Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 9 At-Tawbah, Ayat 17-24
مَا كَانَ لِلۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَ اَنۡ يَّعۡمُرُوۡا مَسٰجِدَ اللّٰهِ شٰهِدِيۡنَ عَلٰٓى اَنۡفُسِهِمۡ بِالـكُفۡرِؕ اُولٰۤـئِكَ حَبِطَتۡ اَعۡمَالُهُمۡ ۖۚ وَ فِى النَّارِ هُمۡ خٰلِدُوۡنَ
﴿9:17﴾
اِنَّمَا يَعۡمُرُ مَسٰجِدَ اللّٰهِ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَاَ قَامَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَاٰتَى الزَّكٰوةَ وَلَمۡ يَخۡشَ اِلَّا اللّٰهَ فَعَسٰٓى اُولٰۤـئِكَ اَنۡ يَّكُوۡنُوۡا مِنَ الۡمُهۡتَدِيۡنَ
﴿9:18﴾
اَجَعَلۡتُمۡ سِقَايَةَ الۡحَـآجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الۡمَسۡجِدِ الۡحَـرَامِ كَمَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَجَاهَدَ فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ ؕ لَا يَسۡتَوٗنَ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ لَا يَهۡدِى الۡقَوۡمَ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَۘ
﴿9:19﴾
اَلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ هَاجَرُوۡا وَجَاهَدُوۡا فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ بِاَمۡوَالِهِمۡ وَاَنۡفُسِهِمۡۙ اَعۡظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِؕ وَاُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡفَآئِزُوۡنَ
﴿9:20﴾
يُبَشِّرُهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ بِرَحۡمَةٍ مِّنۡهُ وَرِضۡوَانٍ وَّجَنّٰتٍ لَّهُمۡ فِيۡهَا نَعِيۡمٌ مُّقِيۡمٌ ۙ
﴿9:21﴾
خٰلِدِيۡنَ فِيۡهَاۤ اَبَدًا ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عِنۡدَهٗۤ اَجۡرٌ عَظِيۡمٌ
﴿9:22﴾
يٰۤاَ يُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تَتَّخِذُوۡۤا اٰبَآءَكُمۡ وَاِخۡوَانَـكُمۡ اَوۡلِيَآءَ اِنِ اسۡتَحَبُّوا الۡـكُفۡرَ عَلَى الۡاِيۡمَانِ ؕ وَمَنۡ يَّتَوَلَّهُمۡ مِّنۡكُمۡ فَاُولٰۤـئِكَ هُمُ الظّٰلِمُوۡنَ
﴿9:23﴾
قُلۡ اِنۡ كَانَ اٰبَآؤُكُمۡ وَاَبۡنَآؤُكُمۡ وَاِخۡوَانُكُمۡ وَاَزۡوَاجُكُمۡ وَعَشِيۡرَتُكُمۡ وَ اَمۡوَالُ ۨاقۡتَرَفۡتُمُوۡهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخۡشَوۡنَ كَسَادَهَا وَ مَسٰكِنُ تَرۡضَوۡنَهَاۤ اَحَبَّ اِلَيۡكُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَرَسُوۡلِهٖ وَ جِهَادٍ فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِهٖ فَتَرَ بَّصُوۡا حَتّٰى يَاۡتِىَ اللّٰهُ بِاَمۡرِهٖ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ لَا يَهۡدِى الۡقَوۡمَ الۡفٰسِقِيۡنَ
﴿9:24﴾
[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. [9:18] It only becomes those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and establish
Prayer and pay Zakah and fear none but Allah to visit and tend the mosques of
Allah. These are likely to be guided aright. [9:19] Do you consider providing water to the Pilgrims and tending the Sacred
Mosque equal in worth to believing in Allah and the Last Day and striving in
the cause of Allah?21 The two are not equal with Allah. Allah does
not direct the wrong-doing folk to the Right Way. [9:20] The higher rank with Allah is for those who believed and migrated
and strove in His cause with their belongings and their persons. It is they
who are triumphant. [9:21] Their Lord gives them glad tidings of mercy from Him and of His good
pleasure. For them await Gardens of eternal bliss. [9:22] Therein they shall abide forever. Surely with Allah a mighty reward
awaits them. [9:23] Believers, do not take your fathers and your brothers for your allies
if they choose unbelief in preference to belief. Whosoever of you takes them
as allies those are wrong-doers. [9:24] Tell them, (O Prophet): "If your fathers and your sons and your brothers
and your wives and your tribe and the riches you have acquired and the commerce
of which you fear a slackening, and the dwellings that you love, if they are
dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait
until Allah brings about His decree.22 Allah does not guide the evil-doing
folk."
Notes
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.
21. This question has been posed to bring home the fact that the guardianship
of a shrine or attendance at it or other religious acts that are done for show,
and are exploited by worldly people to establish and maintain the show of their
piety, have no value whatsoever in the sight of Allah. The real worth of a person
with Allah is that he should be sincere in his beliefs and make sacrifices in
the Way of Allah, no matter whether he enjoys or does not enjoy such distinctions
or happens to descend or not from a family of saints. On the contrary, those
people who lack these excellences have no value with Allah, no matter whether
they be the descendants of saints or inherit the guardianship of shrines from
a long line of saints, or perform some religious acts for show on special occasions.
And it is not lawful in any way that the guardianship, etc. of sacred places
and institutions should be left in the hands of these worthless people just
because they happen to inhere such rights from their forefathers.
22. That is: “The judgment will deprive them of the blessings of the true
faith, and of the honor of bearing its standard and leading the world towards
its guidance and bestow these on others”.