(107–110) “And there are those who built a mosque to cause harm, promote disbelief, divide the believers, and provide an outpost for one who had previously waged war against Allah and His Messenger. They will surely swear, ‘We intended nothing but good.’ Yet Allah bears witness that they are indeed liars. Never stand in it. A mosque founded upon piety from the very first day is more worthy of your standing in it. In it are men who love to purify themselves, and Allah loves those who purify themselves. Is one who founded his building upon piety toward Allah and the pursuit of His pleasure better, or one who founded his building on the brink of a crumbling bank, which then collapsed with him into the Fire of Hell? Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. The building they erected will never cease to be a source of doubt in their hearts unless their hearts are torn apart. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”

Some of the hypocrites who lived in Qubā built a mosque beside the Mosque of Qubā. Through it, they intended to cause harm and sow discord among the believers. They were preparing it for an enemy of Allah and His Messenger whom they were awaiting, so that it would serve them as a stronghold whenever needed. Allah therefore exposed their disgrace and revealed their secret, saying: “And there are those who built a mosque to cause harm”—that is, to harm the believers and the mosque in which they gathered—“and promote disbelief”; that is, their intention in building it was disbelief, whereas others intended faith.

“And divide the believers”; that is, so that they would split into factions, become divided, and disagree. “And provide an outpost”—that is, a place prepared—“for one who had previously waged war against Allah and His Messenger”; that is, to assist those who had already waged war against Allah and His Messenger and whose hostility had become fierce. One such person was Abū Āmir the Monk, who was from Medina. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) arrived after emigrating to Medina, Abū Āmir rejected him. He had been devoted to worship during the pre-Islamic period, but then went to the polytheists seeking their assistance in fighting the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

When he did not obtain what he sought from them, he went to Caesar, claiming that Caesar would support him. The accursed man perished on the way. He and the hypocrites had pledged mutual support and were acting in collusion. Among the things they prepared for him was the mosque built to cause harm. Revelation then came concerning it, so the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) sent men to demolish and burn it. It was demolished and burned, and thereafter became a refuse dump.

After explaining their ⦗352⦘ corrupt aims in building that mosque, Allah said: “They will surely swear, ‘We intended,” by building it, “nothing but good’”—that is, kindness toward the weak, the infirm, and the blind.

“Yet Allah bears witness that they are indeed liars.” Allah’s testimony against them is more truthful than their oaths.

“Never stand in it”; that is, never pray in that mosque, which was built to cause harm. Allah has made you independent of it, and you have no need for it.

“A mosque founded upon piety from the very first day”—the day Islam first appeared in Qubā—is the Mosque of Qubā. It was founded upon sincere devotion of religion to Allah and the establishment of His remembrance and the rites of His religion. It had long been established upon those foundations and was deeply rooted in them. This virtuous mosque “is more worthy of your standing in it” to worship and remember Allah Most High. It is virtuous, and its people are virtuous. Allah therefore praised them, saying: “In it are men who love to purify themselves” of sins and to cleanse themselves of dirt, physical impurities, and states of ritual impurity.

It is well known that whoever loves something will necessarily pursue it and strive diligently for it. They must therefore have been eager to purify themselves of sins, dirt, and states of ritual impurity. For this reason, they were among those who embraced Islam early, established prayer, steadfastly participated in jihad alongside the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), upheld the ordinances of the religion, and guarded themselves against disobeying Allah and His Messenger.

After this verse was revealed in praise of them, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked them about their purification. They informed him that they followed the use of stones with water, and he praised them for what they did.

“And Allah loves those who purify themselves.” This includes spiritual purification, such as cleansing oneself of polytheism and base character, and physical purification, such as removing impurities and ending states of ritual impurity.

Allah then compared the mosques according to the intentions of their people and their conformity to what pleases Him. He said: “Is one who founded his building upon piety toward Allah”—that is, upon a righteous intention and sincerity—“and the pursuit of His pleasure,” by acting in accordance with His command, better? Thus, his deed combined sincerity with conformity to Allah’s command. “Or one who founded his building on the brink”—that is, the edge—“of a crumbling bank,” meaning one that was worn away and on the verge of collapse, “which then collapsed with him into the Fire of Hell? Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people” to what serves their religious and worldly interests.

“The building they erected will never cease to be a source of doubt in their hearts”; that is, doubt and suspicion lodged within their hearts, “unless their hearts are torn apart”—that is, unless they experience the deepest remorse, repent to their Lord, and fear Him with the utmost fear. Through that, Allah will pardon them. Otherwise, their building will only add further doubt to their doubt and further hypocrisy to their hypocrisy.

“And Allah is All-Knowing” of all things: their outward and inward aspects, what is hidden and what is manifest, and what His servants conceal and disclose.

“All-Wise”: He acts, creates, commands, and forbids only in accordance with what wisdom requires and dictates. All praise belongs to Allah (1).

These verses contain several lessons:

One is that building a mosque with the intention of harming another nearby mosque is forbidden, and that a mosque built to cause harm must be demolished once the purpose of its founders becomes known.

Another is that although a deed may in itself be virtuous, its ruling can be changed by the intention behind it, so that it becomes prohibited—just as the intention of those who built the mosque to cause harm transformed their deed into what has been described.

Another is that every circumstance that causes division among the believers is an act of disobedience that must be abandoned and eliminated. Conversely, every circumstance that brings the believers together and fosters harmony among them must be adopted, enjoined, and encouraged. Allah cited this aim behind their building the mosque as a reason necessitating its prohibition, just as disbelief and waging war against Allah and His Messenger necessitate that prohibition.

Another is the prohibition against praying in places of disobedience and the instruction to keep away from them and even from their vicinity.

Another is that disobedience affects places, just as the hypocrites’ disobedience affected the mosque built to cause harm, resulting in the prohibition against standing in it. Likewise, obedience affects places, just as it affected the Mosque of Qubā, concerning which Allah said:

“A mosque founded upon piety from the very first day is more worthy of your standing in it.”

For this reason, the Mosque of Qubā possesses a distinction that other mosques do not. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would visit Qubā every Saturday and pray there, and he encouraged prayer in it.

Another is that four important principles may be derived from the reasons mentioned in the verse: any deed that harms a Muslim, entails disobedience to Allah—for acts of disobedience are branches of disbelief—divides the believers, or assists someone hostile to Allah and His Messenger is prohibited and forbidden. The converse is true of their opposites.

Another is that tangible works arising from disobedience to Allah continue to distance their perpetrator from Allah, much like persistence in sin, until he removes them and repents from them with a complete repentance so profound that his heart is torn apart by remorse and sorrow.

Another is that if the Mosque of Qubā is a mosque founded upon piety, then all the more so is the Mosque of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), which he founded with his blessed hand, labored in, and which Allah chose for him.

Another is that a deed based upon sincerity and conformity to Allah’s command is a deed founded upon piety, leading its doer to the Gardens of Bliss.

A deed based upon evil intent, religious innovations, and misguidance, however, is a deed founded on the brink of a crumbling bank, which then collapses with its doer into the Fire of Hell. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.