Quranic Study — A SAM Ruh Resource

Surah Al-Mumtahanah

سُورَةُ الْمُمْتَحَنَة

Chapter 60 of the Quran — revealed between the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and the Conquest of Makkah. A Surah about loyalty, love, boundaries, and the meaning of true allegiance.

The Surah at a Glance

Overview

What every student of this Surah should know before going deeper.

The Name & Its Meaning

The Surah takes its name from a word in Verse 10 — al-Mumtahanah. The word has two valid readings and meanings, each pointing to a different dimension of the same truth:

Arabic	Reading	Meaning
الْمُمْتَحَنَة	Al-Mumtaḥanah (passive)	The woman who is examined / tested
الْمُمْتَحِنَة	Al-Mumtaḥinah (active)	The Surah which examines / tests

Context of Revelation

This Surah was revealed between two of the most pivotal moments in Islamic history — the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and the Conquest of Makkah. It was a time of fragile peace, strategic tension, and deep questions about loyalty. Who could Muslims trust? What obligations did family ties create? Where did faith draw its lines?

The Opening Address — Verse 1

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا عَدُوِّي وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ

"O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies." — Quran 60:1

Opening Addresses in This Surah

This Surah contains verses that begin with two of the four main Quranic address forms:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا O you who have believed — ✓ Present in this Surah
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ O Prophet — ✓ Present in this Surah
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ O Mankind — Not in this Surah
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ O Children of Adam — Not in this Surah

Multiple Choice Questions

Questions & Correct Answers

Green options are correct answers. Red options were incorrect selections. Use this to review and revise.

Question 01 — Cause of Revelation

Which of the following persons are related to the incident that was the cause of revelation of the first few verses of this Surah?

✕Abu Hatib bin Balta (incorrect name spelling)
✓Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Balta'ah — the companion who sent a letter to the Quraysh warning them of the Muslim army's approach before the Conquest of Makkah
—Amr ibn al-As — not related to this incident
✓Miqdad ibn Aswad — one of the companions sent by the Prophet ﷺ to intercept the letter

Question 02 — Women's Migration & Verse 10

Which of the following women's migration to Al-Madinah was affected by the ruling in Verse 10?

—Khaulah bint-Thalabah
✓Zainab bint Muhammad ﷺ — whose migration and the return of her mahr set a precedent for the ruling
✓Umm Kulthūm bint 'Uqbah — whose case directly prompted Verse 10, as her disbelieving brothers came to demand her return
—Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad — not related to this verse

Question 03 — Similar Warning in Other Surahs

Which of the following Surahs contains a similar warning, as in Verse 3, about family and kin not benefiting on the Day of Judgment?

—67 Al-Mulk — does not contain this specific warning
✓70 Al-Ma'arij — contains the theme that no close relationship will avail anyone on that Day
—79 An-Nazi'at — not directly relevant here
✓80 Abasa — contains a similar warning about fleeing from one's own brother, mother, and kin on that Day

Question 04 — Compensation to Disbelieving Husbands

What should Muslims return to the disbelieving husbands of believing women who migrated?

—Their wife — No. The believing woman is not to be returned to a disbelieving husband
✓The mahr (dowry) given to the wife — as fair compensation for what the husband spent
—Compensation for all expenses — not specified in this way
—Nothing — incorrect; the Quran commands fair return of the mahr

Question 05 — The Women's Pledge

Which of the following pledges were taken from women who came to the Prophet ﷺ to accept Islam? (Select all that apply)

✓Do not associate anything with Allah
✓Do not steal
✓Do not commit adultery
✓Do not kill their children
✓Do not fabricate false accusations
✓Do not wail (mourn loudly) over the dead

All six pledges are mentioned in Verse 12 of this Surah — the Pledge of the Women (Bay'at an-Nisā').

Question 06 — Root Letters: Family & Marital Relations

Words meaning family or marital relations in this Surah are derived from which root letters?

—أ ه ل — Ahl (family/people) — not used in this Surah for marital/kin words
✓ر ح م — Raḥima — mercy, womb, kin relationship (arḥām)
✓ز و ج — Zawaja — to marry, spouse, pair (zawj / azwāj)
✓ع ص م — 'Aṣama — to hold, bond, tie of marriage (iṣam — marital bonds)

Question 07 — Root Letters: Love & Affection

Words meaning love or affection in this Surah are derived from which root letters?

—أ ش ق — Not present in this Surah
—أ ش ك — Not present in this Surah
✓ح ب ب — Ḥabba — to love (mawaddah's paired concept; also appears as tulaqqūna ilayhim bil-mawaddah)
✓و د د — Wadda — deep affection, love (mawaddah — appears in Verse 1 and Verse 7)

True or False

Statements to Verify

Each statement is drawn directly from the teachings and rulings of this Surah.

Statement	Answer
Believers can pray for the forgiveness of the disbelievers, if they are close relatives.	False
All non-believers should be treated harshly.	False
Justice should be upheld only for the non-believers who treat Muslims well.	False
A believer can spy for the enemy, if there is a threat to his or a family member's life or property.	False
Islamic scholars differ on the punishment to be given for spying for enemies.	True
A Muslim man can marry a non-believing woman. Only marriage between a Muslim woman and a non-believing man is forbidden.	False
Obedience to the Prophet ﷺ was limited to only the commands explicitly mentioned in the Quran.	False

On treating non-believers with justice and kindness — Verse 8 of this Surah makes a crucial distinction: those who did not fight Muslims or drive them from their homes may still be treated with birr (righteousness) and qisṭ (justice). Hostility is reserved for those who actively persecute and expel.

Qur'an 60:8–9 — The Permission and the Prohibition

Identify the Verse

Which Verse Is It?

Match the description to the correct verse number in Surah Al-Mumtahanah.

The Surah's name is based on a word found in this verse.

Verse Number

This verse hints toward the Conquest of Makkah and the coming cessation of hostilities with the Qurayshi disbelievers.

Verse Number — Correct Answer

This verse contains a du'ā made by a people who are mentioned in the Surah as a good example for the believers.

Verse Number — Correct Answer

Note: Verse 4 contains the declaration of Ibrahim عليه السلام and his people, while Verse 5 contains the specific du'ā referenced. The correct answer is Verse 5.

4 → 5

Remember this distinction

Arabic Vocabulary

Key Words from This Surah

Learn these words and you will begin to hear the Surah differently.

Seeking / In hope of

ابْتِغَاءَ

ibtighā'a — seeking, hoping for, in pursuit of

You conceal / You confide

تُسِرُّونَ

tusirroona — you hide, conceal, whisper in secret

They gain dominance over you

يَثْقَفُوكُمْ

yathqafookum — they overpower, seize, get the upper hand over you

An example / A model

أُسْوَةٌ

uswatun — a good example, a model to follow

They despair

يَئِسُوا

ya'isoo — they have given up hope, they despair

The wrongdoers / The oppressors

الظَّالِمُونَ

aẓ-ẓālimoon — those who wrong themselves and others; the oppressors

The false deity / That which is worshipped besides Allah

الطَّاغُوتِ

aṭ-ṭāghoot — the one who exceeds all bounds; the false object of worship. The inevitable demand of faith in Allah is the rejection of Tāghoot.

"Whoever disbelieves in Tāghoot and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold." — Qur'an 2:256