Surah 9. Al-Tawba

They will swear to you with a view to making you pleased with them: but [even] should you be pleased with them, verily, God shall never be pleased with iniquitous folk.

  - Mohammad Asad

They will swear to you in order to please you, but even if you be pleased with them (accept their excuses), Allah will never be pleased with these transgressors.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They swear unto you, that ye may accept them. Though ye accept them, Allah verily accepteth not wrongdoing folk.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[The hypocrites among] the bedouin¹³⁰ are more tenacious in [their] refusal to acknowledge the truth and in [their] hypocrisy [than are settled people], and more liable to ignore the ordinances which God has bestowed from on high upon His Apostle - but God is all-knowing, wise.¹³¹

  - Mohammad Asad

The words interpolated by me between brackets at the beginning of this sentence are based on the interpretation given by Razi (see also Manar XI, 8), obviously in view of verse {99}, which speaks of believers among the bedouin.

Owing to their nomadic way of life and its inherent hardship and crudity, the bedouin find it more difficult than do settled people to be guided by ethical imperatives unconnected with their immediate tribal interests - a difficulty which is still further enhanced by their physical distance from the centres of higher culture and, consequently, their comparative ignorance of most religious demands. It was for this reason that the Prophet often stressed the superiority of a settled mode of life to a nomadic one: cf. his saying, "He who dwells in the desert (al-badiyah) becomes rough in disposition", recorded by Tirmidhi, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i and Ibn Hanbal on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, and a similar Tradition, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, by Abu Da'ud and Bayhaqi.

The Arabs of the desert are the worst in disbelief and hypocrisy, and are least inclined to acknowledge the limits that Allah has revealed to his Rasool. Allah is All-Knowledgeable, All-Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The wandering Arabs are more hard in disbelief and hypocrisy, and more likely to be ignorant of the limits which Allah hath revealed unto His messenger. And Allah is knower, Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And among the bedouin there are such as regard all that they might spend [in God's cause] as a loss, and wait for misfortune to encompass you, [O believers: but] it is they whom evil fortune shall encompass - for God is all-hearing, all-knowing.

  - Mohammad Asad

Some of the desert Arabs look upon whatever they spend in the way of Allah as a penalty and wait for some misfortune to befall you. May misfortune befall them! Allah hears all and knows all.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And of the wandering Arabs there is he who taketh that which he expendeth (for the cause of Allah ), as a loss, and awaiteth (evil) turns of fortune for you (that he may be rid of it). The evil turn of fortune will be theirs. Allah is Nearer, Knower.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

However, among the bedouin there are [also] such as believe in God and the Last Day, and regard all that they spend [in God's cause] as a means of drawing them nearer to God and of [their being remembered in] the Apostle's prayers. Oh, verily, it shall [indeed] be a means of [God's] nearness to them, [for] God will admit them unto His grace: verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

  - Mohammad Asad

But some of the desert Arabs believe in Allah and the Last Day, and look on what they spend in the way of Allah as a means of bringing them close to Allah and to the prayers of the Rasool. Indeed, closer they shall be brought: soon Allah will admit them to His mercy. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And of the wandering Arabs there is he who believeth in Allah and the Last day, and taketh that which he expandeth and also the prayers of the messenger as acceptable offerings in the sight of Allah. Lo! verily it is an acceptable offering for them. Allah will bring them into His mercy. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And as for the first and foremost of those who have forsaken the domain of evil and of those who have sheltered and succoured the Faith¹³² as well as those who follow them in [the way of] righteousness - God is well-pleased with them, and well-pleased are they with Him. And for them has He readied gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the count of time: this is the triumph supreme!

  - Mohammad Asad

In the above context, the term muhajirun - lit., "emigrants", rendered by me as "those who have forsaken the domain of evil" (see surah {2}, note [203], and surah {4}, note [124]) - applies primarily to the Meccan followers of the Prophet who migrated (hajaru) from Mecca to Medina - which until then was called Yathrib - at a time when Mecca was still in the possession of the enemies of Islam, the "first and foremost" among them were the earliest emigrants, i.e., those who left Mecca in or before the year 622 of the Christian era (which marks the beginning of the Islamic hijri era) and in the course of the next few years, when the Muslim community at Medina was still in danger of being overrun by the powerful Quraysh of Mecca. Similarly, the term ansar (lit., "helpers") applies here to the early converts from among the people of Medina who sheltered and succoured (nasaru) their brethren in faith - the "first and foremost" among them being those who embraced Islam before and shortly after the Prophet's and his Companions' exodus (hijrah) from Mecca, and particularly those who did so on the occasion of the two meetings, at Al-'Aqabah near Mecca between the Prophet and deputations of the Yathrib tribes of Al-Aws and Khazraj (a little over a year and a few months, respectively, before the Prophet's hijrah). Apart, however, from their purely historical connotations, both the terms muhajirun and ansar bear in the Qur'an a spiritual meaning as well, and are often used to describe those who morally "forsake the domain of evil" and those who "shelter and succour the Faith" (see surah {8}, note [78]).

As for the first pioneers who accepted Islam from the Muhajir (immigrants) and Ansar (supporters in Madinah) and those who follow them in good deeds, Allah is well pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they shall live forever: that is the mighty achievement.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And the first to lead the way, of the Muhajirin and the Ansar, and those who followed them in goodness--Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him and He hath made ready for them Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide for ever. That is the supreme triumph.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But among the bedouin who dwell around you there are hypocrites; and among the people of the [Prophet's] City¹³³ [too] there are such as have grown insolent in [their] hypocrisy. Thou dost not [always] know them, [O Muhammad - but] We know them. We shall cause them to suffer doubly [in this world];¹³⁴ and then they will be given over to awesome suffering [in the life to come].

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., Medina. Originally, the city bore the name Yathrib; but after the exodus of the Prophet from Mecca it came to be known as Madinat an-Nabi ("the City of the Prophet") and, eventually, as Al-Madinah ("The City" par excellence).

I.e., first through failure in their worldly concerns, accompanied by pangs of conscience and the resulting spiritual distress, and then through a full realization, at the moment of dying, of the unforgivable nature of their sin (Manar XI, 19).

Some of the desert Arabs around you are hypocrites, and so are some of the residents of Madinah, who are fanatical in their hypocrisy. You do not know them, but We know them. Soon We shall give them double punishment: then they shall be turned to the most severe chastisement.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And among those around you of the wandering Arabs there are hypocrites, and among the townspeople of Al-Madinah ( there are some who) persist in hypocrisy whom thou (O Muhammad) knowest not. We, We know them, and We shall chastise them twice; then they will be relegated to a painful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [there are] others¹³⁵ - [people who] have become conscious of their sinning after having done righteous deeds side by side with evil ones;¹³⁶ [and] it may well be that God will accept their repentance: for, verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., neither believers in the full sense of the word nor hypocrites, but half-hearted, confused waverers between right and wrong, or between truth and falsehood.

Lit., "who have acknowledged their sins [after] having mingled a righteous deed with another that was evil". Although it relates primarily to the vacillating Muslims who refused to participate in the expedition to Tabuk, this verse alludes, in its wider meaning, to all sinners who - without external prompting - become conscious of their wrongdoing and repent of it.

There are some who have confessed their sins: they have mixed records of good and bad deeds. It is quite possible that Allah may turn to them in mercy, for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And (there are) others who have acknowledged their faults. They mixed a righteous action with another that was bad. It may be that Allah will relent toward them. Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[Hence, O Prophet,] accept that [part] of their possessions which is offered for the sake of God¹³⁷ so that thou mayest cleanse them thereby and cause them to grow in purity, and pray for them: behold, thy prayer will be [a source of] comfort to them - for God is all-hearing, all-knowing.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "take out of their possessions an offering for the sake of God (sadaqah)". For the meaning of this term, see note [81] above. In this context, it primarily denotes the tax called zakah ("the purifying dues") incumbent on every Muslim enjoying a certain minimum of property and/or income. Since an acceptance of zakah by the head of state (or of the community) amounts to a recognition of the giver as a "Muslim" in the Qur'anic sense of this term, the Prophet refused to accept it from all whose behaviour had made it obvious that they were hypocrites; the above verse, however, authorizes him (and, by implication, the authorities of an Islamic state at all times) to accept the payment of zakah from those who express their repentance by deeds as well as by words.

Take sadaqat (this commanded sadaqat means - Zakat-ul-Mall) from their wealth, so that they may thereby be cleansed and purified, and pray for them; for your prayer will give them comfort. Allah hears all and knows all.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Take alms of their wealth, wherewith thou mayst purify them and mayst make them grow, and pray for them. Lo! thy prayer is an assuagement for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Do they not know that it is God alone who can accept the repentance of His servants¹³⁸ and is the [true] recipient of whatever is offered for His sake - and that God alone is an acceptor of repentance, a dispenser of grace?

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "who accepts repentance from His servants": thus pointing out that no human being, not even the Prophet, has the power to absolve a sinner of his guilt (Manar XI, 32). A prophet can do no more than pray to God that He forgive the sinners.

Do they not know that Allah accepts repentance from His servants and takes their sadaqat (charity), and surely Allah is the One Who is the Accepter of Repentance, the Merciful?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Know they not that Allah is He Who accepteth repentance from His bondmen and taketh the alms, and that Allah is He Who is the Relenting, the Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And say [unto them, O Prophet]: "Act!¹³⁹ And God will behold your deeds, and [so will] His Apostle, and the believers: and [in the end] you will be brought before Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being s perception as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature's senses or mind¹⁴⁰ - and then He will make you understand what you have been doing."

  - Mohammad Asad

This connects with the injunction in verse {103} above, "accept that [part] of their possessions which is offered for the sake of God,...and pray for them". The stress on action as an integral part of faith is of fundamental importance in the ethics of the Qur'an: cf. the frequent juxtaposition of the concepts of "believing" and "doing good works", and the condemnation of all "who, while believing, wrought no good works" (see 6:158 and the corresponding note [160]).

See surah {6}, note [65].

Tell them: "Do as you will. Allah, His Rasool and the believers will now keep a watch over your conduct; then you shall be brought to His court Who knows the hidden and the open, and He will inform you of all that you have done."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And say (unto them): Act! Allah will behold your actions, and (so will) His messenger and the believers, and ye will be brought back to the Knower of the invisible and the visible, and He will tell you what ye used to do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [there are yet] others - [people whose cases are] deferred until God wills to judge them:¹⁴¹ He will either chastise them or turn again unto them in His mercy - for God is all-knowing, wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "deferred unto God's decree (amr)" - i.e., kept in abeyance in anticipation of their future repentance. As in the preceding four verses, the people referred to here are, in the first instance, the waverers who stayed away from the campaign of Tabuk, and, by implication, all half-hearted believers who confusedly hover between right and wrong: with the difference, however, that whereas the repentant sinners spoken of in verses {102-105} are said to have realized their sinfulness spontaneously, the kind of people referred to in verse {106} have not yet reached the stage of moral self-examination and repentance, with the result that their cases are "deferred" until such a time as their impulses sway them entirely one way or another. From a psychological point of view, it is possible to discern a subtle connection between this verse and {7:46-47}.

There are yet others whose case is held in suspense for the decision of Allah. He will either punish them or turn to them in mercy; and Allah is Knowledgeable, Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And (there are) others who await Allah's decree, whether He will punish them or will forgive them. Allah is knower, Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND [there are hypocrites] who have established a [separate] house of worship in order to create mischief, and to promote apostasy and disunity among the believers, and to provide an outpost for all who from the outset have been warring against God and His Apostle.¹⁴² And they will surely swear [to you, O believers], "We had but the best of intentions!" - the while God [Himself] bears witness that they are lying.¹⁴³

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "who have been warring against God and His Apostle aforetime" - i.e., before the expedition to Tabak. The historical occasion to which this verse refers may be thus summarized: Ever since his exodus from Mecca to Medina the Prophet was violently opposed by one Abu 'Amir ("The Monk"), a prominent member of the Khazraj tribe, who had embraced Christianity many years earlier and enjoyed a considerable reputation among his compatriots and among the Christians of Syria. From the very outset he allied himself with the Prophet's enemies, the Meccan Quraysh, and took part on their side in the battle of Uhud (3 H.). Shortly thereafter he migrated to Syria and did all that he could to induce the Emperor of Byzantium, Heraclius, to invade Medina and crush the Muslim community once and for all. In Medina itself, Abu 'Amir had some secret followers among the members of his tribe, with whom he remained in constant correspondence. In the year 9 H. he informed them that Heraclius had agreed to send out an army against Medina, and that large-scale preparations were being made to this effect (which was apparently the reason for the Prophet's preventive expedition to Tabuk). In order that his followers should have a rallying-place in the event of the expected invasion of Medina, Abu 'Amir suggested to his friends that they build a mosque of their own in the village of Quba', in the immediate vicinity of Medina (which they did), and thus obviate the necessity of congregating in the mosque which the Prophet himself had built in the same village at the time of his arrival at Medina (see note [145] below). It is this "rival" mosque to which the above verse refers. It was demolished at the Prophet's orders immediately after his return from the Tabuk expedition. Abu 'Amir himself died in Syria shortly afterwards. (For all the relevant Traditions, see Tabari's and Ibn Kathir's commentaries on this verse.)

Although the whole of this verse relates primarily to the historical occasion explained in the preceding note, it has a definite bearing on all attempts at creating sectarian divisions among Muslims, and is thus a clear amplification of an earlier injunction to this effect (see 6:159 and the corresponding note [161]).

There are others who built a Masjid for mischievous motives (Masjid-e-Zirar), to spread disbelief and to disunite the believers, and an outpost for one (Abu 'Amir) who had made war against Allah and His Rasool before. They will indeed swear that their intentions are nothing but good; but Allah declares that they are absolute liars.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And as for those who chose a place of worship out of opposition and disbelief, and in order to cause dissent among the believers, and as an outpost for those who warred against Allah and His messenger aforetime, they will surely swear: We purposed naught save good. Allah beareth witness that they verily are liars.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Never set foot in such a place!¹⁴⁴ Only a house of worship founded, from the very first day, upon God-consciousness is worthy of thy setting foot therein¹⁴⁵ - [a house of worship] wherein there are men desirous of growing in purity: for God loves all who purify themselves.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "in it" - sc., "to pray therein".

Lit., "Indeed, a house of worship founded...upon God-consciousness (taqwa) is most deserving...", etc. Some of the commentators believe that this is a reference to the mosque founded by the Prophet at Quba', a village close to Medina, on his arrival there in the month of Rabi' al-Awwal in the year 1 H., since it was the first mosque ever built by him or his followers. There are, however, authentic Traditions to the effect that the Prophet applied the designation of "a house of worship founded on God-consciousness" to his (later-built) mosque at Medina as well (Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Hanbal). It is, therefore, reasonable to assume that it applies to every mosque sincerely dedicated by its founders to the worship of God: a view which is supported by the next verse.

You should never stand to offer Salah in it. Certainly the Masjid founded on piety from the very first day is more deserving that you should stand to offer Salah in it; for in it there are men who love to be purified; and Allah loves those who purify themselves.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Never stand (to pray) there. A place of worship which was founded upon duty (to Allah) from the first day is more worthy that thou shouldst stand (to pray) therein, wherein are men who love to purify themselves. Allah loveth the purifiers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Which, then, is the better: he who has founded his building on God-consciousness and [a desire for] His goodly acceptance - or he who has founded his building on the edge of a water-worn, crumbling river-bank, so that it [is bound to] tumble down with him into the fire of hell? For, God does not grace with His guidance people, who [deliberately] do wrong:

  - Mohammad Asad

Who is a better person; he who lays the foundation of his building on piety to Allah and His good pleasure, or he who lays the foundation of his building on an undermined bank that will tumble down with him into the fire of Hell? Allah does not guide such wrongdoers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Is he who founded his building upon duty to Allah and His good pleasure better; or he who founded his building on the brink of a crumbling, overhanging precipice so that it toppled with him into the fire of hell? Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

the building which they have built will never cease to be a source of deep disquiet in their hearts until their hearts crumble to pieces.¹⁴⁶ And God is all-knowing, wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "unless their hearts are cut into many pieces" - i.e., until they die. In verses {109-110}, the reference to "the building which they have built" is, obviously, widened beyond the preceding allusion to houses of worship, and allegorically circumscribes here all the "works" and the behaviour of men.

The foundation of those who so build is never free from suspicion and shakiness in their hearts until their hearts are cut to pieces. Allah is Knowledgeable, Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The building which they built will never cease to be a misgiving in their hearts unless their hearts be torn to pieces. Allah is Knower, Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall