Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)

61. “Accursed, wherever they are found they shall be seized and slain with a (fierce) slaughter.”

62. “(Such has been) the way of Allah concerning those who have passed away before, and you shall never find any change in the way of Allah.”

The Qur’anic term /θuqifu/ is derived from /θaqafah/ in the sense of a just skilful victory; therefore knowledge and culture in Arabic is called /θaqafah/.

No place should be a secure abode for those who seek disturbance and cause disorder in the security of the society.

Some commentators consider all these severities for those who hurt the believers mentioned in the previous verses; but it seems that all these threats and deserving death is for those who intend to disturb the security of the society and to abolish the system of the government, not only those who are sometimes troublesome for the people’s wives.

In this verse, the Qur’an implies that when they are driven out from this city and are sent out from the support of the Islamic government, they are accursed.

It says:

“Accursed, wherever they are found they shall be seized and slain with a (fierce) slaughter.”

This indicates that, after this general attack, they will not be secured in any place because they will be sought carefully and when they are found they will be annihilated.

Concerning the purpose of this verse that whether they will be sought outside of Medina and will be killed, or if after the ordinance of general banishment they remain inside of Medina they will be faced with such a fate, there are two probabilities, and in the meantime, there is no contradiction between these two.

That is, after the negation of security from these ‘heart-diseased ones, destructive plotters’ and the ordinance of their banishment from Medina, they will not be secured from the side of brave Muslims whether they remain there or they go out.

Then the next verse adds that it is not a new commandment, but this has been the way of Allah among the nations who have passed away before, that whenever the corruptive groups violate the limits with shamelessness and plots, the Divine command of general attack will be issued.

It says:

“(Such has been) the way of Allah concerning those who have passed away before…”

And since the ordinance is Allah’s way of treatment, it will never change, because:

“…and you shall never find any change in the way of Allah.”

In fact, this change defines that this threat is earnest, and they should know that the subject is completely decisive and there is no way of change in it. They must either put an end to their evil deeds, or wait for such a painful fate.

By the way, there arises a question here that what is mentioned in these verses upon the eradicating the corruptions such as the plots of the hypocrites, the constant troublesome unto the Muslims’ women, and seeking mischief of the gossipers, are these ordinances permissible for all Islamic governments in other times and centuries, too?

Few of the commentators have discussed upon this subject, but it seems that this ordinance, like other Islamic ordinances, is not limited to a particular time, place, and persons.

If enmity and plotting really exceeds the limits and forms as a current state in a manner that causes the Islamic society to face with some serious dangers, it does not matter that the Islamic government practices the commandments mentioned in the above verses given to the Prophet (S), and it mobilizes people for eradicating the roots of mischief.

But, no doubt, such things and the like are not permissible to be done unconditionally, specially that it has been introduced as an unchangeable tradition. So it must be done only by the leave of the master of the affairs of Muslims and Islamic judges.