Overview (Verses 17 - 18)

Who May Tend God’s Houses
 
It is not for the idolaters to visit or tend God’s houses of worship; for they are self- confessed unbelievers. Vain shall be their actions and they shall abide in the fire. God’s houses of worship may be tended only by those who believe in God and the Last Day, are constant in prayers, pay zakāt (i.e. the obligatory charity) and fear none other than God. It is those who are likely to be rightly guided (Verses 17-18)

With the declaration and disavowal made at the beginning of the sūrah concerning the termination of the treaties with the unbelievers, there can be no excuse for anyone who refuses to fight the idolaters. Moreover, there might have been some hesitation to forbid them entry to the Sacred Mosque in Makkah, which they used to enjoy in pre-Islamic days. The sūrah questions the claims of the idolaters to visit the Sacred Mosque, for that is an exclusive right of the believers who attend to their duties of worshipping God alone. That the idolaters used to visit the Mosque and provide drinking water to the pilgrims did not alter the situation in any way. These verses address those troubled Muslims who might not as yet have fully understood this basic Islamic principle.
 
“It is not for the idolaters to visit or tend God’s houses of worship, for they are self- confessed unbelievers.” (Verse 17) It is totally wrong that this should ever happen because it is contrary to the nature of things. God’s houses of worship belong to Him alone, and only His name should be glorified in them. No other name should be invoked beside His name. How could it be acceptable then that those who associate partners with Him should ever tend these houses of worship when they are self- confessed unbelievers. “Vain shall be their actions.” (Verse 17) Whatever they do is without value, including their tending of the Ka`bah, the Inviolable House of Worship. That is because none of their actions is based on the fundamental principle of God’s oneness. As a result of their open and clear rejection of the truth of faith, “they shall abide in the fire.” (Verse 17)

It should be pointed out here that the comparative stated in this verse, “stand higher in rank with God,” does not imply two positions on the same scale, or that the others have a lesser rank with God. It indicates an absolute preference. We have already been told about the others, i.e. the idolaters, and that “vain shall be their actions and they shall abide for ever in the fire.” (Verse 17) Hence the two situations cannot be compared. 
 
Worship is simply an expression of faith. If the faith is wrongly based, then the worship offered on its basis is wrong as well. Hence any act of worship, including the visiting and tending of the houses of worship, is of little benefit unless hearts are full of faith which translates itself into action that is totally dedicated to God alone. “God’s houses of worship may be tended only by those who believe in God and the Last Day, are constant in prayers, pay zakāt (i.e. the obligatory charity) and fear none other than God.” (Verse 18) We note that the two conditions relating to belief and action are coupled with a third stipulating that those believers who do good deeds must fear none other than God. This is not an idle condition. It is important that a believer should be totally dedicated to God alone and should rid himself of all traces of idolatry in his feelings, beliefs and behaviour. To fear anyone beside God is a subtle aspect of polytheism. Hence the sūrah warns against it specifically so that believers may make sure that their faith is pure and that their actions are intended to earn God’s pleasure. When they do that they deserve to tend houses of worship and to be graced with God’s guidance: “It is those who are likely to be rightly guided.” (Verse 18)