النص المفهرس

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 19 - 23
and arrogance of the Mushriks. Later, when unpleasant things took
place among Muslims, it is quite possible that the same verses were
used as the deciding argument - which might have given the listeners
the feeling that these particular verses were revealed in the back-
ground of that particular event.
However, the present 'ayat of the Qur'an carry an answer to both
these kinds of events - that an accomplishment, no matter how good
and acceptable, is reduced to zero if it smacks of Shirk. Therefore, no
Mushrik is superior to Muslims because of his association with the
maintenance of the Mosque or the serving of water to pilgrims. And
even after their rejection of disbelief and entry into Faith, the status of
'Iman and Jihad is much higher than the maintenance of the Sacred
Mosque and the serving of water to pilgrims. Muslims who took the in-
itiative in 'Iman and Jihad are superior to Muslims who did not take
part in Jihad and remained rendering these services to the Sacred
Mosque and the pilgrims.
After these introductory remarks, let us go back to the words of the
verses and their translation once again. It reads:
اَجَعَلُمْ سِقَابَةَ الْحَاجٌ وَعِمَارَةَ الْمُسَْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ
وَجَاهَدَ فِى سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ،لَا يَسْتَوْنَ عِنْدَ اللهِ، وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْظُّلِمِينَ.
Have you taken the serving of water to the pilgrims and the
maintenance of Al-masjid-al-haram as equal to (the acts) of
one who believes in Allah and in the Last Day, and takes up
jihad in the way of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of
Allah - 19)
Seen contextually, the purpose is to urge that each one from 'Īman
and Jihad is superior to the serving of water to pilgrims and the main-
tenance of the Mosque, that is, 'Iman too is superior to both, and Jihad
too. Thus, the superiority of 'Iman provides an answer to what the
Mushriks said and the superiority of Jihad corrects Muslims who said
that maintaining the Mosque and serving water to pilgrims were su-
perior to Jihad.
The Dhikr of Allah is superior to Jihad
Qadi Thana'ullah has said in Tafsir Mazhari, 'the precedence given
to Jihad over the maintenance of the Mosque has been done in terms
of physical and outward maintenance, that is, the building, repair,

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cleaning and allied arrangements - for it goes without saying that Ji-
had takes precedence over these.'
But, the maintenance ('imarah) of the masjid is not restricted to
this sense alone. It has another meaning also, that of being present in
the masjid for 'Ibadah and Dhikr of Allah, which also applies here
strongly. In fact, the genuine flowering of the objective of making,
maintaining and manning the masjid with eager devotees comes out
from this factor alone. Given this sense, the maintenance of the masjid
- as very clearly stated by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم - is superior
to Jihad. To substantiate, we can refer to the report of Sayyidna Abu
al-Darda' appearing in the Musnad of Ahmad and in Tirmidhi and Ibn
Majah. According to this report, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said,
'should I not tell you about an act that is superior to all your acts and
certainly more so in the sight of your Master? - This act would raise
your ranks to the highest levels, would be even superior to spending
gold and silver in the way of Allah, and still be way superior to that
you bravely fight your enemies in Jihad where you kill them and they
kill you?' The noble Companions said, 'Do tell us about that act, Ya
Rasulallah.' He said, 'that act is the Dhikr of Allah.' This tells us that
the merit of the Dhikr of Allah is more pronounced than that of Jihad
also. And if the 'maintenance of the masjid' is taken in the sense of the
Dhikr of Allah, then, it is superior to Jihad. But, at this place, the
pride shown by the Mushriks was not based on the Dhikr of Allah and
the 'Ibadah performed in the masjid, instead, it was based on its struc-
tural and administrative aspects. Therefore, Jihad was deemed as su-
perior to that.
And when we deliberate into different statements of the Qur'an
and Sunnah as a whole, it appears that the phenomena of the superi-
ority of one act over the other depends on attending conditions and cir-
cumstances. There are conditions when one act is superior to the oth-
er. With a change in conditions, things could be the other way round.
When Islam and Muslims must be defended at all costs, at that time
Jihad shall definitely be more merit worthy as compared to all 'Ibadat
- as evident from the event of the battle of Khandaq where the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had to miss four of his daily prayers (qada). Con-
versely, when the need is not so acute, the Dhikr of Allah and 'Ibadah
will be more merit worthy as compared to Jihad.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 19 - 23
At the end of the verse (19), by saying : ◌َوَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الظَّلِمِيْن (And Allah
does not lead the wrongdoing people to the right path), it was pointed
out that the thing they were being told about was not difficult to un-
derstand. In fact, it was clear, as clear as it can be - that 'Iman is the
foundation of all that is done, and is superior to all of them. Then
comes Jihad that is superior as compared to the maintenance of the
masjid and serving water to pilgrims. But, Allah Ta'ala does not bless
the unjust and the wrongdoing with the gift of understanding. There-
fore, they keep at their crooked hairsplitting into things that are oth-
erwise very open and obvious.
Verse 20 enlarges upon the subject initiated with the words: 3:225y
(la yastawun: they are not equal) in the previous verse (19) where it
was said that the believing Mujahidin and those engaged only in main-
taining the masjid and serving water to pilgrims are not equal. This
الَّذِّيْنَ امَنُؤْا وَهَاجَرُوًا وَجْهَدُوا فِىُ سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ بِآَمْوَإِلِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِنَّدَ : was enlarged by saying
those who believed and emigrated and took up jih ad in) اللّهِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَّابِرُونَ
the way of Allah, with their wealth and lives, are greater in rank in
the sight of Allah, and they are the successful ones). The reason is that
the Mushriks against them simply had no measure of success what-
soever. As for Muslims in general, they too shared this success in es-
sence, but the success of those identified above had more to it. There-
fore, they were the ones whose success was comprehensive.
Verses 21 and 22 tell us about the great reward and ranks these
successful people shall have in the life to come:
◌ُبَشِّرُهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنْهُ وَرِضْوَانٍ وَجَتْتٍ لَّهُمْ فِيْهَا نَعِيُمْ مُقِيمٌّ خُلِدِيْنَ فِيْهَاً
أَبَدًّا، إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَةً أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ.
Their Lord gives them the happy news of Mercy from Him,
and Pleasure, and of Gardens having an everlasting bliss for
them, where they shall dwell for ever. Surely, it is Allah with
whom there is a great reward.
These verses mention the merits of Hijrah and Jihad which require
that one leaves his country, relatives, friends, companions, wealth and
property, all in one stroke. As obvious, surrendering all these attach-
ments is most difficult and painful. Therefore, in the next verse (23),
the text disapproves of limitless attachment with these things and
thereby prepares Muslim minds to welcome Hijrah and Jihad. It was

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said:
◌َيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوُاَ ابَّاءَكُمْ وَإِخْوَانَكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ إِنِ اسْتَخَبُوا الْكُفْرَ عَلَى
الإِيْمَانِ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ قِنُكُمْ فَأُوَلِكَ هُمُ الْظُلِمُونَ .
O those who believe, do not take your fathers and your broth-
ers as friends, if they prefer infidelity over Faith. And whoev-
er from you has friendship with them, then such people are
the wrongdoers.
As for the need to maintain strong bonds of kinship with parents,
brothers and sisters and other kinsfolk and to treat all of them gener-
ously, the Qur'an remains full of relevant instructions. But, this verse
has made it very clear that each relationship has a limit. Every rela-
tionship out of these, whether that of parents and children or that of
real brother and sister, has to be bypassed when it stands in competi-
tion with one's relationship with Allah and His Messenger. Should
these two relationships come on a collision course on some occasion,
then, the relationship that has to be kept intact is one's relationship
with Allah and His Messenger. All relationships competing against it
are to be ignored.
Some special notes and rulings
Some special notes and rulings emerging from verses 19 - 23 are be-
ing given below:
1. 'Iman (faith) is the moving spirit of 'Amal (deed). A deed devoid
of it, no matter how good, is nothing but a lifeless form, and simply un-
acceptable. It has no worth in terms of the salvation in the Hereafter.
Of course, there is no injustice with Allah Ta'ala. He would not let even
good deeds of disbelievers that are devoid of the essential light of faith
go waste in toto. Their return is given to them right here in this world
of their experience. They are given possessions and wealth to procure
articles and means of comfort and self-satisfaction as desired. Thus,
their account stands all settled, something the Holy Qur'an takes up in
several verses of the Holy Qur'an.
2. Sin and disobedience spoil human reason. One starts taking
good as bad and bad as good. The statement : ◌َوَاللهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْظُلِمِين (And Al-
lah does not lead the wrongdoing people to the right path -19) releases
a hint in this direction. Similarly, it has been counterbalanced in an-
other verse of the Qur'an by saying : إِنُ تَّقُوا اللهَ يَجْعَلُ لَّكُمُ فُرْقَانًا :"O those who

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 19 - 23
believe, if you fear Allah, He will provide you with a criterion (to dis-
tinguish between right and wrong) - 8:29." This gives a clear indication
that the attitude of obeying Allah and fearing Him gives polish and
luster to human reason, balance and poise to thinking and a never-
failing ability to distinguish between good and bad.
3. Even good deeds have a mutual rivalry for precedence. Corre-
spondingly, the same element of precedence operates in the ranks of
those who do good deeds. All doers of deeds cannot be placed in the
same rank since things depend, not on abundance, but on the quality
of deeds. It was said in Surah al-Mulk: لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحُسَنٌ عَمَلًا (so that He
might test you as to who among you is better in deed - 67:2).
4. For blessings to remain everlasting two things are necessary -
that there is no end to them and that they are not separated from
those who are blessed with them. Therefore, a guarantee was given to
the favored servants of Allah on both counts. By saying: "
(Gardens having an everlasting bliss for them -21), it was declared that
the blessings were eternal. Then, by saying: mi Ga gen (where they
shall dwell forever -22), these successful people were assured that they
shall never be separated from these blessings.
The real bond is the bond of Islam and 'Iman - all bonds of line-
age and country must be sacrificed for it
5. The fifth point elaborated here is of basic importance. It settles
that the relation with Allah and His Messenger should be given prece-
dence over all relations of kinship and friendship. The relation that
clashes against it deserves to be broken. This was the way of the noble
Companions. This was why they rose to be the superior most people of
the Muslim Ummah. It was some trail they blazed by sacrificing all
that was with them, their life, wealth, property, relatives and bonds of
all sorts, only for the sake of Allah and His Messenger. That the bond
of Islam was supreme and universal stood proved when Bilal from
Ethiopea, Şuhayb from Byzantium, Salman from Persia, the Quraysh
from Makkah and the Ansar from Madinah became brothers to each
other. And that the bonds of lineage and tribe had to be cast aside was
also demonstrated when, on the battlefields of Badr and 'Uhud, swords
were crossed between father and son and between brother and broth-
er. These are significant evidences of the creed they held dear.

337
Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 24
اللَّهُمَّ ارُزُقْنَا إِتِّبَاعَهُمْ وَاجْعَلُ حُبُّكَ أَحَبَّ الْآَشْيَآءِ إِلَيْنَا وَخَشْيَتَكَ أَخُوَفَ
الْأَشْيَاءَ عِنْدَنَا .
Ya Allah, bless us with the ability to follow them, and make
Your love the dearest of everything in our sight and make
Your fear the most fear-worthy of everything with us.
Verse 24
قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ ابَاؤُكُمْ وَابْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَاَزْوَاجُكُمْ
وَعَشِيْرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالُ إِقْتَرَ فُتُمُوْهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا
وَمَسْكِنَ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَتَّ إِلَيْكُمْ قِنَ اللهِ وَرَسُوُلِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِىٌ
سَبِيْلٍِ فَتَرَتَّصُوا حَتَّى يَأْتِىَ اللهُ بِأَمْرِهٍُ وَاللّهُ لَا يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ
الْفُسِقِيْنَ
Say, "If your fathers and your sons and your brothers
and your spouses and your clan and the wealth you
have earned and the trade you apprehend will recede
and the homes you like are dearer to you than Allah
and His Messenger and jihad in His way, then, wait un-
til Allah comes with His command. And Allah does not
lead the sinning people to the right path. [24]
Commentary
This verse of Surah al-Taubah was revealed essentially about peo-
ple who did not migrate from Makkah at the time migration was made
obligatory for them. Their love for family and property had stopped
them from carrying out their obligation to migrate. In their case, Allah
Almighty asked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to tell them what ap-
pears in the verse cited above.
As for the statement: "Wait until Allah comes with His command,"
Tafsir authority Mujahid has said that 'command' referred to here
means the command to carry out Jihad and conquer Makkah. The
sense of the statement is that the time is near when the evil end of
those who sacrifice their relationship with Allah and His Messenger
for the sake of worldly bonds shall become visible to all. That is the
time when Makkah shall stand conquered, those who chose to discard
their appointed duty shall face disgrace and their bonds with people

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 24
and things they fancied shall be of no avail to them.
Then, there is the interpretation of the famous Hasan al-Basri who
has said that 'command' at this place means the command of punish-
ment. The sense is that those who sacrificed their spiritual bonds as
related to the Hereafter just for the sake of their attachment to what
was blandly material and did not migrate as instructed were people
who would be seized by the Divine command of punishment fairly
soon. Either this punishment would come upon them right here in this
mortal world, or they shall have to face the punishment of the Here-
after - which is certain. The purpose at this place is to serve a note of
warning against the abandonment of the obligation of migration - but,
what has been mentioned here is 'Jihad' and not Hijrah (migration),
which is the next step after Hijrah. The hint embedded here is that the
real thing has not happened yet. What has come up right now is no
more than the initial command to migrate. There are people who did
not have the courage to do even that. Ahead of them is the forthcoming
command of Jihad following which they would have to surrender all
worldly attachments for the sake of love for Allah and His Messenger,
even stake their lives for that noble cause. And it is also possible that
this may be a place where migration itself has been made to stand for
Jihad - because, in reality, that too is nothing but a department of Ji-
had.
Finally, by saying : ◌َوَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْفُسِقِين (And Allah does not lead the
sinning people to the right path) at the end of the verse, it was made
amply clear that those who, despite the standing command of migra-
tion, opted for their temporal relationships and kept clinging to their
family, relatives, wealth and property, shall soon find out that this
conduct of theirs was not going to serve their purpose even in this mor-
tal world. If they were thinking that they would keep basking in the
sunshine of family, wealth and property in everlasting peace and tran-
quility, then, they would never realize this dream. Once the command
of Jihad comes, these very attractions will turn into burdens too cum-
bersome to go along with - because, Allah Ta'ala does not allow the
sinning and the disobedient to achieve their desired objective.
Standing Rules of Hijrah (migration)
1. First of all, when Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah was made
obligatory, it was not simply a matter of obligation, in fact, it was also

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 24
a hallmark and a symbol of being a Muslim. Anyone who did not mi-
grate at that time, despite having the ability to do so, was not taken to
be a Muslim. This injunction was abrogated after the Conquest of
Makkah.
2. After that, the basic injunction which remained operative was:
Should there be a land where it is not possible for one to comply with
his or her religious obligations, such as praying and fasting in accor-
dance with the injunctions of Allah, migrating from there shall remain
a matter of duty (fard) for ever - on condition that one is capable of un-
dertaking such migration. This is the first degree of compliance.
3. Compliance in the second degree is that one should leave every
such place where sin and disobedience have a dominant role in life.
This act remains recommended (mustahabb) for ever. (see details in Fath
al-Barī)
It will be noticed that the address in the verse under study is di-
rect. Those being addressed are people who did not migrate when they
were asked to do so because they cared more about their worldly
bonds. But, the generality of the words of the verse is telling all Mus-
lims that their love for Allah and His Messenger is obligatory on them
in a special degree. That degree is the highest, the foremost. This de-
gree requires that no other bond or love for anything or anyone should
ever prevail over it. So, whoever fails to come up with this level of love
becomes deserving of punishment from Allah. Let him, then, wait for
it.
The Touchstone of True Faith ('Iman)
Therefore, it has been reported in an authentic Hadith narrated by
Sayyidna Anas ibn Malik as A », which appears in the two collections
of al-Bukhari and Muslim that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: No
one can be a true believer until I become to him dearer than his father,
children and everyone else in this world.
According to a Hadith from Sayyidna Abu Umamah as Ul (+, ap-
pearing in Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has
said: Anyone who takes a friend or makes an enemy for the sake of Al-
lah or spends his wealth or withholds it for the sake of Allah has made
his faith perfect.
These narrations from Hadith prove that perfection of faith de-

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 24
صلى الله عليه وسلم pends on the dominance of the love for the Holy Prophet
over all other kinds of love, friendship and enmity, concession and res-
ervation - all of which must remain subservient to the will and com-
mand of Allah and His Messenger.
Tafsir authority, Qadi al-Baidawi and other commentators have
said that there are very few people who could be considered exempt
from the warning given in this verse. The reason is that even the
greatest among those who practice and teach religious percepts and
virtues seem to be subdued by their love for family and belongings - of
course, with the exception of those Allah wills to be otherwise. Howev-
er, Qadi al-Baidawi explains further by saying that 'love' here means
love that is within one's control. It has nothing to do with love which
one does not control, that which is natural - because Allah Ta'ala does
not obligate anyone beyond one's capacity and control. Therefore, a
person may have his heart full of natural love for worldly bonds but he
should not let it overpower him to the limit that he starts acting
against the will and command of Allah and His Messenger If so, this
warning will not apply to him and he will be taken as one who keeps
his love for Allah and His Messenger above everything. This is very
much like the case of a patient who gets nervous about an unpleasant
medicine or unexpected surgery. This is natural. But, he does agree to
it rationally since it is for his own good. If so, it is not blameworthy.
Then, commonsense never forces him to get rid of his natural nervous-
ness and dislike. Similarly, if someone feels naturally uncomfortable
while complying with some Divine injunctions due to his love for
wealth and children, yet bears by the discomfort and carries those in-
junctions out, then, that is not blameworthy either. In fact, it is praise-
worthy for he would be regarded as one who keeps his love for Allah
and His Messenger on top of everything in the light of this verse.
Nevertheless, as for the high station of love is concerned, there is
no doubt about the ideal that love must come to prevail over one's na-
ture as well and go on to turn every discomfort welcome while comply-
ing with what your beloved would like you to do. This is not so difficult
to comprehend. Think of the seekers of material comfort in this world.
Day in and day out, they would embrace the hardest conceivable labor
with a smile to get what they want. For a salary check at the end of
the month, one would sacrifice sleep, comfort and social relationships.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 24
Honestly or dishonestly, such a seeker would let his desire dominate
everything else to achieve his goal.
Moving away from the seekers of the material, let us consider the
charisma of the People of Allah. When they seek Allah and His Mes-
senger and the blessings of the-life-to-come, they too reach a station of
love which pales out any thoughts of pain and discomfort. According to
صلى الله عليه وسلم a Hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet
said: There are three traits which, if found in a person, would bless
him or her with the sweetness of faith. Those three traits are: (1) That
Allah and His Messenger are, in his sight, dearer than anything other
than them, (2) that one loves a servant of Allah for His sake only, (3)
and that the very thought of Kufr and Shirk gives one the feeling of
being thrown away into the fire.
The 'sweetness of faith' mentioned in the Hadith quoted above
means this very station of love that makes the hardest possible labor
most welcome for the true seeker. Love has its own chemistry of turn-
ing the sour into the sweet. Some Muslim scholars have pointed out
that a heart when enriched with the sweetness of faith starts passing
it on to other parts of the body which begin to relish it during acts of
worship and obedience. In some reports, the same thing has been
equated with the ecstasy of faith - and in Hadith, the Holy Prophet L.
.said: The delight of my eyes is in Salah الله عليه وسلم
Qadi Thana'ullah of Panipat has said in Tafsir Mazhari: This station
of love for Allah and His Messenger is a great blessing - but, it can be
acquired only when one stays close to the People of Allah. It is for this
reason that Muslim mystics consider it necessary that it be sought
with Shaykhs. The author of Ruh al-Bayan has said that this station of
friendship can be acquired by the one who is ready to sacrifice, like
Sayyidna Ibrahim Khalilullah, WILL everything for the love of Allah
- wealth, children, life, everything.
Finally, says commentator al-Baidawi: The preservation and pro-
صلى الله عليه وسلم tection of the Sunnah and Shariah of the Holy Prophet
and the rebuttal of and the defense against those who oppose or ma-
lign them is also an open sign of love for Allah and His Messenger.
رزقنا الله تعالى وجميع المسلمين حبّه وحب رسوله كما يحب ويرضاه
May Allah bless us and bless all Muslims with love for Him and

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 25 - 27
the love for His Messenger.
Verses 25 - 27
لَقَدُ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ فِی مَوَاطِنَ کَثِيْرَةٍ « وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنِ إِذْ
اَعُجَبَتْكُمْ كَثُرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنْكُمُ شَيْئًا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ
الْأَرْضَ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْهُمْ تُّدُبِرِيْنَ ﴿٢٥﴾ ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ اللّهُ
سَكِيْنَتَهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهٍ وَعَلَى الْمُؤمِنِيْنَ وَاَنْزَلَ جُنُوْدًا لَّمْ تَرَؤُهَا
وَعَذَّبَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا، وَذْلِكَ جَزَّاءُ الْكُفِرِيْنَ ﴿٢٦) ثُمَّ يَتُوُبُ
اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ عَلَى مَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿٢٧﴾
Allah has surely blessed you with His help on many
battlefields, and on the day of Hunain* : (remember)
when you were proud of your great number then it did
not help you at all, and the earth was straitened for
you despite all its vastness, then you turned away on
your backs. [25]
Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon His
Messenger and upon the believers, and sent down
forces which you did not see, and punished those who
disbelieved. And that is the recompense of the
disbelievers. [26]
Yet Allah relents, after that, to whomsoever He wills.
And Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [27]
Commentary:
Described in the verses cited about are events relating to the sce-
nario of defeat and victory at the battle of Hunain. Along with it, sev-
eral primary and subsidiary problems have also been resolved as a cor-
ollary. As the verse opens, Allah Ta'ala mentions His favor and grace
which has descended upon Muslims on all occasions and under all con-
ditions. It was said : ◌ٍلَقَدُ نَصَرَكُمُ اللهُ فِى مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَة (Allah has surely blessed you
with His help on many battlefields). Particularly cited soon after this
opener was: " (and on the day of Hunain) that is, Muslims were
blessed with the help of Allah on the day of the battle of Hunain as
*. Hunain : The name of a place near Makkah, the site of the battle of Hu-
nain.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 25 - 27
well.
The battle of Hunain was specially mentioned because many
events and circumstances unfolded unexpectedly and extraordinarily
during the course of this encounter. If you were to think about these
happenings, you would realize that they make one stronger in faith
and bolder in deed. Therefore, before we take up a literal explanation
of the verses under study, it is appropriate to describe the major
events of this battle. They appear in authentic books of Hadith and
history. We are describing them in a somewhat detailed manner so
that it becomes easier to understand not only the verses mentioned
above but also the lessons that these events teach. The major portion
of these events has been taken from Tafsir Mazhari. Necessary refer-
ences to books of Hadith and history may be seen there.
Hunain is the name of a place between Makkah al-Mukarramah
and Ța'if. It is located at a distance of about ten miles from Makkah.
When Makkah was conquered in Ramadan of Hijrah 8, the Quraysh of
. صلى الله عليه وسلم Makkah laid down their arms before the Holy Prophet
This alarmed the tribe of Banu Thaqif from Ta'if who were a branch of
the tribe of Hawazin known all over Arabia as big, brave, rich and
warring. They got together and considered the challenge posed by the
newly gained strength of Muslims after their conquest of Makkah.
Once the Muslims settled down, they concluded, they would turn to
them. Therefore, they decided, the wisest course for them was to
launch a pre-emptive attack on Muslims much before they came upon
them. To carry out this plan, the tribe of Hawazin brought all its
branches spread out from Makkah to Ta'if together. Included there
were all big and small units of this tribe - except a few individuals
who were less than a hundred in number.
The leader of this movement was Malik ibn 'Awf who became a
Muslim later on and rose to be a major standard-bearer of Islam. How-
ever, at that particular time, his zeal to attack Muslims was the high-
est. Going along with him, the overwhelming majority of the tribe
started preparing for war. Two small branches of this tribe, Banu Ka'b
and Banu Kilab, did not approve of this action plan. Allah Ta'ala had
blessed them with some foresight. They said: Even if the forces of the
whole world from the East to the West came together against Muham-

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mad, he would still overcome all of them. We cannot fight the power of
God (with him). As for the rest of them, they all gave their pledges to
fight. Malik ibn 'Awf devised a plan to ensure that all of them abided
by their commitment to the war. He proposed that all participants
should take their families and valuables with them. The catch was
that, in case they thought of bolting away from the battlefield, the love
of wife, children and things of value with them would hold them back
like shackles on their feet and they would be left with no freedom to
desert the battlefield. As for their numbers, historians differ. Accord-
ing to the master of Hadith, 'Allamah ibn Hajar and some others, the
weightier opinion is that they were twenty-four or twenty eight thou-
sand in number. Some others have given a number of four thousand. It
is possible that, with the inclusion of women and children, the total
number could be twenty-four or twenty eight thousand while the actu-
al number of fighting men among them remained four thousand.
Anyway, when the news of their dangerous intentions reached the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in Makkah al-Mukarramah, he decided to
confront them. He appointed Sayyidna 'Attab ibn Asid as the Amir of
Makkah al-Mukarramah, left Sayyidna Mu'adh ibn Jabal behind to
teach people Islam, and asked the Quraysh of Makkah for weapons
and other war supplies - of course, as a borrowing. The Quraysh chief,
Safwan ibn Umaiyyah spoke out: 'Do you want to take this war materi-
al forcibly against our will?' He said: 'No, we would rather like to bor-
row it from you, a borrowing guaranteed to be returned.' After hearing
that, he gave one hundred coats of mail and Nawfil ibn Harith offered
three thousand spears likewise. According to a narration of Imam Zuh-
ri, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was now ready to launch the Jihad
with an army of fourteen thousand Companions - which included
twelve thousand Ansar of Madinah who had accompanied him for the
conquest of Makkah. Then, there were two thousand Muslims who
were residents of Makkah and its environs and who had embraced Is-
lam at the time of its conquest. They are known as 'al-tulaqa.' It was
on Saturday, the 6th of Shawwal that he marched out for this battle
saying that the next day, insha'Allah, they shall be camping at the
spot in Khaif bani Kinanah where the Quraysh of Makkah had assem-
bled to write down their pledge to excommunicate Muslims.
As for the army of fourteen thousand Mujahidin, it did march out of

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the city for Jihad. But, there was another crowd of people - many men
and women of the city of Makkah - who also came out of their homes
as spectators. Their hearts were excited with conflicting emotions.
Speaking generally, if Muslims were to be defeated on this occasion,
they thought, they would have a good chance of taking their revenge
against Muslims - and if they were to win, they consoled themselves
that they were not going to lose anything after all.
Shaibah ibn 'Uthman was one of these spectators. When he em-
braced Islam later on, he narrated what had happened to him: 'In the
battle of Badr, my father was killed by Hamzah and my uncle by Sayy-
idna 'Ali. My heart was full of anger. I was bent on taking my revenge.
I took advantage of this opportunity and started walking alongside the
Muslim forces. The purpose was to find an opportunity and attack the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. I kept hanging with them always on the
look out for that opportunity until came the time during the initial
stage of this Jihad when some Muslims had started losing their
ground. When I found them running, I seized the opportunity and
reached close to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . But, I saw that
'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas was guarding him on the right and Abu Sufyan
ibn Harith on the left. Therefore, I dashed towards the rear with the
intention of attacking him with my sword all of a sudden. Right then,
he happened to look at me and he called out to me: 'Shaibah, come
here.' He asked me to come closer. Then, he put his blessed hand on
my chest and prayed: 'O Allah, remove the Shaytan away from him.'
Now, when I raise my eyes, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم becomes in
my heart dearer than my own eye and ear and life. He said to me: 'Go
and fight the disbelievers.' Now, there I was staking my life for him,
fighting the enemy valiantly right to the end. When the Holy Prophet
.returned from this Jihad, I presented myself before him صلى الله عليه وسلم
At that time, he told me about the thoughts I had when I started off
from Makkah with a particular intention and how I was shadowing
him in order to kill him. But, since Allah had intended that I must do
something good, I did what I did.'
Something similar happened to Nadr ibn Harith. He too had gone
to Hunain with the same intention. However, when he reached there,
Allah Ta'ala put in his heart the thought of the innocence of the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and a feeling of love for him. This turned him

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 25 - 27
into a valiant Mujahid who took no time in piercing through the enemy
lines.
During the course of this very expedition, yet another event took
place. This concerns Abu Burdah ibn Niyar When he reached the place
known as Awtas, he saw that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was sit-
ting under a tree and there was someone else with him. The Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم told Abu Burdah that he was sleeping when the
man sitting with him came, grabbed his sword, positioned by the side
of his head and said: 'O Muhammad, now tell me who can save you
from me?' I said, 'Allah!' When he heard this, the sword fell down from
his hands.' Abu Burdah said: 'O Messenger of Allah, please allow me to
behead this enemy of Allah, he looks like a spy.' The Holy Prophet L.
dug ale JUI said: 'Abu Burdah, say no more. Allah Ta'ala is my Protector
until my religion prevails over all others.' After all that, he uttered not
a single word of reproach for that person, in fact, let him go free.
When Muslims camped after reaching Hunain, Sayyidna Suhail
ibn Hanzalah came to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with the news
that one of their riders had brought a report that the entire tribe of
Hawazin had arrived with an array of their war materials. Hearing
this, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم smiled and said: 'Do not worry. All
this material has come as war spoils for Muslims!'
صلى الله عليه Once settled at the camping grounds, the Holy Prophet
du sent Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Haddad to gather intelligence from the
area controlled by the enemy. He went there and stayed with them for
two days watching all prevailing conditions closely. He saw the enemy
leader and commander, Malik ibn 'Awf and heard him saying to his
people: 'Muhammad has yet to face a nation of experienced warriors.
That fight against the innocent Quraysh of Makkah has given him
false notions. He has become proud of his power. Now, he will find out
where he stands. Let all of you go in battle formation at the early hour
of dawn in a manner that each warrior has his wife, children and arti-
cles of value behind him. Then, take your swords out of the sheaths,
break the sheaths, and attack, all together in one go.' These people
were really very experienced in warfare. They had deployed their forc-
es not only openly but secretly too. For example, they had hidden some
units of their army in different mountain passes.
This was a view of how the army of disbelievers was getting ready

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to fight. On the other side, this was the first Jihad of Muslims in
which fourteen thousand fighters had come out to confront the enemy.
The war material they had with them was much more than they ever
had. Then, they had the experience of Badr and 'Uhud where they had
seen how a negligible number of three hundred and thirteen ill-
equipped men had triumphed over a strong army of one thousand well-
equipped fighters. Under these circumstances, when they came to
think about their numbers and preparations on that day, some unfor-
tunate words - 'today, it is impossible that anyone can defeat us, for to-
day, once the fighting starts, the enemy will run' - were uttered by
some of them (as reported by Hakim and Bazzar).
This attitude - that someone relies solely on one's own power - was
something disliked by the supreme Master of humans, jinns and an-
gels. Hence, Muslims were taught a lesson for their lack of discretion.
They got a taste of it when the tribe of Hawazin, following their battle
plan, launched a surprise attack and their army units lurking in
mountain passes encircled Muslims from all sides. The dust kicked up
by their sudden tactical advance turned the day into night, the Com-
panions lost their foothold and started running. In contrast, the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was the lone figure seen advancing on his mount,
forward and not backwards. A counted few of his noble Companions -
reportedly, three hundred, or even less than one hundred as said by
others - did, however, stay with him, but they too wished that he
would not continue advancing.
Then, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم realized that the situation
was grave. He asked Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas Le Ul >, to call his
Companions. These were his Companions who had given him a pledge
to fight when they had assembled under the Tree. Then, he pointed
out to those who had been mentioned in the Qur'an as well as to the
Ansar of Madinah who had promised to stake their lives in this Jihad.
He wanted all of them to come back and wanted them to know that the
Messenger of Allah was present on the battlefield.
The call given by Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas رضى الله عنه ran
through the battlefield like some power current. All deserters were
smitten with remorse. They regrouped with fresh vigor and valor and
fought against the enemy fully and decisively. First the enemy com-
mander, Malik ibn 'Awf ran away from the battlefield leaving his fami-

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 25 - 27
ly and belongings behind and took refuge in the fort of Ta'if. After him,
the rest of his people deserted the battlefield. Seventy of their chiefs
were killed. Incidentally, when some children received wounds at the
hands of Muslim soldiers, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم took immedi-
ate notice and prohibited them sternly against any such action in fu-
ture. Everything they left fell into Muslim hands. It included six thou-
sand prisoners of war, twenty four thousand camels, forty thousand
goats and four thousand 'Uqiyah* of silver.
The same subject has been taken up in the first (25) and second (26)
verses. The gist of what was said there is: 'when you waxed proud of
your numbers, it did not work for you and you found yourself all cor-
nered as if the earth was straitened for you despite its vastness. Then,
you showed your backs and ran. Then, Allah Ta'ala sent down upon
you His tranquility - sending forces of angels for His Messenger and
the believers with him, something you did not see. Thus, the disbeliev-
ers were punished at your hands.'
ثُمَّ أَنْزَّلَ اللهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى :It will be useful to explain the statement
SHAl (Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and
upon the believers) appearing in verse 26 a little further. It means that
Allah Ta'ala sent down His tranquility upon the hearts of the noble
Companions who had lost their foothold on the battlefield during the
initial attack of the enemy at Hunain. This caused their feet to become
firm again and those who had run away came back. As for the sending
of tranquility upon the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Companions
who had stayed on the war front with firmness and determination, it
means that they could see victory close at hand. And since the tran-
quility mentioned here was of two kinds - one for those who ran, and
صلى الله عليه وسلم the other for those who stayed on with the Holy Prophet
with firmness and determination - it is to point out to this refinement
that the expressions: ◌َعَلَى رَسُوُلِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِيْن ( ... upon His Messenger and upon
the believers) have been placed separately and introduced one after
the other with the repetition of the preposition Le ('ala: upon).
After that, it was said: ups) is22 036 ( ... and sent down forces which
you did not see). This means that the people at large did not see. That
some reports mention the 'seeing' of these 'forces' should not be taken
* 1 'Uqiyah = 122.472 grams approximately. (+36;)| / Mufti Muhammad Shafi)

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 25 - 27
as contrary to this.
After that, in conclusion, it was said : ◌َوَعَذَّبَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا وَذْلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكُفِرِين It
means that Allah punished those who disbelieved - and those who dis-
believed deserved that punishment. This punishment or recompense
refers to their subjugation at the hands of Muslims which was some-
thing witnessed openly. In sum, what was their worldly punishment,
they received promptly. As for their fate in the Hereafter, it has been
mentioned in verse 27:ُثُمَّ يَتُوبُ اللهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذلِكَ عَلى مَنْ يَّشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ غَفُرُ وْ رَّحِيم (Yet Allah
relents, after that, to whomsoever He wills. And Allah is Most-
Forgiving, Very-Merciful).
A hint has been given here that some people out of those who have
received their punishment in the form of defeat at Muslim hands in
this Jihad and who still keep adhering to their disbelief will be blessed
with the ability to become true believers. The manner in which this
happened is given below in some details.
Victory of Hunain: Enemy chiefs embrace Islam, Prisoners
Return
It will be recalled that some chiefs from the tribes of Hawazin and
Thaqif were killed in the battle of Hunain. Some ran away. Their fami-
lies became prisoners of war and their properties fell into Muslim
hands as spoils that included six thousand prisoners, twenty four
thousand camels, more than forty thousand goats and four thousand
'Uqiyah of silver that equals approximately 489.888 kilograms. The
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم appointed Sayyidna Abu Sufyan ibn Harb as
the Custodian of war spoils.
After that, the defeated forces of Hawazin and Thaqif tried to re-
group at various places to challenge Muslims but at every such place
they kept facing defeat. Such was the awe of their victors that they
chose to lock themselves up into the strong fortress of Ta'if. The Holy
Prophet @ put this fortress under siege which lasted up to fifteen or
twenty days. The besieged enemy kept shooting their arrows from in-
side the fortress. They could not muster enough courage to come out in
the open. The Companions of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم requested
him to pray that some evil befalls these people - but he prayed that
they be guided right. Then, he went into consultation with his Com-
panions and decided to return. When he reached Ji'irranah he intend-

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 25 - 27
ed to go to Makkah al-Mu'azzamah and perform "Umrah and then re-
turn to Madinah. Many of the Makkans who had come as spectators of
Muslim victory or defeat seized the occasion to announce their conver-
sion to Islam.
It was on arrival at this stage of the journey that arrangements
were made to distribute spoils. While this distribution was still in pro-
cess, a deputation of fourteen chiefs of the tribe of Hawazin led by Zu-
hayr ibn Surad came in all of a sudden. They had come to pay their re-
spects to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Included in the group was Abu
Yarqan, a foster uncle of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, who came up
to him, told him that they had embraced Islam and requested that
their families and properties may be returned to them. The request
was made more personal when he reminded the Messenger of Allah
that they were related to him through the bond of fosterage and they
were in a distress that was no secret for him. So, he pleaded for his fa-
vor. The leader of the deputation was a man of poetry. He said: 'O
Messenger of Allah, had we presented some such request in a distress
like this before the King of Byzantine or Iraq, then they too - we be-
lieve - would have not rejected our entreaty. And as for you, Allah has
certainly made you the foremost in high morals, so we have come to
you with high hopes.'
The Holy Prophet & who was himself a mercy for the whole world
found his difficulty compounded. On the one hand, his inherent mercy
for people demanded that all prisoners and properties be returned to
them, while on the other, he realized that all Mujahidin have a right in
spoils and depriving all of them of their due right was not proper in
terms of justice. Therefore, according to a report in the Sahih of al-
Bukhari, the Holy Prophet t addressed his companions saying:
"Here are your brothers. They have repented. I wish that
their prisoners should be returned back to them. Those from
you who are ready to return their share willingly, and with
pleasure, should do so as an act of grace. As for those who
are not ready to do so, to them we shall give a proper return
for it from the first Fai' properties (spoils gained without
fighting) that come to us in future."
Seeking of public opinion: The correct method
Voices rose from all sides that they were willing to return. all pris-

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 25 - 27
oners in good cheer but, in view of his concern in matters involving
justice, equity and rights, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not con-
sider different voices of this nature as sufficient. He said: I do not
know who are those who got ready to surrender their right gladly and
who are those who remained silent under pressure. This is a matter of
the rights of people. Therefore, every head of a family or chief of a
group should go to their respective families and groups, talk to them
individually, separately and frankly, and tell him the truth.
Following his wishes, the chiefs went back to their people, met
each of them separately, secured their first-hand agreement and re-
ported to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that all of them were ready to
surrender their rights. Then, the Holy Prophet صلى اللّه عليه وسلم returned
all those prisoners back to them.
These were the people whose Taubah or repentance was pointed to
in verse 27 which begins with the words: ◌َثُمَّ يَتُوبُ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذلِك (Yet Allah
relents, after that, to whomsoever He wills). As for the details of
events that came to pass during the battle of Hunain, part of it has
been mentioned in the Qur'an while the rest has been taken from au-
thentic narrations of Hadith. (Mazhari and Ibn Kathir)
Injunctions and Rulings
Many injunctions, rulings and subsidiary elements of guidance ap-
pear here under the shadows of these events. In fact, they are the very
purpose of the narration of these events.
The very first instruction given in these verses is that Muslims
should never wax proud of their power or numerical superiority. They
should realize that the way they look towards Allah and His help at
times when they are weak and deficient, very similarly, when they are
strong and powerful, their total trust should also remain on nothing
but the help of Allah alone.
In the battle of Hunain, Muslims enjoyed numerical superiority.
They had sufficient weapons and supplies. This led some Companions
to utter words of pride to the effect that no one could dare defeat them
on that particular day. Allah Ta'ala did not like that a group of people
so dear to him would say something like that. The result was that
Muslims lost their foothold on the battlefield at the time the enemy
launched the initial attack. They started running. Then, it was only