The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 244
CH. 22 AL-HAJJ PT. 17 commemorated. "And Allah will surely help one who helps Him. Allah is indeed Powerful, Mighty- 2471 2471. Important Words: is the plural of which is "47:8. صومع الشيء They says. ومع derived from i. e. he collected together the thing. means, he raised the building. means a mountain; a high place where a monk lives or a holy man worships seeking solitude; a cloister; the cell of a recluse (Aqrab & Lane). honey-combed with sedition and treachery. The Jews, compact and united, were opposed to the Holy Prophet. 'Abdullah bin Ubayy, whose designs to become the crowned king of Medina had been upset by the Holy Prophet's arrival in that city, and the hypocrites were an additional source of great danger to Islam. The Quraish held out a threat to ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ubayy that if the people of Medinah gave shelter to the بيعة churches) is the plural of) بيع which means, a church or, as some say, a Jewish place of worship (Aqrab & Lane). Places of worship of the Jews (Aqrab). Commentary: were The verse gives the second reason, which led the poor and weak Muslims to take up arms. It was that they were driven out from their hearths and homes without a just and legitimate cause, their only crime being that they believed in one God. For years the Muslims persecuted at Mecca, then they were driven out from it and were not left in peace even in their exile at Medina. They continued to be harassed in that place also. Islam was threatened with complete extirpation by a combined attack from the Arabian tribes round Medina, among whom the influence of the Quraish, on account of their being the custodians of the Ka'bah, was very great. Medina itself was Holy Prophet and did not make common cause with them against Muslims they would attack Medina with all their powerful hosts and allies and would kill their men and carry their women to Mecca in captivity (Abū Dāwūd). Thus Islam had to defend itself against much more powerful enemies at Medina than at Mecca. The position of Muslims in the first few years of their life at Medina was decidedly much weaker than at Mecca and the Holy Prophet's difficulties instead of lessening had greatly increased. It was under these highly unfavourable circumstances that Muslims had to take up arms to save themselves, their faith and their Holy Prophet from extermination. If ever a people had a legitimate cause to fight, it were the Holy Prophet Muḥammad and his and Companions, yet the unconscionable critics of Islam have 2158