242. Although there are several interpretations offered to the verse, the one in Bukhari and Muslim (as also in Ahmad: Ibn Kathir) seems to be the nearest to being correct. It is reported by Zayd b. Thabit that when the Prophet (saws) was marching out to Uhud, some people fell back and returned to their dwellings. The Companions of the Prophet were divided over them: some said they should be fought and killed. Others said no. Allah revealed this verse and the Prophet said:

إنها طيبة وقال إنها تنفي الخبيث كما تنفي النار خبث الحديد

“This (i.e., Madinah) is Taybah (the pure).” He also said, “It rejects the impure as fire separates out the impurities from silver” (Qurtubi, Shawkani). Another opinion, that of Mujahid, is that the verse referred to some of those who had come to Madinah as Muslims, but after some time returned to Makkah on the pretext of trade and then stayed back. However, in view of the following verse which instructs Muslims not to take them friends, Ibn Jarir favours the opinion of Ibn `Abbas who said that the verse was speaking of a couple of men in Makkah (two, according to Qatadah) who had started to speak favourably of Islam but stayed back while others migrated.

243. That is, Allah has placed them on the same footing as the ordinary unbelievers (Kashshaf). Rakasa is to give back something its original shape or position. Here it has been used in the sense of sending back the hypocrites to their original position of disbelief where the same rulings and laws would apply to them as those applied to the rest of the unbelievers (Razi).

244. In early Islam, hijrah became mandatory for every Muslim after the Prophet’s own hijrah. A man’s Islam was not considered genuine if he did not migrate. In case of his death he could not even be inherited by his relatives in Madinah, if there were any. These rules remained in force until the fall of Makkah when the Prophet declared: “There is no hijrah after the fall.” However, the rule still remains in force for Muslims living in a land where they are not free to practice their religion. It is about such a hijrah that the Prophet has said:

لَا تَنْقَطِعُ الْهِجْرَةُ حَتَّى تَنْقَطِعَ التَّوْبَةُ وَلَا تَنْقَطِعُ التَّوْبَةُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا

“Hijrah will never cease until the time of invalidation of repentance; and the time for repentance will not cease until the sun appears from its West” (based on Ma`arif).

245. In other words, these hypocrites were to be treated as any other Makkan. And the situation between the Makkans and the Muslims at that time was that, initiated by the Makkans, they were at war with each other, raiding each other’s territory, and killing anyone they could lay their hands on. For instance, Khubayb b. `Adiyy was captured those days by the Makkans and killed him in Makkah in a cold-blooded manner (Au.).

246. Abu Da’ud has a narration reporting Ibn `Abbas that this verse has been abrogated by the fifth verse of al-Tawbah which allowed the pagans respite until the Hajj of the ninth year after hijrah, a deadline after which their presence would not be tolerated (Shawkani).

247. “(The implication is) that the lack of requisite power, and not true good will, causes them to refrain from making war on the believers” (Asad).

248. `Ikrimah, Hasan, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd have said that these verses were abrogated by the first five verses of al-Tawbah - Ibn Jarir. Abu Da’ud (in his Nasikh), Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Nuhhas and Bayhaqi have maintained a similar opinion (Shawkani).

249. It seems there were several people whom the verse was referring to: a tribe in Tihama that sued for peace, Nu`aym b. Mas`ud Thaqafi, and some others from Makkah who used to come to Madinah expressing their desire to remain neutral. However, whenever there were armed clashes they threw their weight on one or the other side (Ibn Jarir, Shawkani).

250. In short there were, at that time in the history of Islam, three classifications of people outside the fold of Islam: 1) Those who had the ability to migrate but did not, or migrated but ultimately returned to their disbelieving people. They held the same status as the common unbelievers. 2) Those who had entered into a no-war treaty with the Muslims, or had made a pact with those who had made a similar treaty with the Muslims. They could not be attacked. 3) Those who had made a treaty of expediency with the Muslims. They remained true to the treaty as long as it suited them. But whenever a battle erupted between Muslims and others, they threw in their lot with the enemies of the Muslims. Pre-emptive attacks on these were also allowed (Ma`arif).