Surah Al-Hashr (59) — Ayah 5

(Ayah 5) ➊ There are three opinions regarding {مَا قَطَعْتُمْ مِّنْ لِّيْنَةٍ … : ’’ لِيْنَةٍ ‘‘}: one is that it refers to the date palm tree. Ibn Jarir preferred this view. The second opinion is that {’’ لِيْنَةٍ ‘‘} refers to the date palm tree except for Barni and Ajwah, and the third opinion is that every tree is called {’’ لِيْنَةٍ ‘‘}, because as long as it is alive, it possesses {’’ لَيُوْنَةٌ ‘‘} (softness). (Shanqiti) The settlements of Banu Nadir had a very beautiful garden called "Buwairah," which had many date palm trees. (Even today, it is known as Buwairah, located southwest of Masjid Quba. Shanqiti) When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) besieged them, for certain needs and wisdoms, he ordered some trees to be cut down and some to be burned, and some were left as they were, as Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: [ حَرَّقَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَخْلَ بَنِي النَّضِيْرِ وَقَطَعَ وَهِيَ الْبُوَيْرَةُ فَنَزَلَتْ : « مَا قَطَعْتُمْ مِّنْ لِّيْنَةٍ اَوْ تَرَكْتُمُوْهَا قَآىِٕمَةً عَلٰۤى اُصُوْلِهَا فَبِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ » ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب حدیث بني النضیر… : ۴۰۳۱ ] "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) burned and cut down the date palm trees of Banu Nadir. This is the place Buwairah (which Hassan, may Allah be pleased with him, mentioned, as will come ahead), so this verse was revealed: « مَا قَطَعْتُمْ مِّنْ لِّيْنَةٍ اَوْ تَرَكْتُمُوْهَا قَآىِٕمَةً عَلٰۤى اُصُوْلِهَا فَبِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ» [ الحشر : ۵ ] 'Whatever date palm tree you cut down or left standing on its roots, it was by Allah's permission.'"

When the trees were cut and burned, the Jews and hypocrites raised an outcry that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was committing corruption in the land by cutting down trees, while he claimed to be a reformer. Upon this, Allah comforted the Muslims that whatever tree you cut or left standing on its roots, all of it was by Allah's permission, meaning that although the general rule during war is to avoid burning and cutting trees and crops, in this instance, whatever trees were burned, cut, or left, all of it happened by Allah's permission, so there is no need to be disturbed by the words of the opponents.

➋ In { وَ لِيُخْزِيَ الْفٰسِقِيْنَ : ’’ الْفٰسِقِيْنَ ‘‘}, besides Banu Nadir, those Jews who broke the covenant and incited to war, the polytheists of Mecca, and the hypocrites of Medina are all included. That is, the act of cutting, burning, or leaving the date palm trees, besides many other benefits, was also so that Allah would humiliate the defiantly disobedient with it. Their humiliation in the cutting and burning is obvious, as their lifelong earnings were burned and cut before their eyes, yet they could not stop those who were cutting and burning. In this, Banu Nadir, other Jews, the hypocrites of Medina, and the polytheists of Mecca were all humiliated, as they endured all this silently and could not even utter a word, as the poet of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), said, shooting arrows of sarcasm and reproach at the polytheists of Mecca:

{وَهَانَ عَلٰي سَرَاةِ بَنِيْ لُؤَيٍّ ¤ حَرِيْقٌ بِالْبُوَيْرَةِ مُسْتَطِيْرُ}

"The chiefs of Banu Lu'ayy (Quraysh) easily endured the fire that was spreading at the place of Buwairah (meaning they neither got angry nor felt any honor, nor did they, as promised, come to help Banu Nadir)." [ بخاري، المغازي، باب حدیث بني النضیر… : ۴۰۳۲ ] And as for the trees that remained, their humiliation was that they came under the control of the Muslims, and no one dared to take them back from their possession.

➌ In { ’’ وَ لِيُخْزِيَ الْفٰسِقِيْنَ ‘‘} (and so that He may humiliate the defiantly disobedient), the conjunction "wa" indicates that some wording is omitted before it, meaning Allah gave this permission so that the way would be cleared for the siege of Banu Nadir, no hiding place would remain for them, the siege would be tightened, they would be forced to come out of their forts and fight in the open, and so that Allah would grant honor to the Muslims and humiliate the defiantly disobedient.

➍ This incident proves that if there is a military necessity, trees and crops can be cut, burned, and buildings demolished; without necessity, this is not permissible.

➎ From this verse, it is understood that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was given commands from Allah besides the Qur'an, because here, what is said to be "by Allah's permission" is not found in the Qur'an but was given through hidden revelation, which is called hadith. In summary, divine revelation is not limited to the Qur'an alone.

5. 1. Linah: A type of date, like Ajwah, Barni, etc., are types of dates, or it refers to the general date palm tree. During the siege, by the order of the Prophet ﷺ, the Muslims set fire to the date palm trees of Banu Nadir, cut down some, and left some. The purpose of this was to eliminate the enemy's cover. And it was to make clear that now the Muslims have prevailed over you, and they are able to dispose of your wealth and property as they wish. Allah Almighty also approved of this strategy of the Muslims and made it a means of disgrace for the Jews.

Whatever palm trees you cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah’s [4] permission, and so that He might disgrace the defiantly disobedient [5].

[4]
The Cutting of Trees by Muslims During the Siege and the Uproar of the Opponents:

Around Madinah, there was a very beautiful orchard belonging to Banu Nadir, which was called Buwairah. It had many date palm trees. When the Muslims wanted to lay siege to Banu Nadir, these trees were becoming an obstacle. Therefore, the Muslims cut down those trees which could become a hindrance, and where they were more dense, they set them on fire to clear the way for the siege. When the flames engulfed this orchard, at that time Sayyiduna Hassan bin Thabitؓ recited this poem:
﴿وَهَانَ عَلٰي سَرَاةِ بَنِي لُؤيٍّ﴾
﴿حَرِيْقٌ بالْبُوَيْرَةِ مُسْتَطِيْرٌ﴾
[بخاری۔ کتاب المغازی۔ باب حدیث بنی نضیر]
That is, the chiefs of Banu Lu'ayy (Quraysh) were tolerating this matter as something trivial, that the orchard of Buwairah was completely engulfed in flames and burning. When the Muslims cut these trees to clear the way, the opponents raised an uproar that, look, the Muslims are cutting down trees and committing fasad fil-ardh (corruption in the land), even though they claim to be reformers of the land. In response, Allah Almighty comforted the Muslims, saying that whatever date palm tree you cut or left standing on its roots, all of it was by Allah's command. And the reality was that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had forbidden the Muslims from cutting trees during times of war and had declared it fasad fil-ardh. But due to the continuous breaches of trust by Banu Nadir, their eradication had become necessary. Therefore, for this specific occasion, Allah Almighty granted permission for it. And since the mention of this permission is not found anywhere in the Quran, it is also incidentally known from this that revelation would come to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ besides the Quran as well, which is generally called wahy khafi or wahy ghayr matlu (non-recited revelation). And another issue that is understood is that any destructive action that is unavoidable due to the necessities of war does not fall under the definition of fasad fil-ardh.
[5]
The Expulsion of Banu Nadir:

After the exile of Banu Qaynuqa', Banu Nadir were also exiled and expelled from Madinah in disgrace. As for Banu Qurayzah, the details of what happened to them have already been mentioned in the footnote of verse 26 of Surah Ahzab. Also, in the following hadith, they are mentioned in brief. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنهما narrates that Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayzah fought in battle, so the Prophet ﷺ exiled Banu Nadir and allowed Banu Qurayzah to remain and showed kindness to them, until Banu Qurayzah fought (after the Battle of Ahzab), so the Prophet ﷺ killed their men and distributed their women, children, and wealth among the Muslims, except for those who had already come to the Prophet ﷺ and joined him. The Prophet ﷺ granted them safety and they became Muslims. And the Prophet ﷺ exiled all the Jews. Among them were the Jews of Banu Qaynuqa' (the tribe of Abdullah bin Salam, and also Banu Harithah. In short, all the Jews of Madinah were exiled. [بخاری۔ کتاب المغازی۔ باب حدیث بنی نضیر۔ مسلم۔ کتاب الجہاد۔ باب اجلاء الیہود من الحجاز]