Surah 9. Al-Tawba

For, had they been [truly] desirous of setting out [with thee], they would surely have made some preparation therefor: but God was averse to their taking the field, and so He caused them to hold back when it was said, "[You may] stay at home with all [the others] who stay at home."⁶⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

This may refer to the permission granted by the Prophet (see verse {43}) to certain of his followers who, for apparently legitimate reasons, were unable to take part in the campaign (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Razi) - a permission of which the hypocrites only too readily availed themselves. As regards God's "causing" those hypocrites to sin in this way, see 2:7 and the corresponding note [7], as well as surah {3}, note [117].

If they had intended to march forth, they would certainly have made some preparation for it; but Allah did not like their going forth; so He made them lag behind and they were told "stay behind with those who stay behind."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if they had wished to go forth they would assuredly have made ready some equipment, but Allah was averse to their being sent forth and held them back and (it was said unto them ) : Sit ye with the sedentary!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Had these [hypocrites] set out with you, [O believers,] they would have added nothing to you save the evil of corruption, and would surely have scurried to and fro in your midst, seeking to stir up discord among you, seeing that there are in your midst such as would have lent them ear: but God has full knowledge of the evildoers.

  - Mohammad Asad

Had they gone with you they would have added nothing but mischief, and they would have made efforts to create disorder among your ranks, and there would have been some among you who would have listened to them. Allah knows the wrongdoers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Had they gone forth among you they had added to you naught save trouble and had hurried to and fro among you, seeking to cause sedition among you; and among you there are some who would have listened to them. Allah is Aware of evil-doers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Indeed, even before this time⁷⁰ have they tried to stir up discord and devised all manner of plots against thee, [O Prophet,] until the truth was revealed and God's will became manifest, however hateful this may have been to them.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., before the expedition to Tabuk, during which these passages were revealed.

Indeed they had plotted sedition before and created disturbance to make you unsuccessful until the truth came through and the decree of Allah prevailed, even though they disliked it.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Aforetime they sought to cause sedition and raised difficulties for thee till the Truth came and the decree of Allah was made manifest, though they were loth.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And among them there was [many a one] who said,⁷¹ "Grant me permission [to remain at home], and do not put me to too hard a test!" Oh, verily, [by making such a request] they had [already failed in their test and] succumbed to a temptation to evil:⁷² and, behold, hell will indeed encompass all who refuse to acknowledge the truth!

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., at the time when the Prophet was making preparations for the campaign.

See verses {44} and {45} above. It is to be noted that both the verbal form la taftinni (rendered by me as "do not put me to too hard a test") and the noun fitnah have the same root, comprising a great complex of meanings: e.g., test, trial, affliction, temptation to evil, seduction, persecution, oppression, discord, civil strife, etc. ({cf. surah 8, note 25}). Since it is impossible in any language but Arabic to reproduce all these many shades of meaning in a single expression, the rendering of the term fitnah must necessarily vary in accordance with the context in which it is used.

Among them there is someone (Jad-bin-Qais) who said: "Grant me exemption and do not expose me to temptation (of Roman women's beauty)." Have they not fallen into temptation (of telling lies, double dealings and hypocrisy) already? Surely hell has encircled these disbelievers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Of them is he who saith: Grant me leave (to stay at home) and tempt me not. Surely it is into temptation that they (thus) have fallen. Lo! hell is all around the disbelievers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Should good fortune alight on thee,⁷³ [O Prophet,] it will grieve them; and should misfortune befall thee, they will say [to themselves], "We have already taken our precautions beforehand!" - and will turn away, and will rejoice.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., in the course of the expedition to Tabuk, during which most of this surah was revealed. One should, however, bear in mind that these verses have not merely a historical connotation but, rather, aim at depicting hypocrisy as such.

If you gain success, it grieves them, but if you face a setback, they say "We had taken our precautionary measures," and turn away, rejoicing.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

If good befalleth thee (O Muhammad) it afflicteth them, and if calamity befalleth thee, they say: We took precaution, and they turn away well pleased.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "Never can anything befall us save what God has decreed! He is our Lord Supreme; and in God let the believers place their trust!"

  - Mohammad Asad

O Prophet, tell them: "Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has written for us; He is our protector;" and in Allah let the believers put their trust.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say: Naught befalleth us save that which Allah hath decreed for us. He is our protecting Friend. In Allah let believers put their trust!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "Are you, perchance, hopefully waiting for something [bad] to happen to us - [the while nothing can happen to us] save one of the two best things?⁷⁴ But as far as you are concerned, we are hopefully waiting for God to inflict chastisement upon you, [either] from Himself⁷⁵ or by our hands! Wait, then, hopefully; behold, we shall hopefully wait with you!"

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., either victory or martyrdom in God's cause. The verb tarabbasa has usually the connotation of waiting with expectancy, and is, therefore, most suitably rendered as "he hopefully waited".

Sc., in the life to come.

Further tell them: "Can you expect for us anything other than two excellent things (victory or martyrdom)? But we are waiting for Allah to afflict you with punishment either from Himself or by our hands. So wait if you will; we too are waiting."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say: Can ye await for us aught save one of two good things (death or victory in Allah's way)? while we await for you that Allah will afflict you with a doom from Him or at our hands. Await then! Lo! we are awaiting with you.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "You may spend [anything], willingly or unwillingly, [pretending that you do it for the sake of God:] it shall never be accepted from you⁷⁶ - for, verily, you are people bent on iniquity!"

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "it shall never be acceptable to God": an allusion to the readiness on the part of many hypocrites to contribute financially to "good causes", ostensibly for the sake of moral considerations but, in reality, "only to be seen and praised by men" (cf. 2:264 and 4:38 ).

Say: "Whether you give willingly or with reluctance, it will not be accepted from you; for you are the people who are transgressors."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say: Pay (your contribution), willingly or unwillingly, it will not be accepted from you. Lo! ye were ever froward folk.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

For, only this prevents their spending from being accepted from them:⁷⁷ they are bent on refusing to acknowledge God and His Apostle, and never pray without reluctance,⁷⁸ and never spend [on righteous causes] without resentment.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "nothing prevents their spending from being accepted from them except that...", etc.

Lit., "and they do not approach prayer without being reluctant" - i.e., when they participate in acts of worship they do it only for the sake of outward conformity, and not out of inner conviction.

The reasons which prevent their contributions from being accepted are: that they disbelieve in Allah and His Rasool, that they come to offer Salah but reluctantly, and that they offer contributions but unwillingly.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And naught preventeth that their contributions should be accepted from them save that they have disbelieved in Allah and in His messenger, and they come not to worship save as idlers, and pay not (their contribution) save reluctantly.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Let not, then, their worldly goods or [the happiness which they may derive from] their children excite thy admiration: God but wants to chastise them by these means in this worldly life, and [to cause] their souls to depart while they are [still] denying the truth.⁷⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "for which sin they will have to suffer in the life to come". See also 3:178 and 8:28 , and the corresponding notes.

Let neither their wealth nor their children dazzle you: in reality Allah intends to punish them with these things in this life and that their souls may depart while they are still unbelievers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So let not their riches nor their children please thee (O Muhammad). Allah thereby intendeth but to punish them in the life of the world and that their souls shall pass away while they are disbelievers

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And they swear by God that they do indeed belong to you - the while they do not belong to you but are [only] people ridden by fear:

  - Mohammad Asad

They swear by Allah that they are indeed believers like you; yet they are not of you; in fact, they are afraid to appear to you in their true colors.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And they swear by Allah that they are in truth of you, when they are not of you, but they are folk who are afraid.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

if they could but find a place of refuge, or any cavern, or a crevice [in the earth], they would turn towards it in headlong haste.⁸⁰

  - Mohammad Asad

Thus the Qur'an shows that the innermost cause of all hypocrisy is fear - fear of a moral commitment and, at the same time, fear of an open breach with one's social environment. In their overriding, immoral desire for social conformity, "the hypocrites seek to deceive God - the while it is He who causes them to be deceived [by themselves]" ( 4:142 ); and as "they are oblivious of God, so He is oblivious of them" ( 9:67 ). One should note, in this connection, that the Arabic term munafiq - which, for want of a better word, is rendered as "hypocrite" - applies both to conscious dissemblers bent on deceiving their fellow-men, as well as to people who, out of an inner uncertainty, are deceiving themselves. For a fuller discussion of this term, see note [7] on 29:11 , which probably represents the earliest instance of its use in the Qur'an.

If they could find a place of refuge or a cave, or any hiding-place, they would certainly run to it with an obstinate rush.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Had they but found a refuge, or caverns, or a place to enter, they surely had resorted thither swift as runaways.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And among them are such as find fault with thee [O Prophet] concerning [the distribution of] the offerings given for the sake of God:⁸¹ if they are given something thereof, they are well-pleased; but if they are not given anything thereof, lo! they are consumed with anger.

  - Mohammad Asad

Since there is no English equivalent for the term sadaqat (sing. sadaqah), I am rendering it here as "offerings given for the sake of God". This comprises everything that a believer freely gives to another person, out of love or compassion, as well as what he is morally or legally obliged to give, without expecting any worldly return: that is, charitable gifts and deeds of every description (which is the primary meaning of sadaqat - e.g., in 2:263 and {264}), as well as the obligatory tax called zakah ("the purifying dues", because its payment purifies, as it were, a person's property from the taint of selfishness). In the context of the above verse, this term refers to the funds thus collected and administered by the Muslim community or state. When these funds are disbursed for the purposes stipulated in verse {60}, they assume once more - this time in relation to the recipients - the aspect of "charitable gifts".

There are some among them who criticize you (O Muhammad) concerning the distribution of sadaqat. If they are given from it they are pleased, and if they are not given from it, lo! They are full of rage.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And of them is he who defameth thee in the matter of the alms. If they are given thereof they are content, and if they are not given thereof, behold! they are enraged.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And yet, [it would be but for their own good] if they were to content themselves with what God has given them and [caused] His Apostle [to give them],⁸² and would say, "God is enough for us! God will give us [whatever He wills] out of His bounty, and [will cause] His Apostle [to give us, too]: verily, unto God alone do we turn with hope!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "what God has given them, and His Apostle": a typically Qur'anic construction meant to bring out the fact that the real giver is God, and that the Apostle is His instrument. Although this passage relates, primarily, to the hypocrites at Medina and the historical situation obtaining at the time of the expedition to Tabuk, the import of these verses goes beyond the historical occasion of their revelation, describing as it does "the attitude and mentality of hypocrites of all times, and everywhere" (Manar X, 567). Consequently, we may assume that the reference, in this context, to "God's Apostle" is not confined to the person of the Prophet Muhammad but implies, metonymically, the Law of Islam as revealed through him - and, thus, to every government that holds authority by virtue of that Law and rules in accordance with it.

It would have been better for them, if they had only been pleased with what Allah and His Rasool had given them and said: "Allah is all-sufficient to us! Soon Allah will give us of His bounty, and so will His Rasool. Indeed to Allah do we turn our hopes."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

(How much more seemly) had they been content with that which Allah and His messenger had given them and had said: Allah sufficeth us. Allah will give us of His bounty, and (also) His messenger. Unto Allah we are suppliants.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The offerings given for the sake of God⁸³ are [meant] only for the poor and the needy, and those who are in charge thereof,⁸⁴ and those whose hearts are to be won over, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage, and [for] those who are overburdened with debts, and [for every struggle] in God's cause, and [for] the wayfarer: [this is] an ordinance from God - and God is all-knowing, wise.⁸⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

See note [81] above.

I.e., the officials entrusted with the collection and administration of zakah funds.

These eight categories circumscribe all the purposes for which zakah funds may be expended. By "those whose hearts are to be won over" are apparently meant such non-Muslims as are close to understanding and, perhaps, accepting Islam, and for whose conversion every effort should be made, either directly or indirectly (i.e., by means of the widest possible propagation of the teachings of Islam). As regards the expression fi 'r-riqab ("for the freeing of human beings from bondage"), which relates both to the ransoming of prisoners of war and to the freeing of slaves, see surah {2}, note [146]. The term al-gharimun describes people who are overburdened with debts contracted in good faith, which - through no fault of their own - they are subsequently unable to redeem. The expression "in God's cause" embraces every kind of struggle in righteous causes, both in war and in peace, including expenditure for the propagation of Islam and for all charitable purposes. Regarding the meaning of ibn as-sabil ("wayfarer"), see surah {2}, note [145].

In fact the sadaqat (Zakah) collection is for the poor, the helpless, those employed to administer the funds, those whose hearts need to be won over to the truth, ransoming the captives, helping the destitute, in the Way of Allah and for the wayfarer. That is a duty enjoined by Allah; and Allah is All-Knowledgeable, Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall