• “Its fresh herbage is not to be cut” (lā yukhtalā khalāhu): al-khalā (with a short final vowel) is the succulent part of the herbage, and ikhtilāʾ means to cut it.

• al-idhkhir: The word may be read in the nominative as an appositive to what precedes it, or in the accusative because it is an exception introduced after a negation. Ibn Mālik preferred the accusative, since the exception is separated from the term from which it is excluded. al-idhkhir is a plant whose roots run deep in the ground, whose stalks are fine, and whose fragrance is pleasant. It grows abundantly in the Ḥijāz. People used it for roofing: they would lay it beneath the clay and on top of the wooden beams to seal any gaps so the clay would not fall through, and they also placed it in graves.

• liqīnihim: with a fatḥah on the qāf, a quiescent yāʾ, followed by a nūn; it means “their blacksmith,” who needs the plant as fuel for his forge.

General meaning:
The Prophet ﷺ was sent in Mecca and there called its people to Islam. Only a few believed, and the polytheists there persecuted them, so Allah opened a way for them to emigrate—first to Abyssinia, then to Medina. The Prophet ﷺ himself emigrated, as did his Companions, and emigration from Mecca became obligatory, for a Muslim could not then practise his religion openly in the city.

When Allah granted the Prophet ﷺ the conquest of Mecca and it became a land of Islam, that obligation ended; the reason for it had disappeared. Jihad in Allah’s cause, however, remains until the Day of Resurrection—whether by word, by arms, or by the righteous intention that makes every deed sincere for Allah alone. After speaking of jihad, the Prophet ﷺ stressed the duty to set out promptly and energetically whenever the ruler calls the people to fight.

He then explained that Mecca’s sanctity is as old as the creation of the heavens and the earth, for it is Allah who declared it sacred. From that moment until the Day of Resurrection, fighting in it is unlawful, except for the single hour in which it was made lawful to the Prophet ﷺ on the day of the Conquest; thereafter its sanctity was fully restored forever.

This inviolability embraces the surrounding trees—which may not be cut—and the game, which must not be disturbed or driven from its place, let alone killed. A lost item within the Sanctuary may not be picked up except by someone who will continually announce it. When the Prophet ﷺ forbade cutting any vegetation, al-ʿAbbās said, “Messenger of Allah, except for idhkhir, for we need it to roof our houses, to fill the gaps in our graves, and to kindle our fires.” He ﷺ replied, “Except for idhkhir; it is permitted.”