سورة التوبة

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَی الَّذِینَ عاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِینَ [(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Messenger towards those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement] was revealed concerning the idolaters of the Arabs, except for Banu Damrah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sent Ali (peace be upon him) with Surah al-Tawbah [towards the idolaters of Makkah]. Then the season of Hajj arrived and he delivered the message from Allah and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) at Arafah and Muzdalifah and on the day of sacrifice at the Jimar and throughout all the days of Tashriq, and he recited this verse: بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَی الَّذِینَ عاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِینَ * فَسِیحُوا فِی الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ [(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Messenger towards those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement; so travel freely in the land for four months]. No naked person has the right to perform tawaf of the House of Allah [while naked].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Isa ibn Abdullah said: I heard from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) dispatched Abu Bakr with the verses of Bara'ah until he reached "Juhfah." Then he sent Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) after him.... So Ali (peace be upon him) took the letter from him and came to Makkah. He went among the people with his sword drawn and called out loudly: "بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَی الَّذِینَ عاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِینَ * فَسِیحُوا فِی الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ [(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Messenger towards those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement; so travel freely in the land for four months]; from this year onward let no one perform tawaf naked, and the idolaters likewise have no right to enter the Haram, so whoever does so, our dealing with him will be by the sword."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sent Abu Bakr with Surah al-Bara'ah to the season of Hajj so that he might recite it to the people. Then Jibra'il descended and said: "None shall deliver it on your behalf except Ali (peace be upon him)." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) summoned Ali (peace be upon him) and commanded him to mount his she-camel al-Adba (the crop-eared) and to catch up with Abu Bakr and take Surah al-Bara'ah from him and recite it to the people in Makkah. ... When he reached Makkah, it was the afternoon of the day of Nahr, which was counted as the day of the greater Hajj. He stood up and said: "Indeed I am the envoy of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) to you." And he recited this verse to them: "بَرَاءةٌ مِّنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَی الَّذِینَ عَاهَدتُّم مِّنَ الْمشْرِکِینَ * فَسِیحُواْ فِی الأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ [(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Messenger towards those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement; so travel freely in the land for four months]." Twenty days of Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram and Safar and the month of Rabi al-Awwal, and ten days of the month of Rabi al-Thani. And he said: "After this year no one, whether man or woman, has the right to perform tawaf naked, and whoever has a covenant with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), his term is up to these four months."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): In Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, in the chapter on the merits of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and the enumeration of those merits, it is reported: [The Imam (peace be upon him)] said: ... As for my fiftieth merit, it is that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) dispatched Surah al-Tawba with Abu Bakr, and when he had set out, Jibra'il came and said: "O Muhammad! No one shall deliver a message on your behalf except you yourself or a man from you." So the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) sent me mounted on his she-camel al-Adba', and I caught up with him at Dhu al-Hulayfa and took the surah from him, and Allah singled me out for this merit.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Kathir narrates: Jumay' ibn Umar said: I was praying in the Jami' Mosque when I saw Ibn Umar. After the prayer I sat beside him and said: "Tell me about Ali (peace be upon him)." He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sent Abu Bakr with Surah al-Bara'a (al-Tawba) so that he might recite it to the people of Makka and the pilgrims to the House of Allah. But when he reached Dhu al-Hulayfa, he sent Ali (peace be upon him) after him to take the surah from him and carry it himself and recite it to the people of Makka. Abu Bakr said: "O Ali! What has happened — has some verse been revealed concerning me?" He said: "No! But the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) has said: This mission must be carried out either by me myself or by a man from my Ahl al-Bayt." So Abu Bakr returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Has something been revealed concerning me?" He said: "No! But this mission cannot be carried out except by me or a man from my Ahl al-Bayt." Kathir said: I said to Jumay': "Do you bear witness to this statement of Ibn Umar?" He said: "Yes!" And he repeated it three times.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sent Abu Bakr with Surah al-Bara'a to the polytheists of Makka. Then Ali (peace be upon him) came after him, caught up with him, and took the surah from him. Abu Bakr said in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): "O Messenger of Allah! Has some concern arisen about me?" The Prophet said: "No! But no one delivers my message and mission on my behalf except me myself or Ali (peace be upon him)." And the mission which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) had entrusted to Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), commissioning him to convey it to the disbelievers of Makka, consisted of these several points: 1. None shall enter Paradise except a Muslim. 2. After next year, the polytheists have no right to be present for the Hajj rites. 3. Those who are naked have no right to circumambulate the House. 4. The polytheists who had a covenant and pact with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and broke it have the right to remain in Makka for only four months.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Husayn ibn Zayd said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated from his father, who said: When Abu Bakr set out for Mecca with Surah al-Bara'a, Jibra'il descended and said: 'O Muhammad! Allah commands you not to send this person, and to send Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), for no one other than Ali (peace be upon him) can carry it out on your behalf.' So the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) ordered Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) to personally undertake this mission. So the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) caught up with Abu Bakr and took the letter from him... . Ali (peace be upon him) continued his journey until he reached Mecca, then went to Arafat, then to Jam' and Mina, and after that performed the rites of sacrifice and tahliq (shaving of the head). He climbed the mountain known as al-Shi'b and called out the adhan three times and said: 'O people, do you not hear? I am the messenger of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) to you.' Then he recited the verses of Bara'a thus: بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَی الَّذِینَ عاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ المُشْرِکِینَ* فَسِیحُوا فِی الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَ اعْلَمُوا أَنَّکُمْ غَیْرُ مُعْجِزِی اللهِ وَ أَنَّ اللهَ مُخْزِی الْکافِرِینَ* وَ أَذانٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ ... إِنَّ اللهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِیمٌ [(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Messenger towards those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement. So go about in the land for four months, and know that you cannot frustrate Allah, and that Allah will disgrace the disbelievers. And an announcement from Allah and His Messenger... Indeed Allah is Forgiving, Merciful]; (Tawba/5-1). [He recited] nine verses from the beginning of the Surah. Then he drew his sword from the sheath and began to brandish it, and while doing so he kept repeating the verses of Bara'a to them.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Hanash narrated from Imam Ali (peace be upon him) that when the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) sent him with Surah al-Bara'a [to the idolaters], [Ali (peace be upon him)] said: 'O Prophet of Allah! Indeed I am neither an eloquent speaker nor an orator.' He said: 'There is no way out of it — either I convey it or you do.' He said: 'If there is no way out, I will convey it.' He said: 'Then set out, for indeed Allah will make your tongue firm and will guide your heart.' Then he placed his hand upon his mouth and said: 'Set out and recite it to the people.' And he said: 'The people will seek judgement from you. Whenever two disputing parties come to you, do not judge in favour of one until you have listened to the other, for that is more fitting for you to know the truth.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Zayd ibn Baqi' said: We asked Ali (peace be upon him): "For what matter were you sent in Dhul-Hijjah?" He said: "I was sent for four things: no one shall enter the Ka'ba except a believer; no naked person shall circumambulate the Ka'ba; after this year, believer and disbeliever shall not gather together in al-Masjid al-Haram; whoever has a covenant with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), the end of that covenant shall be his term; and whoever has no covenant shall be granted four months' respite." And it is narrated that Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) stood beside Jamrat al-Aqaba and said: "O people! I am the messenger of Allah to all of you, O people! (al-A'raf/158) [After this] no disbeliever shall enter the Ka'ba, no polytheist shall perform Hajj at the House, and no naked person shall circumambulate the Ka'ba. Whoever has a covenant with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), he has four months' respite, and whoever has no covenant, the remainder of the sacred months shall be his term." Then he recited to them Surah al-Bara'a.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Basir narrated from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: "Ali (peace be upon him) delivered a sermon to the people and drew his sword from its sheath and said: 'No naked person shall circumambulate the Ka'ba, and no polytheist shall perform Hajj at the Ka'ba, and whoever has a term and appointed time has respite until the end of that appointment. And whoever has no appointment, his respite shall be four months.'" And he delivered the sermon on the Day of Sacrifice, and he granted them a term of twenty days of Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram, Safar, Rabi' al-Awwal, and ten days of Rabi' al-Thani. And he said: "The Day of Sacrifice is the Day of the Greater Hajj."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَی الَّذِینَ عاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِینَ [(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Apostle towards those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement] — the four months' respite granted to the polytheists does not include those polytheists who had made a non-aggression pact with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), unless they were not people of prayer and zakat. And when the Day of the Greater Hajj arrived and the people had finished the rites of Hajj and completed the stoning of the Jamarat, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) stood upon the Jamra and with a loud voice called the people to Allah, and when they gathered, he first recited to them the verses of Bara'a: بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ ... فَخَلُّوا سَبیلَهُم [(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and... then leave their way free] (al-Tawba/54). Then he said: "After this, no one has the right to circumambulate naked, no polytheist has the right to enter the Sanctuary and perform Hajj, and whoever has a non-aggression pact with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) shall remain upon his pact until the end of the appointed time."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was asked: "Which is the greatest of your virtues?" He said: "The greatest of my virtues is that in which I had no hand." Then he mentioned many virtues, among them: "When Allah revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) to declare disavowal from the polytheists, he sent Abu Bakr to the people of Mecca. When Abu Bakr had set out, Jibra'il descended and said: 'O Muhammad! Only Ali (peace be upon him) may convey this message on your behalf.' So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) summoned me and commanded me to mount his she-camel (al-Adba') and catch up with Abu Bakr and take the message from him, and I did so." Abu Bakr said: "What has happened to me? Have I incurred the wrath of Allah and His Messenger?" I said: "No! Rather, Jibra'il descended upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said: 'Only a man from him should convey this message.'" "Ali (peace be upon him) took the message and hastened to Mecca, and in the afternoon of the day of Eid al-Adha he recited it: بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَی الَّذِینَ عاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ المُشْرِکِینَ* فَسِیحُوا فِی الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ [(This is a declaration of) immunity from Allah and His Messenger towards those of the polytheists with whom you have made an agreement. So travel freely in the land for four months], which comprises twenty days of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, the month of Muharram, Safar, the month of Rabi al-Awwal, and ten days of the month of Rabi al-Akhir. And he said: 'No naked man, no naked woman, and no polytheist shall perform tawaf around the Ka'bah. Know that whoever has a covenant with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), its term is these four months.'" And he narrated the hadith to its end.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): I adjure you by Allah, is there any among you other than me whom Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, commanded His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) to dispatch with Surah al-Tawbah — for the Prophet sent that Surah with Abu Bakr, and Jibra'il came to the Prophet and said: "O Muhammad! Truly, none shall discharge this mission of yours except you yourself or a man from your family" — so the Prophet sent me, and I took it from Abu Bakr and carried the Surah with me and conveyed it to the people on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and thus Allah established upon the tongue of His Prophet that I am from him? They said: "By Allah, no."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Anas ibn Malik narrates: The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) sent Surah al-Bara'ah to the people of Mecca with Abu Bakr, and then dispatched Ali (peace be upon him) after him and said: "None can convey it except a man from my Ahl al-Bayt."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) narrated from Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) that the chief of the Jews asked Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): "Tell us, how many times does Allah test the successors of the prophets during the lifetime of the prophets and how many times after their death?" [Ali (peace be upon him)] said: "O brother of the Jews! Allah the Mighty and Majestic tested me during the life of our Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) in seven situations, and in all of them — without my praising my own soul — by the grace of Allah He found me obedient to Him." That Jew said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin! What were these instances?" Ali (peace be upon him) replied: "The first instance … And the seventh, O brother of the Jews, is that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) set out for the conquest of Makkah, he wished — just as at the beginning he had called them to Islam — to call them to Islam once again at the end. So he sent them a letter warning them and cautioning them against the punishment of Allah, and at the same time promising them pardon and divine forgiveness, and at the end he also attached Surah Bara'ah so that it would be recited to them. Then he offered all the companions the task of carrying out this mission, but he sensed that this task was hard upon them and that they were evading it in various ways. When he saw this, he appointed one of them to carry out this important task. When that man set out for Makkah, Jibra'il (peace be upon him) descended and said: 'O Muhammad! No one but you yourself, or a man from your Ahl al-Bayt, should undertake this mission.' Therefore the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) informed me of the matter and instructed me to take his letter and message to Makkah and deliver it. When I reached Makkah, I saw the situation such that if any of them had been able to cut me to pieces and place each limb of my body on top of a mountain, they would have done so, even if it cost them their lives, their wealth and their children. But I recited the message and the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) to them, and when I had completed my task, I was met with their threats and menaces, and with the hatred and rancour of their men and women. Yet my conduct toward them was as you saw." Then he turned to his companions and said: "Was it not so?" They said: "Yes indeed, O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)!"

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): No, by Allah! The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) did not send Abu Bakr to deliver Bara'ah — for if he had sent it with him, he would not have taken it back from him. Rather, he sent him as his agent for the season of Hajj, and sent Ali (peace be upon him) to deliver that Surah. After Abu Bakr had set out, he dispatched Ali (peace be upon him) and said to him: "Indeed, no one delivers on my behalf except you."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu al-Sabbah al-Kinani narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) who said: This verse was revealed after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) returned from the Battle of Tabuk, in the ninth year of the Hijrah. "When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) conquered Mecca, he did not prevent the polytheists from performing the Hajj that year. The custom of the Arabs during Hajj was that whoever came to Mecca and performed tawaf in the clothes he was wearing was no longer entitled to keep those clothes; he had to give them away as charity, and they would not wear those clothes after the tawaf. For this reason, everyone who set foot in Mecca and arrived there would borrow a garment and perform tawaf in it, then return it. Whoever could not find someone to lend him a garment, and could not find anyone to rent a garment to him, and had only one garment [besides what he was wearing he had no other clothes], would perform tawaf naked. An Arab woman who was shapely and beautiful sought a borrowed or rented garment, but could not find one. They said to her: 'If you perform tawaf in your clothes, you will have to give them away as charity.' She said: 'How can I give them away as charity when I have only these and no other clothes?' So she performed tawaf around the House naked, and the people looked at her. She placed one of her hands over her front and the other over her back, and recited this verse: "Today part of it, or all of it, becomes visible; but whatever becomes visible of it, I do not permit [looking at]." When she finished the tawaf, several men proposed marriage to her. She said to them: 'I have a husband.' The practice (sirah) of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) before the revelation of Surah al-Bara'ah was that he would not fight anyone except those who fought him, and would not wage war except against those who waged war against him and intended [harm to] him. This verse had been revealed to him in this regard: "So if they withdraw from you and do not fight you and offer you peace, then Allah has not given you a way against them" (An-Nisa 4:90). So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) would not fight anyone who withdrew from him and kept away from him, until Surah al-Bara'ah was revealed and Allah commanded him to fight the polytheists, whether they had distanced themselves from him or not, except those with whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) had made a covenant for a specified period on the day of the conquest of Mecca — among them Safwan ibn Umayyah and Suhayl ibn Amr. Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَی الَّذِینَ عاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِینَ * فَسِیحُوا فِی الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ [(This is a declaration of) immunity from Allah and His Messenger towards those of the polytheists with whom you made a covenant. So travel freely in the land for four months]. Then wherever they are found, they shall be killed. The months of free movement are these: twenty days of Dhul-Hijjah, and al-Muharram, and Safar, and the month of Rabi al-Awwal, and ten days of the month of Rabi al-Thani. When the verses of Surah al-Bara'ah were revealed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) gave them to Abu Bakr and ordered him to go to Mecca and recite them to the people at Mina on the day of Nahr (sacrifice). When Abu Bakr had set out, Jibra'il descended upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: 'O Muhammad! Only a man who is from you can deliver this on your behalf.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sent Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) after Abu Bakr. He caught up with Abu Bakr at al-Rawha and took the verses from him. Abu Bakr returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Has Allah revealed anything concerning me?' He said: 'No, indeed Allah has commanded me that only I, or a man from me, may deliver on my behalf.'"

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him), and the wording is his, that when the verse بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ [(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Apostle] together with nine verses was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sent Abu Bakr to Mecca to recite it to the people. Then Jibra'il descended upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "Only you yourself, or a man from you, must carry out this mission." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): "Mount my she-camel al-Adba, catch up with Abu Bakr, and take the verses of Bara'ah from him." When Abu Bakr returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) he expressed his distress and hurt, and said: "O Messenger of Allah! You considered me worthy of a mission whose performance was a matter of pride, and when I set out to carry it out, you turned me back in the middle of the way?!" He said: "Jibra'il the trustworthy came to me from Allah the Mighty and Majestic and announced that either you yourself must carry out this mission, or a man from you; and Ali (peace be upon him) is from me, and no one but Ali (peace be upon him) can perform a task that has been entrusted to me."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): This verse was revealed in the ninth year after the migration, coinciding with the battle of Tabuk. At the time of the conquest of Mecca the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) had not forbidden the polytheists from visiting the House of Allah, and so the polytheists used to perform the Hajj alongside the Muslims in their own pre-Islamic manner — among other things, some of them would circumambulate naked, they observed the sanctity of the sacred months, they used to cover themselves with the bark of the trees of the sanctuary in order to leave Mecca in safety, and they would also stand at Muzdalifah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) did not like that in the season of Hajj anyone other than Allah be mentioned, or that pilgrims should circumambulate naked; therefore he dispatched Abu Bakr with the verses of Bara'ah to the Hajj... [after removing him [from the duty of delivering these verses] and sending Ali (peace be upon him)... he says]:... And when the day of the Greater Hajj arrived and the people had finished the rites of Hajj and completed the stoning of the Jamarat, Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) stood at the Jamrah and with a loud voice called the people towards Allah, and when they gathered, he first recited to them the verses of Bara'ah: بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ ... فَخَلُّوا سَبیلَهُم [(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Apostle ... so leave their way free]; (al-Tawbah/5). Then he said: "From now on no one has the right to circumambulate naked, and no polytheist has the right to enter the sanctuary or perform the Hajj."