Tafseer of The Victory · Al-Fath · 48:17
There is not upon the blind any guilt or upon the lame any guilt or upon the ill any guilt [for remaining behind]. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger - He will admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow; but whoever turns away - He will punish him with a painful punishment.
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.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: لَيْسَ عَلَى الأَعْمَى حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الأَعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّ يُعَذِّبْهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا (17) ("There is no blame upon the blind, nor any blame upon the lame, nor any blame upon the sick. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will admit him into gardens beneath which the rivers flow; but whoever turns away, He will punish him with a painful punishment.") (17)
The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: there rests no constraint upon the blind among you, O people, nor constraint upon the lame, nor constraint upon the sick, that they remain behind from the jihād together with the believers and from attending the battle with them when they meet their enemy — on account of the defects which they have and the causes which prevent them from attending that battle.
And in the same sense as what we have said about this, the exegetes (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: لَيْسَ عَلَى الأعْمَى حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الأعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ ("There is no blame upon the blind, nor any blame upon the lame, nor any blame upon the sick"). He said: all of this concerns the jihād.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, who said: then Allah excused the people who had a valid excuse, and He said: لَيْسَ عَلَى الأعْمَى حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الأعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ ("There is no blame upon the blind, nor any blame upon the lame, nor any blame upon the sick").
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying لَيْسَ عَلَى الأعْمَى حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الأعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ ("There is no blame upon the blind, nor any blame upon the lame, nor any blame upon the sick"), he said: that concerns the jihād in the path of Allah.
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh saying: ʿUbayd informed us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk concerning His saying لَيْسَ عَلَى الأعْمَى حَرَجٌ ("There is no blame upon the blind") … the entire āyah, saying: he means: in the fighting (qitāl).
And His saying وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأنْهَارُ ("And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will admit him into gardens beneath which the rivers flow"): the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and thus responds to the fight against the enemies of Allah among the people of shirk, and to the armed fighting (qitāl) together with the believers, seeking the face of Allah when he is called to it, him Allah will admit on the Day of Resurrection into gardens beneath which the rivers flow. وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّ ("But whoever turns away"), He says: and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and thus remains behind from the fight against the people of shirk against Allah when he is called to it, and does not respond to the call of Allah and His Messenger, him He will punish with a tormenting punishment, and that is the punishment of Hell (jahannam) on the Day of Resurrection.
