Under the exegesis of the verses:
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
“You shall not find a people who believe in Allah and the latter
day befriending those who act in opposition to Allah and His
Apostle, even though they were their (own) fathers, or their
sons, or their brothers, or their kinsfolk; these are they into
whose hearts He has impressed faith, and whom He has
strengthened with an inspiration from Him: and He will cause
them to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding
therein; Allah is well-pleased with them and they are wellpleased with Him; these are Allah’s party: now surely the party
of Allah are the successful ones.”1
It is narrated from the channel of Ibne Jarih that: Abu Qahafa abused the
Prophet. So his son gave him a hard slap across his face as result of which he fell
down. Then he came to the Prophet and narrated the incident. The Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) asked: “Did you do this? Never repeat this.”
He said: “I swear by one, who sent you for prophethood, if I had a sword
near me, I would have killed him.”
Then the following verse was revealed:
…. لا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا
“You shall not find a people…”2
Allamah Amini says: Exegetes have consensus that Surah Ahqaf, from
which the first verse is taken, was revealed in Mecca and Surah Mujadila was
revealed in Medina and this verse was revealed after a long time had passed after
revelation of Surah Ahqaf.
It is concluded from Tafseer Qurtubi, Ibne Kathir3 and Razi4 that this verse
was revealed after the Battles of Badr and Uhad. On the basis this, revelation
occurred around 4 A.H. Now, if we accept that both the verses were revealed for
Abu Bakr, how we can reconcile between these verses?
The first verse clarifies that Abu Qahafa was bestowed with divine bounty
on the day Abu Bakr was forty years old, and when he became powerful and
perfect and reached the age of forty, he said:
رَبِّ أَوْزِ عَنِى أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَى وَعَلَى وَالِدَى
“My Lord! grant me that I may give thanks for Thy favor which Thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents.”5
And the second verse, as you can see – clarifies that Abu Qahafa on the day
of its revelation – when Abu Bakr was aged around fifty-three years – was among
those, who were inimical to God and His Prophet.
And what makes the meaning easy is that the text of report – like the
previous report quoted under explanation of first verse – falsifies itself, because
as we said, this verse was revealed in Medina, and the apparent commutation of
the report is that this incident occurred in Medina, and on that day Abu Qahafa
was in Mecca, then where and how did Abu Bakr meet his father face to face and
slap him?
Furthermore, is it not obligatory to kill someone, who abuses the Messenger
of Allah (s.a.w.a.)? There is no condition of proximity of sword to one, who
heard the abuse. Or this command [obligation of killing] was legislated after this
incident? Or Abu Qahafa is excluded from this command with a special proof?
Ask those, who in blindness and deafness, resort to exaggeration in excellence;
إِنَّهُمْ لَيَقُولُونَ مُنْكَرًا مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَزُوْرًا
“Most surely they utter a hateful word and a falsehood.”6
وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللهِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللهِ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
“And they say, It is from Allah, while it is not from Allah, and they tell a lie against Allah whilst they know.”7