Surah 9. At-Tawbah

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-16 [2], 17-24 [3], 25-29 [4], 30-37 [5], 38-42 [6], 43-59 [7], 60-66 [8], 67-72 [9], 73-80 [10], 81-89 [11], 90-99 [12], 100-110 [13], 111-118 [14], 119-122 [15], 123-129 [16]

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Quran Text of Verse 119-122یٰۤاَیُّهَاO you who believeالَّذِیْنَO you who believeاٰمَنُواO you who believeاتَّقُواFearاللّٰهَAllahوَ كُوْنُوْاand beمَعَwithالصّٰدِقِیْنَ those who are truthful مَاNotكَانَit wasلِاَهْلِ(for) the peopleالْمَدِیْنَةِof the Madinahوَ مَنْand whoحَوْلَهُمْwere around themمِّنَofالْاَعْرَابِthe bedouinsاَنْthatیَّتَخَلَّفُوْاthey remain behindعَنْafterرَّسُوْلِthe Messengerاللّٰهِof Allahوَ لَاand notیَرْغَبُوْاthey preferبِاَنْفُسِهِمْtheir livesعَنْtoنَّفْسِهٖ ؕhis lifeذٰلِكَThat isبِاَنَّهُمْbecause [they]لَا(does) notیُصِیْبُهُمْafflict themظَمَاٌthirstوَّ لَاand notنَصَبٌfatigueوَّ لَاand notمَخْمَصَةٌhungerفِیْinسَبِیْلِ(the) wayاللّٰهِ(of) Allahوَ لَاand notیَطَـُٔوْنَthey stepمَوْطِئًاany stepیَّغِیْظُthat angersالْكُفَّارَthe disbelieversوَ لَاand notیَنَالُوْنَthey inflictمِنْonعَدُوٍّan enemyنَّیْلًاan inflictionاِلَّاexceptكُتِبَis recordedلَهُمْfor themبِهٖin itعَمَلٌ(as) a deedصَالِحٌ ؕrighteousاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahلَا(does) notیُضِیْعُallow to be lostاَجْرَthe rewardالْمُحْسِنِیْنَۙ(of) the good-doers وَ لَاAnd notیُنْفِقُوْنَthey spendنَفَقَةًany spendingصَغِیْرَةًsmallوَّ لَاand notكَبِیْرَةًbigوَّ لَاand notیَقْطَعُوْنَthey crossوَادِیًاa valleyاِلَّاbutكُتِبَis recordedلَهُمْfor themلِیَجْزِیَهُمُthat Allah may reward themاللّٰهُthat Allah may reward themاَحْسَنَthe bestمَا(of) whatكَانُوْاthey used (to)یَعْمَلُوْنَ do وَ مَاAnd notكَانَisالْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ(for) the believersلِیَنْفِرُوْاthat they go forthكَآفَّةً ؕall togetherفَلَوْ لَاSo if notنَفَرَgo forthمِنْfromكُلِّeveryفِرْقَةٍgroupمِّنْهُمْamong themطَآىِٕفَةٌa partyلِّیَتَفَقَّهُوْاthat they may obtain understandingفِیinالدِّیْنِthe religionوَ لِیُنْذِرُوْاand that they may warnقَوْمَهُمْtheir peopleاِذَاwhenرَجَعُوْۤاthey returnاِلَیْهِمْto themلَعَلَّهُمْso that they mayیَحْذَرُوْنَ۠beware

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Translation of Verse 119-122

(9:119) Believers! Fear Allah and be among those who are truthful.²⁵⁰

(9:120) It was not (proper) for the people of Madinah and the bedouin Arabs of their neighborhood that they should stay behind the Messenger of Allah or prefer their lives to his. That because they (the believers) did not suffer thirst, or fatigue, or hunger in the cause of Allah, nor they tread a place that angered the unbelievers, nor scored any gain from an enemy, but a good deed was registered thereby in their account. Verily, Allah does not allow for the wastage of the reward of those who do good.²⁵¹

(9:121) And they did not expend anything, small or big, nor crossed a valley, but it was registered in their account in order that Allah may requite them with better than what they were doing.²⁵²

(9:122) And, it is not right of the believers to go forth together (in an expedition) all at once. Why should it not be that from every group of them a few people go forth so that they may understand the religion²⁵³ and warn their people when they return to them, so that they may act cautiously?²⁵⁴

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Commentary

250. Hence `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud has reported in a hadith of the Sahihayn the Prophet's words,

عَلَيْكُمْ بِالصِّدْقِ فَإِنَّ الصِّدْقَ يَهْدِى إِلَى الْبِرِّ وَإِنَّ الْبِرَّ يَهْدِى إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَمَا يَزَالُ الرَّجُلُ يَصْدُقُ وَيَتَحَرَّى الصِّدْقَ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ صِدِّيقًا وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالْكَذِبَ فَإِنَّ الْكَذِبَ يَهْدِى إِلَى الْفُجُورِ وَإِنَّ الْفُجُورَ يَهْدِى إِلَى النَّارِ وَمَا يَزَالُ الرَّجُلُ يَكْذِبُ وَيَتَحَرَّى الْكَذِبَ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ كَذَّابًا

“Always speak the truth. Truthfulness leads to virtue, and virtue leads to Paradise. A man keeps on speaking the truth and being truthful until he is written with Allah as a truthful person. And avoid lies. Lies lead to perversion and corruption, and perversions and corruption lead to the Fire. A man keeps lying and practicing lies until he is written with Allah as a liar.”

Ibn Mas`ud has himself said, “Lying is disallowed in all circumstances, whether seriously or jokingly. And, let not one of you promise a thing to his child and then not keep it. Consider Allah's words, ‘And be among the truthful.' Do these words leave license to anyone?” (Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir).

Qurtubi adds in this context that scholars do not accept hadith narration of a person who lied at any time, on any occasion, even if such lying was in worldly matters, unrelated to hadith narrations.

Alusi points out however that there are instances when lying is allowable. Ibn Abi Shaybah has preserved the hadith that says,

كُلُّ الْكَذِبِ يُكْتَبُ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ إِلَّا ثَلَاثَ خِصَالٍ رَجُلٌ كَذَبَ عَلَى امْرَأَتِهِ لِيُرْضِيَهَا أَوْ رَجُلٌ كَذَبَ فِي خَدِيعَةِ حَرْبٍ أَوْ رَجُلٌ كَذَبَ بَيْنَ امْرَأَيْنِ مُسْلِمَيْنِ لِيُصْلِحَ بَيْنَهُمَا

“Every lie that Adam's son utters is recorded against him, except for three: a man lying to his wife in order to win her good pleasure, or a man speaking as deception in war, or a man speaking to make peace between two people.”

The above hadith has been thought to be weak because of one narrator, although that narrator himself was half accepted, half rejected (Au.).

251. Qatadah and others have said that this verse was applicable only at the time of the Prophet. (That is, Jihad was wajib on every Muslim during the time of the Prophet: Alusi). After him, it is verse 122 of this chapter that will remain in force. It says,

وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا كَافَّةً [التوبة : 122]

“And, it is not right of the believers to go forth together (in an expedition) all at once”

252. At the time of its revelation, the verse was applicable to `Uthman b. al `Affan most. Imam Ahmad has preserved the report that while preparing the army for the Tabuk expedition, the Prophet climbed the pulpit and appealed for funds. `Uthman got up and offered a hundred camels, fully equipped. The Prophet came down. He climbed up again to appeal for funds. `Uthman offered another hundred fully equipped camels. Then the Prophet made a third appeal, and `Uthman offered another fully equipped hundred camels. The Prophet was well pleased with him and remarked, ‘Nothing that `Uthman does after this will do him any harm’ (Ibn Kathir).

253. The term in the original for “understanding” has its root in “faqiha.” Fiqh in Islamic literature is applied to knowledge of the Shari`ah and what would help obtain it, such as knowledge of the Arabic language, its grammar, or knowledge of principles of religion (Shawkani).

Speaking of knowledge, Qurtubi quotes several ahadith attributed to the Prophet expressing its importance. In one report he said,

فَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِي عَلَى أَدْنَاكُمْ

“The superiority of a knowledgeable person over one devoted to acts of worship (`alim) is like my superiority over the lowest of you.”

Tirmidhi recorded it but declared it weak (Au.).

Imam Shafe`i has said that to engage in obtaining knowledge is better than supererogatory prayers. Another hadith of Muslim says:

مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِى الدِّينِ وَلاَ تَزَالُ عِصَابَةٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ عَلَى مَنْ نَاوَأَهُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

“Whosoever Allah wished to show His grace, gave him the knowledge of this religion. And, a group of my Ummah will keep fighting for the truth, overcoming those who oppose them, until the Day of Judgment.” Qurtubi believes that the first part of the hadith is directly related to the second. (That is, knowledge of the religion leads to Jihad: Au.).

Alusi however has the following to offer. Imam Ghazali has said that among the first generation Muslims the word fiqh was used for:

i) knowledge of the Hereafter,

2) knowledge of the things harmful to the soul,

3) those things that destroyed the good effects of deeds,

4) the power to belittle this world,

5) an impassioned desire to obtain the blessings of the next world, and

6) the heart being overtaken by the fear (of Allah).

It was not used in the sense of the knowledge of the rules of divorce, trade, renting out buildings, etc. It is said that when Hasan (al Busri) replied to Farqad al Sanji over a question he had asked, Farqad told him ‘But the Fuqaha' have a different opinion.’ Hasan told him, ‘May your mother cry over you. Have you ever set your eyes on a Faqih? A Faqih is someone who is not inclined to this world, rather, is inclined to the Hereafter, well aware of the quality of his religion, all the time devoted to his Lord, abstains from touching upon the honor of the Muslims, disinterested in their possessions, and always concerned of their welfare.

254. As to who should teach whom, there have been two explanations: (i) those that go out into an expedition may gain circumstantial evidences of their religion and teach those that stayed back when they return; and (ii) those who stay back may engage themselves in learning their religion so as to teach the religion to their brothers returning from jihad. Tabari prefers the former explanation.

Alusi points out that one would have expected the Qur'an to say here ‘so that they might teach them,’ in place of ‘warn their people when they return to them,’ and, ‘so that they may learn’ instead of ‘so that they may act cautiously.’ This is to throw the hint that the objective of the teacher should be to warn, and the end result of the learning process should be to learn to fear.

With reference to the Mujahidin obtaining knowledge through their Jihad excursions, so that they could warn those who had stayed back, Sayyid discusses issues that have been missed by almost all commentators. He writes:

“Several opinions have come to us concerning the identity of those who should learn their religion and concerning those they should warn when they return. What seems to us as the right interpretation is that, not all believers should go out at once in an expedition. Rather, from every group of them, a few should go, others waiting for their turn in order that the group that sets out may understand, through Jihad, and, when they return, warn those who did not go in the expedition.

“This is the opinion of Ibn `Abbas and Hasan al Busri, and preferred by Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir. That is because this religion is a religion of the active people. Those who do not get active cannot understand it. Those who go out in Jihad are the most qualified to understand this religion, because of the realities, meanings and secrets of religion that they grasp as they travel about in the land, and because of the practical application of the verses of the Qur'an to real situations. Those who sit back need to obtain this understanding from those who were in the field for they would not have witnessed what those that had gone forth would have witnessed, and so would not understand the way they understand, failing to obtain the secrets of knowledge that those obtained who went forth, especially, when they were in the company of the Prophet...

“Maybe, what comes to mind as the meaning is the opposite of what we have stated that those who did not go forth, may engage themselves in learning, behind those who did. But this does not match with the spirit of this religion. Movement is the foundation stone of this religion. None will derive a good comprehension of this religion except those who move about (in a struggle), to establish this religion, to make it overcome pagandom - of all kinds by means of struggle in the field.

“Experience tells us that those who refuse to move out in the struggle, do not have a good understanding of this religion, notwithstanding how much they free themselves for its cold studies. The secrets of this religion open up for those alone who venture out in Jihad in order to establish the religion in the world of reality. It does not open up for those who are sunk in books, depending on written material alone...”