Sūrah Al-Mumtaḥanah She That is Examined: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī The Source Commentary

Surah Overview

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahالممتحنةMadanī 13 versesAlliance prohibition, Ḥāṭib case, women's pledge formula

Key DisagreementWas Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Baltaʿah's action treason or an error?Ḥāṭib caseAl-Ṭabarī: an error of judgment for a worldly motive (protecting his family) not hypocrisy; the Prophet forgave him due to Badr participation

Competing OpinionsDoes 60:8 permit ongoing relations with non-Muslim families who do not fight?Relationship scopeAl-Ṭabarī: yes peaceful non-Muslim relatives may be treated with justice and kindness; only alliance with active enemies is prohibited

MethodologyChain verification of the Ḥāṭib incident from multiple participant eyewitnessesMulti-eyewitness chainsAl-Ṭabarī traces the incident through ʿAlī, ʿUmar, and Ḥāṭib himself in different chains

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

The Ḥāṭib case (60:1–3) is analyzed through chains from ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib: Ḥāṭib sent a letter to the Quraysh warning them of the Prophet's planned campaign against Mecca. ʿAlī intercepted the letter-carrier, found the letter, and brought Ḥāṭib before the Prophet. Ḥāṭib's explanation: he had family in Mecca with no clan protection and wanted to win their favor. The Prophet forgave him due to his participation at Badr. ʿUmar wanted him executed; the Prophet's response forms al-Ṭabarī's basis for distinguishing error from hypocrisy.

The permission verse (60:8) "Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you on account of religion and do not expel you from your homes from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them" is analyzed as establishing a category of permissible non-Muslim relationship. Al-Ṭabarī traces chains on what "barr" (righteousness) and "qisṭ" (justice) mean in this context: ongoing kind treatment of peaceful non-Muslim relatives and neighbors is not only permitted but encouraged.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا عَدُوِّي وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū lā tattakhidhū ʿaduwwī wa-ʿaduwwakum awliyāʾ "O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies." (60:1) Al-Ṭabarī presents the Ḥāṭib chain from ʿAlī showing the specific occasion a Badr participant who erred, was forgiven establishing the legal context: the prohibition targets calculated alliance, not individual error.

لَّا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ Lā yanhākumu Allāhu ʿani lladhīna lam yuqātilūkum fī l-dīni wa-lam yukhrijūkum min diyārikum an tabarrūhum "Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you on account of religion and do not expel you from being righteous toward them." (60:8) Al-Ṭabarī uses this verse to establish the positive norm: kind treatment of peaceful non-Muslims is the Quranic default.

Error vs. hypocrisy: The Ḥāṭib case establishes al-Ṭabarī's distinction a believer can err from worldly motives without becoming a hypocrite; the Badr credential was decisive for the Prophet's forgiveness.
Permitted relations: 60:8 is treated as establishing a positive category kindness to peaceful non-Muslims is encouraged, not merely tolerated.
Women's pledge: 60:12 contains the formula for the women's pledge of allegiance al-Ṭabarī traces chains on how the Prophet conducted this pledge specifically for women converts.
Multi-eyewitness method: The Ḥāṭib incident is traced through ʿAlī, ʿUmar, and Ḥāṭib himself showing al-Ṭabarī's use of multiple chain perspectives for the same event.
Alliance prohibition scope: The prohibition applies specifically to active enemies not all non-Muslims; the verse itself establishes the distinction.

Surah Overview

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

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