Supplication · As he was dying at Tan'im
O Allah, this is my oath of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, upon what he wanted me to do.
withMuhammad ﷺ
Spoken as he lay dying at Tan'im, placing his right hand upon his left.
After Hijrah was made obligatory on all Muslims still in Makkah, Junda' ibn Damura (elderly, blind, and unable to walk) refused to accept his weakness as an excuse. He had his servants carry him out of Makkah on his chair, trusting Allah to guide him to Madinah, but he died just outside the city, at Tan'im. As he was dying, he placed his right hand on his left as a gesture of allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ. When news of his death reached Madinah, the sahaba remarked on how close he had come without completing the journey.
Allah revealed the exception of [4:98-99] for the genuinely weak because of the case of Junda' ibn Damura, after the general command of [4:97] gave no excuse to those who stayed behind.
Other events recorded around the same time. Their order within the year is not established; use the storyline above for the sequence.
O Allah, this is my oath of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, upon what he wanted me to do.
Spoken as he lay dying at Tan'im, placing his right hand upon his left.
I am not one of those that have an excuse: I can emigrate to Madinah, and I will not spend another night in Makkah.
He was elderly, blind, and too weak to walk, yet resolved to leave Makkah the moment the verse commanding Hijrah was revealed.
A group of Muslims remained in Makkah after the Prophet ﷺ's Hijrah, concealing their faith out of fear. Allah gave them no excuse to stay, for His earth was spacious enough for them to emigrate. Some who tried to emigrate were prevented by the pagans and so stayed again; it was for the truly weak alone, unable to find any way out, that Allah later revealed His exception.
A later exegetical account explaining the revelation of [4:97] and [4:98-99].
إِلَّا الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلًا
“Except for those who are genuinely weak of the men, women, and children, that they cannot find a way out, nor find a passage.”
Revealed excusing the genuinely weak, in connection with the case of Junda' ibn Damura.
فَأُولَٰئِكَ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَفُوًّا غَفُورًا
“For these people, perhaps Allah will pardon them. And Allah is Ever-Pardoning, All-Forgiving.”
Revealed excusing the genuinely weak, in connection with the case of Junda' ibn Damura.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا ۚ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا
“Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves — [the angels] will say, "In what [condition] were you?" They will say, "We were oppressed in the land." The angels will say, "Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?" For those, their refuge is Hell — and evil it is as a destination.”
The general command whose exception ([4:98-99]) was revealed for Junda' ibn Damura.