger. As for the rest of the people of Makkah, men, women and children, they sat on the pathways and house roofs watching the Messenger of Allah and his Companions. The Messenger entered Makkah with his Companions while reciting the Talbiyah. The Prophet sent the sacrificial animals to Dhu Tuwa while riding his camel, Al-Qaswa', the same camel he was riding on the day of Hudaybiyyah. `Abdullah bin Rawahah, from Al-Ansar, was holding the bridle of the Prophet's camel and repeating this poem, "In the Name of He, other than Whose religion there is no true religion, In the Name of He, Whom Muhammad is His Messenger, O children of the disbelievers, stay out of his way, For today, we shall impose on you the fulfillment of its interpretation, Just as we fought with you to accept its revelation, Severe fighting that removes the heads from where they rest, And overwhelms the companion from attending to his companion, Ar-Rahman has sent down in His revelation, In pages that are being recited before His Messenger, That the best death is that which occurs in His cause, So, O Lord, I believe in its statements.'' This story is collected from various narrations. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin `Abbas said, "When Allah's Messenger and his Companions came to Makkah, the fever of Yathrib (Al-Madinah) had weakened and bothered them. The idolators circulated the news that a group of people was coming to them and that they had been weakened and bothered by the fever of Yathrib (Al-Madinah). The idolators sat in the area close to Al-Hijr. Allah conveyed to His Prophet what the idolators said, so he ordered his Companions to do Ramal in the first three rounds so that the idolaters witness their strength. The Companions did Ramal the first three rounds. He also ordered them to walk normally between the two corners, for from there the idolators would not be able to see them. The Prophet did not order them to do Ramal in all the rounds of Tawaf out of pity for them. The idolators commented, `Are these the people whom you claimed were weakened by the fever. They are stronger than so-and-so!''' The Two Sahihs also recorded this Hadith. In another narration, "Allah's Messenger and his Companions came (to Makkah) on the morning of the fourth day of Dhul-Qa`dah. The idolators circulated the news that a group of people was coming to them, who had been weakened by the fever of Yathrib (Al-Madinah). So, the Prophet ordered his Companions to do Ramal in the first three rounds of Tawaf. The Prophet did not order them to do Ramal in all the rounds of Tawaf out of pity for them.'' Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "In the year when the Prophet came as stipulated by the peace treaty, he said, `Perform Ramal.' So that the idolators may witness their strength. At that time, the idolators were watching from the area of Qu`ayqi`an.'' Ibn `Abbas said, "Allah's Messenger performed Tawaf of the Ka`bah and the Sa`y at As-Safa and Al-Marwah to show his strength to the idolators.'' Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdullah bin `Umar said, "Allah's Messenger set out for `Umrah, but the Quraysh idolators prevented him from reaching the Ka`bah. So, he slaughtered his sacrifice, got his head shaved at Al-Hudaybiyyah, agreed to a formal pact with them that he would perform `Umrah the following year, would not carry weapons against them, except swords and would not stay in Makkah, except for the period they allowed. The Prophet performed the `Umrah in the following year and entered Makkah according to the treaty. And when he stayed for three days, the idolators ordered him to depart, and he departed.'' 

Allah's statement,

(He knew what you knew not, and He granted besides that a near victory.) means, Allah the Exalted and Most Honored knew the benefit and goodness of turning you away from Makkah and preventing you from entering it in the year of Al-Hudaybiyyah, He knew that which you had no knowledge of,

(and He granted besides that) `before entering Makkah as you were promised in the vision that the Prophet saw, He granted a close victory, i.e. the treaty of peace that you conducted between you and your idolator enemies.'