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 15-17وَ یُذْهِبْAnd removeغَیْظَ(the) angerقُلُوْبِهِمْ ؕ(of) their heartsوَ یَتُوْبُAnd accepts repentanceاللّٰهُAllahعَلٰیofمَنْwhomیَّشَآءُ ؕHe willsوَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahعَلِیْمٌ(is) All-Knowerحَكِیْمٌ All-Wise اَمْOrحَسِبْتُمْ(do) you thinkاَنْthatتُتْرَكُوْاyou would be leftوَ لَمَّاwhile notیَعْلَمِAllah made evidentاللّٰهُAllah made evidentالَّذِیْنَthose whoجٰهَدُوْاstriveمِنْكُمْamong youوَ لَمْand notیَتَّخِذُوْاtakeمِنْbesides Allahدُوْنِbesides Allahاللّٰهِbesides Allahوَ لَاand notرَسُوْلِهٖHis Messengerوَ لَاand notالْمُؤْمِنِیْنَthe believersوَلِیْجَةً ؕ(as) intimatesوَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahخَبِیْرٌۢ(is) All-Awareبِمَاof whatتَعْمَلُوْنَ۠you do مَا(It) is notكَانَ(It) is notلِلْمُشْرِكِیْنَfor the polytheistsاَنْthatیَّعْمُرُوْاthey maintainمَسٰجِدَ(the) masajid of Allahاللّٰهِ(the) masajid of Allahشٰهِدِیْنَ(while) witnessingعَلٰۤیagainstاَنْفُسِهِمْthemselvesبِالْكُفْرِ ؕ[with] disbeliefاُولٰٓىِٕكَ(For) thoseحَبِطَتْworthlessاَعْمَالُهُمْ ۖۚ(are) their deedsوَ فِیand inالنَّارِthe Fireهُمْtheyخٰلِدُوْنَ (will) abide forever

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Translation of Verse 15-17

[9:15] and will remove rage from their hearts, and will enable whomsoever He wills to repent.¹⁷ Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

[9:16] Do you imagine that you will be spared without being subjected to any test? Know well that Allah has not yet determined who strove hard (in His cause), and has not taken any others instead of His Messenger and the believers as his trusted allies?¹⁸ Allah is well aware of all that you do.

[9:17] It does not become those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity to visit and tend Allah's mosques while they bear witness of unbelief against themselves.¹⁹ All their works have gone to waste.²⁰ They shall abide in the Fire.

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Commentary

17. This was a subtle reference to the possibility of what actually was going to happen afterwards. “And He will remove”: this was to remove the misunderstandings of the Muslims who apprehended a bloody war as a result of the declaration. They were told that it was also possible that some of the enemies might repent and embrace Islam. This was not made quite plain lest it should slacken the war preparations of the Muslims on one side and weaken the force of the warning to the mushriks on the other. The latter thing might have hindered the mushriks from giving a serious thought to the critical position they were in that finally led them to embrace Islam.

18. The addressees in Ayat 16 were those Muslims who had recently embraced Islam. It means to tell them plainly: “Now that you have embraced Islam, you shall have to give a genuine proof by a trial that you have accepted it because you believe in its truth and not because it has become supreme in the country by the exertions of the true believers. The trial is that you shall have to sacrifice your lives, wealth, and your near and dear ones for the sake of Allah and His Way. Then and only then, you will be regarded as true believers.

19. This lays down the general principle for the guardianship of the places of worship that have been built exclusively for the worship of Allah. Obviously, those people who associate others with Allah in His essence, His rights and His powers cannot be the proper persons to be the guardians, the servants, the managers etc. of such sacred places. And when they themselves reject the invitations to Tauhid, and openly declare that they are not going to dedicate their worship and obedience exclusively o Allah, they automatically forfeit any right they had for the guardianship of such places of worship that had been built for the worship of Allah alone. Though the principle is of a general nature, it has been mentioned here with the particular object of removing the mushriks from the guardianship of the Kaabah and Masjid-i-Haram and establishing permanently the guardianship of the worshipers of one God over them.

20. “Their deeds have become worthless”: including the little real service they did to the house of Allah because they mixed with it shirk and other practices of ignorance. Their little good was destroyed by their far greater evils.