At-Tawba (The Repentance)

107. “And those who built a mosque to cause harm (to Islam) and for unbelief, and to divide the believers, and (as) an ambush for those who fought Allah and His Messenger aforetime; and they will surely swear: ‘We purposed naught save good,’ but Allah testifies that verily they are liars.”

In this verse, the Qur’ān has made manifest one of the great plots of the hypocrites of Medina. The event was as follows:

Twelve persons from among those hypocrites built a place under the title of ‘a mosque’. They built it with the recommendation of Abū-‘Āmir-Rāhib who was a harsh enemy of Islam from before. He lived in Syria.

In order to make that mosque formal, the hypocrites went to the Prophet (S) and asked him to come into that mosque and pray therein. They said that they had built the mosque for those Muslims who were weak and could not attend the Prophet’s Mosque or Quba Mosque from some far places to pray; so they could pray in that mosque.

At that time, the Prophet (S) was going to travel for the Battle of Tabūk and had not time enough to go there. Therefore, he told them to wait until he would come back from his journey and then he might establish prayer in that mosque.

When the Prophet (S) returned from the Battle of Tabūk, they had made that mosque ready. So, they came to the Prophet (S) and asked him to pray in that mosque. It was at the same time that these very holy verses were sent down and made their plot manifest.

The revelations made it evident that those hypocrites aimed to harm the religion of Islam under the name of the mosque. That was why the Prophet of Allah (S) sent several of his companions to ruin and burn that mosque.

They were Mālik-ibn-Dikhsham, Mu‘an-ibn-‘Āmir-ibn-Sakn, and Wahshi. The command of the Prophet (S) was obeyed, and later the site of that mosque was used as a place of rubbishes in that locality.

In this verse, the Qur’ān indicates that the hypocrites pursued four aims by building that mosque:

1 . To cause harm to Islam and the Muslims.

2 . To create disbelief in Allah and His Messenger (S) among people, and that the foundations of infidelity to be strengthened in that mosque.

3 . To disperse the Muslims. The Muslims usually attended in one mosque, and there was a unity among them.

4 . To supply a lurking-place for the one who was fighting against Allah and His Prophet, viz. ‘Abū-‘Āmir-i-Rāhib.¹ He was a man who became a Christian in the Age of Ignorance and obtained a high rank there.

When the Prophet of Islam (S) migrated to Medina, as a result of his envy,’Abū-‘Āmir always applied his hostility against him (S), and finally he ran away toward the polytheists of Mecca.

He accompanied them in the Battle of’Uhud, and, at last, he escaped to Syria in order to attract the help of Roman army and to fight against the Prophet of Islam (S).

The hypocrites of Medina had built that mosque with Abū-‘Āmir’s recommendation and were waiting for him to come with the Roman troops and to use that mosque as his station for invadiny the Muslims. The verse says:

“And those who built a mosque to cause harm (to Islam) and for unbelief, and to divide the believers, and (as) an ambush for those who fought Allah and His Messenger aforetime…”

In order to deceive the Muslims, the hypocrites swore that they desired nothing but good for them, and that their aim was to help and serve the Muslims. But, by narrating their saying, the Qur’ān says:

“…and they will surely swear: ‘We purposed naught save good,’ but Allah testifies that verily they are liars.”

In this way and by sending down these verses, Allah made their great plot manifest, and futiled the evil plan of those hypocrites.