سورة النساء

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ مَا لَکُمْ لاَ تُقَاتِلُونَ فِی سَبِیلِ اللّهِ وَ الْمُسْتَضْعفِینَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاء وَ الْوِلْدَانِ [And what reason have you that you should not fight in the way of Allah and of the weak among the men and the women and the children]; [on account of those men, women and children] who were tortured in Mecca — fight so that you may free them, while they say: رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْیَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنکَ وَلِیًّا وَ اجْعل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنکَ نَصِیرًا [Our Lord! cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors, and give us from Thee a guardian and give us from Thee a helper].

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The polytheists of Mecca strove hard to turn a group of the believers [who were living there] — who were weak [being in the minority and lacking strength] — away from their religion by deception, and they exerted themselves in harming them. So Allah said: ما لَکُمْ لا تُقاتِلُونَ فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ وَ المُسْتَضْعَفِینَ [What reason have you that you should not fight in the way of Allah and of the weak], that is, why do you not help them to rescue them from this affliction!

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Humran narrates: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: In the verse وَ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِینَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ وَ الْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِینَ یَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْیَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَ اجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْکَ وَلِیًّا وَ اجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْکَ نَصِیرًا [And the weak among the men and the women and the children, those who say: Our Lord! cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors, and give us from You a guardian and give us from You a helper] — what is meant by them is us.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Uthman ibn Aban says: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse وَ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِینَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ وَ الْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِینَ یَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْیَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا [And the weak among the men and the women and the children, those who say: Our Lord! cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors]. He said: "What is meant is us [the Ahl al-Bayt]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Samaʿah says: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the mustaḍʿafīn (the weak ones). He said: "They are the people of wilayah (allegiance)." We said: "Which wilayah do you mean?" He said: "I do not mean the wilayah of the Imams; rather, what is meant by it is wilayah in the marriage contract, inheritance and social dealings — while these people are certainly neither believers nor disbelievers, but are those whose affair is deferred to the command of Allah. And in the verse وَ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِینَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ وَ الْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِینَ یَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْیَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَ اجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْکَ وَلِیًّا وَ اجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْکَ نَصِیرًا [And the weak among the men and the women and the children, those who say: Our Lord! cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors, and give us from You a guardian and give us from You a helper] — what is meant by them is us."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Lady Khadijah (peace be upon her) passed away one year before the Prophet's (peace be upon him and his family) migration, and Abu Talib (may Allah have mercy on him) also passed away one year after Khadijah's (peace be upon her) death. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) lost the two of them, staying in Makkah became distressing for him and he was greatly saddened, and he felt fear on account of the disbelievers of Quraysh, and he complained about this matter to Jibraeel. Allah revealed to him: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! Leave the town whose inhabitants are disbelievers, and migrate to Madinah; today there is no helper for you in Makkah, and wage war against the polytheists!" At that time the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) set out toward Madinah.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): What is meant by رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْیَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا [Our Lord! cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors] is: O Allah, make easy for us our departure from this city, meaning Makkah.