مَا (It) is not كَانَ (It) is not لِلْمُشْرِكِیْنَ for the polytheists اَنْ that یَّعْمُرُوْا they maintain مَسٰجِدَ (the) masajid of Allah اللّٰهِ (the) masajid of Allah شٰهِدِیْنَ (while) witnessing عَلٰۤی against اَنْفُسِهِمْ themselves بِالْكُفْرِ ؕ [with] disbelief اُولٰٓىِٕكَ (For) those حَبِطَتْ worthless اَعْمَالُهُمْ ۖۚ (are) their deeds وَ فِی and in النَّارِ the Fire هُمْ they خٰلِدُوْنَ (will) abide forever اِنَّمَا Only یَعْمُرُ will maintain مَسٰجِدَ (the) masajid of Allah اللّٰهِ (the) masajid of Allah مَنْ (the one) who اٰمَنَ believes بِاللّٰهِ in Allah وَ الْیَوْمِ and the Day الْاٰخِرِ the Last وَ اَقَامَ and establishes الصَّلٰوةَ the prayer وَ اٰتَی and gives الزَّكٰوةَ the zakah وَ لَمْ and not یَخْشَ fear اِلَّا except اللّٰهَ Allah فَعَسٰۤی Then perhaps اُولٰٓىِٕكَ those اَنْ [that] یَّكُوْنُوْا they are مِنَ of الْمُهْتَدِیْنَ the guided ones اَجَعَلْتُمْ Do you make سِقَایَةَ the providing of water الْحَآجِّ (to) the pilgrims وَ عِمَارَةَ and (the) maintenance الْمَسْجِدِ (of) Al-Masjid Al-Haraam الْحَرَامِ (of) Al-Masjid Al-Haraam كَمَنْ like (the one) who اٰمَنَ believes بِاللّٰهِ in Allah وَ الْیَوْمِ and the Day الْاٰخِرِ the Last وَ جٰهَدَ and strives فِیْ in سَبِیْلِ (the) way اللّٰهِ ؕ (of) Allah لَا They are not equal یَسْتَوٗنَ They are not equal عِنْدَ near اللّٰهِ ؕ Allah وَ اللّٰهُ And Allah لَا (does) not یَهْدِی guide الْقَوْمَ the people الظّٰلِمِیْنَۘ the wrongdoers اَلَّذِیْنَ Those who اٰمَنُوْا believed وَ هَاجَرُوْا and emigrated وَ جٰهَدُوْا and strove فِیْ in سَبِیْلِ (the) way اللّٰهِ (of) Allah بِاَمْوَالِهِمْ with their wealth وَ اَنْفُسِهِمْ ۙ and their lives اَعْظَمُ (are) greater دَرَجَةً (in) rank عِنْدَ near اللّٰهِ ؕ Allah وَ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ And those هُمُ they الْفَآىِٕزُوْنَ (are) the successful 9. At-Tawbah Page 190 یُبَشِّرُهُمْ gives them glad tidings رَبُّهُمْ their Lord بِرَحْمَةٍ of Mercy مِّنْهُ from Him وَ رِضْوَانٍ and Pleasure وَّ جَنّٰتٍ and Gardens لَّهُمْ for them فِیْهَا in it نَعِیْمٌ (is) bliss مُّقِیْمٌۙ enduring خٰلِدِیْنَ (They will) abide فِیْهَاۤ in it اَبَدًا ؕ forever اِنَّ Indeed اللّٰهَ Allah عِنْدَهٗۤ with Him اَجْرٌ (is) a reward عَظِیْمٌ great یٰۤاَیُّهَا O you الَّذِیْنَ who اٰمَنُوْا believe! لَا (Do) not تَتَّخِذُوْۤا take اٰبَآءَكُمْ your fathers وَ اِخْوَانَكُمْ and your brothers اَوْلِیَآءَ (as) allies اِنِ if اسْتَحَبُّوا they prefer الْكُفْرَ [the] disbelief عَلَی over الْاِیْمَانِ ؕ [the] belief وَ مَنْ And whoever یَّتَوَلَّهُمْ takes them as allies مِّنْكُمْ among you فَاُولٰٓىِٕكَ then those هُمُ [they] الظّٰلِمُوْنَ (are) the wrongdoers قُلْ Say اِنْ If كَانَ are اٰبَآؤُكُمْ your fathers وَ اَبْنَآؤُكُمْ and your sons وَ اِخْوَانُكُمْ and your brothers وَ اَزْوَاجُكُمْ and your spouses وَ عَشِیْرَتُكُمْ and your relatives وَ اَمْوَالُ and wealth قْتَرَفْتُمُوْهَا that you have acquired وَ تِجَارَةٌ and the commerce تَخْشَوْنَ you fear كَسَادَهَا a decline (in) it وَ مَسٰكِنُ and the dwellings تَرْضَوْنَهَاۤ you delight (in) it اَحَبَّ (are) more beloved اِلَیْكُمْ to you مِّنَ than اللّٰهِ Allah وَ رَسُوْلِهٖ and His Messenger وَ جِهَادٍ and striving فِیْ in سَبِیْلِهٖ His way فَتَرَبَّصُوْا then wait حَتّٰی until یَاْتِیَ Allah brings اللّٰهُ Allah brings بِاَمْرِهٖ ؕ His Command وَ اللّٰهُ And Allah لَا (does) not یَهْدِی guide الْقَوْمَ the people الْفٰسِقِیْنَ۠ the defiantly disobedient
[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."
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”.