- “Should anyone argue with you (Prophet) concerning him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, ‘Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our souls and your souls, then let us pray earnestly, and call down Allah’s curse upon the liars.
Mubahala Verse of Quran
The Interpretation of MubahalaVerse
The Noble Quran: “Should anyone argue with you (Prophet) concerning him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, ‘Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our souls and your souls, then let us pray earnestly, and call down Allah’s curse upon the liars.”[1]
The Explanation of Mubahala Verse:
This verse has become known as the Mubahala verse. Mubahala means attention and supplication of two opposing groups to God and asking for curse and destruction for the opposite party.
In Shia and Sunni interpretations and in some hadith and history books, we read that in the 10th year of the Hijri, Some people were appointed by the Messenger of God to preach Islam in Najran region. The Christians of Najran also sent representatives to Medina to talk with the prophet. Despite the conversations that took place between them and the Prophet, they still made excuses and expressed doubts about the validity of Islam. This verse was revealed and God said to the Prophet:
Tell them: Let's call our children, wives, and loved ones, call upon God and curse the liars. Any curse that fell on the opposing group, it will be known that their path is invalid, and with this means, we will end this discussion and debate.
When the representatives of the Christians of Najran heard the proposal of Mubahlah from the Noble Prophet, they looked at each other and were amazed. They asked for time to think about it and consult. The elder of the Christians said to them: “Accept the proposal if you see the Prophet coming with a loud voice and a large crowd to curse, do not worry and Know that there is no truth about him and he is just a liar”.
On the day of Mubahlah, they saw the Prophet of Islam (Peace be upon him) came out with two children, a young man and a woman. Those two children were Hasan and Hossein (Peace be upon them), the young man was Ali ibn Abi Talib (Peace be upon him) and the woman was Fatima Zahra (Peace be upon her).
The Christian bishop said: “I see faces that if they ask God to remove the mountain, it will be removed. If these people curse, no Christian will remain on earth”. Therefore, they gave up the offer and agreed to compromise. The Prophet said: “By the one who appointed me as the Prophet of truth, if Mubahlah was done, that valley would have poured fire on them”.[2],[3]
[1] Quran [3–61]
فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ وَأَنْفُسَنَا وَأَنْفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَلْ لَعْنَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْكَاذِبِينَ
[2] Tafsir Majma al-Bayan; Manaqib of Ibn Maghazi, p. 263
[3] Musnad of Ahmad Hanbal, v. 1, p. 185