in her hair. So they let her go and did not harm her or interfere with what she had with her. They returned with the letter to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent for Hatib, who came to him. He asked, “Do you recognize this letter?” He replied, “Yes.” He asked, “What led you to do what you did?”

He said, “O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I have not disbelieved since accepting Islam; I have not deceived you since being sincere toward you; and I have not loved them since parting from them. But every one of the Emigrants had someone in Mecca who would protect his clan, whereas I was a stranger among them and my family lived in their midst. I feared for my family, and so I wanted to establish a favor with them. Yet I knew that Allah would bring down His might upon them and that my letter would not avail them in the least.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, accepted his account as true and excused him.

Umar ibn al-Khattab stood and said, “O Messenger of Allah, let me strike the neck of this hypocrite.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “How do you know, O Umar? Perhaps Allah looked upon the people of Badr and said to them: ‘Do whatever you wish, for I have forgiven you.’” Thereupon Allah, exalted is He, revealed concerning Hatib: “O you who believe, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies.” (1)

“You show them affection.” It was said that this means: affection; the preposition is superfluous, as in His saying: “And whoever intends therein deviation [in religion] or wrongdoing.” (al-Hajj 22:25) Al-Zajjaj said: Its meaning is that, because of the affection between you and them, you convey to them news of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his secrets. “Though they have disbelieved”: the conjunction denotes a circumstantial clause—meaning, while their state is that they have disbelieved “in the truth that has come to you,” that is, the Quran. “They drive out the Messenger and yourselves” from Mecca, “because you believe”—that is, because you have believed; as though He said: They do this because of your faith “in Allah, your Lord. If you have gone forth”—this is a conditional clause whose response has preceded it, namely His saying: “Do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, showing them affection, though they have disbelieved in the truth that has come to you, if you have gone forth” “to strive in My cause and to seek My pleasure. You secretly show them affection.” Muqatil said: that is, by offering them counsel. “But I know best what you conceal,” of affection for the disbelievers, “and what you disclose,” that which you make manifest with your tongues. “Whoever among you does this has certainly strayed from the straight path”: he has missed the way of guidance.

“If they gain mastery over you, they will be enemies to you, stretching out their hands and tongues against you with evil; and they wish that you would disbelieve.” (2)

“If they gain mastery over you”: if they overcome you and find you. “They will be enemies to you, stretching out their hands” against you with beating and killing, “and their tongues with evil,” that is, with abuse. “And they wish that you would disbelieve,” just as they have disbelieved. He says: Do not