إِذْ جَعَلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْحَمِيَّةَ حَمِيَّةَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَلْزَمَهُمْ كَلِمَةَ التَّقْوَىٰ وَكَانُوا أَحَقَّ بِهَا وَأَهْلَهَا ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمًا (26)
(48:26) (This is why) when the unbelievers set in their hearts a fierce bigotry ' the bigotry of ignorance *45 ' Allah bestowed inner peace upon His Messenger and upon the believers *46 and made the word of piety binding on them. They were more deserving and worthier thereof. Allah has knowledge of everything.
*45) The words hamiyyat al -jahiliyyah mean that a man should wilfully do something unworthy and improper only for the sake of his honour and prestige. The dilsbelievers of Makkah themselves acknowledged and admitted that everybody ,had a right to visit the Ka`bah for performing Hajj and `Umrah, and that they had no right to slop anyone from this duty. This was an ancient admitted law of Arabia. But in spite of knowing that they were absolutely in the wrong and the Muslims in the right, they prevented the Muslims from performing `Umrah only for the sake of their prestige. The righteous even among the polytheists also were saving that preventing the people who had come in the pilgrim garbs along with sacrificial camels from performing pilgrimage was an improper act. Yet the Quraish leaders persisted in their resistance only under the idea that if Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) entered Makkah along with a large number of his followers, it would mean loss of prestige for them among the Arabs. This was their arrogance. .
*46) Here, sakinat means the patience and dignity with which the Holy Prophet and the Muslims resisted the disbelievers' rancour and spirit of paganism. They did not get provoked at their stubborn and insolent behaviour and did not do anything which might have violated the spirit of Truth and righteousness, or which might have further complicated the situation instead of settling it amicably.