This was before the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was commanded to fight the people of the Book. But then Allah's saying (There is no compulsion in religion…) was abrogated and the Prophet was commanded to fight the people of the Book in Surah Repentance”. Masruq said: “A man from the Helpers, from amongst the Banu Salim Banu 'Awf, had two sons who had converted to Christianity before the advent of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. [After the migration of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, to Medina,] these two sons came to Medina along a group of Christians to trade in food. Their father went to them and refused to leave them, saying: 'By Allah! I will not leave you until you become Muslim'. They refused to become Muslim and they all went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, to settle their dispute. The father said: 'O Messenger of Allah! How can I leave a part of me enter hell fire while I just sit and look?' Allah, glorious and majestic is He, then revealed (There is no compulsion in religion…) after which he let them go”. Abu Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Muqri' informed us> Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn 'Abdus> Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Mahfuz> 'Abd Allah ibn Hashim> 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi> Sufyan> Khusayf> Mujahid who said: “There were some people who were nurse-wetted among the Jews, the Banu Qurayzah and Banu'l-Nadir. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, commanded that the Banu'l-Nadir be driven out of Medina, those sons of the Aws who were nurse-wetted by the Jews said: 'We will leave with them and follow their religion'. Their families stopped them and wanted them to coerce them to embrace Islam. Then the verse (There is no compulsion in religion…) was revealed”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
