| فَسِيحُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِي اللَّهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُخْزِي الْكَافِرِينَ |
| Asad | : | [Announce unto them:] "Go, then, [freely] about the earth for four months2 - but know that you can never elude God, and that, verily, God shall bring disgrace upon all who refuse to acknowledge the truth!" |
| Khattab | : | “You ˹polytheists˺ may travel freely through the land for four months, but know that you will have no escape from Allah, and that Allah will disgrace the disbelievers.”1 |
| Malik | : | "You have four months to go around in the land unmolested; but you should know that you cannot frustrate the will of Allah, and that Allah will humiliate the unbelievers." |
| Pickthall | : | Travel freely in the land four months, and know that ye cannot escape Allah and that Allah will confound the disbelievers (in His guidance). |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Go ye then for four months backwards and forwards (as ye will) throughout the land but know ye that ye cannot frustrate Allah (by your falsehood) but that Allah will cover with shame those who reject him. 1247 |
| Transliteration | : | Faseehoo fee alardi arbaAAata ashhurin waiAAlamoo annakum ghayru muAAjizee Allahi waanna Allaha mukhzee alkafireena |
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These words, addressed to the mushrikin ("those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God") who have deliberately broken the treaties in force between them and the believers, indicate a cancellation of all treaty obligations on the latters' part. The period of four months which is to elapse between this announcement and the beginning (or resumption) of hostilities is a further elaboration of the injunction "cast it [i.e., the treaty] back at them in an equitable manner", given in 8:58 with reference to a breach of covenant by hostile unbelievers (see also note [62] on verse {58} of surah {8}). |
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Four Months: Some Commentators understand by this the four forbidden months in which warfare by ancient Arabian custom was unlawful, viz., Rajab, Zul-qa'dah, Zul-hijjah, and Muharram: See ii. 194 n. But it is better to take the signification of the four months immediately following the Declaration. Assuming that the Sura was promulgated early in Shawwal (see Introduction), the four months would be Shawwal, Zul-qa'dah, Zul-hijjah, and Muharram, of which the last three would also be the customary Prohibited Months. |
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This is the only sûrah in the Quran that does not begin with: “In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.” The reason is that this sûrah is considered to be a continuation of the previous one, and that it begins with an open termination of treaties not fully respected by the polytheists. Since this constitutes a declaration of war, it would not be fitting to open with the mention of Allah’s compassion and mercy. |
