Surah At-Tawbah 9:90-99 - Quran Translation Commentary

(9:90) And those with excuses from among the bedouins¹⁸⁴ came up to you to be permitted (to stay back);¹⁸⁵ while those sat back (without permission) who were false to Allah and His Messenger.¹⁸⁶ Surely, a painful chastisement will strike those of them who disbelieved.¹⁸⁷

(9:91) There is no sin upon the weak,¹⁸⁸ nor upon the sick, neither upon those who do not find anything to spend,¹⁸⁹ so long as they are true to Allah and His Messenger.¹⁹⁰ There is no ground (for punishment) of those who do (things) well;¹⁹¹ and Allah is All-forgiving, All-kind.

(9:92) Nor is there (any blame) on such of those who came to you for you to mount them. You said to them, ‘I do not find anything to mount you upon,'¹⁹² they turned with their eyes overflowing with tears of grief, because they could not find anything to spend.¹⁹³

(9:93) Surely there are grounds (for punishment) against those who seek excuse of you although they are rich. They were well pleased to be with those who stayed back.¹⁹⁴ Allah has set a seal on their hearts, therefore, they realize not.

(9:94| They will put forward excuses to you when you return to them. Say, ‘Offer no excuses. We will never believe you. Allah has already informed us of your tidings.¹⁹⁵ Nevertheless, Allah will observe your (future) actions, and (so will) His Messenger. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Seen, and He will let you know what you were doing.'¹⁹⁶

(9:95) When you return to them they will swear by Allah so that you ignore them. Shun them.¹⁹⁷ They are unclean. Their abode is Jahannum, a recompense for what they were earning.¹⁹⁸

(9:96) They swear for your sake, so that you may be pleased with them. But, even if you are pleased with them, surely Allah is not pleased with an ungodly people.¹⁹⁹

(9:97) The bedouin Arabs²⁰⁰ are severest in disbelief and hypocrisy²⁰¹ and deserve not to know the bounds²⁰² of what Allah has sent down on His Messenger.²⁰³ And Allah is All knowing, All wise.

(9:98) Among the bedouin Arabs are those who treat what they expend as a penalty²⁰⁴ and await disasters for you. Upon them is an evil disaster. And Allah is All hearing, All knowing.

(9:99) On the other hand, among the bedouin Arabs there are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day and treat what they expend as (a means of) nearness to Allah and (for obtaining) supplications²⁰⁵ of the Messenger. Lo! For them it is a (means of) nearness (to Allah).²⁰⁶ Allah will surely admit them into His mercy. Surely, Allah is All forgiving, All merciful.

Commentary

184. After speaking of the town hypocrites, Allah now takes up the case of the country hypocrites (Alusi).

185. The understanding of Ibn `Abbas, based on a variant reading, is that the reference by this part of the verse ("The excuse seeking bedouins showed up asking for leave [to stay back"]) is to a few bedouins who had good reasons to be excused from participating in the Tabuk expedition. So, they were excused. The later part of the verse ("and sat back those who were false to Allah and His Messenger") starting with an "and" is indicative of another meaning derived from the earlier part of the verse. This verse then, is speaking of two kinds of people. Those Bebouins who sought excuse on good grounds, and so were excused, and others who sat back being false to Allah and His Messenger. Another opinion is that the whole verse is speaking of one class of people. But the opinion of Ibn `Abbas seems to be more correct (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

This happens to be the opinion of Zajjaj, Farra' and Ibn al Anbari also (Shawkani).

Rashid Rida writes: Another possible reading of the term mu`azzirun is mu`zirun (with single ‘z’ those seeking forgiveness). The beauty in the choice of the word is that the two readings together allow for several meanings, covering a wide range of bedouin attitudes. Among them were some who had good reasons to stay back. Others thought they had good reasons, but actually did not, (they needed to look hard into their situation), since at heart they knew that they did not have a honest reason to stay back. Then there were some who had weak reasons. They knew that investigation could expose the true cause for staying back. And there were others who had no reason whatsoever. They were liars. The readings cover all these kinds of people. This is the power of the Qur'an that no man can imitate.

186. That is, this class of people never showed up. They did not bother to either seek exemption before the expedition, nor offered any excuse thereafter (based on Rashid Rida).

187. Many of those who stayed back became true Muslims later. Hence the addition of the clause "of them" in the verse, viz., "A painful chastisement will strike those of them who remain unbelievers" (Au.).

188. Men of advanced age, women, children and the handicap are covered by the term "weak."

189. Rashid Rida clarifies a point: The mujahidin are required to bear their own expenses of Jihad. Therefore, those who do not find means for the journey, or for the dependents they leave behind, will be excused. However, if the state provides the expenses, then there can be no excuse.

Ibn Kathir, Shawkani and others state a few ahadith about those who could not participate because of a good reason. One hadith in ibn Abi Hatim (and Abu Da'ud: Qurtubi) says,

لقد خلفتم بالمدينة أقواماً ما أنفقتم من نفقة ولا قطعتم وادياً ولا نلتم من عدو نيلاً إلا وقد شركوكم في الأجر" ثم قرأ: وَلا عَلَى الَّذِينَ إِذَا مَا أَتَوْكَ لِتَحْمِلَهُمْ قُلْتَ لا أَجِدُ مَا أَحْمِلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ

"You did not spend anything, did not cross a valley, nor did you meet with an enemy, but there are people you have left behind in Madinah who shared the rewards with you." Then he recited the verse, " Nor is there (any blame) on such of those who came to you for you to mount them. You said to them, ‘I do not find anything to mount you

The Sahihayn have a similar narration. It says,

إِنَّ بِالْمَدِينَةِ أَقْوَامًا مَا سِرْتُمْ مَسِيرًا وَلَا قَطَعْتُمْ وَادِيًا إِلَّا كَانُوا مَعَكُمْ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَهُمْ بِالْمَدِينَةِ قَالَ وَهُمْ بِالْمَدِينَةِ حَبَسَهُمْ الْعُذْرُ

"There are people in Madinah who, you did not travel (on plain ground), nor did you cross a valley, but they were with you." They asked, "Messenger of Allah, while they are in Madinah?" He replied, "(Yes) while they are in Madinah. A good reason held them back."

190. What is the meaning of the word "nasahu" translated here as being true? Qurtubi notes that "nasihah" implies a deed devoid of any deception. Hence "tawbatu al nasuh" of the Qur'an (66: 8). Naftawayh has said that "nasihah" is sincerity. The Prophet said in a hadith of Muslim,

قال: "الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ": قُلْنَا لِمَنْ قَالَ: لِلَّهِ وَلِكِتَابِهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَعَامَّتِهِمْ

"Religion is nasihah," repeating it three times. They asked, "Nasihah for whom O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "Nasihah for Allah, His Messenger, His Book, leaders of the ‘mmah and the ordinary Muslims."

In this hadith, nasihah has been used in the sense of sincerity. Scholars have explained that "nasihah" for Allah would mean to believe in His Oneness, attributing to Him the Attributes of Lordship and declaring Him free of any defect. It would include hastening up to act according to His commands and avoiding those deeds that evoke His anger. "Nasihah" for Allah's Book would imply studying, understanding, and living in accordance with it. "Nasihah" for the Messenger requires belief in his Messengership, obedience him in all affairs, loving him and his kinsfolk, befriending his friends and antagonizing his enemies, respecting him and his Sunnah, and reviving them after his death. "Nasihah" for the leaders would mean not revolting against them, guiding them to what is right, obeying them, and reminding them about their duties toward the Muslims. And "nasihah" for the Muslims in general would mean to look after their interests, supplicating for them, and loving the pious among them (Qurtubi).

Imam Razi adds that in this particular context, exercising nasihah toward Allah and His Messenger meant that if they opted to stay in the town, in preference of going out to participate in a campaign, they were not to spread mischief, rather attend to the needs of the Mujahidin who left for the front, and serving the families they left behind.

191. Ibn Kathir notes that once Bilal b. Sa`d was leading the Prayers for rain (Salat al Istisqa). He turned to the people and asked, "People. Do you not admit that you who have committed evil?" They said, "By Allah, yes, we do." He supplicated, "O Allah, we have heard You saying, ‘There is no ground (for punishment) of those who do well.' Now, we admit that we have done evil. Therefore, forgive us, show us mercy and send down rains." He raised his hands, the people raised their hands, and the rains came down.

192. The beauty in not naming the kind of mount in the words, "I do not find anything to mount you," is that room is left for the means of conveyance that would be developed later by the humans (Rashid Rida).

193. It is reported that a group of people, including `Irbad b. Sariyyah and `Abdullah ibn Mughaffal (as well as Ma`qal b. Yasar: Shawkani) went up to the Prophet requesting him to provide them with mounts so that they could participate in the Tabuk expedition. The Prophet expressed his inability to do so. (To some he did provide as recorded by Bukhari and Muslim: Qurtubi). They returned disappointed with their eyes overflowing with tears of grief (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

The textual word haml (of "ahmilukum") can also be understood as something that can carry the weight of a person on his feet, such as, a pair of shoes (Au.).

Ibn al Mundhir has reported someone of Juhaynah tribe as saying, "We met some of those who had gone to the Prophet seeking something to mount. They told us, ‘We did not ask for camels. We had only asked for shoes that could carry us'" (Shawkani).

194. The verse hit those who prided on strength, courage, masculinity and warring abilities hardest where it hurt most: You seem to be pleased to sit back with women and children! (Based on a point from Rashid Rida).

195. Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu al Sheikh have reported Suddi as saying that the Prophet instructed his Companions, "Do not talk to them, do not sit with them. Avoid them as Allah has instructed you" (Shawkani).

196. Sayyid clears a doubt that often arises in the minds of those who cannot distinguish between the human point of view and the Divine point of view: "The Unseen and the Seen are with reference to the humans. Equal unto Allah are the Unseen and the Seen."

197. With some modification, Zamakhshari's note could be paraphrased in the following words: "Avoid them": that is, do not reproach them. It is decent men who care for their character and when reproached over sins and errors, feel ashamed. But these people are unclean: unclean of heart and tainted of faith. Reproach will have no effect on them.

198. It is reported that when the Prophet (saws) returned from the Tabuk journey, those who had stayed behind began to roll in, swearing that they had very good reasons for staying back. They were upward of eighty men. The Prophet accepted them and their excuses on their face value. Allah (swt) revealed this verse (Ibn Jarir).

199. The textual word is "fasiqin." In its original the word "fasaqa" means to come out. Here it means to come out with the intention of corruption. Hence a rat is called "fuwaysaqa" because it comes out of its hole to spread pollution. When dates appear in their bunch, it is said, "fasaqat al rutbatu." In Islamic terminology, "fasaqa" is to cross the boundaries of Islamic law, although verbally acknowledging the legitimacy of Islam. Further, the verse implies that if Allah is not pleased with certain people, for whatever reason, then anyone who is pleased with them would be considered a fasiq as well (Au.).

200. Imam Razi points out that the textual word "A`raab" is not the plural of `Arab; rather, it is the plural of A`raabiyy. Linguistically, A`raabiyy is someone who lives in the deserts. In contrast, those who live in the (Arabian) towns are called "`Arab", singular: "`Arabiyy" on the condition that they speak the Arabic language. Accordingly, Muhajirun and Ansar cannot be referred to as A`raab. In fact, even a bedouin is upset when addressed as an A`raabiyy, but pleased when called an `Arab. And, Arabic language of course, is the most eloquent of languages.

Then, perhaps noting the complete decline (by his time) of the Arab contribution to science, arts, culture and civilization, he adds that he read somewhere the following: The wisdom of the Romans is in their brains, for the wonderful devices that they invent; the wisdom of the Indians is in their superstitious beliefs; the wisdom of the Greeks is in their hearts for all their intellectualization; and the wisdom of the Arabs is in their tongue for the sweetness of their words!

201. With these words Allah warned the Prophet that (just as the city dwellers), the bedouin Arabs could also be divided into three categories: unbelievers, hypocrites and believers, probably meaning that political or economic reasons were not the only causes of hypocrisy and unbelief. The Prophet had to be warned that unbelief and hypocrisy of the bedouins was of the severest type, coming from a people coarse of manners, tough of bodies, and hard of hearts (Au.).

202. The term "hudud" refers to the obligatory commands vis a vis the lawful and unlawful in Islam.

203. Why should the bedouin Arabs be so described? It is because living away from the civilizing life of the cities, in the difficult climate of the deserts, more in the company of animals than mankind, exposed to extreme heat, cold, hunger, thirst and other hardships, they are rendered tough of body and coarse of mind and sentiment. In addition, they miss the company of the learned men. These factors made the quality of the bedouin hypocrisy so severe that it was best for them not to know the revelations of Allah. They would only apply the commandments to everyone's disadvantage. Hence we notice that the Prophet insisted that the Arabs of the outlying areas necessarily visit him after their Islam and spend some time in Madinan atmosphere (Au.).

In the words of Asad: "Owing to their nomadic way of life and its inherent hardship and crudity, the bedouin find it more difficult than do settled people to be guided by ethical imperatives unconnected with their immediate tribal interests a difficulty which is still further enhanced by their physical distance from the centers of higher culture and, consequently, their comparative ignorance of many religious demands. It was for this reason that the Prophet often stressed the superiority of a settled mode of life to a nomadic one: cf. his saying, "He who dwells in the desert (al badiyah) becomes rough in indisposition", recorded by Tirmidhi, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i and Ibn Hanbal on the authority of Ibn `Abbas, and a similar tradition on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, by Abu Da'ud and Bayhaqi."

It is reported that Zayd b. Sawhan was talking to his students when a bedouin happened to drop by. Ibn Sawhan had lost a hand in the famous Nahawind battle. The bedouin remarked, "By Allah, your words sound beautiful but your hand renders me skeptic." Sawhan asked, "Why should my hand render you skeptic when it is the left hand?" The bedouin replied, "By God. I do not know whether they cut the left or the right hand (when one commits theft)." Zayd b. Sawhan said, "Allah spoke the truth when he said, ‘The bedouin Arabs are the severest in disbelief and hypocrisy and deserve that they remain ignorant of the bounds of what Allah has sent down to His Messenger'" (Ibn Jarir).

The verse tells us by implication, how important it is to seek the company of scholars (Thanwi).

Ibn Kathir adds: Accordingly, the Prophet has said in a hadith of Abu Da'ud, Tirmidhi and Nasa'i,

مَنْ سَكَنَ الْبَادِيَةَ جَفَا وَمَنْ تَبِعَ الصَّيْدَ غَفَلَ وَمَنْ أَتَى السُّلْطَانَ افْتُتِنَ.

"Whoever lived in the deserts suffered hardness of heart; whoever followed a game, became heedless; and whoever went to a ruler (seeking material help), faced a trial." (The hadith is sahih: S. Ibrahim).

Accordingly Allah did not send a Messenger to the countryside as He said (12: 109):

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى [يوسف : 109]

"And We did not raise a Messenger before you but men, and of the people of the cities sending messages to them." And hence too, when the Prophet was given a gift by a bedouin, he had to return in good measure before the man was happy. That led him to say,

لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ لَا أَقْبَلَ هَدِيَّةً إِلَّا مِنْ قُرَشِيٍّ أَوْ أَنْصَارِيٍّ أَوْ ثَقَفِيٍّ أَوْ دَوْسِيٍّ

"I intend not to accept a gift from anyone but a Qurashi, Thaqafi, Ansari or Dawsi."

Those mentioned by him lived in the major towns of the time: Makkah, Ta'if, Madinah and Yemen, much softer of hearts when compared to the hard hearted bedouins. There is another report which confirms the hardened attitudes of the bedouins. It is in Muslim. It reports `A'isha as saying,

قَدِمَ نَاسٌ مِنَ الأَعْرَابِ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فَقَالُوا أَتُقَبِّلُونَ صِبْيَانَكُمْ فَقَالُوا نَعَمْ. فَقَالُوا لَكِنَّا وَاللَّهِ مَا نُقَبِّلُ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- وَأَمْلِكُ إِنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ نَزَعَ مِنْكُمُ الرَّحْمَةَ

"Some bedouins came into town. One of them asked while in the presence of the Prophet, ‘Do you kiss your children?' The people replied, ‘Yes, we do.' They said, ‘We never do.' The Prophet remarked, ‘Do I have any say if Allah has withdrawn kindness from your hearts?'"

Alusi warns however, that one need not be swept into prejudice, for it is some of them that were so described by the Qur'an, not all. Ibn Sirin used to say therefore, that whoever reads this verse should also read the next one which speaks of the believing bedouins.

204. Thanwi notes from Ruh that whoever thought himself as the owner of what he possesses will reckon giving away a little in the way of Allah as plenty.

205. The textual word is "salawat" plural of "salah" which has its root in "sala." In the noun-form "salah" means prayers and supplications. Here it means supplications (of forgiveness that the Prophet would make for them) Au.

Rashid Rida comments: When Allah uses the word Salah for Himself, such as in verse 43 of surah Al Ahzab, then it means "to send mercy." When it is used for angels as in verse 56, or when used by the Prophet, as in this present verse and, when used by the believers for the Prophet, as again in verse 56, then it means "to supplicate" or "to seek forgiveness" from Allah.

Alusi cautions that by common agreement the supplicatory words "Salat wa salam" may not be used for other than the Prophets. It would not be appropriate to say, for instance, "`Ali `alayhi al salam." Not that linguistically or religiously that's not allowable. But the understanding is that the honorific phrase is reserved for Prophets and Messengers; just as linguistically it will not be wrong to say, "Muhammad, `azza wa jalla," since, the Prophet was after all, the honored and exalted one; but, the words have been reserved for Allah `azza wa jalla.

The above of course has to be observed when the phrase, either "salla Allah `alayhi" or "`alayhi al salam" is used for individuals other than Prophets and Messengers. When others of the lower order are included along with one of them, then there is no harm. In fact we say all the time: "Allah humma salli `ala Muhammad, wa `alaa alihi wa ashabihi ajma`in" (Au.).

206. If these bedouin Arabs were different from other hypocritical Arabs, it was because having believed, they enjoyed access to the scholars and were able to get rid of the evil side of character (based on Thanwi).

Shabbir notices the normally unnoticed. He writes: Glory to Allah. It is the same bedouin Arabs, who, (exposed to the difficult climate of the deserts, more in the company of animals than mankind, exposed to extreme heat, cold, hunger, thirst and other hardships: Au.), tough of body and coarse of heart, who did not deserve to know the revelation, were turned by the miraculous Qur'an and by the company of the Prophet, into such `arifin (as to earn Allah's praise).