At-Tawbah 9:36
The Repentance · Juz 10 · Page 192
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثۡنَا عَشَرَ شَهۡرٗا فِي كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوۡمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ مِنۡهَآ أَرۡبَعَةٌ حُرُمٞۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُۚ فَلَا تَظۡلِمُواْ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمۡۚ وَقَٰتِلُواْ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ كَآفَّةٗ كَمَا يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمۡ كَآفَّةٗۚ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ ٣٦
Indeed, the number of months with Allāh is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allāh [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.1 That is the correct religion [i.e., way], so do not wrong yourselves during them.2 And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allāh is with the righteous [who fear Him].
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Tazkirul Quran
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Commentary on 9:36
Religious commandments can be carried out by everyone individually. But it is required by Almighty God that all the people of Faith should perform them together, so that a collective spirit is created in them. For the purpose of promoting this collectivism, definite timings and dates have been fixed for the performance of the religious rites of prayers, etc. Had these dates been appointed according to the solar calendar, there could have been uniformity in the time of their occurrence. For example, the days of fasting would always have come in one particular season and likewise Hajj. But, whereas uniformity creates inertia in man, change introduces new inspiration for action. Therefore, the natural lunar calendar has been adopted to provide the basis for the collective pattern of religious matters. On account of this principle, the dates of Hajj (pilgrimage) fall in different seasons —sometimes in summer and sometimes in winter. In ancient times when the congregation for Hajj was most important from the commercial point of view, the occurrence of Hajj in different seasons appeared to be harmful. Worldly considerations appeared to the Arab people more important than religious imperatives. They wanted to adopt a system by which Hajj would fall in one suitable season. At that time they came to know of the adjustments possible in the calculation (kabisa) of the Jews and Christians. They approved of this, as it was exactly according to their wishes, and they therefore adopted it. This meant displacing months and replacing one month by another, for example, replacing the month of Safar by the month of Muharram and vice versa. ‘Fight the polytheists all together, as they fight you all together.’ This means that just as the infidels unite on their refusal to fear God, the Muslims should unite on their fear of God (taqwa): If they join together for negative purposes, the Muslims should join together for positive ends. If they become one for the sake of the world, the Muslims should become one for the sake of the Hereafter.
Page 192
9:32
يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطۡفِـُٔواْ نُورَ ٱللَّهِ بِأَفۡوَٰهِهِمۡ وَيَأۡبَى ٱللَّهُ إِلَّآ أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُۥ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ ٣٢
They want to extinguish the light of Allāh with their mouths, but Allāh refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.
9:33
هُوَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَرۡسَلَ رَسُولَهُۥ بِٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلۡحَقِّ لِيُظۡهِرَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكُونَ ٣٣
It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although they who associate others with Allāh dislike it.
9:34
۞ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِنَّ كَثِيرٗا مِّنَ ٱلۡأَحۡبَارِ وَٱلرُّهۡبَانِ لَيَأۡكُلُونَ أَمۡوَٰلَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلۡبَٰطِلِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَكۡنِزُونَ ٱلذَّهَبَ وَٱلۡفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَبَشِّرۡهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٖ ٣٤
O you who have believed, indeed many of the scholars and the monks devour the wealth of people unjustly1 and avert [them] from the way of Allāh. And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allāh - give them tidings of a painful punishment.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., through false pretense. ↩
9:35
يَوۡمَ يُحۡمَىٰ عَلَيۡهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكۡوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمۡ وَجُنُوبُهُمۡ وَظُهُورُهُمۡۖ هَٰذَا مَا كَنَزۡتُمۡ لِأَنفُسِكُمۡ فَذُوقُواْ مَا كُنتُمۡ تَكۡنِزُونَ ٣٥
The Day when it1 will be heated in the fire of Hell and seared therewith will be their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, [it will be said], "This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you used to hoard."
1 translator’s note
- The gold and silver which was hoarded, i.e., whose zakāh was not paid. ↩
9:36
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثۡنَا عَشَرَ شَهۡرٗا فِي كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوۡمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ مِنۡهَآ أَرۡبَعَةٌ حُرُمٞۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُۚ فَلَا تَظۡلِمُواْ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمۡۚ وَقَٰتِلُواْ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ كَآفَّةٗ كَمَا يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمۡ كَآفَّةٗۚ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ ٣٦
Indeed, the number of months with Allāh is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allāh [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.1 That is the correct religion [i.e., way], so do not wrong yourselves during them.2 And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allāh is with the righteous [who fear Him].