Surah Al-Mumtahana (60) — Ayah 1

1. O you who believe! Do not take My enemies and your enemies as friends. You offer them affection, while they have denied the truth that has come to you [1]. They expel the Messenger and yourselves simply because you believe in Allah, your Lord. If you have come out (for the conquest of Makkah) to strive in My way and to seek My pleasure, do you secretly send them messages of friendship [3]? I know well whatever you conceal and whatever you reveal [4]. And whoever among you does so has certainly strayed from the straight path [5].

[1]
The Immediate Cause of the Conquest of Makkah:

According to the second condition of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which Allah declared a manifest victory, the Banu Khuza‘ah had become allies of the Muslims and the Banu Bakr had become allies of the Quraysh. A year and a half after this treaty, a fight broke out between the Banu Khuza‘ah and the Banu Bakr, and the Quraysh of Makkah, in open violation of the treaty, gave full support to the Banu Bakr. When the Banu Khuza‘ah sought refuge in the Haram, they were not spared even there. After this incident, forty camel riders from the Banu Khuza‘ah reached Madinah to seek help. The Prophet ﷺ was deeply grieved and saddened by this breach of trust by the Quraysh. Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ presented the following three conditions to the Quraysh:
(1) Blood money should be paid for those killed from the Banu Khuza‘ah.
(2) The Quraysh should withdraw their support from the Banu Bakr.
(3) It should be announced that the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah is terminated.
When the envoy presented these conditions to the Quraysh, their youth became enraged, and one of their zealous young men, Furt bin ‘Amr, announced on behalf of the Quraysh, “Only the third condition is accepted.” When the envoy left, their excitement cooled and they came to their senses, becoming deeply worried. Consequently, Abu Sufyan was sent to Madinah to renew the treaty. He requested the Prophet ﷺ to renew the treaty, but the Prophet ﷺ gave no reply. Then, in turn, he pleaded with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr ؓ, Sayyiduna ‘Umar ؓ, and even Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) to intercede, but all gave the same answer: “We cannot intervene in this matter.” Helpless, he stood in the Prophet’s Mosque and unilaterally announced that he had renewed the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.

Secrecy in the Campaign of the Conquest of Makkah:

The breach of trust by the Quraysh was, in reality, tantamount to a declaration of war. Furthermore, by accepting only the third condition, there was no room left for further delay. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ began preparations for the campaign against Makkah with utmost secrecy. Even in the messages sent to allied tribes, this secrecy was maintained, and when Abu Sufyan arrived in Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ had already begun the campaign. Therefore, the time for renewing the treaty had passed, which is why the Prophet ﷺ did not respond to him. Never before had the Prophet ﷺ acted with such secrecy as on this occasion. The main reason for this was that Makkah was a sanctuary (Haram), and fighting there was against its sanctity. The Prophet ﷺ wished that the disbelievers of Makkah would not get wind of the campaign, and that he would arrive there with a great army, so that the disbelievers would be overawed and not dare to resist. In other words, the Prophet ﷺ sought to achieve two benefits through this secrecy: first, that Makkah would be conquered, and second, that there would be no bloodshed there.

Hatib bin Abi Balta‘ah Sending a Letter to the Disbelievers of Makkah and the Danger of the Secret Being Exposed:

During these days, a very sincere Muslim, Hatib ibn Abi Balta‘ah, made a grave mistake. His family was in Makkah. He wanted to inform the Quraysh of Makkah of this secret, to do them a favor, so that in return, they would spare his family during this period. A woman named Sarah had come from Makkah to Madinah. Hatib ؓ enlisted her services, wrote a letter addressed to the chiefs of Quraysh, and instructed her to deliver it secretly to a Qurayshi chief. He also gave her ten dinars for this service. In this way, the woman became the envoy of Sayyiduna Hatib ؓ. Since Hatib’s letter would have ruined the entire plan, Allah informed the Prophet ﷺ of this matter through revelation immediately after the woman left Madinah. The action the Prophet ﷺ then took is clarified by the following hadith:

Sending a Delegation to Retrieve the Letter:

Sayyiduna ‘Ali ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me, Zubair ؓ, and Miqdad—three men—on a mission. He said, “Go to Rawdat Khakh (the name of a place) on the road to Makkah. There you will find a woman (Sarah) riding a camel. She has a letter; bring it back.” So the three of us rode swiftly to Rawdat Khakh, and indeed, we found a woman riding a camel. We said to her, “Hand over the letter you have.” She replied, “I have no letter.” We said, “Hand it over, or else we will strip you of your clothes.” So she took the letter out from her hair braids and gave it to us, and we brought it to the Prophet ﷺ. The contents of the letter were: “From Hatib bin Abi Balta‘ah to some polytheists of Makkah,” and in it, he informed them of the Prophet’s ﷺ plans (the campaign against Makkah).

Interrogation of Hatib bin Balta‘ah:

The Prophet ﷺ asked Hatib ؓ, “Hatib! What is this? (Why did you reveal the war secret?)” Hatib replied, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Do not be hasty with me (and listen to my explanation). I am a man who is not originally from the Quraysh. The other emigrants with you (are original Quraysh); their relatives are among the Quraysh disbelievers, because of whom their homes and property remain safe. I have no blood relation with them, so I wanted to do them a favor to establish a right for myself, so that they would support my relatives.”

The Prophet’s Acceptance of Sayyiduna Hatib’s Excuse:

“I did not do this out of disbelief or apostasy from my religion.” Upon hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ said (to the Muslims), “Hatib has told you the truth.” Sayyiduna ‘Umar ؓ said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, allow me to strike off his head.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Look! He participated in the Battle of Badr, and you do not know that Allah looked upon the people of Badr (from the highest Throne) and said, ‘(Except for shirk) do whatever you wish, I have forgiven you.’” ‘Amr bin Dinar says that this verse was revealed in this context. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
[2] That is, the treatment you received from the disbelievers of Makkah was such that they made your life so miserable that you were forced to emigrate, and your treatment towards them is that you reveal war secrets for them, so that they can properly arrange their defense? And in this matter, you are disregarding the collective interests of the Muslims? Moreover, these people forced you to emigrate, even though you had done them no harm. In their eyes, your only crime was that you believed in Allah.
[3] Now, if you are participating in this campaign solely for My pleasure, then did you do this act in accordance with My pleasure or against it? From Allah’s reproach, it is clear that the anger Sayyiduna ‘Umar felt towards Sayyiduna Hatib ؓ, and his request to the Messenger of Allah to execute Sayyiduna Hatib ؓ, was to a great extent justified, because Sayyiduna ‘Umar ؓ was fully aware of the secrets and consequences of war. But the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forgave Hatib because there was no corruption in his intention. Also, Sayyiduna Hatib ؓ was not fully aware of the consequences of revealing such a secret. Therefore, due to his gentle nature, the Prophet ﷺ preferred the aspect of goodness and forgave Sayyiduna Hatib ؓ, especially since Allah had protected the Muslims from the harmful consequences of Hatib’s action.
[4]
What Evidence Is Provided by These Verses?

Do you think that if you secretly sent a letter to the Quraysh of Makkah, Allah would not know about it? And would He let such a grave mistake of yours remain hidden? These verses are among those that provide clear evidence for the existence of Allah, the Prophethood of the Messenger ﷺ, the Quran being from Allah, and Allah being the Knower of the unseen and the seen.

[5]
If a Muslim Deliberately Reveals a Secret, He Is Liable to Execution:

From this verse, it is understood that if a sincere Muslim, by mistake or due to lack of understanding of the consequences, reveals a war secret, he does not become a disbeliever; he remains a Muslim. However, his crime is certainly punishable. But if a Muslim deliberately and knowingly does such a thing, then he is both a hypocrite and a disbeliever, and is liable to execution. Such a crime cannot be forgiven.