SAM Ruh · The Guided Path · Sūrah 60
سُورَةُ الْمُمْتَحِنَة
Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah
The Woman to be Examined · The 60th chapter of the Qur'an · 13 verses · Revealed in Madinah · Juz' 28
Sūrah Number
60
Meaning of Name
The Woman to be Examined / She Who is Tested
Number of Āyāt
13 verses
Revelation
Madanī — Revealed in Madinah
Juz'
28
Period
~8 AH · Before the Conquest of Makkah
❧
Bismillah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
❧
١
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ عَدُوِّى وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِم بِٱلْمَوَدَّةِ وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِمَا جَآءَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْحَقِّ يُخْرِجُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۙ أَن تُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ رَبِّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ خَرَجْتُمْ جِهَـٰدًا فِى سَبِيلِى وَٱبْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِى ۚ تُسِرُّونَ إِلَيْهِم بِٱلْمَوَدَّةِ وَأَنَا۠ أَعْلَمُ بِمَآ أَخْفَيْتُمْ وَمَآ أَعْلَنتُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْهُ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ
Transliteration
Yā ayyuhal-ladhīna āmanū lā tattakhidhū 'aduwwī wa 'aduwwakum awliyā'a tulqūna ilayhim bil-mawaddati wa qad kafarū bimā jā'akum minal-ḥaqqi yukhrijūnar-rasūla wa iyyākum an tu'minū billāhi rabbikum. Tusirrūna ilayhim bil-mawaddati wa ana a'lamu bimā akhfaytum wa mā a'lantum. Wa man yaf'alhu minkum faqad ḍalla sawā'as-sabīl.
Translation
O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the truth, having driven out the Prophet and yourselves [only] because you believe in Allah, your Lord. If you have come out for jihad in My cause and seeking means to My approval, [take them not as friends]. You conceal affection for them, but I am most knowing of what you have concealed and what you have declared. And whoever does it among you has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way.
٢
إِن يَثْقَفُوكُمْ يَكُونُوا۟ لَكُمْ أَعْدَآءً وَيَبْسُطُوٓا۟ إِلَيْكُمْ أَيْدِيَهُمْ وَأَلْسِنَتَهُم بِٱلسُّوٓءِ وَوَدُّوا۟ لَوْ تَكْفُرُونَ
Transliteration
In yathqafūkum yakūnū lakum a'dā'an wa yabsuṭū ilaykum aydiyahum wa alsinatahum bis-sū'i wa waddū law takfurūn.
Translation
If they gain dominance over you, they would be to you as enemies and extend against you their hands and their tongues with evil, and they wish you would disbelieve.
٣
لَن تَنفَعَكُمْ أَرْحَامُكُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ ۚ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
Transliteration
Lan tanfa'akum arḥāmukum wa lā awlādukum. Yawmal-qiyāmati yafṣilu baynakum. Wallāhu bimā ta'malūna baṣīr.
Translation
Never will your relatives or your children benefit you; the Day of Resurrection He will judge between you. And Allah, of what you do, is Seeing.
٤
قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥٓ إِذْ قَالُوا۟ لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَءَـٰٓؤُا۟ مِنكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ ٱلْعَدَٰوَةُ وَٱلْبَغْضَآءُ أَبَدًا حَتَّىٰ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَحْدَهُۥٓ إِلَّا قَوْلَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ لَأَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ وَمَآ أَمْلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ۖ رَّبَّنَا عَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
Transliteration
Qad kānat lakum uswatun ḥasanatun fī Ibrāhīma walladhīna ma'ahu idh qālū liqawmihim innā bura'ā'u minkum wa mimmā ta'budūna min dūnillāhi kafarnā bikum wa badā baynanā wa baynakumul-'adāwatu wal-baghḍā'u abadan ḥattā tu'minū billāhi waḥdah. Illā qawla Ibrāhīma li-abīhi la-astaghfiranna laka wa mā amliku laka minallāhi min shay'. Rabbanā 'alayka tawakkalnā wa ilayka anabnā wa ilaykal-maṣīr.
Translation
There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Ibrāhīm and those with him, when they said to their people: "Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone" — except for the saying of Ibrāhīm to his father: "I will surely ask forgiveness for you, but I have not [power to do] for you anything against Allah." Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination.
٥
رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا رَبَّنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
Transliteration
Rabbanā lā taj'alnā fitnatan lilladhīna kafarū waghfir lanā rabbanā. Innaka antal-'azīzul-ḥakīm.
Translation
Our Lord, do not make us a trial for those who have disbelieved, and forgive us, our Lord. Indeed it is You who are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
٦
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِيهِمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ
Transliteration
Laqad kāna lakum fīhim uswatun ḥasanatun liman kāna yarjullāha wal-yawmal-ākhir. Wa man yatawalla fa'innallāha huwal-ghaniyyul-ḥamīd.
Translation
Certainly there was for you in them an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day. And whoever turns away — then indeed, Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.
٧
عَسَى ٱللَّهُ أَن يَجْعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَ ٱلَّذِينَ عَادَيْتُم مِّنْهُم مَّوَدَّةً ۚ وَٱللَّهُ قَدِيرٌ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Transliteration
'Asallāhu an yaj'ala baynakum wa baynal-ladhīna 'ādaytum minhum mawaddatan. Wallāhu qadīr. Wallāhu ghafūrun raḥīm.
Translation
Perhaps Allah will put, between you and those to whom you have been enemies among them, affection. And Allah is competent, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
٨
لَّا يَنْهَىٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَـٰتِلُوكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَـٰرِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُقْسِطِينَ
Transliteration
Lā yanhākumullāhu 'anilladhīna lam yuqātilūkum fid-dīni wa lam yukhrijūkum min diyārikum an tabarrūhum wa tuqsiṭū ilayhim. Innallāha yuḥibbul-muqsiṭīn.
Translation
Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes — from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.
٩
إِنَّمَا يَنْهَىٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ قَـٰتَلُوكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَأَخْرَجُوكُم مِّن دِيَـٰرِكُمْ وَظَـٰهَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ إِخْرَاجِكُمْ أَن تَوَلَّوْهُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُمْ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
Transliteration
Innamā yanhākumullāhu 'anilladhīna qātalūkum fid-dīni wa akhrajūkum min diyārikum wa ẓāharū 'alā ikhrājikum an tawallawhu. Wa man yatawallahum fa'ulā'ika humuz-ẓālimūn.
Translation
Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion — [forbids] that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
١٠
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا جَآءَكُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ مُهَـٰجِرَٰتٍ فَٱمْتَحِنُوهُنَّ ۖ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَـٰنِهِنَّ ۖ فَإِنْ عَلِمْتُمُوهُنَّ مُؤْمِنَـٰتٍ فَلَا تَرْجِعُوهُنَّ إِلَى ٱلْكُفَّارِ ۖ لَا هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّ
Transliteration
Yā ayyuhal-ladhīna āmanū idhā jā'akumul-mu'minātu muhājirātin famtaḥinūhunn. Allāhu a'lamu bi-īmānihinn. Fa-in 'alimtumūhunna mu'minātin falā tarji'ūhunna ilal-kuffār. Lā hunna ḥillun lahum wa lā hum yaḥillūna lahunn.
Translation
O you who have believed, when the believing women come to you as migrants, examine them. Allah is most knowing as to their faith. And if you know them to be believers, then do not return them to the disbelievers; they are not lawful [wives] for them, nor are they lawful [husbands] for them.
١١
وَإِن فَاتَكُمْ شَىْءٌ مِّنْ أَزْوَٰجِكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكُفَّارِ فَعَاقَبْتُمْ فَـَٔاتُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ذَهَبَتْ أَزْوَٰجُهُم مِّثْلَ مَآ أَنفَقُوا۟ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنتُم بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنُونَ
Transliteration
Wa in fātakum shay'un min azwājikum ilal-kuffāri fa'āqabtum fa'ātulladhīna dhahabat azwājuhum mithla mā anfaqū. Wattaqullāhal-ladhī antum bihī mu'minūn.
Translation
And if you have lost any of your wives to the disbelievers and you subsequently obtain [something], then give those whose wives have gone the equivalent of what they had spent. And fear Allah, in whom you are believers.
١٢
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ يُبَايِعْنَكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن لَّا يُشْرِكْنَ بِٱللَّهِ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَسْرِقْنَ وَلَا يَزْنِينَ وَلَا يَقْتُلْنَ أَوْلَـٰدَهُنَّ وَلَا يَأْتِينَ بِبُهْتَـٰنٍ يَفْتَرِينَهُۥ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِنَّ وَأَرْجُلِهِنَّ وَلَا يَعْصِينَكَ فِى مَعْرُوفٍ ۙ فَبَايِعْهُنَّ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُنَّ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Transliteration
Yā ayyuhan-nabiyyu idhā jā'akal-mu'minātu yubāyi'naka 'alā an lā yushrikna billāhi shay'an wa lā yasriqna wa lā yazniyna wa lā yaqtulna awlādahunna wa lā ya'tīna bibuhtānin yaftarīnahu bayna aydīhinna wa arjulihinna wa lā ya'ṣīnaka fī ma'rūfin fabāyi'hunna wastaghfir lahunnallāh. Innallāha ghafūrun raḥīm.
Translation
O Prophet, when the believing women come to you pledging to you that they will not associate anything with Allah, nor will they steal, nor will they commit unlawful sexual intercourse, nor will they kill their children, nor will they bring forth a slander they have invented between their arms and legs, nor will they disobey you in what is right — then accept their pledge and ask forgiveness for them of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
١٣
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَوَلَّوْا۟ قَوْمًا غَضِبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قَدْ يَئِسُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ كَمَا يَئِسَ ٱلْكُفَّارُ مِنْ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلْقُبُورِ
Transliteration
Yā ayyuhal-ladhīna āmanū lā tatawallawu qawman ghaḍibullāhu 'alayhim qad ya'isū minal-ākhirati kamā ya'isaul-kuffāru min aṣḥābil-qubūr.
Translation
O you who have believed, do not make allies of a people with whom Allah has become angry. They have despaired of [reward in] the Hereafter just as the disbelievers have despaired of [meeting] the companions of the graves.
SAM Ruh · The Guided Path
Word by Word
Understanding the key terms and their significance in Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah.
The Name — الْمُمْتَحِنَة
Al-Mumtahanah comes from the root m-ḥ-n (م-ح-ن) meaning to test, examine, or put to trial. The feminine passive form — al-mumtahanah — means "the woman who is examined" or "she who is put to the test." The name is drawn from verse 10, where believing women who migrated were to be examined regarding the sincerity of their faith before being admitted into the Muslim community.
❧
Āyah 1 — Key Terms
أَوْلِيَاءَ (Awliyā') — "Protectors / close allies / intimate friends." This is one of the most nuanced words in the Qur'an. It does not mean all forms of ordinary social contact or civility — it means deep, binding, protective loyalty of the kind that supersedes one's loyalty to Allah and His messenger. The prohibition here is specific: forming alliances with those who are actively at war with Islam.
الْمَوَدَّة (Al-Mawaddah) — "Affection / warm love / intimate friendship." The verse does not condemn natural human feelings. It addresses the act of extending secret affection to enemies of the believers — acting as an informant out of emotional attachment to those outside the community of faith.
تُسِرُّونَ (Tusirrūna) — "You secretly conceal / you hide." The verb carries the sense of deliberate concealment. The remarkable thing the verse then says is: wa ana a'lamu — "and I know." No concealment is hidden from Allah.
❧
Āyah 4 — Key Terms
أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ (Uswatun ḥasanah) — "An excellent example / a beautiful model." This exact phrase appears twice in the Qur'an: here about Ibrāhīm (AS) and in Sūrah Al-Aḥzāb (33:21) about the Prophet ﷺ himself. It is the highest endorsement the Qur'an gives — follow this person's way.
بُرَآءُ (Burā'ā') — "We are free / disassociated / cleared." The plural of barī' — a declaration of complete separation from something, used in Islamic law and theology. Ibrāhīm AS used this word about his people's idols. It is a word of total clarity: there is no ambiguity, no middle ground.
الْعَدَاوَةُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ ('Al-'adāwatu wal-baghḍā') — "Enmity and hatred." Two different but related words — 'adāwah is the outward enmity, the active opposition; baghḍā' is the deep inner aversion. Together they describe the complete rejection of what is false — not out of personal malice, but out of the love of truth.
❧
Āyah 8 — Key Terms
تَبَرُّوهُمْ (Tabarrūhum) — "To be righteous toward them / to treat them with kindness and goodness." The word birr is the same root used for the highest form of goodness to one's parents (birrul wālidayn). The Qur'an is using this elevated word to describe how Muslims should treat non-hostile non-Muslims — not merely tolerance, but active goodness.
الْمُقْسِطِينَ (Al-Muqsiṭīn) — "Those who act with justice." From qisṭ — to be equitable and fair. The verse closes with: Innallāha yuḥibbul-muqsiṭīn — "Allah loves those who act justly." Justice toward non-hostile non-Muslims is beloved to Allah.
❧
Āyah 12 — The Bay'ah
يُبَايِعْنَكَ (Yubāyi'naka) — "They pledge allegiance to you." The bay'ah is a formal binding covenant of loyalty and obedience. The conditions listed in verse 12 form the earliest formal Islamic pledge taken by women — six commitments covering shirk, theft, adultery, infanticide, slander, and disobedience in what is right. The Prophet ﷺ would then say: "Go — I have accepted your pledge" — without a physical handshake, as was his practice with unrelated women.
SAM Ruh · The Guided Path
Tafsīr — The Commentary
The story behind the revelation, the people at its centre, and the timeless rulings it established.
Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah was revealed in approximately the 8th year after the Hijra, just before the Conquest of Makkah — one of the most decisive moments in Islamic history. The Muslim army was being assembled in secrecy, and the entire campaign depended on the element of surprise. It was in this charged, high-stakes context that a companion — a man who had stood at Badr — made a decision that would become the occasion for one of the Qur'an's most nuanced and profound passages.
❧
The Story of Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Balta'ah
Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Balta'ah (RA) was a companion of the Prophet ﷺ with an extraordinary credential: he had fought at the Battle of Badr, the greatest early battle of Islam, in which a small Muslim force overcame a far larger Qurayshi army. To be a Badrī — one who fought at Badr — was among the highest honours a Muslim could hold.
But Ḥāṭib had a vulnerability. He was not originally from the Quraysh. He had no clan in Makkah to protect his family — his wife, his children — who still lived there. Without tribal protection in Arabia, a person's family was entirely exposed. When he learned that the Prophet ﷺ was preparing a secret military march on Makkah, fear for his family overwhelmed him.
He wrote a letter — addressed to the leaders of the Quraysh — warning them that a great army was coming. He gave it to a woman named Sārah, a freed-slave from Makkah who was passing through Madinah, and paid her to carry it back. The letter, if it reached Makkah, would have alerted the Quraysh, given them time to prepare, and potentially cost the lives of thousands of Muslims.
But revelation came first. Before Sārah had left the city, Allah informed His Prophet ﷺ of the letter, its contents, and the route she was taking. Three companions were dispatched immediately — 'Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (RA), al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwām (RA), and al-Miqdād ibn 'Amr (RA) — with instructions to intercept her at Rawḍat Khākh.
They found her there, exactly as described. She denied having any letter. But 'Alī (RA) told her plainly: the Prophet ﷺ had been informed, and they would search her. Faced with this certainty, she reached into her hair and produced the letter from within her braids — where it had been concealed.
The companions returned to Madinah. Ḥāṭib was brought before the Prophet ﷺ. He did not deny it. He explained: "I have not done this out of disbelief, nor out of apostasy, nor out of loving the disbelievers. But I am a man with family among the Quraysh and no tribe to protect them. I wanted to do them a favour, so that Allah might protect them through it."
'Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA) rose immediately: "O Messenger of Allah — let me strike his neck! He has betrayed Allah, His Messenger, and the believers!"
The Prophet ﷺ was silent for a moment. Then he said:
"What do you know, 'Umar? Perhaps Allah has looked at the people of Badr and said: 'Do what you wish — I have forgiven you.'"
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Military Expeditions
Ḥāṭib was forgiven. He was not punished. He lived as a Muslim in good standing for the rest of his life. And Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah was revealed — not as a condemnation of Ḥāṭib alone, but as a universal teaching for all believers: that love of family, as natural and powerful as it is, cannot override the claims of faith when they come into direct conflict.
❧
The Model of Ibrāhīm AS — أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ
Having addressed the incident with Ḥāṭib, the surah turns to the ultimate example of loyalty — the Prophet Ibrāhīm (AS). The Qur'an invokes him not as a distant historical figure but as a living template: qad kānat lakum uswatun ḥasanatun fī Ibrāhīm — "There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Ibrāhīm."
Ibrāhīm (AS) stood before his father, his people, and his entire community — and declared, clearly and without qualification, that he was completely free of them and of everything they worshipped besides Allah. Innā bura'ā'u minkum — "We are disassociated from you." Not in anger. Not in hatred for the sake of hatred. But because truth demanded it.
The verse, however, includes one careful exception: illā qawla Ibrāhīma li-abīhi la-astaghfiranna lak — "except for the saying of Ibrāhīm to his father: 'I will ask forgiveness for you.'" Even in disavowal, he did not abandon compassion. He could not protect his father from the consequences of his choices, but he could still pray for him — until it became clear that his father was an enemy of Allah, at which point even that prayer was withdrawn (as mentioned in Sūrah Al-Tawbah 9:114).
"Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the final destination."
Qur'an — Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah 60:4 — The du'ā of Ibrāhīm AS and his companions
❧
The Verse of Kindness — الْبِرُّ وَالْقِسْط
Verses 8 and 9 together form one of the most important rulings in the Qur'an on Muslim relations with non-Muslims — a distinction that is often overlooked. The Qur'an here draws a precise line: the prohibition on close alliance is not a general prohibition on kindness or good relations with all non-Muslims. It is specifically limited to those who actively fight against Muslims and expel them from their homes.
"Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes — from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly."
Qur'an — Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah 60:8
The word used for "being righteous toward them" is tabarrū — from the same root as birr, the highest goodness. This is not grudging tolerance. The Qur'an is commanding genuine goodness — the same quality Muslims are commanded to show their parents — toward non-hostile non-Muslims. Ibn Kathīr and other scholars emphasise that this verse establishes a foundational principle of Islamic ethics in a pluralistic world.
❧
The Bay'ah of the Believing Women
The final section of the surah addresses a situation arising from the Conquest of Makkah: believing women began coming to the Prophet ﷺ wishing to formally enter Islam through a pledge of allegiance. Verse 12 contains the exact terms of this pledge — six commitments — making it the first formal record of women taking an Islamic oath of allegiance.
The six conditions were: not to associate anything with Allah; not to steal; not to commit adultery; not to kill their children; not to bring a false slander (referring to falsely attributing a child to a husband); and not to disobey the Prophet ﷺ in what is right. Each condition addressed a specific social ill widespread in pre-Islamic Arabia.
'Ā'ishah (RA) later said: "The Prophet ﷺ never touched the hand of a woman [in greeting] who was not lawful to him. He took the pledge of women only verbally." The bay'ah was accepted by word alone — a gesture of deep respect for the women coming forward.
SAM Ruh · The Guided Path
Interesting Facts
What makes Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah uniquely significant in the Qur'an.
1
The surah is named after an unnamed woman. Unlike Sūrah Maryam (named after the Prophet 'Isā's mother) or Sūrah Luqmān, the "woman to be examined" in this surah is not a specific individual but a category — the believing women migrants. The name is about a role and a test, not a person.
2
Ḥāṭib was a Badrī — and that saved his life. The Prophet ﷺ forgave Ḥāṭib not because his action was excused, but because of his rank as someone who fought at Badr. The Badrī companions held a special status — the Prophet ﷺ once said Allah had "looked at the people of Badr" with a divine forgiveness. This ruling became a landmark case in Islamic jurisprudence on treasonous acts.
3
Verse 7 proved prophetic within years. The verse said: "Perhaps Allah will put affection between you and those you have taken as enemies." Within just two years, Abū Sufyān — one of Islam's fiercest enemies — accepted Islam before the Conquest of Makkah. His son Mu'āwiyah became a companion. His daughter Umm Ḥabībah was already a wife of the Prophet ﷺ. Enmity became kinship, exactly as the verse anticipated.
4
Verse 8 is one of the foundational verses for interfaith relations in Islam. Scholars across centuries have cited 60:8 as the Qur'anic basis for Muslims living peacefully alongside non-Muslims, engaging in trade, friendship, and social cooperation — as long as those non-Muslims are not actively hostile toward Islam. It is among the most cited verses in Islamic ethics of pluralism.
5
The surah uses the model of Ibrāhīm (AS) twice. Verse 4 introduces Ibrāhīm as an excellent example, and verse 6 repeats and reinforces it. This double invocation — rare in the Qur'an — emphasises that the example is not incidental but essential: Ibrāhīm's willingness to put his loyalty to Allah above every human bond is the very standard being asked of the believers.
6
The letter was hidden in a woman's braids. The historical detail of Sārah concealing Ḥāṭib's letter within her hair is narrated in both Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. When 'Alī (RA) and the companions intercepted her and she denied having any letter, 'Alī (RA) is reported to have said: "By Allah, the Messenger of Allah did not lie and neither did we — you will either produce the letter or we will strip-search you." She then took it from her hair.
7
The Bay'ah in verse 12 is recited by Muslim women at Hajj. The six conditions of the women's pledge have remained part of the formal Islamic tradition. To this day, the scholars note that these six conditions — avoiding shirk, theft, adultery, infanticide, slander, and disobedience in good — represent the essential moral commitments of a Muslim life.
8
The surah draws a distinction almost never discussed. Most people know that the Qur'an prohibits taking certain non-Muslims as close allies. Few know that verse 8 of this very surah explicitly permits — and even commands — goodness and justice toward non-Muslims who are not hostile. The surah itself contains both the restriction and its clear, generous exception.
9
The surah was revealed in stages. Classical scholars of Qur'anic sciences (ulūm al-Qur'ān) note that this surah was not all revealed at once. Verses 1–9 relate to the story of Ḥāṭib and the period before the Conquest of Makkah; verses 10–13 relate to rulings on migrating women and the women's bay'ah, which took place at or after the Conquest itself.
10
Ibrāhīm's exception is a lesson in itself. The Qur'an deliberately includes the fact that Ibrāhīm told his father he would still seek forgiveness for him — and then explains that this was permissible only before it became clear his father was an enemy of Allah. The exception is not a contradiction; it is a lesson in how human compassion and divine loyalty are to be held in careful, honest tension.
SAM Ruh · The Guided Path
A Reflection
Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah confronts one of the deepest tensions in the human soul: the love we hold for the people we come from, and the loyalty we owe to the truth we have come to know. Ḥāṭib was not a hypocrite. He was not a spy for hire. He was a man who loved his children and his wife, and who — in a moment of fear — let that love overrule his better judgment. He is us.
The surah does not erase him. It does not condemn him to punishment or dishonour. It uses his moment of weakness as a teaching. It says, gently but firmly: your family cannot save you on the Day when every soul stands alone. And then it gives you a model — Ibrāhīm (AS) — who faced the same test at its most extreme, and chose Allah. Not out of coldness. Not out of cruelty. Out of love for something greater than everything.
"Never will your relatives or your children benefit you; the Day of Resurrection He will judge between you. And Allah, of what you do, is Seeing."
Qur'an — Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah 60:3
But then — and this is what makes the surah extraordinary — it immediately balances that severity with a mercy that is equally clear. It does not leave you with a portrait of cold separation from all who are different. It says: be good to those who are not hostile to you. Be just. Act with the birr that you show your parents. Allah loves those who are just.
The surah is teaching us that loyalty to truth is not the same as hostility to people. You can be clear about where you stand — as clear as Ibrāhīm — and still be gentle. You can disassociate from falsehood and still be kind to the human being caught within it. The line is not drawn between people and people. It is drawn between truth and what opposes it.
And finally, verse 7 — perhaps the most quietly hopeful verse in the entire surah: perhaps Allah will put affection between you and those you have treated as enemies. The Qur'an does not say this world is fixed. Hearts change. Enemies become allies. The Quraysh, who drove the Prophet ﷺ out, became his companions within a generation. Nothing that begins in enmity must end there.
Rabbanā 'alayka tawakkalnā wa ilayka anabnā wa ilaykal-maṣīr. Rabbanā lā taj'alnā fitnatan lilladhīna kafarū waghfir lanā rabbanā — innaka antal-'azīzul-ḥakīm.
Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination. Our Lord, do not make us a trial for those who have disbelieved, and forgive us, our Lord — indeed it is You who are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
Qur'an — Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah 60:4–5 · The du'ā of Ibrāhīm AS
❧
Sources
Al-Qur'ān al-Karīm — Sūrah Al-Mumtahanah (60). Translation: Sahih International.
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī — Book of Military Expeditions (Kitāb al-Maghāzī); Book of Tafsīr. Narration of the story of Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Balta'ah and the intercepted letter (Hadith no. 3983).
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim — Book of the Merits of the Companions (Kitāb Faḍā'il al-Ṣaḥābah). The Prophet's ﷺ statement about the people of Badr.
Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (Ibn Kathīr, d. 774H) — Primary source for the occasion of revelation, the story of Ḥāṭib, and the rulings derived from the surah.
Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī (Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, d. 310H) — Comprehensive linguistic and historical commentary on all 13 verses.
Fī Ẓilāl al-Qur'ān — Sayyid Quṭb (d. 1966). Reflective and thematic analysis, especially on the balance between loyalty and mercy in the surah.
Aḥkām al-Qur'ān — Al-Jaṣṣāṣ (d. 370H). For the legal rulings derived from verses 8–12, including the bay'ah of women and the examination of female migrants.
Al-Rahīq al-Makhtūm — Al-Mubārakfūrī (1976). For the historical context of the Conquest of Makkah and the circumstances of revelation.
Al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah — Ibn Hishām (d. 218H). For the full narrative of the letter, Sārah's route, and the interception at Rawḍat Khākh.