Tafseer of The Pilgrimage · Al-Hajj · 22:40
[They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right - only because they say, "Our Lord is Allah." And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: Permission is given to those who are fought against — that is, الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ (those who have been driven out of their dwellings without right) — so that the second "those who" is a reference to the first "those who." By those who have been driven out of their homes He means the believers whom the disbelievers of Quraysh expelled from Mecca. Their expulsion of them from their homes, the torturing of some of them on account of belief in Allah and His Messenger, the reviling of some of them with their tongues, and their threats against them continued until they compelled them to migrate away from them. And their conduct toward them was without right, because they were upon falsehood and the believers were upon the truth. Therefore He said, exalted be His praise: الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ (those who have been driven out of their dwellings without right).
And His word: إِلا أَنْ يَقُولُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ (except that they said: Our Lord is Allah). Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: They were driven out of their dwellings only for their word: Our Lord is Allah, He alone, He has no partner! Thus "an" (أن) is in a position of kasra (genitive), as a back-reference to the bāʾ in His word: بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ (without right), and it is also permissible that it be in a position of naṣb (accusative), by way of exception.
And His word: وَلَوْلا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ (and were Allah not to repel the people, some of them by means of others). The exegetes differed over the meaning of this. Some said: its meaning is: and were Allah not to repel the polytheists (mushrikīn) by means of the Muslims.
Mention of those who said this: Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning His word: وَلَوْلا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ — the repelling of the polytheists by means of the Muslims.
Others said: its meaning is: and were it not for the armed fighting (qitāl) and the jihād in the way of Allah.
Mention of those who said this: Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word: وَلَوْلا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ — he said: were it not for the armed fighting and the jihād.
Others said: No, its meaning is: and were Allah not to repel, by means of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, those who came after them of the Followers (tābiʿūn).
Mention of those who said this: Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to us, on the authority of Sayf ibn ʿAmr, on the authority of Abū Rawq, on the authority of Thābit ibn ʿAwsaja al-Ḥaḍramī, who said: Twenty-seven of the Companions of ʿAlī and ʿAbd Allāh related to me — among them Lāḥiq ibn al-Aqmar, al-ʿAyzār ibn Jarwal, and ʿAṭiyya al-Quraẓī — that ʿAlī, may Allah be pleased with him, said: This verse was sent down only concerning the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: وَلَوْلا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ (and were Allah not to repel the people, some of them by means of others) — were Allah not to protect the Followers by means of the Companions of Muḥammad — لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ (then hermitages and churches would have been demolished).
Others said: No, its meaning is: were Allah not to repel, by means of him whose testimony He has made obligatory to accept concerning the rights that some people have against others, him whose testimony is not valid and others — so that thereby He keeps alive the property of this [person] and through this prevents the shedding of his blood, and they refrain from wrongs against him — then people would wrong one another and the hermitages would have been demolished.
Mention of those who said this: Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: وَلَوْلا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ — he says: the repelling of one another by means of testimony, and by means of right, and by means of what is of this nature. He says: were it not for them, then these hermitages and what is mentioned alongside them would have been destroyed.
The soundest of the views concerning this is to say: that Allah, exalted be His remembrance, has informed that — were He not to repel the people, some of them by means of others — what is mentioned would have been demolished; this includes His repelling, exalted be His remembrance, of one another, and His restraining of the polytheists from that by means of the Muslims; and to that belongs His restraining of mutual wrongdoing by means of some of them, such as the ruler by means of whom He restrains his subjects from mutual wrongdoing among themselves; and to that belongs His restraining — by means of him among them whose testimony He has declared valid, by means of some of them — from the nullifying of the right of him who has a right against him, and the like. All of this is a repelling on His part of the people, some against others; were it not for that, they would wrong one another, and the overpowering would demolish the hermitages of the overpowered and their churches, and what He, exalted be His praise, has [further] mentioned. And Allah, exalted be He, has placed in the intellect no indication that He meant thereby one portion to the exclusion of the other, nor has there come concerning that a report that it is so and to which one must submit. Therefore this holds according to the literal and general meaning, as I expounded earlier, on account of the generality of its literal import with respect to everything we have mentioned.
And His word: لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ (then hermitages would have been demolished). The exegetes differed over what is meant by the hermitages (ṣawāmiʿ). Some said: thereby are meant the hermitages of the monks.
Mention of those who said this: Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Rufayʿ, concerning this verse: لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ — he said: the hermitages of the monks.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ — he said: the hermitages of the monks.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ — he said: the hermitages of the monks.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word: لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ — he said: the hermitages of the monks.
It was related to me, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say, concerning the word: لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ: these are the small hermitages that they build. Others said: No, they are the hermitages of the Ṣābiʾūn (Sabians).
Mention of those who said this: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: (ṣawāmiʿ) — he said: those are for the Ṣābiʾūn.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda — the like of the foregoing.
The reciters differed over the reading of the word: (luhuddimat). Most of the reciters of Medina read: "luhudimat" — light (without doubling). And most of the reciters of Kufa and Basra read it: (luhuddimat) with doubling (tashdīd), in the sense of the repetition of the demolition therein, time after time. The reading with doubling is the more pleasing of the two readings to me, because that is among the deeds of the people of disbelief with regard to it.
And as for His word (وَبِيَعٌ) (and churches): thereby He means the churches of the Christians.
The exegetes differed over this. Some said the same as what we have said concerning it.
Mention of those who said this: Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Rufayʿ: (وَبِيَعٌ) — he said: the churches of the Christians.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: (وَبِيَعٌ) — for the Christians.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda — the like of the foregoing.
It was related to me, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say: the churches (al-biyaʿ): the churches of the Christians.
Others said: by "churches" (biyaʿ) in this place are meant the synagogues of the Jews.
Mention of those who said this: Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: (وَبِيَعٌ) — he said: and synagogues.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — the like of the foregoing.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word: (وَبِيَعٌ) — he said: the "biyaʿ" are the synagogues.
His word: (وَصَلَوَاتٌ) (and places of prayer). The exegetes differed over the meaning of this. Some said: by "ṣalawāt" are meant the synagogues.
Mention of those who said this: Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to us, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: (وَصَلَوَاتٌ) — he said: by "ṣalawāt" He means the synagogues.
It was related to me, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say, concerning His word: (وَصَلَوَاتٌ): the synagogues of the Jews; and they call the synagogue "ṣaluthā."
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: (وَصَلَوَاتٌ) — the synagogues of the Jews.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda — the like of the foregoing.
Others said: by "ṣalawāt" are meant the houses of prayer of the Ṣābiʾūn.
Mention of those who said this: Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, saying: I asked Abū al-ʿĀliya about the "ṣalawāt." He said: those are the houses of prayer of the Ṣābiʾūn.
He said: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Rufayʿ — something similar.
Others said: they are places of prayer for the Muslims and for the People of the Book along the roads.
Mention of those who said this: Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: وَصَلَوَاتٌ — he said: places of prayer for the People of the Book and for the people of Islam along the roads.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — something similar.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word: (وَصَلَوَاتٌ) — he said: the "ṣalawāt" are the prayers of the people of Islam; these are interrupted when the enemy breaks in upon them, the worship is cut off, and the mosques are demolished, as Nebuchadnezzar (Bukhtnaṣṣar) did.
And His word: وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا (and mosques in which the name of Allah is mentioned much). They differed over the mosques meant by this word. Some said: thereby are meant the mosques of the Muslims.
Mention of those who said this: Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Rufayʿ, concerning His word: (وَمَسَاجِدُ) — he said: the mosques of the Muslims.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, saying: Maʿmar related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا — he said: the mosques: the mosques of the Muslims in which the name of Allah is mentioned much.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda — something similar.
Others said: by His word (وَمَسَاجِدُ) are meant the hermitages, the churches, and the places of prayer.
Mention of those who said this: It was related to me, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say, concerning His word: (وَمَسَاجِدُ) — he says: in all of this the name of Allah is mentioned much, and He did not single out the mosques exclusively.
And some of the grammarians of Basra used to say: the "ṣalawāt" are not demolished, but rather one connects it to another verb, as though He said: "and the ṣalawāt were abandoned." And some of them said: it means only: the places of the prayers. And some of them said: they are only "ṣalawāt," and those are the synagogues of the Jews, which in Hebrew are called "ṣaluthā."
The soundest of these views concerning this is the view of him who said: its meaning is: then there would have been demolished the hermitages of the monks, the churches of the Christians, the places of prayer of the Jews — and those are their synagogues — and the mosques of the Muslims in which the name of Allah is mentioned much.
And we said only that this view is the soundest interpretation of it, because that is what is well known in the widespread speech of the Arabs among them; and what departs from it of the views — even if it has an acceptable import — is not current in that to which he who interprets it thus directs it.
And His word: وَلَيَنْصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ (and Allah will surely help him who helps Him). Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: and Allah will surely aid him who fights in His way, so that His word may be the highest above His enemy. Thus is Allah's help to His servant: His aid to him, and the servant's help to his Lord: his jihād in His way, so that His word may be the highest.
And His word: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ (indeed, Allah is surely Strong, Mighty). Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: indeed, Allah is surely Strong in helping him who fights in His way, of the people of His friendship and obedience, Mighty (ʿazīz) in His dominion — He says: invincible in His authority; no overpowerer overpowers Him, and no vanquisher vanquishes Him.
