فَسِيحُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِى ٱللَّهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُخْزِى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ 2
Translations
So travel freely, [O disbelievers], throughout the land [during] four months but know that you cannot cause failure to Allāh and that Allāh will disgrace the disbelievers.
Transliteration
Fasīḥū fī al-arḍi arbaʿata ashhurin waʿlamū annakum ghayru muʿjizī allāhi wa anna allāha mukhzī al-kāfirīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah grants the polytheists (mushrikūn) of Arabia a four-month grace period to travel freely in the land before the enforcement of the prohibition on their entry into the Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Haram). According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this was a merciful warning allowing them time to prepare, repent, or depart peacefully. The verse concludes with a stern warning that they cannot escape Allah's power (muʿjizī = able to escape/thwart), and that Allah will humiliate the disbelievers—either through military defeat or eternal punishment.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah At-Tawbah's opening proclamation, revealed in the 9th year of Hijrah after the expedition of Tabūk. It relates to the declaration of immunity (barāʿah) from polytheists and their contracts, marking the final stage before the complete prohibition of polytheists from the sacred precincts of Mecca. The four-month period (Shawwāl, Dhū al-Qaʿdah, Dhū al-Ḥijjah, and Muḥarram) allowed safe passage for those wishing to leave or settle their affairs.
Related Hadiths
The principle of giving respite is reflected in Surah At-Tawbah 4-5, where Allah permits those with whom covenants were made to complete their term. The hadith in Sahih Bukhari regarding the announcement of this proclamation by Abu Bakr and Ali describes the practical implementation of this ayah during the Hajj season.
Themes
Key Lesson
Allah's punishment, though certain and inescapable, comes only after clear warning and opportunity for repentance, demonstrating that divine justice is never arbitrary but always merciful in its deliberateness. For believers, this teaches the importance of maintaining sacred boundaries and recognizing that true honor comes from submission to Allah, not from worldly resistance.
Related Ayahs
هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُۥ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ
It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although they who associate others with Allāh dislike it.
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَلْمِزُكَ فِى ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتِ فَإِنْ أُعْطُوا۟ مِنْهَا رَضُوا۟ وَإِن لَّمْ يُعْطَوْا۟ مِنْهَآ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْخَطُونَ
And among them are some who criticize you concerning the [distribution of] charities. If they are given from them, they approve; but if they are not given from them, at once they become angry.
لَوْ خَرَجُوا۟ فِيكُم مَّا زَادُوكُمْ إِلَّا خَبَالًا وَلَأَوْضَعُوا۟ خِلَـٰلَكُمْ يَبْغُونَكُمُ ٱلْفِتْنَةَ وَفِيكُمْ سَمَّـٰعُونَ لَهُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
Had they gone forth with you, they would not have increased you except in confusion, and they would have been active among you, seeking [to cause] you fitnah [i.e., chaos and dissension]. And among you are avid listeners to them. And Allāh is Knowing of the wrongdoers.
سَيَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ إِذَا ٱنقَلَبْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ لِتُعْرِضُوا۟ عَنْهُمْ ۖ فَأَعْرِضُوا۟ عَنْهُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ رِجْسٌ ۖ وَمَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
They will swear by Allāh to you when you return to them that you would leave them alone. So leave them alone; indeed they are evil; and their refuge is Hell as recompense for what they had been earning.