الممتحنة
Al Mumtahanah
Verses
13
Revelation
Madani
Period
Madinan
Surah No.
60 / 114
Al-Mumtahanah was revealed around the conquest of Makkah and addresses the critical question of loyalty: believers must not take as intimate allies those who are enemies of Allah and His Messenger, even if they are family. It then establishes the procedure for examining Muslim women who migrate from enemy territory, outlines conditions for peaceful relations with non-hostile non-Muslims, and provides the model of Ibrahim's disavowal of his father's idolatry as a template for the community.
أسباب النزول
The opening verses were revealed when Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah sent a letter to the Quraysh in Makkah warning them of the imminent Muslim march – an act of apparent betrayal. The Prophet was informed by revelation. Hatib explained he had kinsmen in Makkah he wished to protect; the Prophet accepted his explanation due to his participation in Badr. Further verses were revealed addressing the status of women who emigrated from Makkah and the terms of peaceful co-existence with non-combatant non-Muslims.
“There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Ibrahim and those with him.”
Ibrahim's clear declaration of disavowal from his people's idolatry is presented as the normative model for the Muslim community's stance on theological loyalty and social allegiance.
“Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them.”
A foundational verse in Islamic ethics of inter-communal relations, establishing that justice and goodness toward peaceful non-Muslims is not merely permitted but mandated.