9. At-Tawba

Commentary

Previous verses mentioned people who were not really excusable from participation in Jihad but sat it out because of laziness. Then, there were hypocrites who had taken permission from the Holy Prophet ﷺ under false pretexts because of their disbelief and hypocrisy. And then there were the arrogant ones who did not bother about excuses and permissions and just sat back. They were told there that they were not excusable and that there was a painful punishment waiting for those of them who practiced disbelief and hypocrisy.

The present verses mention sincere Muslims who were deprived of participation in Jihad because they were genuinely incapable of doing so. Some of them were blind, or sick, or handicapped. Their excuse was all too evident. Then, there were some of those who were ready to take part in Jihad, in fact, were ` dying' to go into the Jihad, but they could not make the trip because they did not have an animal to ride on. The journey was long and the weather was very hot. They told the Holy Prophet ﷺ how eager they were to participate in the Jihad but how unfortunate that they had nothing to ride on. They requested him to see if they could have some mounts.

There are many events of this nature recorded in books of Exegesis and History. So, different things happened. To some of them who came initially, the Holy Prophet ﷺ had no choice but to say that they had no arrangements to provide mounts to warriors. But, these people returned from him weeping and when they kept weeping in despair, Allah Ta` ala took care of them in His own way. Six camels arrived before the Holy Prophet ﷺ right at that time. He let them have these. (Mazhari) Then, Sayyidna ` Uthman ؓ arranged mounts for three of them, although he had already made similar ar-rangements for many more of them earlier.

Commentary

Previous verses mentioned people who were not really excusable from participation in Jihad but sat it out because of laziness. Then, there were hypocrites who had taken permission from the Holy Prophet ﷺ under false pretexts because of their disbelief and hypocrisy. And then there were the arrogant ones who did not bother about excuses and permissions and just sat back. They were told there that they were not excusable and that there was a painful punishment waiting for those of them who practiced disbelief and hypocrisy.

The present verses mention sincere Muslims who were deprived of participation in Jihad because they were genuinely incapable of doing so. Some of them were blind, or sick, or handicapped. Their excuse was all too evident. Then, there were some of those who were ready to take part in Jihad, in fact, were ` dying' to go into the Jihad, but they could not make the trip because they did not have an animal to ride on. The journey was long and the weather was very hot. They told the Holy Prophet ﷺ how eager they were to participate in the Jihad but how unfortunate that they had nothing to ride on. They requested him to see if they could have some mounts.

There are many events of this nature recorded in books of Exegesis and History. So, different things happened. To some of them who came initially, the Holy Prophet ﷺ had no choice but to say that they had no arrangements to provide mounts to warriors. But, these people returned from him weeping and when they kept weeping in despair, Allah Ta` ala took care of them in His own way. Six camels arrived before the Holy Prophet ﷺ right at that time. He let them have these. (Mazhari) Then, Sayyidna ` Uthman ؓ arranged mounts for three of them, although he had already made similar ar-rangements for many more of them earlier.

Ultimately, there were some of them still left out for the simple reason that they could not find a mount. Rendered totally helpless, they could do nothing about their aspirations for Jihad. These are the kinds of people mentioned in the cited verses whose excuse was accepted by Allah Ta` ala. However, at the end, the warning was repeated by saying that particularly cursed are those who, despite their ability, elected to stay away from Jihad like women. The sentence: الَّذِينَ يَسْتَأْذِنُونَكَ وَهُمْ أَغْنِيَاءُ (Blame lies, in fact, on those who ask your permis-sion despite being rich - 93) means exactly this.

Commentary

Mentioned in the previous verses were hypocrites who came up with false excuses at the time Jihad forces were getting ready to march out and succeeded in being allowed to stay behind. The present verses mention those who visited the Holy Prophet ﷺ after his return from Jihad and offered false excuses for their absence from it. These verses had been revealed before his return to Madinah and had told him beforehand about the forthcoming event, that is, the hypocrites will come to him as soon as he reaches Madinah and will offer their excuses. And so it happened.

Three instructions about them have been given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the verses cited above. These are as follows:

1. When they come to make excuses, they should be told that they do not have to make false excuses for they were not going to be believed in their word. Allah Ta` ala had already told the Holy Prophet ﷺ about the condition of their thinking and doing including the details of their wicked plans and secret intentions. This was enough to prove that they were liars, therefore, offering excuses makes no sense. After that, it was said: وَسَيَرَ‌ى اللَّـهُ عَمَلَكُمْ (And Allah will see what you do...). Here, respite has been given to them so that they could still make their Taubah (repentance), renounce Nifaq (hypocrisy) and become true Muslims - because, the wording of the text stipulates that Allah and His Messenger shall see what they do and how they do it. In other words, action shall be taken in consonance with their behavior pattern. If they repented sincerely and became true Muslims, their sins shall stand forgiven. Otherwise, these false excuses were not going to do them any good.

2. The second instruction to the Holy Prophet ﷺ appears in the second verse (95) where it has been said that these people will come to him after his return to Madinah, impress him with their feigned oaths and try to satisfy him. What they would wish to achieve from this initiative is: لِتُعْرِ‌ضُوا عَنْهُمْ (so that you may ignore their misdeed), that is, ignore their absence from Jihad and spare the reproach due on it.' Thereupon, it was said that he might as well grant their wish. The text says: فَأَعْرِ‌ضُوا عَنْهُمْ :` you ignore them.' Thus, the instruction carries the sense: ` neither reproach and admonish, nor deal with pleasantly' - because, reproach usually brings no good. When they have no faith in their heart - and they do not want to have it either - what would come out of reproach? So, why waste good time!

Commentary

Described in the previous verses were the hypocrites of Madinah. The present verses mention hypocrites who lived on the desert around the outskirts of Madinah.

The word اَلاَعرَاب (al-a` rab) is not a plural form of اَلعَرَب (al-'arab). It is اِسم جمع (ism al jam`: collective noun) and is used for the Bedouins of the desert. In its singular form, it becomes اَلاَعرَابی (al-a` rabiyy) - similar to (al-ansariyy), the singular form of اَلاَنصَار (al-ansar).

According to their condition described in verse 97, they outdid city dwellers in disbelief and hypocrisy. The reason given is that these people generally remained ignorant and hard-hearted as they lived far away from knowledge and the knowledgeable. Then the text says: ` the Bedouins are more likely to be ignorant of the limits of what Allah has sent down.' It means that the very surroundings in which they live are such as would keep them in the dark about the limits set by Allah through the revelation - because the Qur'an does not come before them, nor do they have access to its meanings, explanations and injunctions.

In the second verse (98) too, yet another aspect of the condition of these very Bedouins has been described as: ` those who take what they spend (in Zakah etc.) as a penalty.' Why would they do so? The reason is that they hardly have any faith in their heart. When it comes to making Salah, they would, though, do that, but just to camouflage their disbelief. They would even fulfill the obligation of Zakah, but their hearts would keep worrying as to why they had to put good money down the drain. Therefore, they always look forward to the time when Muslims are hit by some calamity or defeat that may possibly deliver them from having to pay this penalty. The word: الدَّوَائِرَ‌ (aldawa'ir: the cycles of time) is the plural of: دَائِرَ‌ةُ (da'irah). According to the Arabic lexicon, da'irah is the changed state that shifts away from the good state into a bad one. Therefore, the Holy Qur'an says in response to them: عَلَيْهِمْ دَائِرَ‌ةُ السَّوْءِ (upon them is the evil cycle). In other words, the evil state of affairs they wish would strike at Muslims is going to descend upon them all right - and, because their words and deeds are such, they will find themselves far more disgraced.

After having described the state of affairs prevailing among hypocrites of distant deserts, it was considered appropriate that the true and staunch Muslims from among the same stock of Bedouins should also be mentioned. This was done in verse 99 - very much in line with the typical style of the Qur'an - so that, it stands established that Bedouins too are not all alike. Among them, there are many sincere Muslims, and people of sense and discernment as well. Their style of life is different. When they give in obligatory alms (Zakah) or in voluntary charities (Sadaqat), they regard these as a source of nearness to Allah Ta` ala and hope that the Holy Prophet ﷺ would be praying for them.

That Sadaqat are a source of nearness to Allah Ta` ala is obvious. However, the hope of prayers from the Holy Prophet ﷺ is on a different basis. It should be borne in mind that the Holy Qur'an - wherever it has asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ to collect Zakah on the wealth and property of Muslims - has also directed him that he should also pray for those who pay Zakah. The forthcoming verse (103): خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُ‌هُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ (Take out of their wealth a Sadaqah [ obligatory alms ] through which you may cleanse and purify them, and pray for them) is a good example? The instruction to the Holy Prophet ﷺ that he should pray for these people has been termed: وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ (and pray for them) using the word: صلٰوہ (salat) for it. Therefore, in the present verse as well, the sense of the prayers of the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been expressed by the use of the word: صلٰوہ (salat).

Commentary

The verse before this (99) carried a description of sincere and true Muslims among the Bedouins of the desert. The present verse mentions all sincere and true Muslims along with their relative degrees of excellence.

Let us begin with the opening statement: السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِ‌ينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ‌ (the first and foremost of the Emigrants and the Supporters)._ Most commentators have taken the preposition مِن (min) for tab'id which denotes a part of something and may be translated as 'out of) and thus have set up two categories of the noble Sahabah from among the Emi-grants (al-muhajirin) and the Supporters (al-ansar) - (1) ` the first and foremost,' then, (2) the rest of them.

This interpretation implies that it is only first category that is referred to in the above verse, i.e. 'the first and foremost'. Then, for identifying 'the first and foremost' the commentators have different views. Some consider ` the first and foremost' from among the noble Companions to be those who have offered their Salah by turning to both the Qiblahs, that is, those who had embraced Islam before the change of Qiblab were ` the first and foremost.' This is the view of Said ibn almusayyab and Qatadah. 'At-a' ibn Abi Rabah has said that ` the first and foremost' are the Sahabah who participated in the battle of Badr. Sha` bi said that the Sahabah who were a party to the Bai` atur-Ridwan (the pledge taken at the time of the expedition of Hudaibiyah) are ` the first and foremost.' And according to each view, after respective ` first and foremost,' the rest of the Sahabah - muhajir (emigrant) or ansar (supporter) - are in the second category. (Mahari, Qurtubi)

All these views were based on the intrepretation that takes the preposition مِن (min) in this verse for tab'id as aforesaid. Tafsir Mazhari has however, reported another interpretation. According to this interpretation, the preposition مِن (min) is not for tab'id here. It is rather for bayan which explains the preceding words and stands for 'that is'. The translation of the verse, in this case, would be as follows: "As for the first and the foremost people, that is, all the Emigrants (the Muhajirin) and the supporters (the Ansar)..." The sentence thus will mean that all the muhajirin and the Ansar are the first and foremost as compared to the rest of the Muslim community.

To sum up, in accordance with the first Tafsir, there are two categories of Sahabah, being that of ` the first and foremost' and that of those who embraced Islam after the change of Qiblah or the battle of Badr or the Bai` atur-Ridwan. The substance of the last Tafsir is that the noble Sahabah, all of them, are but ` the first and the foremost' - because, their 'Iman (faith) is first and foremost as compared to that of the rest of the Muslim Ummah.

The second sentence of the verse: وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ has been translated as ` and those who followed them in goodness.' It means Muslims who followed the footsteps of ` the first and foremost' precisely and perfectly in all fields of deeds and morals. According to the first Tafsir of the first sentence, the first category belongs to those …