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
لَوْ كَانَ عَرَضًا قَرِيبًا وَسَفَرًا قَاصِدًا لَّٱتَّبَعُوكَ وَلَـٰكِنۢ بَعُدَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلشُّقَّةُ ۚ وَسَيَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ لَوِ ٱسْتَطَعْنَا لَخَرَجْنَا مَعَكُمْ يُهْلِكُونَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ
Had it been a near [i.e., easy] gain and a moderate trip, they [i.e., the hypocrites] would have followed you, but distant to them was the journey. And they will swear by Allāh, "If we were able, we would have gone forth with you," destroying themselves [through false oaths], and Allāh knows that indeed they are liars.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ ءَابَآءَكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنَكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ إِنِ ٱسْتَحَبُّوا۟ ٱلْكُفْرَ عَلَى ٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُم مِّنكُمْ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
O you who have believed, do not take your fathers or your brothers as allies if they have preferred disbelief over belief. And whoever does so among you - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ قَدْ كَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَـٰنِكُمْ ۚ إِن نَّعْفُ عَن طَآئِفَةٍ مِّنكُمْ نُعَذِّبْ طَآئِفَةًۢ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ مُجْرِمِينَ
Make no excuse; you have disbelieved [i.e., rejected faith] after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you - We will punish another faction because they were criminals.
وَإِذَآ أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ أَنْ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟ مَعَ رَسُولِهِ ٱسْتَـْٔذَنَكَ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلطَّوْلِ مِنْهُمْ وَقَالُوا۟ ذَرْنَا نَكُن مَّعَ ٱلْقَـٰعِدِينَ
And when a sūrah was revealed [enjoining them] to believe in Allāh and to fight with His Messenger, those of wealth among them asked your permission [to stay back] and said, "Leave us to be with them who sit [at home]."