At-Tawbah 9:48
The Repentance · Juz 10 · Page 195
لَقَدِ ٱبۡتَغَوُاْ ٱلۡفِتۡنَةَ مِن قَبۡلُ وَقَلَّبُواْ لَكَ ٱلۡأُمُورَ حَتَّىٰ جَآءَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَظَهَرَ أَمۡرُ ٱللَّهِ وَهُمۡ كَٰرِهُونَ ٤٨
They had already desired dissension before and had upset matters for you1 until the truth came and the ordinance [i.e., victory] of Allāh appeared, while they were averse.
1 translator’s note
- Or "turned matters related to you over [in their minds, considering how to cause you failure]." ↩
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Tazkirul Quran
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Commentary on 9:48
Adopting a religion may be done either with sincerity or with hypocrisy. Adopting religion sincerely means that a man makes religion the focus of his life, with a prime right over his life and property. Without sincerity, the adherent has a purely formal, external relation with religion, feeling no need to face all kinds of adversity for its sake. Admission of one’s mistakes amounts to acceptance of one’s being inferior to another: to do so is the most difficult thing for a man. That is why man always tries to somehow prove the correctness of his stand. Accordingly, those who accept Islam hypocritically are always in search of an opportunity to taunt sincere believers and to prove themselves as being in the right as compared to them. The hypocrites of Madinah were continuously engaged in such efforts. For example, when the Muslims were defeated in the battle of Uhud, the hypocrites who had remained behind in Madinah started circulating propaganda against the Prophet Muhammad to the effect that he had no experience of warfare or strategic affairs; that, spurred on by his own enthusiasm, he had taken the youngsters of the community to a dangerous place and had senselessly caused them to be killed. Among human beings there are very few people who are capable of deeply analysing problems and realising that the mere fact of a statement being cast in grammatically correct language does not in itself furnish proof of its being meaningfully correct. Many people are simple minded, and if something is presented to them in beautiful words, they are very soon affected by it. It is the presence of the hypocritical type of people in a Muslim group that is the cause of the weakening of that group. In their attempt to prove themselves right, such people frequently distort what they have to say so as give it a colour suited to their purpose. Influenced by such artifice, simple-minded people begin to be beset by doubts and uncertainty. In spite of the hypocrites’ efforts to oppose Islam, when the Muslims were victorious in the battle of Badr, ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy and his companions are reported to have said, ‘This thing has got going now.’ The domination of Islam being obvious, they should have placed credence on the veracity of Islam, but even that fed their jealousy.
Page 195
9:48
لَقَدِ ٱبۡتَغَوُاْ ٱلۡفِتۡنَةَ مِن قَبۡلُ وَقَلَّبُواْ لَكَ ٱلۡأُمُورَ حَتَّىٰ جَآءَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَظَهَرَ أَمۡرُ ٱللَّهِ وَهُمۡ كَٰرِهُونَ ٤٨
They had already desired dissension before and had upset matters for you1 until the truth came and the ordinance [i.e., victory] of Allāh appeared, while they were averse.
1 translator’s note
- Or "turned matters related to you over [in their minds, considering how to cause you failure]." ↩
9:49
وَمِنۡهُم مَّن يَقُولُ ٱئۡذَن لِّي وَلَا تَفۡتِنِّيٓۚ أَلَا فِي ٱلۡفِتۡنَةِ سَقَطُواْۗ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةُۢ بِٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ٤٩
And among them is he who says, "Permit me [to remain at home] and do not put me to trial." Unquestionably, into trial they have fallen.1 And indeed, Hell will encompass the disbelievers.
1 translator’s note
- By avoiding their obligation, they fell into destruction. ↩
9:50
إِن تُصِبۡكَ حَسَنَةٞ تَسُؤۡهُمۡۖ وَإِن تُصِبۡكَ مُصِيبَةٞ يَقُولُواْ قَدۡ أَخَذۡنَآ أَمۡرَنَا مِن قَبۡلُ وَيَتَوَلَّواْ وَّهُمۡ فَرِحُونَ ٥٠
If good befalls you, it distresses them; but if disaster strikes you, they say, "We took our matter [in hand] before,"1 and turn away while they are rejoicing.
1 translator’s note
- The hypocrites claim to have protected themselves by remaining behind. ↩
9:51
قُل لَّن يُصِيبَنَآ إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوۡلَىٰنَاۚ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلۡيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٥١
Say, "Never will we be struck except by what Allāh has decreed for us; He is our protector." And upon Allāh let the believers rely.
9:52
قُلۡ هَلۡ تَرَبَّصُونَ بِنَآ إِلَّآ إِحۡدَى ٱلۡحُسۡنَيَيۡنِۖ وَنَحۡنُ نَتَرَبَّصُ بِكُمۡ أَن يُصِيبَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِعَذَابٖ مِّنۡ عِندِهِۦٓ أَوۡ بِأَيۡدِينَاۖ فَتَرَبَّصُوٓاْ إِنَّا مَعَكُم مُّتَرَبِّصُونَ ٥٢
Say, "Do you await for us except one of the two best things [i.e., martyrdom or victory] while we await for you that Allāh will afflict you with punishment from Himself or at our hands? So wait; indeed we, along with you, are waiting."
9:53
قُلۡ أَنفِقُواْ طَوۡعًا أَوۡ كَرۡهٗا لَّن يُتَقَبَّلَ مِنكُمۡ إِنَّكُمۡ كُنتُمۡ قَوۡمٗا فَٰسِقِينَ ٥٣
Say, "Spend willingly or unwillingly; never will it be accepted from you. Indeed, you have been a defiantly disobedient people."
9:54
وَمَا مَنَعَهُمۡ أَن تُقۡبَلَ مِنۡهُمۡ نَفَقَٰتُهُمۡ إِلَّآ أَنَّهُمۡ كَفَرُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِۦ وَلَا يَأۡتُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ إِلَّا وَهُمۡ كُسَالَىٰ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَ إِلَّا وَهُمۡ كَٰرِهُونَ ٥٤
And what prevents their expenditures from being accepted from them but that they have disbelieved in Allāh and in His Messenger and that they come not to prayer except while they are lazy and that they do not spend except while they are unwilling.