Declaration of immunity for the idolaters

At the end of the ninth year of Hijrah, Gabriel came down from the Heaven with some verses of the Holy Qur’an and hereby the Prophet was ordered to send some one to Mecca in order to inform the people of the purport of the verses, which had four orders to be declared.

The verses are:

1-(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His apostle towards those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement.

2-So go about in the land for four months and know that you can not weaken Allah and that Allah will bring disgrace to the unbelievers.

3-And an announcement from Allah and His apostle to the people on the day of the greater pilgrimage that Allah and His apostle are free from liability to the idolaters; therefore if you repent, it will be better for you, and if you turn back, then know that you will not weaken Allah; and announce painful punishment to those, who disbelieve.

4-Except those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement, then they have not failed you in anything and have not backed up any one against you, so fulfill their agreement to the end of their term; surely Allah loves those who are careful (to their duty).

5- So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them, surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

The Charter was as follows:

1-It was forbidden for the idolaters to go nakedly around the Kaabah.

2-The idolaters would not have the right to enter into the sacred places.

3-No one of the idolaters would have the right to take part in the ceremonies of the greater Hajj.

4-The lives and the wealth of those, who have concluded the peace contract and have not broken their promises, would be protected until the end of the contract.

The Prophet sought after Abu-Bakr and gave him the verses of the Holy Qur’an enclosed with the charter to announce them to the unbelievers of Mecca. He set out towards Mecca with forty persons. Then Gabriel came down and said to the Prophet: “O Muhammad, either you yourself or the nearest one to you of your family ought to perform this task.”

The Holy Qur’an says: (Nor does he (the Prophet) speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed, the Lord of Mighty Power has taught him) 53:3-5.

Imam Ali (s) was ordered by the Prophet to set out to Mecca to follow after Abu-Bakr in order to take the verses from him and that he (Imam Ali) himself should inform of the declaration on the day of the greater Hajj.

The task was fulfilled well by Imam Ali (s) in the place where many houses had lost one or two persons in the wars by his sword.

Many groups of the idolaters were directed to godliness by this declaration as the idolatry was rooted up allover Arabia before the end of the tenth year A.H.

Adopted from the book : "Imam Ali (a.s.); Sunshine of Civilized Islam" by : "Muhammad Huseyn Tahmasebi"