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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah At-Tawbah 9:17-22 [3/16] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
مَا كَانَ(It) is not
لِلْمُشْرِكِينَfor the polytheists
أَنthat
يَعْمُرُواْthey maintain
مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ(the) masajid of Allah
شَـٰهِدِينَ(while) witnessing
عَلَىٰٓagainst
أَنفُسِهِمthemselves
بِٱلْكُفْرِ‌ۚ[with] disbelief.
أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ(For) those,
حَبِطَتْworthless
أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ(are) their deeds,
وَفِىand in
ٱلنَّارِthe Fire
هُمْthey
خَـٰلِدُونَ(will) abide forever.
﴿١٧﴾
إِنَّمَاOnly
يَعْمُرُwill maintain
مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ(the) masajid of Allah
مَنْ(the one) who
ءَامَنَbelieves
بِٱللَّهِin Allah
وَٱلْيَوْمِand the Day
ٱلْأَخِرِthe Last,
وَأَقَامَand establishes
ٱلصَّلَوٲةَthe prayer
وَءَاتَىand gives
ٱلزَّكَوٲةَthe zakah
وَلَمْand not
يَخْشَfear
إِلَّاexcept
ٱللَّهَ‌ۖAllah.
فَعَسَىٰٓThen perhaps
أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَthose,
أَن[that]
يَكُونُواْthey are
مِنَof
ٱلْمُهْتَدِينَthe guided ones.
﴿١٨﴾
۞ أَجَعَلْتُمْDo you make
سِقَايَةَthe providing of water
ٱلْحَآجِّ(to) the pilgrims
وَعِمَارَةَand (the) maintenance
ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ(of) Al-Masjid Al-Haraam
كَمَنْlike (the one) who
ءَامَنَbelieves
بِٱللَّهِin Allah
وَٱلْيَوْمِand the Day
ٱلْأَخِرِthe Last,
وَجَـٰهَدَand strives
فِىin
سَبِيلِ(the) way
ٱللَّهِ‌ۚ(of) Allah?
لَا يَسْتَوُۥنَThey are not equal
عِندَnear
ٱللَّهِ‌ۗAllah.
وَٱللَّهُAnd Allah
لَا(does) not
يَهْدِىguide
ٱلْقَوْمَthe people -
ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَthe wrongdoers.
﴿١٩﴾
ٱلَّذِينَThose who
ءَامَنُواْbelieved
وَهَاجَرُواْand emigrated
وَجَـٰهَدُواْand strove
فِىin
سَبِيلِ(the) way
ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
بِأَمْوَٲلِهِمْwith their wealth
وَأَنفُسِهِمْand their lives
أَعْظَمُ(are) greater
دَرَجَةً(in) rank
عِندَnear
ٱللَّهِ‌ۚAllah.
وَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَAnd those -
هُمُthey
ٱلْفَآئِزُونَ(are) the successful.
﴿٢٠﴾
يُبَشِّرُهُمْ رَبُّهُمTheir Lord gives them glad tidings
بِرَحْمَةٍof Mercy
مِّنْهُfrom Him
وَرِضْوَٲنٍand Pleasure,
وَجَنَّـٰتٍand Gardens
لَّهُمْfor them -
فِيهَاin it
نَعِيمٌ(is) bliss
مُّقِيمٌenduring.
﴿٢١﴾
خَـٰلِدِينَ(They will) abide
فِيهَآin it
أَبَدًا‌ۚforever.
إِنَّIndeed,
ٱللَّهَAllah -
عِندَهُۥٓwith Him
أَجْرٌ(is) a reward
عَظِيمٌgreat.
﴿٢٢﴾

مَا كَانَ لِلۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَ اَنۡ يَّعۡمُرُوۡا مَسٰجِدَ اللّٰهِ شٰهِدِيۡنَ عَلٰٓى اَنۡفُسِهِمۡ بِالـكُفۡرِ​ؕ اُولٰۤـئِكَ حَبِطَتۡ اَعۡمَالُهُمۡ ۖۚ وَ فِى النَّارِ هُمۡ خٰلِدُوۡنَ‏  اِنَّمَا يَعۡمُرُ مَسٰجِدَ اللّٰهِ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَاَ قَامَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَاٰتَى الزَّكٰوةَ وَلَمۡ يَخۡشَ اِلَّا اللّٰهَ​ فَعَسٰٓى اُولٰۤـئِكَ اَنۡ يَّكُوۡنُوۡا مِنَ الۡمُهۡتَدِيۡنَ‏  اَجَعَلۡتُمۡ سِقَايَةَ الۡحَـآجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الۡمَسۡجِدِ الۡحَـرَامِ كَمَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَجَاهَدَ فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ​ ؕ لَا يَسۡتَوٗنَ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ ​ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ لَا يَهۡدِى الۡقَوۡمَ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ​ۘ‏  اَلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ هَاجَرُوۡا وَجَاهَدُوۡا فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ بِاَمۡوَالِهِمۡ وَاَنۡفُسِهِمۡۙ اَعۡظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ​ؕ وَاُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡفَآئِزُوۡنَ‏   يُبَشِّرُهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ بِرَحۡمَةٍ مِّنۡهُ وَرِضۡوَانٍ وَّجَنّٰتٍ لَّهُمۡ فِيۡهَا نَعِيۡمٌ مُّقِيۡمٌ ۙ‏  خٰلِدِيۡنَ فِيۡهَاۤ اَبَدًا​ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عِنۡدَهٗۤ اَجۡرٌ عَظِيۡمٌ‏ 
Translation
[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.
Commentary

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.