9. At-Tawba

Commentary

The two verses cited above admonish those who missed to join the expedition of Tabuk for no valid reason. They have also been told that they did what was not proper. Then the verses describe the merits of people who take part in Jihad and tell us about the great rewards they get for everything they do there. Included here is the causing of hurt or loss to the enemy and the using of a strategy that infuriates the adversary. All these are good deeds, and worthy of thawab (reward from Allah).

Commentary

It will be realized that the expedition of Tabuk has continued appearing as an important subject in Surah At-Taubah. For this battle, a general call of Jihad was given asking all Muslims to participate in it. It was not permissible to contravene the order without a valid excuse. Those who did that were mostly hypocrites who have been mentioned in several verses appearing earlier. Then, some sincere Muslims had also remained behind due to their incidental laziness. Their repentance was accepted by Allah Ta` ala. Obviously, from all these events it can be gathered that the going forth of all Muslims in every Jihad is fard (obligatory) and staying behind is Haram (unlawful) -although, this is not the religious law. In fact, Jihad during normal conditions is Fard al-Kifayah, a collective obligation. It means that, should a number of Muslims sufficient for Jihad keeps engaged in Jihad, rest of the Muslims stand absolved of the obligation. However, if the number participating in Jihad turns out to be insufficient to the limits of being overpowered, it becomes obligatory on Muslims living nearby that they should come out to strengthen them and fight with them in the Jihad. If they too are not sufficient, the obligation falls on those near the later, and if they too are not sufficient, it falls on Muslims adjoining the later. This could reach the limit when, under such emergent conditions, Jihad becomes Fard ` Ain (absolute individual obligation) on Muslims of the whole world, and it will be Haram (unlawful) to avoid participating in jihad. Similarly, it could also become equally obligatory (fard) if the Amir of Muslims, seeing the need, gives a general call and invites Muslims to join the mission of Jihad. At that time too, participation in Jihad becomes obligatory (fard) and staying behind becomes haram (unlawful) - as it happened in the expedition of Tabuk due to the general call of Jihad given for it. The verse cited above clarifies that this order to join the Jihad of Tabuk was a specific order due to the general call for it. Under normal conditions, Jihad is not an individual obligation (Fard al-'Ain فَرض العین) that would require all Muslims to go forth in Jihad as a matter of obligation - because, like Jihad, there are other collective concerns and important undertakings of Islam and Muslims that are Fard al-Kifayah, also like Jihad. To fulfill these responsibilities too, different groups of Muslims have to follow the principle of division of work. Therefore, all Muslims should not go forth in every Jihad. The submission here may also help you understand the reality of Fard al-Kifayah. The, areas of work that are not individual, but collective in nature, and the responsibility of carrying these out falls on all Muslims, are areas that the Shari’ ah of Islam has declared to be Fard al-Kifayah. The purpose is that everything keeps being taken care of in its respective area and that all collective duties continue to be fulfilled. Duties such as washing, shrouding, offering Salah of Janazah and burying deceased Muslims, the making and maintaining of mosques, Jihad and the guarding of Islamic frontiers are all separate duties that are …

Commentary

Previous verses carried inducement to Jihad. The first verse from the present ones (123) which opens with the words: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَاتِلُوا ( O those who believe, fight those disbelievers who are near you) gives details, for disbelievers are spread out all over the world and any confrontation with them has to have some sort of functional sequence. The verse says that Jihad should first be waged against those of the disbelievers who were near. ` Being near' could be taken in terms of the place, that is, the disbelievers who live closer to home base should be fought against first. And it could also be understood in terms of relationship, that is, those who are near in kinship, parentage and other social bonds should be given precedence. This is because Islamic Jihad is essentially carried out in their interest and for their well being, therefore, when it comes to care and concern, kinsfolk have precedence - similar to the command given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ : وَأَنذِرْ‌ عَشِيرَ‌تَكَ الْأَقْرَ‌بِينَ ﴿214﴾ (And warn your near relatives against the punishment of Allah - 26:214). He carried out the command by assembling people from his family and conveyed to them the Word of Allah as revealed to him. The circle then became larger. Keeping the same principle of near and far, confronted first, as compared to others, were disbelievers who lived in the vicinity of Madinah, such as Banu Qurayzah, Banu Nadir and the people of Khaibar. After that came the fight against the rest within the Arabian Peninsula. And after things were settled there, came the last command to fight the disbelievers of Byzantium that resulted in the expedition of Tabuk.

In the second sentence of verse 123: وَلْيَجِدُوا فِيكُمْ غِلْظَةً (and let them find severity in you), the word: (ghilzah) غِلْظَةً means severity or toughness. The sense is that the disbelievers must be confronted in a manner that would not allow them to take their adversary to be weak.

The sentence: فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا (they have been increased in faith by it) in verse 124 tells us that the reciting the verses of the Qur'an, pondering over them, and acting in accordance with their dictates makes one advance in faith. One feels changes for the better, the higher. When 'Iman increases, so does its light and sweetness. Once in this blissful state, one starts seeing obedience to Allah and His Rasul as easy. ` Ibadah becomes inviting. One can feel the very taste of it. Sins pose no problems, for one starts hating sins by his own nature. They tempt no more. In fact, they irritate and vex.

Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ has said, ` when 'Iman enters the heart, it is like a radiant dot. As 'Iman increases, its radiance increases, until the whole heart becomes blissfully radiant. Similarly, disbelief and hypocrisy start appearing on the heart first as a black dot. Then, with every increase in sin and disbelief, the dot keeps increasing in size until the whole heart turns black.' (Mazhari). For this reason, the noble Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ used to tell each other, ` let us sit together for a while and remind each other of things relating to our din دِین and 'akhirah so that it increases …

Commentary

Previous verses carried inducement to Jihad. The first verse from the present ones (123) which opens with the words: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَاتِلُوا ( O those who believe, fight those disbelievers who are near you) gives details, for disbelievers are spread out all over the world and any confrontation with them has to have some sort of functional sequence. The verse says that Jihad should first be waged against those of the disbelievers who were near. ` Being near' could be taken in terms of the place, that is, the disbelievers who live closer to home base should be fought against first. And it could also be understood in terms of relationship, that is, those who are near in kinship, parentage and other social bonds should be given precedence. This is because Islamic Jihad is essentially carried out in their interest and for their well being, therefore, when it comes to care and concern, kinsfolk have precedence - similar to the command given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ : وَأَنذِرْ‌ عَشِيرَ‌تَكَ الْأَقْرَ‌بِينَ ﴿214﴾ (And warn your near relatives against the punishment of Allah - 26:214). He carried out the command by assembling people from his family and conveyed to them the Word of Allah as revealed to him. The circle then became larger. Keeping the same principle of near and far, confronted first, as compared to others, were disbelievers who lived in the vicinity of Madinah, such as Banu Qurayzah, Banu Nadir and the people of Khaibar. After that came the fight against the rest within the Arabian Peninsula. And after things were settled there, came the last command to fight the disbelievers of Byzantium that resulted in the expedition of Tabuk.

In the second sentence of verse 123: وَلْيَجِدُوا فِيكُمْ غِلْظَةً (and let them find severity in you), the word: (ghilzah) غِلْظَةً means severity or toughness. The sense is that the disbelievers must be confronted in a manner that would not allow them to take their adversary to be weak.

The sentence: فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا (they have been increased in faith by it) in verse 124 tells us that the reciting the verses of the Qur'an, pondering over them, and acting in accordance with their dictates makes one advance in faith. One feels changes for the better, the higher. When 'Iman increases, so does its light and sweetness. Once in this blissful state, one starts seeing obedience to Allah and His Rasul as easy. ` Ibadah becomes inviting. One can feel the very taste of it. Sins pose no problems, for one starts hating sins by his own nature. They tempt no more. In fact, they irritate and vex.

Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ has said, ` when 'Iman enters the heart, it is like a radiant dot. As 'Iman increases, its radiance increases, until the whole heart becomes blissfully radiant. Similarly, disbelief and hypocrisy start appearing on the heart first as a black dot. Then, with every increase in sin and disbelief, the dot keeps increasing in size until the whole heart turns black.' (Mazhari). For this reason, the noble Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ used to tell each other, ` let us sit together for a while and remind each other of things relating to our din دِین and 'akhirah so that it increases …

In verse 126: يُفْتَنُونَ فِي كُلِّ عَامٍ مَّرَّ‌ةً أَوْ مَرَّ‌تَيْنِ (they are put to trial every year once or twice), hypocrites have been warned about their incorrigible hypocrisy and constant breach of trust which brought all sorts of troubles for them every year once or twice. They saw the defeat of their disbelieving accomplices, the kuffar of Makkah. Then, they had to face the disgrace brought upon them when their hypocrisy was exposed. So, there was no dearth of warning signals for them. Incidentally, the count of ` once' or ` twice' here does not signify the numbers one and two as such. In fact, the purpose is to stress that this chain of action and reaction keeps moving all the time yet they take no lesson from what happens to them.

In verse 126: يُفْتَنُونَ فِي كُلِّ عَامٍ مَّرَّ‌ةً أَوْ مَرَّ‌تَيْنِ (they are put to trial every year once or twice), hypocrites have been warned about their incorrigible hypocrisy and constant breach of trust which brought all sorts of troubles for them every year once or twice. They saw the defeat of their disbelieving accomplices, the kuffar of Makkah. Then, they had to face the disgrace brought upon them when their hypocrisy was exposed. So, there was no dearth of warning signals for them. Incidentally, the count of ` once' or ` twice' here does not signify the numbers one and two as such. In fact, the purpose is to stress that this chain of action and reaction keeps moving all the time yet they take no lesson from what happens to them.

Commentary

These are the last verses of Surah At-Taubah where it has been declared that the Holy Prophet ﷺ is very kind and merciful for the entire creation of Allah, particularly so for Muslims. Then, in the last verse, he has been told that he should observe patience and trust Allah even if there are people who do not come to believe despite all his efforts.

That this theme appears at the end of Surah At-Taubah happens to be very appropriate. It will be recalled that this Surah has been full of references to the declaration of withdrawal from the disbelievers, the ultimate severance of relationship with them and then fighting in Jihad against them. This is, however, the last resort of the Call to Allah subject to the condition that the initial steps of Da'wah (call) and Tabligh (communication of the Message) leave no hope of correction and betterment. But, the basic function of the prophets is to invite people to the way of Allah with love, affection, sympathy and an earnest de-sire for their well-being; if they have to face aversion from the people or have to suffer some hardships, they are supposed to leave it to Allah and place their trust in Him, for He is the Lord of the Great Throne. By saying the Rabb رَبّ or Lord of the Great ` Arsh, the purpose is to lay stress on the fact that He encompasses the entire creation.

The last two verses, according to Sayyidna ` Ubaiyy ibn Ka'b ؓ ، are the last verses of the Qur'an. After these no other verse was revealed and the Holy Prophet ﷺ left the mortal world. This is also the statement of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . (Qurtubi)

Great merits of these two verses appear in Hadith. Sayyidna Abu-d-Darda' ؓ says, ` One who recites these verses three times, morning and evening, shall find that Allah Ta` ala makes things easy for him (Qurtubi) ' Allah knows best.