Regarding His saying, “So let them not approach the Sacred Mosque”: what is meant is to prohibit them from entering the Sacred Precinct, for if they enter the Sacred Precinct, they have come near the Sacred Mosque. Thus, “the Sacred Mosque” here refers to the Sacred Precinct, just as Allah says: “Glory be to Him who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque” [al-Isra 17:1]. What is meant there is the Sacred Precinct, since he was taken by night from the house of Umm Hani.

The venerable and eminent Imam said: The lands of Islam, with respect to disbelievers, fall into three categories.

The first is the Sacred Precinct. A disbeliever may not enter it under any circumstance, whether he is a protected non-Muslim subject or a person granted safe-conduct, due to the apparent meaning of this verse. If an envoy from the lands of disbelief comes to the Imam while the Imam is within the Sacred Precinct, he is not to permit him to enter it. Rather, he sends someone to him outside the Sacred Precinct to hear his message. The scholars of Kufa, however, permitted a non-Muslim under treaty to enter the Sacred Precinct.

The second category among the lands of Islam is the Hijaz. A disbeliever may enter it with permission, but may not remain there for longer than the period of a traveller’s stay, which is three days. This is based on what was narrated from Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him: he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say, “If I live, Allah Most High willing, I shall certainly expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula, until I leave none there but a Muslim.” (1)

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then passed away after instructing: “Expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula.” (2) Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, did not have the opportunity to attend to this, but Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, expelled them during his caliphate. He granted a three-day stay to any of them who arrived as a trader. The Arabian Peninsula extends in length from the furthest reaches of Aden Abyan to the rural lands of Iraq; in breadth, it extends from Jeddah and the adjacent coastal areas to the outskirts of Syria.

The third category is the rest of the lands of Islam. A disbeliever may reside there under a covenant of protection or safe-conduct, but they may not enter mosques except with the permission of a Muslim.

Regarding His saying, “after this year of theirs”: that is, the year in which Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, led the people in pilgrimage and Ali, may Allah honor his face, publicly proclaimed the Declaration of Disavowal. This was the ninth year after the Hijrah.

Regarding His saying, “And if you fear poverty”: the people of Mecca earned their livelihoods through trade, and the polytheists would come to Mecca with food and engage in commerce. When they were forbidden from entering the Sacred Precinct, the Muslims feared poverty and hardship. They mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, so Allah Most High revealed: “And if you fear poverty”—that is, destitution and need. The expression derives from ala ya ilu aylah, meaning to become poor—“then Allah will enrich you from His bounty, if He wills. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”