Permission Given

The last section of the sūrah — its final quarter — turns at last to the masāʾil. Having spoken of the manāsik, the rites of the Hajj, Allah (swt) now gives the Muslims of Makkah, for the first time, permission for jihād and qitāl.

Until this point they had been prohibited from fighting. The whole instruction until now had been: be patient, be forgiving, be pardoning; let it go. They had not the strength to strike back, save where defence was unavoidable; until now they had no ability to fight. But once they were fully established, and the evil and the plots against them continued — indeed increased — then at last, in verse 39, Allah (swt) says:

Permission is at last given. Allah gives them permission in this verse because they have been oppressed — because they have been oppressed. And Allah (swt) has absolute capability to assist them and to give them victory.