Surah Al-Hujuraat (49) — Ayah 9

(Ayah 9) ➊ {وَ اِنْ طَآىِٕفَتٰنِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ اقْتَتَلُوْا فَاَصْلِحُوْا بَيْنَهُمَا:} Many times, relying on the news of a sinful person without investigation leads to mutual fighting, and many times, despite all kinds of precautions, fighting still occurs. In this verse, it is stated that at the time of mutual fighting among Muslims, it is obligatory upon those who are not involved in the fight to reconcile between the fighting parties. It is not permissible for them to leave the Muslims fighting and just watch as spectators.

➋ It is narrated from Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him): [ أَنَّ أَهْلَ قُبَاءٍ اقْتَتَلُوْا حَتّٰی تَرَامَوْا بِالْحِجَارَةِ فَأُخْبِرَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِذٰلِكَ فَقَالَ اذْهَبُوْا بِنَا نُصْلِحْ بَيْنَهُمْ ] [بخاري، الصلح، باب قول الإمام لأصحابہ اذھبوا…: ۲۶۹۳ ] “The residents of Quba fought with each other, to the extent that they threw stones at one another. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was informed, he said: ‘Come with us so that we may reconcile between them.’” And Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that it was suggested to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that it would be better if he went to Abdullah bin Ubayy, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went riding on a donkey, and the Muslims began to walk with him on foot. The land was salty. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached him, he said: “Stay away from me! By Allah, the smell of your donkey is hurting me.” An Ansari companion said: “By Allah, the smell of the donkey of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is better than you.” A man from his people became enraged on behalf of Abdullah bin Ubayy and both began to insult each other, then supporters from both sides became agitated and started hitting each other with sticks, hands, and shoes. We have been informed that this verse was revealed on this occasion: « وَ اِنْ طَآىِٕفَتٰنِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ اقْتَتَلُوْا فَاَصْلِحُوْا بَيْنَهُمَا » [ بخاري، الصلح، باب ما جاء في الإصلاح بین الناس : ۲۶۹۱ ]

➌ Qurtubi said: “The word ‘ta’ifah’ (group) is used for one person, two people, or more. In {’’ طَآىِٕفَتٰنِ ‘‘}, both two individuals fighting and two groups, whether small or large, are included. The verse commands reconciliation between the fighting parties, whether two Muslims are fighting or more.”

➍ In some hadiths, fighting with a Muslim is called disbelief (kufr), and the fighters are called disbelievers, as Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ سِبَابُ الْمُسْلِمِ فُسُوْقٌ وَ قِتَالُهُ كُفْرٌ ] [ بخاري، الإیمان، باب خوف المؤمن من أن یحبط عملہ …: ۴۸ ] “Abusing a Muslim is wickedness, and fighting him is disbelief.” And Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: [ لاَ تَرْجِعُوْا بَعْدِيْ كُفَّارًا يَضْرِبُ بَعْضُكُمْ رِقَابَ بَعْضٍ ] [ بخاري، الفتن، باب قول النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : ’’ لا ترجعوا بعدي کفارا… ‘‘ : ۷۰۷۷ ] “Do not become disbelievers after me, striking the necks of one another.” Imam Bukhari and other great scholars have said that the verse: «وَ اِنْ طَآىِٕفَتٰنِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ » is evidence that Muslims, even after fighting each other, remain Muslims and do not become apostates or leave Islam, because Allah has called both fighting parties believers, and in the next verse also said: « اِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ اِخْوَةٌ فَاَصْلِحُوْا بَيْنَ اَخَوَيْكُمْ» [ الحجرات : ۱۰ ] “The believers are but brothers, so make peace between your two brothers.” Similarly, in the verse of retribution, the killer is called the brother of the heir of the slain, as He said: «فَمَنْ عُفِيَ لَهٗ مِنْ اَخِيْهِ شَيْءٌ فَاتِّبَاعٌۢ بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ وَ اَدَآءٌ اِلَيْهِ بِاِحْسَانٍ » [ البقرۃ : ۱۷۸] “Then whoever is pardoned by his brother, then follow up with kindness and pay with good conduct.” As for the hadith that calls fighting a Muslim disbelief, it does not mean the disbelief that takes a person out of Islam, but rather “kufr duna kufr,” i.e., a lesser form of disbelief than major disbelief (which expels one from Islam), because all sinful acts are disbelief and ignorance, and calling such a person a disbeliever means he has committed an act of disbelief; his faith is not complete but he is a deficient believer, not that he has left the fold of Islam. The evidence is this verse under discussion and many other verses and hadiths which Imam Bukhari has mentioned in the “Book of Faith” in his Sahih and other scholars have mentioned in their works. This verse refutes the belief of the Khawarij, who consider anyone who commits a major sin and does not repent as a disbeliever and eternally in Hell, and also refutes the belief of the Mu’tazilah, who say that the one who commits a major sin is neither a believer nor a disbeliever. In terms of outcome, they also consider him eternally in Hell.

➎ {فَاِنْۢ بَغَتْ اِحْدٰىهُمَا عَلَى الْاُخْرٰى: ’’ بَغَتْ ‘‘ ’’ بَغٰي يَبْغِيْ بَغْيًا ‘‘} (ض) is third person feminine singular past tense. If one of these two parties transgresses against the other, meaning it is not willing to reconcile according to the decision of the Book and Sunnah and to remove the disagreement, but rather continues to attack the other and persists in oppression and transgression.

➏ { فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِيْ تَبْغِيْ:} Then fight against the group that transgresses, because this command to fight is given by Allah, so it is obligatory and is in the ruling of jihad. The addressees of this command are those who are able to remove the transgression by force.

➐ { حَتّٰى تَفِيْٓءَ اِلٰۤى اَمْرِ اللّٰهِ: ”تَفِيْءَ “ ’’فَائَ يَفِيْئُ فَيْئًا ‘‘} (ض) means to return, to turn back. This is third person feminine singular present tense. Returning to the command of Allah means that the rebellious group becomes willing to accept what is right according to the Book and Sunnah. From this, it is also understood that when fighting the rebellious group, the objective should be to compel them to reconcile, not to annihilate them or wipe them out.

➑ This verse is the basis for the legal rulings regarding mutual fighting among Muslims. In the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), there was no major fighting among Muslims; on a few occasions there were disputes, but they did not go beyond scuffling and hitting with sticks and shoes. The practical interpretation of these verses appeared when, during the caliphate of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Muslims fought among themselves. At that time, there were many companions trained by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who had more knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah than anyone who came after them, so from their actions and the rulings they stated, a model and code was established for Muslims until the Day of Judgment. Thus, although these wars were unpleasant and extremely painful, they were not devoid of benefit, because if they had not occurred, Allah knows best what kind of oppression and injustice later Muslims would have committed against each other in their internal conflicts. The necessary summary of this code is as follows:
(1) When the two fighting groups are subjects of a Muslim government and ordinary Muslims cannot reconcile them, then it is the duty of the government to reconcile them or to decide which group is the transgressor, and then to compel it to accept the truth by force.
(2) If both fighting parties are very large and powerful groups, or two Muslim governments, and both are fighting for worldly reasons, then in this case, the duty of the believers is to completely abstain from participating in this tribulation and to keep trying to make both parties fear Allah and desist from fighting.
(3) If a group from among the subjects rises up against the Muslim government to overthrow it, there can be several scenarios: one is that there is a unanimously accepted Muslim ruler and those rebelling against him have no legitimate reason for rebellion nor is there open disbelief (kufr buwah) on the part of the ruler, then fighting such a group is unanimously permissible for the government and supporting the government is obligatory upon the believers, regardless of whether the government is just or not, because using the excuse of injustice, any group can rebel against the government at any time, the result of which is nothing but division, chaos, and emboldening the disbelievers to attack the Muslims.
The second case is rebellion against an unjust ruler whose rule was established by force and whose leaders are sinful, and the group rebelling rises up for the establishment of justice and the limits of Allah, and their apparent condition shows that they are righteous people. The position of Ahl al-Sunnah is that once the rule of an amir is established and the security and order of the state is running under his administration, it is forbidden to rebel against him, unless he commits open disbelief (kufr buwah), i.e., becomes an open disbeliever. Imam Nawawi has mentioned consensus on this. Some people try to justify rebellion against such rulers and cite some members of the Ahl al-Bayt who rebelled, and mention some jurists who permitted taking up arms against Muslim rulers, but the hadith scholars and the majority of jurists consider their position to be wrong, and even consider it a reproach against those who hold this view, that {’’فُلَانٌ كَانَ يَرَي السَّيْفَ‘‘} so-and-so permitted taking up arms against the Muslims. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and other hadith scholars, despite extreme oppression and injustice by the rulers, neither rebelled nor permitted rebellion. The reality is that if you read the entire history of Islam, no rebellion has resulted in anything for the Muslims except division, chaos, and the cessation of jihad against the disbelievers, whether the ruler was just or unjust. That is why the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged speaking the truth before the rulers and advising them, but strictly forbade rebellion against them. Consider a few hadiths: Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ رَأٰی مِنْ أَمِيْرِهِ شَيْئًا يَكْرَهُهُ فَلْيَصْبِرْ، فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ يُفَارِقُ الْجَمَاعَةَ شِبْرًا فَيَمُوْتُ إِلاَّ مَاتَ مِيْتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً ] [بخاري، الأحکام، باب السمع والطاعۃ للإمام ما لکم تکن معصیۃ : ۷۱۴۳ ] “Whoever sees something in his leader that he dislikes, let him be patient, for whoever separates from the congregation even a handspan and dies, dies the death of ignorance.” Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) reports: [ دَعَانَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَبَايَعْنَاهُ فَقَالَ فِيْمَا أَخَذَ عَلَيْنَا أَنْ بَايَعَنَا عَلَی السَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ فِيْ مَنْشَطِنَا وَمَكْرَهِنَا وَعُسْرِنَا وَيُسْرِنَا وَأَثَرَةً عَلَيْنَا، وَ أَنْ لَا نُنَازِعَ الْأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَرَوْا كُفْرًا بَوَاحًا عِنْدَكُمْ مِنَ اللّٰهِ فِيْهِ بُرْهَانٌ ] [بخاري، الفتن، باب قول النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : ’’ سترون بعدي أمور تنکرونھا ‘‘ : ۷۰۵۵،۷۰۵۶ ] “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called us and we pledged allegiance to him. Among the conditions he took from us was that we would listen and obey in pleasure and displeasure, in hardship and ease, and even when others are given preference over us, and that we would not dispute the authority of those in charge, unless we see open disbelief for which we have a clear proof from Allah.”

(4) The practice of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), despite considering those who fought against him as rebels and fighting them, was that they were Muslims; their wounded would not be killed, their fleeing would not be pursued, their captives would not be executed, their women and children would not be enslaved, rather their honor would be protected and their property would not be distributed as spoils of war. In the battles of Jamal and Siffin, both parties considered each other Muslims and performed funeral prayers for each other. For details and evidence of the rulings, see “Al-Mughni” by Ibn Qudamah in {’’كِتَابُ قِتَالِ أَهْلِ الْبَغْيِ‘‘} and other books of jurisprudence.

➒ { فَاِنْ فَآءَتْ فَاَصْلِحُوْا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ:} Upon the return of the transgressing group to the command of Allah, the command is given to reconcile between the two groups with justice, not by showing undue favor to one party and suppressing the other just to stop the fighting, because such reconciliation is neither lasting nor does it close the door to future conflict. Therefore, the right of one party over the other should be given to it and reconciliation should be made with justice.

➓ {وَ اَقْسِطُوْا:} Here is a question: previously it was said, make peace between them with justice, so what is the wisdom in repeating {’’ اَقْسِطُوْا ‘‘}? One answer is that at the time of fighting, intense hatred develops in the heart against some of the fighters, due to which a person cannot make a correct decision, so for emphasis, the command of justice is repeated and the glad tidings of Allah’s love are given to those who act justly. The second answer is that in the first sentence, the command is to reconcile between the fighting parties with justice, and in {’’ اَقْسِطُوْا ‘‘} the command is to act justly in all matters. What is justice? For this, see the commentary of Surah An-Nahl (16:90).

⓫ { اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِيْنَ:} Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمُ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰی فِيْ ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لاَ ظِلَّ إِلاَّ ظِلُّهُ، إِمَامٌ عَدْلٌ… ] [ بخاري، الزکوٰۃ، باب الصدقۃ بالیمین : ۱۴۲۳ ] “There are seven whom Allah will shade in His shade on the day when there is no shade but His. (The first mentioned is) a just ruler…” Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ الْمُقْسِطِيْنَ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ عَلٰی مَنَابِرَ مِنْ نُوْرٍ عَنْ يَمِيْنِ الرَّحْمٰنِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَكِلْتَا يَدَيْهِ يَمِيْنٌ الَّذِيْنَ يَعْدِلُوْنَ فِيْ حُكْمِهِمْ وَأَهْلِيْهِمْ وَمَا وَلُوْا ] [ مسلم، الإمارۃ، باب فضیلۃ الإمام العادل… : ۱۸۲۷ ] “Those who are just will be on pulpits of light by the right side of the Most Merciful, and both His hands are right. They are those who are just in their rulings, with their families, and in whatever they are responsible for.”

9. 1 And the method of this reconciliation is that they should be called towards the Qur'an and Hadith, that is, the solution to their dispute should be sought in their light.

9. 2 That is, if one is not willing to resolve their dispute according to the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, but instead adopts a rebellious attitude, then it is the responsibility of the other Muslims that they all together fight against the rebellious group so that they become ready to accept the command of Allah.

9. 3 That is, if the rebellious group refrains from rebellion, then reconciliation should be made between the two groups with justice, that is, in the light of the Qur'an and Hadith.

9. And if two groups of the believers fight each other [10], then make peace [11] between them. But if one of them transgresses against the other, then fight against the one that transgresses [12] until it returns to the command of Allah. Then if it returns, make peace between them with justice and act justly. Surely, Allah loves those who act justly.

[10]
Fighting Amongst Yourselves is Not the Work of Believers:

From this sentence, it is understood that fighting is not the work of believers. This is also evident from the following hadiths:
(1) Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ narrates that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "When two Muslims confront each other with their swords, both the killer and the killed are in Hell." I asked: "This is clear for the killer, but what was the fault of the one who was killed?" He ﷺ replied: "He too was eager to kill his companion." [بخاری۔ کتاب الایمان۔ باب وان طائفتان۔۔ مسلم۔ کتاب الفتن۔ باب اذا توجہ المسلمان بسیفہما]
(2) Ahnaf bin Qais says that he went to help a certain person. (On the way) he met Abu Bakrah ؓ who asked: "Where are you going?" I said: "To help that person." Abu Bakrah ؓ said: "Go back, because I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: When two Muslims confront each other with their swords, both the killer and the killed are in Hell." I asked: "O Messenger of Allah, this is clear for the killer, but what was the fault of the one who was killed?" He ﷺ replied: "He too was eager to kill his companion." [بخاري۔ كتاب الايمان۔ باب المعاصي من امرالجاهلية مسلم۔ كتاب الفتن۔ باب اذا توجه المسلمان بسيفهما]
[11]
The Literal Meaning of "Taifah":

That is, despite these precautions, if two groups of Muslims fight, then make every effort to resolve their differences and bring about reconciliation between them. It should be noted that the word "taifah" is used here, and "taifah" generally refers to a small group. In fact, according to some commentators, this word can even apply to a single individual. That is, if there is a fight between two Muslims, the same ruling applies. And it is clear that the one who reconciles must be neutral, whether it is a single person or a group. Furthermore, it is necessary for the one reconciling to be able to influence both parties.
[12]
It is Necessary to Make Peace Among Muslims and Keep Justice in View:

That is, if a person alone does not have the ability to influence both parties, then you should do this work together; you should not remain sitting idle. First, review the situation and the disagreement, and see which party is on the truth and which is committing excess. Now, it is clear that a clap is never made with one hand; the party committing excess also has some right, and the one on the truth has also made some mistake. Therefore, first it must be determined where the greater right lies and who is the one committing excess. Then, the group reconciling should support the one with more right and thus put pressure on both parties for reconciliation. And so much pressure should be put on the one committing excess that he admits his excess, repents from it, and accepts the truth. When this stage is reached, then it should not be that a one-sided decision is given in favor of the party on the truth and an attempt is made to completely suppress the party committing excess. Rather, the decision should be made with justice and fairness, and if the party committing excess had some right, then those matters should also be considered at the time of decision. Because this is closer to the truth and is what Allah Almighty likes.

Shamas bin Qais the Jew Inciting Aws and Khazraj to Fight:

It should be noted that sometimes both parties are on the truth, and the cause of their fighting is some external enemy or outside interference. An example of this in the Prophetic era is that when the Muslims achieved a glorious victory in the Battle of Badr, the Jews of Madinah were greatly distressed by this. An old Jew, Shamas bin Qais, thought of solving this problem by rekindling war between Aws and Khazraj. For this purpose, he prepared a young Jew to go into the gatherings of the Ansar and bring up the topic of the Battle of Bu'ath, and to recite the poems that were said by Aws and Khazraj in that context, thus inflaming the spirit of pre-Islamic tribalism. When this Jew recited those poems, immediately the hostile emotions of the pre-Islamic era were stirred up between Aws and Khazraj, arguments began, and it reached the point where one party said to the other: If you wish, we can revive that war and settle it. Then the sounds of weapons began to be heard, and it was close to becoming a terrible war.

The Prophet's ﷺ Reconciliation Among Them:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was informed of this incident, so he immediately went to the scene with a few Muhajireen and said: "O Muslims! The call of ignorance in my presence! Allah Almighty has guided you to Islam and united your hearts. Then what is this matter now?" At that moment, they realized how they had fallen into the devil's trap. Their eyes were opened, and then the people of Aws and Khazraj began to embrace each other and weep.

Abdullah bin Ubay Inciting Ansar and Muhajireen to Fight in the Battle of Banu Mustaliq:

The second example is the discord that the hypocrite Abdullah bin Ubay stirred up between the Muhajireen and Ansar during the return journey from the Battle of Banu Mustaliq, inciting them to fight and kill each other. The details of this incident will come in Surah Munafiqun. On this occasion as well, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ immediately arrived at the scene and resolved the matter, bringing about reconciliation.

If Reconciliation is Not Possible, Then Remain Neutral:

And the greatest example of this verse is the wars between Sayyiduna Ali ؓ and Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah. And the cause of these wars was a rebellious group. Since both these parties were politically very powerful, no such group could arise that could reconcile between them. Therefore, many of the noble Companions ؓ considered it best to remain neutral in these wars. As indicated in the second hadith above, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ seems to be referring to these very wars. And in these wars, many Companions remained neutral and did not take part in the fighting.