Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 9 At-Tawbah, Ayat 123-129

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا قَاتِلُوا الَّذِيۡنَ يَلُوۡنَكُمۡ مِّنَ الۡكُفَّارِ وَلۡيَجِدُوۡا فِيۡكُمۡ غِلۡظَةً​  ؕ وَاعۡلَمُوۡاۤ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَ الۡمُتَّقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿9:123﴾ وَاِذَا مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَتۡ سُوۡرَةٌ فَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ يَّقُوۡلُ اَيُّكُمۡ زَادَتۡهُ هٰذِهٖۤ اِيۡمَانًا​ ۚ فَاَمَّا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا فَزَادَتۡهُمۡ اِيۡمَانًا وَّهُمۡ يَسۡتَبۡشِرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿9:124﴾ وَاَمَّا الَّذِيۡنَ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ مَّرَضٌ فَزَادَتۡهُمۡ رِجۡسًا اِلٰى رِجۡسِهِمۡ وَمَاتُوۡا وَهُمۡ كٰفِرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿9:125﴾ اَوَلَا يَرَوۡنَ اَنَّهُمۡ يُفۡتَـنُوۡنَ فِىۡ كُلِّ عَامٍ مَّرَّةً اَوۡ مَرَّتَيۡنِ ثُمَّ لَا يَتُوۡبُوۡنَ وَلَا هُمۡ يَذَّكَّرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿9:126﴾ وَاِذَا مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَتۡ سُوۡرَةٌ نَّظَرَ بَعۡضُهُمۡ اِلٰى بَعۡضٍؕ هَلۡ يَرٰٮكُمۡ مِّنۡ اَحَدٍ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفُوۡا​ ؕ صَرَفَ اللّٰهُ قُلُوۡبَهُمۡ بِاَنَّهُمۡ قَوۡمٌ لَّا يَفۡقَهُوۡنَ‏ ﴿9:127﴾ لَـقَدۡ جَآءَكُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡ اَنۡفُسِكُمۡ عَزِيۡزٌ عَلَيۡهِ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ حَرِيۡصٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡ بِالۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ رَءُوۡفٌ رَّحِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿9:128﴾ فَاِنۡ تَوَلَّوۡا فَقُلۡ حَسۡبِىَ اللّٰهُ ۖ  لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ ؕ عَلَيۡهِ تَوَكَّلۡتُ​ ؕ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الۡعَرۡشِ الۡعَظِيۡمِ‏ ﴿9:129﴾

[9:123] Believers! Fight against the unbelievers who live around you;121 and let them find in you sternness.122 Know that Allah is with the God-fearing.123 [9:124] And whenever a new surah is revealed some of the hypocrites ask the believers (in jest): "Whose faith has increased because of this?" As for those who believe, it will certainly increase their faith, and they are joyful over that. [9:125] But those whose hearts are affected with the disease (of hypocrisy), every new surah added a fresh abomination to their abomination.124 They remained unbelievers till their death. [9:126] Do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice?125 Yet they neither repent nor take heed. [9:127] And whenever a surah is revealed, they glance at each other as though saying: "Is anyone watching?" Then they slip away.126 Allah has turned away their hearts for they are a people who are bereft of understanding.127 [9:128] There has come to you a Messenger of Allah from among yourselves, who is distressed by the losses you sustain, who is ardently desirous of your welfare and is tender and merciful to those that believe. [9:129] Yet, if they should turn away, then tell them: "Allah is sufficient for me; there is no god but He. In Him I have put my trust. He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne."

Notes

121. From the apparent wording of this verse, it may be inferred that only those Muslims have at first been held responsible to fight with those enemies of Islam who live near their territory. But if we read this verse along with the succeeding passage, it becomes clear that here disbelievers who are near you refers to those hypocrites who were doing great harm to the Islamic society by mixing up with the sincere Muslims. This very thing was stated in Ayat 73 at the beginning of this discourse. The command has been repeated at its end in order to impress on the Muslims the importance of the matter and to urge them to do Jihad and crush these internal enemies, without paying the least regard to the racial, family and social relations that had been proving a binding force with them. The only difference between the two commands is that in Ayat 73, the Muslims were asked to do Jihad with them, while in this verse stronger words “fight those” have been used, which were meant to impress on them that they should crush the hypocrites thoroughly and completely. Another difference in the wordings is that in Ayat 73, two different words, “disbelievers and hypocrites” have been used, while in this verse only one word, “disbelievers” has been used so that the hypocrites should forfeit all their claims as Muslims. For there was room for this concession in the word hypocrite.

122. This is meant to impress that they should not, in future, show the lenient treatment they had been meting out to them up to that time. This has already been commanded in Ayat 73 as be firm and stern with them.

123. This warning has two-fold meanings and both are implied here. First, If you show any kind of leniency towards them because of your personal or family or economic connections with them, you should know that such a thing shall be against the fear of God. For the fear of God and friendly relations with the enemies of Allah are contradictory things. Therefore, you should give these up if you desire to obtain Allah’s help. Secondly, You should scrupulously observe the moral and humane limits in doing Jihad, and in fighting against them. For you should always keep yourselves within the prescribed limits in everything. If you transgress these in any way, you should know that Allah will forsake you for He helps only those who are Godfearing.

124. As regards the increase and decrease in faith, disbelief and hypocrisy, please refer to E.N.2 of Surah Al-Anfal.

125. That is, during the course of every year such circumstances are created as put to test once or twice their claim to the faith, and these disclose that their profession of Islam was like a counterfeit coin. For instance, some time their faith is tested by: (a) A commandment of the Quran which lays some new restriction on their lust or by; (b) A demand of the faith that hits hard at their self interests or by; (c) an internal dispute which discloses their preference for worldly interests and for their personal, family and clannish relations to Allah, His Messenger and the faith or by; (d) A war that requires the sacrifice of their lives, wealth, time and energies. All these tests help bring to the open that filth of hypocrisy that lay hidden in their hearts under the garb of the profession of Islam. Besides, these things increase that filth which had already gathered in their hearts because of their deviations from the implications of the faith.

126. This happened when the hypocrites had to attend a meeting that was specially held for the recital of some new Surah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite as an address every new Surah before the assembly. The true believers would listen to it very attentively and respectfully. But the hypocrites, who had to attend the meeting to show that they were Muslims, would sit listlessly in the meeting for they had no interest in the recital. But when they would be assured that their attendance had been marked, they would look for an opportune moment to slip away without being seen and noticed.

127. Allah has turned away their hearts from the Quran, because they do not understand that it is in their own interest to listen to the Quran and to act upon its teachings. These foolish people do not realize that by ignoring the Quran and the Prophet (peace be upon him), they in fact deprive themselves of a great blessing. As they are deeply engaged in their own narrow interests, they do not see that the great knowledge of the Quran and the right guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him) has the potentiality of making them the leaders of this world, and of bringing salvation to them in the next world. As a result of their folly and neglect of the great blessing, Allah has, in accordance with His law, deprived them of the capacity of making use of this blessing and turned away their hearts from it. That is why these unfortunate, people do not even feel the great loss they are suffering, while the blessed people are taking full advantage of this great fountainhead of power and strength and are preparing themselves for achieving the greatest success that human beings could ever achieve.