9. At-Tawba

The Repentance · Medinan · 129 ayahs

سُورَةُ التَّوۡبَةِ

Reading Asbab al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi

Ayahs 71–80 of 129

وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍۢ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those - Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.

Explained together with ayah 65

At-Tawba 9:71Listen in Qur'an →

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةًۭ فِى جَنَّٰتِ عَدْنٍۢ ۚ وَرِضْوَٰنٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.

Explained together with ayah 65

At-Tawba 9:72Listen in Qur'an →

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ جَٰهِدِ ٱلْكُفَّارَ وَٱلْمُنَٰفِقِينَ وَٱغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَمَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ

O Prophet, fight against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination.

Explained together with ayah 65

At-Tawba 9:73Listen in Qur'an →

يَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ مَا قَالُوا۟ وَلَقَدْ قَالُوا۟ كَلِمَةَ ٱلْكُفْرِ وَكَفَرُوا۟ بَعْدَ إِسْلَٰمِهِمْ وَهَمُّوا۟ بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُوا۟ ۚ وَمَا نَقَمُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ أَنْ أَغْنَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۚ فَإِن يَتُوبُوا۟ يَكُ خَيْرًۭا لَّهُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَتَوَلَّوْا۟ يُعَذِّبْهُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةِ ۚ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِن وَلِىٍّۢ وَلَا نَصِيرٍۢ

They swear by Allah that they did not say [anything against the Prophet] while they had said the word of disbelief and disbelieved after their [pretense of] Islam and planned that which they were not to attain. And they were not resentful except [for the fact] that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His bounty. So if they repent, it is better for them; but if they turn away, Allah will punish them with a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And there will not be for them on earth any protector or helper.

(They swear by Allah that they said nothing (wrong)�) [9:74]. Said al-Dahhak: �The hypocrites set off with the Messenger of Allah for Tabuk. But whenever they met alone with each other, they insulted the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and his Companions and discredited the religion. Then Hudhayfah reported what they said to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: 'O hypocrites, what is this that I hear you have said?' They swore to him that they said nothing wrong, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this to give them the lie�. Said Qatadah: �It was mentioned to us that a man from Juhaynah had a fight with another man from Ghifar and the latter had the upper hand. When he saw this, 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy cried: 'O Banu Aws, help your brother for, by Allah, the like of us and the like of Muhammad is as it was said: fatten your dog and he will eat you. By Allah, once we enter Medina, the mighty among us will drive out the lowly'. A Muslim man heard this and informed the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. When he sent for 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, the latter swore by Allah that he did not say it. Allah, exalted is He, revealed this to give him the lie�. (And they purposed that which they could not attain�) [9:74]. Al-Dahhak said: �They were planning to push the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, off his mount on the night of the steep road. These were men who agreed to kill the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, while they were with him. They waited for an opportunity to take him by surprise. Their chance came when the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was taking a steep road. Some of them came forward while others stayed behind. It was night time. They said to each other: 'Once he starts going down this steep road, we will push him off his mount into the ravine'. His guide that night was 'Ammar ibn Yasir and his navigator was Hudhayfah. When Hudhayfah heard the sound of camels' hoofs, he looked behind and saw veiled men. He shouted: 'Go away, go away, O enemies of Allah!' They stopped and the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, proceeded to his destination. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (And they purposed that which they could not attain�)�.

At-Tawba 9:74Listen in Qur'an →

۞ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَٰهَدَ ٱللَّهَ لَئِنْ ءَاتَىٰنَا مِن فَضْلِهِۦ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ

And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah, [saying], "If He should give us from His bounty, we will surely spend in charity, and we will surely be among the righteous."

(And of them is he who made a covenant with Allah�) [9:75]. Abu'l-Hasan Muhammad ibn al-Fadl informed us> Abu 'Amr Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Matar> Abu 'Imran Musa ibn Sahl al-Jawni> Hisham ibn 'Ammar> Muhammad ibn Shu'ayb> Mu'adh ibn Rifa'ah al-Salami> Abu 'Abd al-Malik 'Ali ibn Yazid> al-Qasim ibn 'Abd al-Rahman> Abu Umamah al-Bahili said: �One day Tha'labah ibn Hatib al-Ansari went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, pray that Allah provides me with wealth'. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: 'Woe to you! A little for which you give thanks is better than plenty which you cannot bear'. Another time, he said to him: 'Do you not like to be like the Prophet of Allah. By Him in whose Hand is my soul, if I wanted mountains would flow with gold and silver for me'. Tha'labah said: 'By Him Who sent you with the truth, if you pray that Allah provides me with wealth, I will give each one his due'. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then prayed: 'O Allah, give Tha'labah wealth!' Tha'labah then acquired some sheep and they multiplied like worms until Medina became too small to contain all his sheep. He left Medina and settled in one of its valleys. At that point, he only prayed Zuhr and 'Asr in congregation but not the other prescribed prayers. Then his sheep multiplied even more and he stopped praying in congregation altogether except for the Friday prayer. His sheep kept multiplying like worms until he finally stopped praying even the Friday prayer. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, asked about him and when they told him that his sheep had multiplied so much that he had to leave Medina and stopped praying in congregation, he said: 'Woe unto Tha'labah', he said it thrice. Then Allah, glorious and majestic is He, revealed (Take alms of their wealth, wherewith thou mayst purify them) [9:103] and He also revealed the obligation of Zakah. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent two men, one from Juhaynah and one from Banu Salim, to collect Zakat, and wrote for them instructions how to collect it.

At-Tawba 9:75Listen in Qur'an →

فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَىٰهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِۦ بَخِلُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَتَوَلَّوا۟ وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ

But when he gave them from His bounty, they were stingy with it and turned away while they refused.

Explained together with ayah 75

At-Tawba 9:76Listen in Qur'an →

فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفَاقًۭا فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يَلْقَوْنَهُۥ بِمَآ أَخْلَفُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا وَعَدُوهُ وَبِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْذِبُونَ

So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him - because they failed Allah in what they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.

Explained together with ayah 75

At-Tawba 9:77Listen in Qur'an →

أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ سِرَّهُمْ وَنَجْوَىٰهُمْ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَّٰمُ ٱلْغُيُوبِ

Did they not know that Allah knows their secrets and their private conversations and that Allah is the Knower of the unseen?

Explained together with ayah 75

At-Tawba 9:78Listen in Qur'an →

ٱلَّذِينَ يَلْمِزُونَ ٱلْمُطَّوِّعِينَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِى ٱلصَّدَقَٰتِ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ إِلَّا جُهْدَهُمْ فَيَسْخَرُونَ مِنْهُمْ ۙ سَخِرَ ٱللَّهُ مِنْهُمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

Those who criticize the contributors among the believers concerning [their] charities and [criticize] the ones who find nothing [to spend] except their effort, so they ridicule them - Allah will ridicule them, and they will have a painful punishment.

(Those who point at such of the believers as give the alms willingly�) [9:79]. Sa'id ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ja'far informed us> Abu 'Ali al-Faqih> Abu 'Ali Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Maliki> Abu Musa Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna> Abu'l-Nu'man al-Hakam ibn 'Abd Allah al-'Ijli> Shu'bah> Salman> Abu Wa'il> Abu Mas'ud who said: �When the verses of alms were revealed, we used to ask to carry people stuff in exchange for a wage so that we could earn and pay alms from what we had earned. A man came and gave a lot for alms, some people commented: 'He is just showing off'. Another man came and gave a measure (sa') for alms, and they commented: 'Allah can do without the measure of this man', and so Allah revealed (Those who point at such of the believers as give the alms willingly and such as can find naught to give but their endeavours�)�. This is narrated by Bukhari from Abu Qudamah 'Ubayd Allah ibn Sa'id>> Abu Nu'man. Qatadah and others said: �The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, encouraged people to give alms. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf took with him four thousand silver coins and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, all my wealth consists of eight thousand silver coins, I have kept half of it for my dependents and brought the other half for you to spend it in the way of Allah'. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: 'may Allah bless you for that which you have given and for that which you have withheld'. Allah did indeed bless the wealth of 'Abd al-Rahman to the extent that when he died he was survived by two wives who inherited one eighth of his fortune. This one eighth was estimated at 160 thousand silver coins. On the same day, 'Asim ibn 'Adiyy ibn al-'Ajlan gave to charity one hundred wasq of dates while Abu 'Aqil al-Ansari gave one sa' of dates. Abu 'Aqil said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I spent the night drawing water with a rope until I earned two measures (sa') of dates; I kept one for my family and brought the other'. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, commanded him to spread it among the received alms. The hypocrites defamed 'Abd al-Rahman and 'Asim, saying ''Abd al-Rahman and 'Asim gave alms only to show off. Allah and His Messenger can indeed do without the measure (sa') of Abu 'Aqil; he only wished to appear righteous'. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�.

At-Tawba 9:79Listen in Qur'an →

ٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لَا تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةًۭ فَلَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَٰسِقِينَ

Ask forgiveness for them, [O Muhammad], or do not ask forgiveness for them. If you should ask forgiveness for them seventy times - never will Allah forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.

Explained together with ayah 79

At-Tawba 9:80Listen in Qur'an →

Commentary: Asbab al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.