17 - Commentary on Surah al-Fath (48) - Review of Verses 24 & 25

In this Ramadan series of lectures, Shaykh Saleem reviews Surah al-Fath (48) - The Chapter of the Victory. In part 17, he goes over verses twenty-four and twenty-five: "And it is He, Allāh, who withheld their hands, that of the polytheist Meccans, from you, the Muslims, and your hands from them, the polytheist Meccans, within the heart of Mecca through the peace treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah after He caused you to overcome them through the terms and conditions of the treaty. And Allāh is ever Seeing and Knowing of what you do. They, the polytheists of Mecca, are the ones that disbelieved and they obstructed you, the Muslims, from approaching and entering Masjid al-Haram and also prevented your sacrificial animals from reaching their place of sacrifice in the outskirts of the city of Mecca in the region of Mina. And if it was not for the fact that there existed believing men and believing women living in the city of Mecca that were not able to migrate to Medina whom you did not know, then realize that if there were to be a war with the polytheists of Mecca, that you might trample them, the innocent Muslims, and there would befall you because of them, dishonor without your knowledge as they would have been killed. Thus, if they were not in Mecca, then you would have been permitted to enter the city– but we did not allow this so as to prevent your hands from being tainted with the blood of innocent believers that would have been killed. Thus, the fact that Allah prevented any war to break out at that time, was so that Allah might admit to His mercy whom He willed, most importantly the believing men and women that were in Mecca and could not escape and were incognito in society. If they, this group of Muslims, had been apart from them – that is the polytheists of Mecca, We would have punished those who disbelieved among them with painful punishment."