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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
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 Surah At-Tawbah 9:123-125 [16/16] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْO you who believe!
قَـٰتِلُواْFight
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
يَلُونَكُم(are) close to you
مِّنَof
ٱلْكُفَّارِthe disbelievers,
وَلْيَجِدُواْand let them find
فِيكُمْin you
غِلْظَةً‌ۚharshness.
وَٱعْلَمُوٓاْAnd know
أَنَّthat
ٱللَّهَAllah
مَعَ(is) with
ٱلْمُتَّقِينَthose who fear (Him).
﴿١٢٣﴾
وَإِذَا مَآAnd whenever
أُنزِلَتْis revealed
سُورَةٌa Surah,
فَمِنْهُمamong them
مَّن(are some) who
يَقُولُsay,
أَيُّكُمْ"Which of you
زَادَتْهُ(has) increased [it]
هَـٰذِهِۦٓ(by) this
إِيمَـٰنًا‌ۚ(in) faith?"
فَأَمَّاAs for
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
ءَامَنُواْbelieve
فَزَادَتْهُمْthen it has increased them
إِيمَـٰنًا(in) faith
وَهُمْand they
يَسْتَبْشِرُونَrejoice.
﴿١٢٤﴾
وَأَمَّاBut as for
ٱلَّذِينَthose,
فِىin
قُلُوبِهِمtheir hearts
مَّرَضٌ(is) a disease,
فَزَادَتْهُمْ(it) increases them
رِجْسًا(in) evil
إِلَىٰto
رِجْسِهِمْtheir evil.
وَمَاتُواْAnd they die
وَهُمْwhile they
كَـٰفِرُونَ(are) disbelievers.
﴿١٢٥﴾

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا قَاتِلُوا الَّذِيۡنَ يَلُوۡنَكُمۡ مِّنَ الۡكُفَّارِ وَلۡيَجِدُوۡا فِيۡكُمۡ غِلۡظَةً​  ؕ وَاعۡلَمُوۡاۤ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَ الۡمُتَّقِيۡنَ‏  وَاِذَا مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَتۡ سُوۡرَةٌ فَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ يَّقُوۡلُ اَيُّكُمۡ زَادَتۡهُ هٰذِهٖۤ اِيۡمَانًا​ ۚ فَاَمَّا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا فَزَادَتۡهُمۡ اِيۡمَانًا وَّهُمۡ يَسۡتَبۡشِرُوۡنَ‏  وَاَمَّا الَّذِيۡنَ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ مَّرَضٌ فَزَادَتۡهُمۡ رِجۡسًا اِلٰى رِجۡسِهِمۡ وَمَاتُوۡا وَهُمۡ كٰفِرُوۡنَ‏ 
Translation
[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.
Commentary

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.