The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 696
CH. 9 6. And AT-TAUBAH if any one idolaters ask protection of thee, PT. 10 وَاِنْ اَحَدٌ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ of the فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ كَلْمَ اللهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ grant him protection so that he مَا مَنَهُ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمُ لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ may hear the word of Allah; then convey him to his place of security. That is because they a people who have no knowledge. 1169 are was a large number of men among the idolaters who, in their heart of hearts, believed in the truth of Islam, but who, either through pride or for fear of others or for other reasons, refrained from making an open confession of faith. This verse was intended to convey to such people that if anyone of them declared his faith in Islam even during the war, his confession would not be taken as hypocritical or as made to save his skin. A conclusive proof of the fact, that there were many among idolaters who were at heart inclined to Islam but were afraid to declare their faith openly owing to fear of persecution, is that whenever war ceased, there was a rush for conversion to Islam. The two years of peace that followed the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah brought over a very large number of disbelievers to Islam. They could not have joined Islam in such large numbers if they had not been believers in their hearts, having been held back only by fear of persecution. There are even cases on record of men accepting Islam in the thick of battle. Muslims did not at first spare such men, thinking that they had done so merely to save their lives. The Holy Prophet, however, took such Muslims severely to the task, asking them if they had torn open the hearts of those people and had satisfied themselves that they were really devoid of sincerity. It is for this reason that the Quran directs Muslims not to harm such men from among the idolaters as profess their faith in Islam and observe the commandments of God, for only God knows whether they are true Muslims or not. "Merciful" at the end of the verse shows that the conduct of idolaters had been such as to make them deserving of the severest of punishment, and that to extend forgiveness to them even on their abandonment of idolatry was really an act of mercy. 1169. Commentary: This verse clearly establishes the fact that war with idolaters was not undertaken to force them to embrace Islam, because, according to it, even when a state of war existed idolaters were to be permitted to come to the Muslim camp or the Muslim headquarters if they desired investigate the truth. Then, after the truth had been preached to them and 1136 to