[مِّنَ اللَّهِ
وَرَسُولِهِ]
(from Allah and His Messenger), and a preface warning to the people,
[يَوْمَ الْحَجِّ
الاٌّكْبَرِ]
(on the greatest day of Hajj), the day of Sacrifice, the best and most
apparent day of the Hajj rituals, during which the largest gathering confers.
[أَنَّ اللَّهَ
بَرِىءٌ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَرَسُولُهُ]
(that Allah is free from (all) obligations to the Mushrikin and so is His
Messenger.) also free from all obligations to them. Allah next invites the
idolators to repent,
[فَإِن
تُبْتُمْ]
(So if you repent), from the misguidance and Shirk you indulge in,
[فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ
لَّكُمْ وَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ]
(it is better for you, but if you turn away), and persist on your ways,
[فَاعْلَمُواْ
أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِى اللَّهِ]
(then know that you cannot escape Allah) Rather, Allah is capable over you,
and you are all in His grasp, under His power and will,
[وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ]
(And give tidings of a painful torment for those who disbelieve) earning them
disgrace and affliction in this life and the torment of chains and barbed iron
bars in the Hereafter. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, "Abu Bakr
sent me during that Hajj with those dispatched on the day of Sacrifice to
declare in Mina that no Mushrik will be allowed to attend Hajj after that year,
nor will a naked person be allowed to perform Tawaf.'' Humayd said, "The Prophet
then sent `Ali bin Abi Talib and commanded him to announce Bara'ah.'' Abu
Hurayrah said, "Ali publicized Bara'ah with us to the gathering in Mina on the
day of Sacrifice, declaring that no Mushrik shall perform Hajj after that year,
nor shall a naked person perform Tawaf around the House.'' Al-Bukhari also
collected this Hadith the this narration of which, Abu Hurayrah said, "On the
day of Nahr, Abu Bakr sent me along with other announcers to Mina to make a
public announcement that `No pagan is allowed to perform Hajj after this year,
and no naked person is allowed to perform the Tawaf around the Ka`bah.' Abu Bakr
was leading the people in that Hajj season, and in the year of `The Farewell
Hajj' when the Prophet performed Hajj, no Mushrik performed Hajj.''' This is the
narration that Al-Bukhari recorded in the Book on Jihad. Muhammad bin Ishaq
reported a narration from Abu Ja`far Muhammad bin `Ali bin Al-Husayn who said,
"When Bara'ah was revealed to Allah's Messenger , and he had sent Abu Bakr to
oversee the Hajj rites for the people, he was asked, `O Messenger of Allah! Why
not send this [message] to Abu Bakr' So he said,
«لَا يُؤَدِّي عَنِّي
إِلَّا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي»
(It will not be accepted to have been from me if it is not from a man from my
family.) Then he called for `Ali and said to him,
«اخْرُجْ بِهذِهِ
الْقِصَّةِ مِنْ صَدْرِ بَرَاءَةَ وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ يَوْمَ النَّحْرِ إِذَا
اجْتَمَعُوا بِمِنًى، أَنَّهُ لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ كَافِرٌ، وَلَا يَحُجُّ
بَعْدَ الْعَامِ مُشْرِكٌ، وَلَا يَطُوفُ بِالْبَيْتِ عُرْيَانٌ، وَمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ
عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلّم عَهْدٌ فَهُوَ لَهُ إِلَى
مُدَّتِه»
(Take this section from the beginning of Bara'ah and proclaim to the people
on the day of the Sacrifice while they are gathered at Mina that no disbeliever
will enter Paradise, no idolator will be permitted to perform Hajj after the
year, there will be no Tawaf while naked, and whoever has a covenant with
Allah's Messenger, then it shall be valid until the time of its expiration.)
`Ali rode the camel of Allah's Messenger named Al-`Adba' until he caught up with
Abu Bakr in route. When Abu Bakr saw him he said, `Are you here as a commander
or a follower.' `Ali replied, `A follower.' They continued on. Abu Bakr lead the
people in Hajj while the Arabs were camping in their normal locations from
Jahiliyyah. On the day of Sacrifice, `Ali bin Abi Talib stood and proclaimed, `O
people! No disbeliever will be admitted into Paradise, no idolater will be
permitted to perform Hajj next year, there shall be no Tawaf while naked, and
whoever has a covenant with Allah's Messenger , then it shall be valid until its
time of expiration.' So no idolater performed Hajj after that year, Tawaf around
the House while naked ceased. Then they returned to Allah's Messenger . So this
was the declaration of innocence, whoever among the idolaters had no treaty,
then he had a treaty of peace for one year, if he had a particular treaty, then
it was valid until its date of expiration.''
[إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ
عَـهَدتُّم مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنقُصُوكُمْ شَيْئاً وَلَمْ
يُظَـهِرُواْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَداً فَأَتِمُّواْ إِلَيْهِمْ عَهْدَهُمْ إِلَى
مُدَّتِهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ ]
(4. Except those of the Mushrikin with whom you have a treaty, and who have
not subsequently failed you in aught, nor have supported anyone against you. So
fulfill their treaty for them until the end of their term. Surely, Allah loves
those who have Taqwa.)