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Surah 60 · Madinah · 13 āyāt
Phase 05 · Hijrah and the building of Madinah(1–5 AH) — view in timelineAl-MumtaḥanahThe Woman Examined
الممتحنة
Revealed around the truce-breaking events before the conquest of Makkah, this surah addresses the boundary of loyalty (walāʾ) and disavowal (barāʾ): believers must not take the enemies of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ as intimate allies, however natural the pull of kinship or old friendship. Ibrāhīm عليه السلام and those with him are given as the model of open disassociation from disbelief, and the surah closes with the practical procedure for testing the sincerity of women emigrating to the believing community.
Why it was revealed
Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Baltaʿah, a Companion who had fought at Badr, secretly wrote to Quraysh warning them of the Prophet's ﷺ planned march on Makkah, hoping to secure protection for family he had left behind in the city. The letter was intercepted before it could cause harm, and this surah opens by addressing the incident directly.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3007; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī on the treaty of Ḥudaybiyah; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2494; Ibn Kathīr on 60:10
ʿAlī reported that the Prophet ﷺ sent him, al-Zubayr and al-Miqdād, saying: go to the garden of Khākh, for there is a woman carrying a letter — take it from her. They found her, and she at first denied having it, then produced it from her hair. It was from Ḥāṭib to Quraysh. When questioned, Ḥāṭib said he had no interest in disbelief but wanted a favour with the Makkans to protect his family. The Prophet ﷺ said he had told the truth, and ʿUmar's request to execute him for treachery was refused because Ḥāṭib had witnessed Badr.
Cited toṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3007; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2494
In the Prophet's ﷺ life
Ḥāṭib's secret letter
Fearing for his family in Makkah, Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Baltaʿah sent a letter warning Quraysh of the Prophet's ﷺ intended march, hoping it would earn him their protection.
Recalled in āyah 1
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ عَدُوِّى وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِم بِٱلْمَوَدَّةِ وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِمَا جَآءَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْحَقِّ يُخْرِجُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۙ أَن تُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ رَبِّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ خَرَجْتُمْ جِهَـٰدًا فِى سَبِيلِى وَٱبْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِى ۚ تُسِرُّونَ إِلَيْهِم بِٱلْمَوَدَّةِ وَأَنَا۠ أَعْلَمُ بِمَآ أَخْفَيْتُمْ وَمَآ أَعْلَنتُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْهُ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ
O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the truth, having driven out the Prophet and yourselves [only] because you believe in Allāh, your Lord. If you have come out for jihād [i.e., fighting or striving] in My cause and seeking means to My approval, [take them not as friends]. You confide to them affection [i.e., instruction], but I am most knowing of what you have concealed and what you have declared. And whoever does it among you has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way.
Cited toṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3007
- Madd — 2 vowels
- Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
- Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
- Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
- Ghunnah — 2 vowels
- Qalqalah
- Ikhfāʾ
- Ikhfāʾ shafawī
- Idghām shafawī
- Idghām with ghunnah
- Idghām without ghunnah
- Idghām mutajānisayn
- Idghām mutaqāribayn
- Iqlāb
- Hamzat al-waṣl
- Lām shamsiyyah
- Silent letter
Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).
Ḥāṭib's letter and the limits of loyalty
The surah opens with a direct rebuke to taking Allah's enemies as allies and confiding affection to them, even while professing belief — the case in point being Ḥāṭib's letter, sent out of a very human fear for his family rather than disbelief. The surah insists that on the Day of Resurrection neither relatives nor children will benefit a person if their loyalty was misplaced in this life.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ عَدُوِّى وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِم بِٱلْمَوَدَّةِ وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِمَا جَآءَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْحَقِّ يُخْرِجُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۙ أَن تُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ رَبِّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ خَرَجْتُمْ جِهَـٰدًا فِى سَبِيلِى وَٱبْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِى ۚ تُسِرُّونَ إِلَيْهِم بِٱلْمَوَدَّةِ وَأَنَا۠ أَعْلَمُ بِمَآ أَخْفَيْتُمْ وَمَآ أَعْلَنتُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْهُ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the truth, having driven out the Prophet and yourselves [only] because you believe in Allāh, your Lord. If you have come out for jihād [i.e., fighting or striving] in My cause and seeking means to My approval, [take them not as friends]. You confide to them affection [i.e., instruction], but I am most knowing of what you have concealed and what you have declared. And whoever does it among you has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way.
From the tafsīr
The āyah was revealed concerning Ḥāṭib specifically, but its ruling is general: secret affection extended to open enemies of the faith, for whatever motive, contradicts true walāʾ to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
The Prophet ﷺ distinguished between Ḥāṭib's action, which was a lapse from fear, and outright hypocrisy — his sincerity of faith was accepted even as the act itself was corrected by revelation.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī
Key takeaways
- Fear for family is a real, human motive — but it cannot justify aiding an open enemy of the faith.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- A single lapse does not erase a lifetime of sincere service, as shown by the Prophet's ﷺ treatment of Ḥāṭib.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- Kinship and children will not benefit a person on the Day of Judgement if loyalty in this life was misdirected.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
Where might personal fear or attachment be quietly steering your loyalties away from your principles?
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Question 1 of 2
What earlier deed of Ḥāṭib was cited in his defence?
Question 2 of 2
What was Ḥāṭib's stated motive for warning Quraysh?
Ibrāhīm عليه السلام as the model of disavowal
Ibrāhīm and those with him are held up as an 'excellent pattern' for openly disassociating from their disbelieving people and from what they worshipped besides Allah, declaring enmity until the people believe in Allah alone. The single exception noted is Ibrāhīm's promise to seek forgiveness for his father — itself later withdrawn once it became clear his father was an enemy of Allah, showing that even that gesture had a limit.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥٓ إِذْ قَالُوا۟ لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَءَٰٓؤُا۟ مِنكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ ٱلْعَدَٰوَةُ وَٱلْبَغْضَآءُ أَبَدًا حَتَّىٰ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَحْدَهُۥٓ إِلَّا قَوْلَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ لَأَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ وَمَآ أَمْلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ۖ رَّبَّنَا عَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
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There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, "Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allāh. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allāh alone" - except for the saying of Abraham to his father, "I will surely ask forgiveness for you, but I have not [power to do] for you anything against Allāh. Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination.
From the tafsīr
'There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Ibrāhīm' establishes his open declaration of barāʾah (disassociation) as the standard the believers are to emulate toward disbelief, not merely admire.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
The exception of praying for his father's forgiveness is deliberately excluded from the 'pattern' — it was a promise made before it was clear his father was an enemy of Allah, later abandoned per Sūrat at-Tawbah 9:114.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī
Key takeaways
- Open disassociation from falsehood, not silent discomfort, is the Ibrāhīmī model.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- Love and loyalty for Allah's sake can coexist with hope that a rejecting relative may still believe.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- Even Ibrāhīm's promise had a boundary — once his father's enmity to Allah was confirmed, the promise ceased.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
Do you separate clearly between hoping for someone's guidance and quietly excusing their opposition to truth?
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Question 1 of 2
What was the content of Ibrāhīm's declaration in āyah 4?
Question 2 of 2
What promise did Ibrāhīm make to his father?
Hope of affection and the limits of kindness
Strict as the earlier verses are, the surah immediately softens the ruling: Allah may yet place affection between believers and those they have been at enmity with, for He is capable, forgiving and merciful. Kindness and just dealing are permitted, even encouraged, toward those who have not fought the believers over religion or driven them from their homes — the prohibition targets active enemies, not all non-Muslims.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr
۞ عَسَى ٱللَّهُ أَن يَجْعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَ ٱلَّذِينَ عَادَيْتُم مِّنْهُم مَّوَدَّةً ۚ وَٱللَّهُ قَدِيرٌ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
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Perhaps Allāh will put, between you and those to whom you have been enemies among them, affection. And Allāh is competent, and Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
From the tafsīr
Āyah 7 was a promise fulfilled: many Makkans who had been enemies later embraced Islam and became beloved brothers in faith, showing that present enmity is not necessarily permanent.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
Āyah 8 draws the precise boundary of the earlier prohibition — kindness (birr) and equity (qisṭ) toward peaceable non-Muslims who show no hostility is explicitly permitted, even loved by Allah.
Cited toAl-Ṭabarī
Key takeaways
- The prohibition on allying with enemies is not a licence for hostility toward all non-Muslims.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr
- Kindness and justice toward peaceable people, whatever their religion, is something Allah loves.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr
- Present enmity between people is not necessarily fixed — Allah can turn it into affection.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
Are you able to distinguish, in practice, between active enemies of the faith and simply different people around you?
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Question 1 of 2
What hope does āyah 7 hold out?
Question 2 of 2
According to āyah 8, how should believers treat non-Muslims who have not fought them over religion?
Testing the migrant women
The closing āyāt lay out the procedure for believing women fleeing to Madinah after the truce: their faith is to be examined, and if found sincere they are not to be returned to disbelieving husbands, since the marriage bond across that religious divide is dissolved; compensation of dowries already paid is arranged fairly on both sides. Āyah 12 then records the specific pledge (bayʿah) taken from believing women — not to associate partners with Allah, steal, commit unlawful intercourse, kill their children, or fabricate slander.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا جَآءَكُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ مُهَـٰجِرَٰتٍ فَٱمْتَحِنُوهُنَّ ۖ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَـٰنِهِنَّ ۖ فَإِنْ عَلِمْتُمُوهُنَّ مُؤْمِنَـٰتٍ فَلَا تَرْجِعُوهُنَّ إِلَى ٱلْكُفَّارِ ۖ لَا هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّ ۖ وَءَاتُوهُم مَّآ أَنفَقُوا۟ ۚ وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ ۚ وَلَا تُمْسِكُوا۟ بِعِصَمِ ٱلْكَوَافِرِ وَسْـَٔلُوا۟ مَآ أَنفَقْتُمْ وَلْيَسْـَٔلُوا۟ مَآ أَنفَقُوا۟ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ حُكْمُ ٱللَّهِ ۖ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
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O you who have believed, when the believing women come to you as emigrants, examine [i.e., test] them. Allāh is most knowing as to their faith. And if you know them to be believers, then do not return them to the disbelievers; they are not lawful [wives] for them, nor are they lawful [husbands] for them. But give them [i.e., the disbelievers] what they have spent. And there is no blame upon you if you marry them when you have given them their due compensation [i.e., mahr]. And hold not to marriage bonds with disbelieving women, but ask for what you have spent and let them [i.e., the disbelievers] ask for what they have spent. That is the judgement of Allāh; He judges between you. And Allāh is Knowing and Wise.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ يُبَايِعْنَكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن لَّا يُشْرِكْنَ بِٱللَّهِ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَسْرِقْنَ وَلَا يَزْنِينَ وَلَا يَقْتُلْنَ أَوْلَـٰدَهُنَّ وَلَا يَأْتِينَ بِبُهْتَـٰنٍ يَفْتَرِينَهُۥ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِنَّ وَأَرْجُلِهِنَّ وَلَا يَعْصِينَكَ فِى مَعْرُوفٍ ۙ فَبَايِعْهُنَّ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُنَّ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
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O Prophet, when the believing women come to you pledging to you that they will not associate anything with Allāh, nor will they steal, nor will they commit unlawful sexual intercourse, nor will they kill their children, nor will they bring forth a slander they have invented between their arms and legs, nor will they disobey you in what is right - then accept their pledge and ask forgiveness for them of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
From the tafsīr
The 'examination' (imtiḥān) was reportedly conducted by asking the women to affirm, under oath if needed, that their emigration was for the sake of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and not for any worldly motive.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
The pledge in āyah 12 became known as the Pledge of Women (bayʿat an-nisāʾ), later taken by women at the conquest of Makkah, and lists moral obligations distinct from the men's military pledges.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī
Key takeaways
- Sincerity of intention, not mere claim, was the standard for accepting the emigrant women.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- A woman's faith, once established as genuine, dissolved her marriage to a disbelieving husband under this legislation.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- The women's pledge covers core prohibitions — shirk, theft, unlawful intercourse, infanticide and slander — as the boundary of righteous conduct.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
What would sincerity actually cost you if it were tested the way these women were tested?
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Question 1 of 2
What was to be done with a believing woman confirmed sincere, per āyah 10?
Question 2 of 2
What did the women pledge not to do, per 60:12?
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Roots from this surah
Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.
و ل ي
āyāt 1to be close to, to ally with
- أَوْلِيَآءَallies/protectors
- وَلِيّguardian, protector
- وَلَاءloyalty, alliance
و د د
āyāt 1, 7affection, love
- ٱلْمَوَدَّةِaffection
- مَوَدَّةlove/affection
- وَدُودThe Most Loving (a name of Allah)
ب ر أ
āyāt 4to be free of, to disassociate
- بُرَءَٰٓؤُا۟disassociated/free of
- بَرَاءَةdisavowal, acquittal
- بَرِيءinnocent, free of blame
أ س و
āyāt 4, 6to console, an exemplary pattern
- أُسْوَةexample, pattern
- أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌexcellent example
- مُؤَاسَاةconsolation, sharing in hardship
ع د و
āyāt 1, 7enmity, to transgress
- عَدُوّenemy
- عَادَيْتُمyou were enemies
- عَدَاوَةenmity
م ح ن
āyāt 10to test, examine
- فَٱمْتَحِنُوهُنَّso examine them
- مِحْنَةa trial, test
- ٱلْمُمْتَحَنَةthe woman examined (surah name)
ب ي ع
āyāt 12to pledge, transact
- يُبَايِعْنَكَthey pledge to you
- بَيْعَةa pledge of allegiance
- بَايَعَhe made a pledge / transacted
Carry this with you
- Human fear for family does not justify aiding an open enemy of the faith with secrets.
- One sincere lapse, seen in context of a life of service, can be forgiven — as with Ḥāṭib and Badr.
- Ibrāhīm's model is open disassociation from falsehood, not private discomfort with it.
- Even the strictest boundary in this surah is paired with hope that hearts can change.
- Kindness and justice toward peaceable non-Muslims are things Allah loves, not forbids.
- Sincerity of intention was the actual standard by which the emigrant women were received.
- A pledge of faith carries concrete moral commitments — against shirk, theft, unlawful acts, infanticide and slander.
Where this surah connects
Cross-surah threads
Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.
All threads →Sources behind Sūrah Al-Mumtaḥanah
Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.
Tafsīr10
- Al-Qurṭubī
- Al-Qurṭubī on 60:12
- Al-Saʿdī
- Al-Saʿdī on 60:4
- Al-Ṭabarī
- Al-Ṭabarī on 60:8
- Ibn Kathīr
- Ibn Kathīr on 60:10
- Ibn Kathīr on 60:4
- Ibn Kathīr on 60:7
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Al-Mumtaḥanah · Ḥāṭib's letter and the limits of loyalty
Why did Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Baltaʿah send his letter to Quraysh?
Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol