Al-Mumtahanah 9

3 min read

This axis gathers 2 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.

The Verse Text as Cited

{God only forbids you concerning those who fought you on account of religion … that you take them as allies …}

Reader’s Answer

Question

How does Shahrur read the prohibition against taking allies in al-Mumtahanah 9, and what is its relation to kindness and equity in the preceding verse?

Shahrur presents al-Mumtahanah 8 and 9 side by side: kindness and equity concern, in the text of verse 8, those who have not fought Muslims on account of religion and have not expelled them from their homes; whereas the prohibition against taking allies in verse 9 concerns those who fought them on account of religion, expelled them from their homes, or supported their expulsion. He therefore does not make the prohibition in this passage a general ruling concerning every dissenter, but ties it to the characteristics named by the verse itself.

The two verses, as Shahrur cites them consecutively, distinguish between treating non-combatants and those who have not expelled others with kindness and equity, and the prohibition against taking as allies those who fought, expelled, or supported expulsion. Shahrur uses this context to present an openly declared doctrinal position toward polytheism that can be “without violence,” and he mentions the believers’ prayer that they not become a trial for those who disbelieve.

Citation and Location

The State and Society — p. 299.

Limits of the Reading

  • The conclusion is confined to the attached passage from page 299 and does not attribute to Shahrur any elaboration not found there.
  • The second citation addresses a general distinction between conciliatory and confrontational debate, but it does not mention al-Mumtahanah 9 and is not suitable as direct evidence for this page.
  • Verse 8 is necessary to clarify the contrasting side, but it does not demonstrate that all forms of relationship with non-Muslims fall under kindness and equity or under taking as allies.

Continue from Here

Brief Reading

The verse is used to distinguish between those whom one is forbidden to take as allies because of fighting and injustice, and those with whom kindness and equity are permissible.

Axes

  • Political and social
  • Methodological
  • Alliance: 2
  • Debate: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It draws a boundary between prohibited alliance and possible debate or interaction.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Distinction: 2

Instances of Use

  • The State and Society, p. 299: It distinguishes between the group of combatants whom one is forbidden to take as allies and another group with whom kindness and equity are permissible.
    • Concept: Alliance
    • Function of the verse here: Distinction
    • Textual citation: “- {God only forbids you concerning those who fought you on account of religion …} (al-Mumtahanah 9).”
  • The Book and the Qur’an, p. 280: It uses it to distinguish conciliatory debate from confrontational debate according to the presence of fighting and injustice.
    • Concept: Debate
    • Function of the verse here: Distinction
    • Textual citation: “{God only forbids you concerning those who fought you on account of religion … that you take them as allies} (al-Mumtahanah 8, 9).”

This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas