Indexed OCR Text

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 36 - 37
Then, their foreheads, sides and backs shall be branded with it, and
they shall be told, as a sort of verbal punishment, that it was what
they had accumulated for themselves, and in consequence, they better
have a taste of what they had accumulated. The return of a deed is the
deed itself. That which was accumulated illegally or that which was
accumulated legally but without having paid its Zakah ultimately be-
came, by itself, the punishment of these people.
In this verse, mention has been made of branding foreheads, sides
and backs. Either it means the whole body or these three parts have
been particularized for the reason that a miser who does not like to
spend his wealth in the way of Allah would usually greet a needy visi-
tor looking for charity or Zakah with a forehead all wrinkled with dis-
taste. After that, when to avoid him, he tries to turn away to the right
or the left side. And if the needy person still persists, he would turn
his back on him. Perhaps, the forehead, the sides and the back were
thus particularized for this punishment.
Verses 36 - 37
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُوْرِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِىْ كِتْبِ اللّهِ يَوْمَ
خَلَقَ السّمُوتِ وَالْآَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ مٍُ ذَلِكَ الدِّيْنُ الْقَيِّمُ:
فّلاَ تَظْلِمُوْا فِيْهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَقَائِلُوا الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ كَانَّةٌ كَمَا
مُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ كَافَّةٌ، وَاعْلَمْهُاَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِيْنَ ﴿٣٦) إِنََّا
الَّسِقِىءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِى الْكُفْرِ يُضِلُّ بِهِ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا يُحِلَّوْنَهُ
عَامًا وَيُحَرِّمُوْنَهُ عَامًا لِيُوَاطِئُوْا عِدَّةَ مَا حَتَّمَ اللهُ فَيُحِلُّوا
مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سَُُّ أَعْمَالِهِمْ، وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ
الْكِفِرِيْنَ ﴿١٣٧
Surely, the number of months according to Allah is
twelve (as written) in the Book of Allah on the day He
created the heavens and the Earth, of which there are
Four Sacred Months. That is the right faith. So, do not
wrong yourself therein. And fight the Mushriks* all to-
gether as they fight you all together, and be sure that
*. Those who associate partners with Allah.

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Allah is with the God-fearing. [36]
The postponement of the months is nothing but an in-
crease in the infidelity whereby the disbelievers are
misguided. They allow it one year and disallow it an-
other year, so that they may conform (only) to the num-
ber of what Allah has sanctified, and allow what Allah
has disallowed. Beautified for them is the evil of their
deeds. And Allah does not lead the disbelieving people
to the right path. [37]
Commentary
Mentioned in the previous verses were the errors and misdeeds of
disbelievers and Mushriks who persisted with their disbelief and kept
associating others in the pristine divinity of Allah. In the present two
verses, mentioned there is another bad custom prevailing in Arabia
since its age of ignorance - which Muslims have been instructed to ab-
stain from. That bad custom relates to a chain of happenings. Details
go back to the distant past since when a year was accepted as having
twelve months by the religious codes of all past prophets. Out of these
twelve months, four were considered sacred, therefore, worthy of great
reverence. They were three consecutive months of Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu
al-Hijjah, Muharram, and the month of Rajab.
All religious codes of past prophets agree that every act of worship
during these four months is more reward-worthy - and should some-
one commit a sin during these months, the curse and punishment re-
sulting from it is also more blameworthy. Under these past religious
codes, fighting and killing was prohibited during these months.
Since the Arabs of Makkah al-Mukarramah are the progeny of
Sayyidna Ibrahim عليه السلام through Sayyidna Ismail عليه السلام, they all
professed belief in Sayyidna Ibrahim as a prophet and messenger of Al-
lah and claimed to follow his Shari'ah. However, as fighting, killing
and hunting was also prohibited during these four sacred months
among the followers of the Ibrahimi community, the people of the Arab
age of ignorance found the implementation of this injunction extreme-
ly hard. The reason was that, during the pagan period, fighting and
killing had become the only vocation for them. Therefore, in order to
make this restriction somewhat easy on them, they spun out all sorts
of excuses to satisfy their self-serving motives. Whenever they needed

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to fight during one of the sacred months, or whenever a sacred month
approached while they were already fighting, then, they would say:
This year, this month is not sacred. The next month will be the sacred
one. For example, when Muharram arrived, they would say that 'this
year, the month of Muharram is not sacred, instead of that, the month
of Safar will be sacred'. And if they had some other exigency, they
would say, 'this year, the month of Rabi' al-Awwal will be sacred;' or
say, 'this year the month of Safar has come earlier and Muharram will
come later.' Thus, in one stroke, they made the month of Muharram
the month of Safar! In short, they would somehow complete the count
of four month during one year, but would not bother to retain the or-
der and signification of what was divinely determined. It was up to
them to give any name to any month, call it Dhu al-Hijjah or call it
Ramadan or make one come earlier and make the other come later. If
another emergency came, for example, when they would remain en-
gaged in fighting for a period as long as ten months leaving only two
months to the year, then, on this occasion, they would increase the
number of months in a year saying, 'this year will be of fourteen
months.' In this way, they would make the remaining four months the
sacred months.
In short, they did show their reverence for the Ibrahimi faith at
least by doing it during four months of the year when they would ab-
stain from fighting and killing. But, they did not observe the order of
the months in a year according to which four of them were fixed as the
sacred months. This was what they juggled with seeking interpreta-
tions to suit their needs or fancies.
The outcome was that, during those days, it had become difficult to
determine as to which month was Ramadan or Shawwal, or Dhu al-
Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah or Rajab. When Makkah al-Mukarramah was
صلى الله عليه وسلم conquered in the 8th year of Hijrah and the Holy Prophet
sent Sayyidna Abu Bakr Le Alu», to make the proclamation of with-
drawal from disbelievers and Mushriks at the Hajj season of Hijrah
year 9, this month was, according to the genuine calculation, the
month of Dhu al-Hijjah. But, according to the same old custom of the
Jahiliyyah, this month was declared to be that of Dhu al-Qa'dah - and,
that year, according to them, not Dhu al-Hijjah, but Dhu al-Qa'dah
was fixed to be the month of Hajj. Then came the Hijrah year 10 which

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 36 - 37
was the year the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم went for his last Hajj. As
nature would have it, this brought about a unique arrangement when
the genuine month was that of Dhu al-Hijjah and, according to the ar-
bitrary reckoning of the people of Jahiliyyah too, that turned out to be
Dhu al-Hijjah itself. Therefore, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said in
his address at Mina: ◌َإِنَّ الزَّمَانَ قَدِ اسْتَدَارَ كَھَيْنَتِهِ يَومِ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمُوتِ وَالأَرْض (Time has
come back to its position Allah had set the day He created the heavens
and the Earth). It means that the month, the real month of Dhu al-
Hijjah, turned out to be the same month of Dhu al-Hijjah that year,
even in the sight of the people of Jahiliyyah.
This was a window to the custom of Jahiliyyah, a custom that
changed the number, the order and the specification of months in a
year, even made deletions and alterations at will. The activity of mak-
ing a few changes here and there may appear to be small and innocu-
ous. A month is a month, call it by any name, it remains a month. But,
things were not that simple in the given situation. These changes dis-
turbed the implementation of Islamic laws connected with a particular
month or a specific date in it. They also affected duties fixed for the be-
ginning or the end of the year - such as, the injunctions of Hajj during
the ten days of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, fasting during the ten days
of Muharram and the rules of Zakah at the end of the year. As a direct
result of this practice, hundreds of Islamic laws were distorted making
their compliance useless. In these two verses of the Holy Qur'an, Mus-
lims have been instructed to remain on guard against the evil in this
pagan custom.
Explanation of the Verses
In the first verse (36), it is said: إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُوْرِ عِنْدَ اللهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا (Surely, the
number of months with Allah is twelve). Here, the word: ze ('iddah) ap-
pears in the sense of number and , (shuh ur) is the plural of
(shahr) which means month. The sense of the verse is that the number
of months, in the sight of Allah, is set as twelve. No one has the right
to decrease or increase it.
Then, by placing the phrase: wieis e (fi kitabillah: as written in the
Book of Allah), it was stressed that this numerical setting of the
months stood recorded in the Preserved Tablet (al-lawh al-mahfuz)
since eternity. Then, by saying : ◌َيَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمُوْنِ وَالْأَرْض (on the day He created
the heavens and the Earth), it was indicated that the Divine decree

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 36 - 37
was, though, promulgated in eternity, but this order and setting of the
months came into being when the heavens and the Earth were
created.
After that, it was said: "iGe (of which there are Four Sacred
Months). It means that, out of these twelve months, four are sacred.
They have been called : hurum (sanctified ones) in the sense that
fighting and killing is prohibited during these month, and also in the
sense that these months are blessed and it is obligatory to hold them
in due esteem and that acts of worship during these become more re-
ward worthy. The first injunction out of the two was abrogated in the
Shari'ah of Islam. But, the second one, that of increased reverence, es-
teem and devotion to 'Ibadah during this period still remains operative
in Islam.
In his address1 of the Day of Sacrifice2 during the Last Hajj3, the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم explained these months by saying: 'Three
months are consecutive - Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram -
and one month is that of Rajab.' But, there were two sayings of the Ar-
abs regarding the month of Rajab. Some tribes used to call the month
we know as Ramadan the month of Rajab while, as seen by the tribe of
Mudar, Rajab was the month which comes in between Jumada ath-
Thaniah and Sha'ban. Therefore, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم - by
mentioning this month as 'Rajab Mudar' - also made it clear that it
means the month of Rajab which is in between Jumada ath-Thaniah
and Sha'ban.
Thereafter appears the statement: ◌ُذُلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّم (That is the right
faith). It means that keeping the setting and serial order of months,
specially the injunctions pertaining to the Four Sacred Months, ac-
cording to the very original decree of Allah Almighty is the right faith
to hold. Making any changes, alterations, additions or deletions there-
in is a sign of crookedness in comprehension and temperament.
The next sentence: ◌ْفَلا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ انْفُسَكُم (So, do not wrong yourselves
therein) means: 'Do not become unjust to your own selves either by
acting against the compliance-worthy injunctions pertaining to these
1. Khuțbah.
2. Yowmu 'n-Nahr, a term used for 'Idu '1-Adha, the Feast or Festival of Sacrifice.
3. Hujjatu 'l-Wada'.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 36 - 37
months, or by not observing proper respect for them, or by falling short
in devoting yourselves to 'Ibadah therein.
In his Ahkam al-Qur'an, Imam Abu Bakr al-Jaşşaş has said: The
hint given here is that these blessed months have an exclusive charac-
teristic of their own. Whoever devotes to 'Ibadah during these is
awarded with the ability and encouragement to engage in it during the
rest of the months. Similarly, a person who makes the necessary effort
to stay safe from sins and other bad deeds during these months finds
that remaining safe from these evils during the rest of the months of a
year has become easier on him. Therefore, not making the best out of
these months is a terrible loss.
Up to this point, the text has described and refuted a particular
custom of Jahiliyyah practiced by the Mushriks of Makkah. At the end
of the verse, the text reverts to the command, given at the beginning of
the verse (5), requiring that, soon after the expiry of the treaty dead-
line, Jihad is obligatory against all Mushriks and disbelievers.
The second verse (37) also refers to this very custom of Jahiliyyah
by saying : ◌ِإنّا النَّسِنِىُ زِيَادَةٌ فِى الْكُفْر ( ... is nothing but an increase in the infidel-
ity). The word: (nas?) is a verbal noun that means to move back or
postpone. It is also used in the sense of that which is delayed
(mu'akhkhar).
By putting these month back and forth, the Mushriks of Arabia
thought, they would be achieving two things - that it will serve their
material interests and that it would also give them the credit of com-
plying with the Divine injunction. This approach was not approved by
Allah Ta'ala for their act of postponing and moving months from where
they belonged was nothing but an addition to their stance of denial
which was going to lead them further astray. That they go about de-
claring that a sacred month was not sacred in some year and then be
ready to name it as sacred in some other year was simply unaccepta-
ble. The sentence : ◌ُلِبَطُوا عِدَّةَ مَاحَرَّمَ اللّه (so that they may conform [only] to
the number of what Allah has sanctified) following soon after means
that a mere act of conforming to the given number cannot stand for
the correct compliance of the injunction. The truth of the matter is
that the month for which the injunction has been given should be the
month in which the injunction must be carried out. This is imperative.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 38 - 42
Injunctions and Rulings
The verses cited above prove that the order of months and the
names by which they are known in Islam should not be taken as terms
coined by human beings. In fact, the day the Lord of all the worlds
created the heavens and the Earth, He had also settled this order and
these names and, along with it, particular injunctions to be carried out
during particular months. From here, we also come to know that, in all
Islamic legal injunctions, only lunar months are credible in the sight of
Allah Ta'ala. In other words, all injunctions of the Shari'ah of Islam -
such as, fasting, Hajj, Zakah and many others - relate to the lunar
calendar. But, when it comes to finding out the day, date and year, the
way the Holy Qur'an has declared the Moon as its indicator, it has,
very similarly, identified the Sun too as the other sign: 32:01 ste ktea)
cuit, (so that you may know the number of years and the count [of
time] - 10:5). Therefore, keeping track of days and years through a
lunar or solar calendar is equally permissible. But, Allah Ta'ala has
favored the lunar calendar for His injunctions and has made it the
pivot round which the laws of the Shari'ah of Islam revolve. Therefore,
the preservation of the lunar calendar is Fard al-Kifayah (a religious
obligation which, if fulfilled by some, will absolve others). If the entire
community of Muslims were to abandon the lunar calendar and forget
all about it, then, everyone will be a sinner. However, if it remains
viably preserved, the use of another calendar is also permissible - but,
there is no doubt that it is against the way of Allah and the way of the
worthy forbears of Islam - therefore, it is not good to opt for it
unnecessarily.
The month intercalated to complete the count of years has also
been considered by some as impermissible under this verse. But, that
is not correct because the system of reckoning under which the inter-
calation of a month is made has nothing to do with the laws of the
Shari'ah of Islam. The people of Jahiliyyah changed these religious
laws by adding to the lunar and legal months, therefore, they were
censured. As for the practice of intercalation, it does not affect Islamic
legal injunctions, therefore, it is not included under this prohibition.
Verses 38 - 42
◌َآَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا مَالَكُمْ إِذَا قِيْلَ لَكُمُ انْفِرُوا فِئْ سَبِئْلِ اللهِ

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 38 - 42
اَّا قَلْهُمْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ، اَرَضِيْتُمْ بِالْحَبُوةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ ؟
فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيُوةِ الدُّنْيَا فِى الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّ قَلِيْلٌ ﴿٢٨﴾ إِلَّ تَيْفِرُوا
يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا اَلِيْمَّاءُ وَّيَسْتَبْدِلُ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُؤُهُ
شَيْئًا، وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَعْىٍ قَدِيْرٌ ﴿٣٩) إِلَّ تَنْهُمُرُؤُهُ فَقَدْ
نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ آَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا ثَانِىَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْهُمَا فِى
الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنُ إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَنَاءَ فَآَتْوَلَ اللّهُ
سَكِيْنَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَبَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِيْنَ
كَفَرُوا السُّفْلِى، وَ كَلِمَةُ اللهِ هِىَ الْعُلْيَاءِ وَاللّهُ عَزِيْرٌ حَكِيُمْ
﴿ ٤﴾ إِنْفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَنِقَالًا وَّجَاهِدُوا بِآَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ فِىٌ
سَبِيْلِ اللّهِ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمُ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤١﴾ لَوْكَانَ
عَرَضًا قَرِيْبًا وَسَفَرًّا قَاصِدًا لَّ تَّبَعُوْكَ وَلكِنُ بَعُدَتْ عَلَيْهِم
الشَّقَّةُ، وَسَيَحُلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَوِاسْتَطَعْنَا ◌َخَرَجُنَا مَعَكُمْ
يُهْلِكُوْنَ آَنُفُسَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكْذِبُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾
O those who believe, what is wrong with you that when
it is said to you, "Come out in the way of Allah," you
turn heavy (and cling) to the ground. Have you become
happy with the worldly life instead of the Hereafter?
So, the enjoyment of the worldly life is but little as
compared with the Hereafter. [38]
If you do not come out (in the way of Allah), He will
punish you with a painful punishment and will bring in
your place a nation other than you, and you can do
Him no harm at all. And Allah is powerful over every-
thing. [39]
If you do not help him, then, Allah has already helped
him when the disbelievers expelled him, the second of
the two, when they were in the cave, and he was saying
to his companion, "Do not grieve. Allah is surely with
us." So, Allah sent down His tranquility on him and
strengthened him with troops you did not see, and ren-
dered the word of the disbelievers low. And the word of

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Allah is the highest. And Allah is Mighty, Wise. [40]
Come out (in the way of Allah), light or heavy, and car-
ry out jihad with your wealth and lives, in the way of
Allah. That is good for you, if you were to realize. [41]
If there had been some gain near at hand and an aver-
age journey, they would have certainly followed you,
but the difficult destination was too far for them. And
they will swear by Allah: "If we could, we would have
set out with you." They are ruining themselves. And Al-
lah knows that they are liars. [42]
Commentary
The verses quoted above describe an important battle from among
those fought by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. As a corollary, also
given there are many injunctions and instructions. This battle is
known as the battle of Tabuk and is almost the last battle of the Holy
.صلى الله عليه وسلم Prophet
Tabuk is the name of a place located close to the Syrian border to-
wards the north of Madinah. Syria was, at that time, a province of the
government controlled by Byzantine Christians. When the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم reached Madinah in the 8th year of Hijrah after
the conquest of Makkah and the battle of Hunain, that was a time ma-
jor parts of the Arabian Peninsula had come under the control of the
Islamic state. This was a period of some peace Muslims could enjoy af-
ter their eight year long battles against the Mushriks of Makkah.
But, destiny has its own workings. Is it not that Allah had already
: صلى الله عليه وسلم revealed about the blessed person of the Holy Prophet
,48:28 ,9:33 - so that He makes it prevail over every faith) لِيُظُهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّيْنِ كُلِّه
61:9) which was the glad tidings of a world of victories and the ascen-
dancy of the Faith of Truth? The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his compan-
ions in the mission would hardly have the respite to relax. Soon after
they reached Madinah, Syrian traders of olive oil informed them that
the Byzantine ruler, Hiraql had assembled his forces at Tabuk on the
border of Syria. They were also told that soldiers of the Byzantine
army had been placated by the payment of advance salaries for one
year and that they had sinister understanding with some Arab tribes
and that they all had plans to mount a surprise attack on Madinah.
When this information reached the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, he

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 38 - 42
decided that their attack plans should be pre-empted and they should
be challenged where they are gathered together with their forces.
(Tafsir Mazharī, with reference to Muhammad ibn Yusuf Șaliņi)
By chance, this was a terribly hot summer. People in Madinah
were generally devoted to agriculture. Their farms were close to being
harvested. On this depended their economy, rather the sustenance of
the whole year. Like people in vocations who have empty pockets by
the end of the month, people who depend on agricultural produce are
empty-handed close to the harvesting time. On the one hand, they
have poverty while on the other, they have hopes of income in the near
future. Then, there was this scorching heat of the summer for a people
who had their first breather after eight years of incessant wars. No
doubt, this was an exacting trial.
But, equally crucial was the time. This Jihad was different. It was
not like the wars they had fought before. At that time, they were fight-
ing common people like them. Here, they were to confront the trained
armed forces of Hiraql, the ruler of Byzantine. Therefore, the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ordered all Muslims of Madinah to come out for
this Jihad. He also invited some other tribes living around Madinah to
join in.
This general call was a tough test for those who were willing to
make sacrifices for Islam as well as a challenge to the hypocrites who
would have to prove their claim to be Muslims by joining the Jihad or
be exposed as false pretenders. Apart from this consideration, the in-
evitable consequence was that those who professed belief in Islam re-
acted to the call in terms of the conditions they were in. The Holy
Qur'an has enumerated them as separate groups of people and has
pointed out to their condition as well.
The first group included those who were strong and perfect in their
faith. They were ready for Jihad without any hesitation. The second
group was composed of those who hesitated at the initial stage but,
later on, joined up with those ready for Jihad. About these two groups
الَّذَّبْنَ أَتَّبَعُوُهُ فِىُ سَاعَةِ الْعُشْرَةِ مِنَ بَعُدٍ مَاكَادَ يَزِيُغُ قُلُوبٌ فَرِيقٌ : of people, the Holy Qur'an said
( ... who followed him in the hour of hardship after the hearts of a
group of them were about to turn crooked - 9:117). The third group was
of those who were unable to join this Jihad on the basis of some genu-
ine excuse. About that, by saying: لَيُسَ عَلَى الضَّعَفَاءِ وَلَا عَلَى المُرضى (There is no

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blame on the weak, nor on the sick - 9:91), the Holy Qur'an has an-
nounced the acceptance of their excuse. Belonging to the fourth group
were people who, despite that they had no excuse to offer, simply did
not participate in the Jihad out of sheer laziness. Several verses were
revealed about them, for example: palsy (And there are others
who admitted their sins - 9:102), and: Jn'y 5p3/5"E"'(And there are oth-
ers whose matter is deferred till the command of Allah [comes] - 9:106),
and : وَعَلَى التَّلْثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُؤًا (And [He relented] towards the three whose mat-
ter was deferred - 9:118). These three verses were revealed about simi-
lar people. They carry admonition for their inertia as well as the good
news that their Taubah or repentance has been accepted.
The fifth group was that of the hypocrites, the munafiqs. Their hy-
pocrisy was deep seated and saying yes to Jihad was hard. Finally,
they failed to cover it up and stayed away from Jihad. Hypocrites have
been mentioned in the verses of the Qur'an on many places.
The sixth group included munafiqs who had joined up with Mus-
lims with the objective of spying and mischief making. The Holy
Qur'an mentions their conduct in the following verses:
;(9:47 - And among you there are their listeners) وَفِيْكُمْ سَتْعُوْنَ لَهُمْ (1)
;(9:65 - And if you ask them, they will say) وَلَبِنْ سَالْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ (2)
(3) CHE,5 415 (And had planned for what they could not achieve - 9:74).
Given above were details about those who stayed away from the
Jihad. But, the fact is that their total number was negligible. The
majority did belong to those Muslims who, despite many prohibitive
factors, chose to sacrifice all gains and comforts and were ready to face
expected hardships in the way of Allah. This is the reason why the
total number of the Islamic army which set out for this Jihad was
thirty thousand - a number never seen in a Jihad before.
The outcome of this Jihad expedition was that Hiraql, the Byzan-
tine ruler - when he heard about such a large Muslim force coming up
against him - was overtaken by awe. He simply did not turn up on the
battlefield. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم camped on the war front
with the army of his angelic companions for a few days in the hope
that the enemy may decide to come. When totally disappointed, he re-
turned back to Madinah.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 38 - 42
The verses quoted above obviously relate to the fourth group of
people who did not take part in the Jihad because of their inertia and
without any valid excuse. In the beginning of this set of verses, they
were admonished for their lethargy, then, they were told why they be-
haved the way they did and, finally, they were told how to correct
themselves. This wise approach unfolds major lessons.
Regard for Dunya and Disregard for Akhirah:
The Root of all Crimes
No doubt, what has been said above is related to a particular event.
But, if we were to think about it, we shall realize that the real cause of
negligence towards faith - and of every crime and sin - is nothing but
this love for the material and heedlessness towards the life to come.
Therefore, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said : ◌ٍالدُّنْيَا رَأَسُ كُلِّ خَطِيْنَة ◌ُ (The
love for Dunya [material life of the present world] is at the top of every
error and sin). That is why it was said in the verse:
O those who believe, what is wrong with you that, when it is
said to you, "Come out in the way of Allah," you turn heavy
(and cling) to the ground. Have you become happy with the
worldly life instead of the Hereafter? - 38.
This was the diagnosis of the disease. Its treatment appears next
when it was said:
So, the enjoyment of the worldly life is but little as compared
with the Hereafter - 38.
The thrust of the argument is that one's major concern in life
should be that of the eternal life in Akhirah. It is this concern for the
Akhirah that offers the only and the most perfect treatment of all dis-
eases. Incidentally, this also happens to be the master prescription for
eradication of crimes that bother human societies all over the world.
The 'Aqa'id of Islam (articles of faith) are based on three principles:
(1) Tauhid (Oneness of Allah); (2) Risalah (the true mission of the mes-
senger and prophet sent by Allah) and (3) Akhirah (Hereafter). Out of
these, the belief in Akhirah is, in all reality, the moving spirit for cor-
rection of deeds and serves as an iron wall before crimes and sins. A
little thought would make it amply clear that there can be no peace in
the world without subscribing to this belief. The world as we see it to-
day has reached its zenith in terms of its material progress. Then,

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there is no dearth of functional solutions and plans designed to eradi-
cate crimes. Laws proliferate. So does the administrative machinery to
interpret and implement the objective. No doubt, there is progress in
those terms. But, along with it, everyone is witnessing crimes increas-
ing day by day, everywhere, in all societies. The reason, in our humble
view, is no other but that the disease has not been properly diagnosed
and the line of treatment is not sound. The root of the disease is mate-
rialism, excessive indulgence in the temporal and negligence or avoid-
ance of the thought of any life to come. The only way this frame of
mind can be corrected is to remember Allah and think about the Akhi-
rah, the life to come. Whenever and wherever in this world this master
prescription was used, whole nations and their societies became mod-
els of humanity at its best earning the admiration of angels. That this
,صلى الله عليه وسلم happened during the blessed period of the Holy Prophet
and during the age of his noble Companions, is sufficient as its proof.
It is interesting that the modern world would very much like to
eradicate crimes but it would do so by not having to bother about God
and the Hereafter. To achieve this purpose, it invents, introduces and
surrounds itself with things to live with - a lifestyle which would nev-
er allow human beings to turn their attention towards God and Here-
after. The result of this negative approach is no mystery. We are
watching it with our own eyes. Even in the face of ever better laws, all
legal systems seem to be failing. Crimes are there as they were, in
fact, they are increasing with dangerous speed. To conclude, we wish
that intelligent people among countries and nations of the world would
think of using this Qur'anic prescription, at least for once, and discover
for themselves how easily crimes can be controlled.
Now, as we move to the second verse (39), the text has, after serving
a notice of warning to the lazy and the listless about their disease and
its treatment, delivered its verdict by saying:
'If you do not come out for Jihad, Allah will have you go
through a painful punishment and bring in your place a na-
tion other than you, and (by your refusal to follow Islam) you
can bring no loss to Allah (or His Messenger) because Allah is
powerful over everything.'
In the third verse (40), by citing the event of the Hijrah of the Holy
Prophet , it has been stressed that the Rasul of Allah has no need to

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depend on any human help and support. Allah can help him directly
through unseen factors - as it happened at the time of Hijrah when
his own people had forced him to leave his homeland. On this journey,
the only companion he had was Sayyidna Abu Bakr as Ul (+), the true
one. Enemy foot soldiers and riders were looking for them in hot pur-
suit. The place to hide he had found was no fortified fortress. It was
just a cave and the enemy search party had reached close to its edges.
Inside it, the companion of the cave, Sayyidna Abu Bakr a Julgo, was
worried, not for his own safety, but about his master. He was in fear
lest the enemy outside were to harm the Holy Prophet . But, the
master himself was sitting calm like a mountain at peace. Not simply
that he was himself cool and collected, he was telling his companion,
Sayyidna Abu Bakr: 533% ('la tahzan innallaha ma'ana': Do not
grieve. Allah is with us).
What has been said here is composed of a couple of words, easy and
effortless as they sound. But, let those listening place the blueprint of
conditions prevailing before their eyes, cross their hearts and ask: Can
someone dependent on mere material means be that tranquil? Every
honest person would say that it was just not possible. The reason for
this was no other but that which the Qur'an has given in the next sen-
tence:
So, Allah sent down His tranquility on him and strengthened
him with troops you did not see ...
These troops could be troops of angels, and of the elemental forces
of the entire universe too - for they are, so to say, a virtual army of Al-
lah. When this happened, the ultimate came to be. The word of disbe-
lievers was rendered low and the word of Allah remained the highest.
In the fourth verse (41), the command given earlier has been re-
peated for emphasis. It is being said here that, once the Prophet of Al-
lah orders people to come out for Jihad, they must come out as a mat-
ter of absolute obligation - for on the compliance of this command
hinges all that is good for them.
The fifth verse (42) mentions an excuse offered by those who did not
participate in the Jihad because of negligence and lethargy. It was re-
jected as unacceptable because they did not use the ability given by Al-
lah to pick and choose the right thing to do in His way. Therefore, the
excuse of not having that ability is not valid.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 43 - 52
Verses 43 - 52
عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْكَ لِمَ آَذِنْتَ لَهُمْ حَتّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكَ الَّذِيْنَ صَدَقُوًا
وَتَعْلَمَ الْكُذِبِيْنَ ﴿٤٣﴾ لَا يَسْتَأْذِنُكَ الَّذِيْنَ يُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللهِ
وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِاَنُ يُجَاهِدُوْا بِآَمْوَالِهِمْ وَانْفُسِهِمْ، وَالِلَّهُ عَلِيْمْ
بِالْمُتَّقِينَ (٤٤) إِنَّا يَسْتَأْذِنُكَ الَّذِيْنَ لَا مُؤْمِثُوْنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ
الْآخِرِ وَارْتَابَتْ قُلُوْبُهُمْ فَهُمْ فِىْ رَيْبِهِمْ يَتَرَّدَّدُونَ ﴿٤٥﴾
وَلَوْآَرَادُوا الُْرِجَ لَاَعَدُّوْا لَهُ مُدَّةً وَلكِنْ كَرِهَ اللهُ انْبِعَاثَهُمْ
فَشَبَّطَّهُمْ وَقِيْلَ اقُعُدُوا مَعَ الْقُعِدِيْنَ ﴿٤٦﴾ لُؤُ خَرَجُوْا فِيُكُمُ
مَازَادُوْكُمْ إِلَّ خَبَالاً وَلَاْ أَوْضَعُوْا خِلِلَكُمْ يَبْغُوْنَكُمُ الْفِتْنَةَ
وَفِيْكُمُ سَتْعُونَ لَهُمْ ، وَاللهُ عَلِيُمْ بِالْظُلِمِيْنَ ﴿٤٧) لَقَدِ ابْتَغَوُا
الْفِتْنَةَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَقَلَّبُوا لَكَ الْأُمْوُرَ حَتَى جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَظَهَرَ آَمْرُ
اللّهِ وَهُمْ كُرِهُونَ ﴿٤٨﴾ وَمِنْهُمُ مَّنْ يَقُوْلُ اُذَنْ لِىْ وَلَا تَفْتِنِّئُ طـ
آَلَا فِى الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُوا ، وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِبْطَةٌ بِالْكُفِرِيْنَ ﴿٤٩) إِنْ
تُصِبْكَ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤُّهُمْ وَإِنْ تُصِبُكَ مُصْبَةٌ يَقُوْلُؤًا قَدْ آَخَذْنَا
آَمْرَنَا مِنْ قَبْل وَ يَتَوَّلَّوًا وَهُمْ فَرِحُوْنَ ﴿ ٥﴾ قُلْ لَّنْ يُصِيْبَنَّاً
إِلَّ مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَنَاءَ هُوَ مَوْلِلنَا، وَعَلَى اللهِ فَلْبَتَوَكَّلِ
المُمِنُونَ ﴿٥١) قُلُ هَلْ تَرَتَّصُونَ بِنَا إِلَّ إِحْدَى الْمُسْتَبَيْنَِءُ
وَنَحْنُ نَتَرَّصُ بِكُمْ أَنْ ◌ُصِبْبَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابٍ مِنُ عِنْدِوَ أَوْ
بِآَيْدِيُنَا: فَتَرَبَّصُؤْآَ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ تُمْتَرَبِّصُوْنَ ﴿٥٢﴾
Allah has forgiven you; why did you permit them be-
fore the truthful ones could become distinct to you, and
you could be sure of the liars. [43]
Those who believe in Allah and in the Last Day do not
ask you to be excused from jihad with their wealth and
lives. And Allah is aware of the God-fearing. [44]
Only those people ask you to be excused who do not be-
lieve in Allah and in the Last Day and whose hearts are
in doubt, so they are wavering in their doubt. [45]

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 43 - 52
And had they wished to set out, they would have made
some preparation for it, but Allah disliked their going
forth, so He detained them, and it was said to them,
"Stay back with those who are staying back." [46]
And had they set out with you, they would have added
nothing for you but trouble, and would have run
around in your midst seeking disorder for you. And
among you there are their listeners. And Allah is aware
of the wrongdoers. [47]
They sought disorder even earlier and tried to upset
matters for you, until the Truth arrived and the will of
Allah prevailed, though they disliked it. [48]
And among them there is one who says, "Allow me (to
stay behind) and do not expose me to an ordeal." Look!
They have already fallen into an ordeal, and certainly
the Jahannam has the disbelievers encircled. [49]
If some good comes to you, it annoys them, and if some
suffering visits you, they say, "We had already taken
care of our problem" and they go their way delighted.
[50]
Say, "Nothing can ever reach us except what Allah has
written for us. He is our Master. And in Allah alone the
believers must place their trust." [51]
Say, "Is it not that you are expecting for us but one of
the two good things (martyrdom and victory)? And we
are expecting for you that Allah sends to you a punish-
ment from Himself or at our hands. So, wait. Of course,
we are waiting with you. [52]
Commentary
Mentioned in most of the seventeen verses of this entire section are
hypocrites who had, on false pretexts, secured permission from the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that they would not go to participate in the
Jihad of Tabuk. Falling under it, there are many injunctions, rulings
and instructions that have been pointed out in the commentary.
The first verse (43) begins in a subtle manner. Here, a complaint
has been made to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He has been told that
those hypocrites were lying when they presented themselves as de-
serving of being excused from active service in Jihad. But, he accepted
their plea without first having made an inquiry about the real state of

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 43 - 52
affairs with them which would have made the true and false of it come
out clearly. This gave them the opportunity to go about congratulating
themselves on how smartly they had deceived the Holy Prophet .
Though, in verses coming next, Allah Ta'ala has also clarified that
those people were asking to be excused from Jihad just to play tricks -
otherwise, even if they were not permitted, still then, they would have
never gone. And in another verse, it was also pointed out that, in case
these people did go to this Jihad, it would have been of no use to Mus-
lims - in fact, their conspiracy and mischief would have been far more
dangerous.
But, the drift of the argument is that, in case, permission was not
given, they were still not going to go anyway - however, their hypocri-
sy would have definitely been exposed and they would not have had
the opportunity to throw taunts at Muslims and exult that they had
fooled them. And the real purpose here is not to show wrath or dis-
pleasure, instead of that, it is a way of saying that, in future, the mo-
tives and moves of such people should be watched and screened care-
fully. Then, it can be conceded that there does exist a certain kind of
displeasure in the external framework of words but it has been coated
with a delightful concern for sensitivities, particularly that of his dear
prophet. We can see that the expression of displeasure which begins
with the words: "" asia (why did you permit them?) does not actually
begin until said ahead of it was: die JI le (Allah has forgiven you)!
It has been said by people having insight in the nature of God-
Prophet relationship that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had a special
attachment to Allah Jalla Thana'uh. His heart could not simply bear
the shock of being in a situation where he is subjected to questioning
from Allah Ta'ala. For instance, if the words: " asia (why did you per-
mit them?) - which translate as interrogation in their formal appear-
ance - were said in the very beginning, the blessed heart of the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would have been simply unable to take it. There-
fore, the words: au w (Allah has forgiven you) have been placed ear-
lier. This serves two purposes. Firstly, it gives him the information
that something has happened, something that was not liked by Allah.
Secondly, the information that he has been forgiven for whatever had
happened was being given beforehand so that what is said next should
not break his blessed heart.

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As for the word of forgiveness, let there be no doubt about it and let
no one say that forgiveness is usually given for crimes and sins - and
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was ma sum (protected from sin) - what,
then, would be the sense of forgiveness at this place? The answer is
that the way there is forgiveness for sin, similarly, there could also be
forgiveness for what is contrary to the preferred way (khilaf al-awla)
or is simply undesirable - and that does not violate the concept of the
'işmah (infallibility) of a prophet.
In the second (44) and third (45) verses given there was the differ-
ence between believers and hypocrites. Those who believe in Allah
Ta'ala truly and staunchly do not pick an occasion like that only to
seek desertion from Jihad just for the sake of love for their lives and
wealth and go about asking the permission of their prophet to stay
back. In fact, this is the behavior of only those who do not believe in
Allah and the Day of Judgement (Akhirah), truly and correctly - and,
as for Allah, He knows the God-fearing perfectly well.
At least, one aspect of why their excuse was false has been given in
the fourth (46) where it has been said:ًوَلَوْ آَرَادُوا الْخُرُوُجَ لَا عَدُّوا لَ عُدَّة (And had
they [really] wished to set out [for Jihad], they would have [of necessi-
ty] made [at least] some preparation for it [but they made none] - 46).
This shows that the plea of having an excuse was false. The truth of
the matter was that they just did not have any intention to come out
for Jihad.
How do we know if an excuse is reasonable or unreasonable?
An important principle comes out from this verse, a principle that
can be used to distinguish between a reasonable and an unreasonable
excuse. To wit, an excuse presented only by those who are ready to
carry out orders - but, were rendered helpless by some accident - can
be entertained and accepted. This rule applies to all matters pertain-
ing to the excusable. As for a person who made no preparation to carry
out orders, did not even make the intention to carry them out when
called, thereafter, came some excuse - then, this excuse will be like
the excuse of sin which is worse than the sin. This will not be taken as
a genuine excuse. Take the example of a person who has made all
preparations to present himself in the masjid for his Jumu'ah prayers
and is intending to go there when, all of a sudden, came an impedi-
ment which prevented him from going there. Then, his excuse is rea-

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sonable - and Allah Ta'ala blesses such a person with the full reward
of his 'Ibadah (worship). As for the person who just did not make any
preparation but, later on, by chance, there came an excuse before him,
then, this will be taken as nothing but a ruse and pretext.
Take an example from everyday life. One makes the necessary
preparations to get up early in the morning and get ready for the Fajr
Salah. An alarm was set in the family clock, or somebody was assigned
to give a wake-up call. After that, by chance, whatever arrangements
were made did not work - and because of this, the Salah was missed.
This is similar to what happened to the Holy Prophet & when he
camped on a journey late at night (lailatu 't-ta'ris). In order to get up
on time for Fajr Salah, he arranged with Sayyidna Bilal as Ul yo, that
he would sit the night out and wake up everybody when morning
comes. But, by chance, sleep overtook him too. Everyone got up only
when the sun had risen. So, this excuse is correct and reasonable.
Based on this, consoling his Companions, the Holy Prophet g said:
There is no negligence in sleep. Negligence) لا تَغْرِيْطَ فِى النَّوْمِ إِنَّاَ التَّغْرِيْطُ فِى الْيَقْظَةِ
occurs only when awake) that is, one is excusable in sleep. The reason
was that, as far as it was possible to do, arrangements had already
been made to get up on time.
In short, a decision about an excuse being reasonable or unreason-
able can be taken only by knowing whether or not preparation was
made to carry out orders. Simply using a lot of words to make a point
gets nothing done.
In the fifth (47) verse, it was explained that the hypocrites had pro-
cured the permission to stay away from Jihad by deceit and now it was
better that they just did not participate in it. Had they gone there,
they would have done nothing but hatch conspiracies, circulate rumors
and spread disorder. The Qur'anic statement: afspej; (And among
you there are their listeners) means that, among Muslims, there were
some simple people too, people who could be easily taken advantage of
and who may have likely been affected by their false rumors.
The opening sentence of the sixth verse (48):ُلَقَدِ ابْتَغَوُا الْفِتْنَةَ مِنْ قَبُل (They
sought disorder even earlier ... ) refers to what had happened in the
battle of 'Uhud.
The statement: ◌َوَظَهَرَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَهُمْ كُرِمُوْن ( ... and the will of Allah prevailed,

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though they disliked it) at the end of the verse indicates that victory is
in the hands of Allah. This has been proved on earlier occasions when
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was blessed with victory. The same will
happen in this Jihad as well when all tricks played by hypocrites will
fail.
In the seventh verse (49), after citing a particular excuse made by a
noted hypocrite called Jadd ibn Qays, a comment has been made
which shows how astray he had gone. The excuse for not going on Ji-
had he came up with was that he happened to be a young man. If he
went out against the Roman Christians in their territory, there were
chances that he might fall into the snare of their beautiful women!
('Do not expose me to an ordeal') The Qur'an responded by saying: sí
pin kaj (Look! they have already fallen into an ordeal). It means that
such people were not very smart. They were trying to hide behind the
excuse of an imaginary ordeal, not realizing that they had already fal-
len into the sin of a certain ordeal, the ordeal of acting against the
command of Allah and His Messenger, and of deserting the Jihad ef-
fort, right on the spot.
The last sentence of the verse : ◌َوَإِنَّ جَهَتَمَ لَحِيُطَةٌ بِالْكُفِرِين (and certainly the
Jahannam has the disbelievers encircled) could have two meanings. It
could either mean that the Hell would encircle them in the Hereafter.
Or, it could mean that the very chain of causes, which are operating to
take them to Hell, and which have them all encircled at that time, are
what has been equated with Hell. Given this interpretation, it would
suggest that they happen to be, even now, within the larger circle of
nothing but Hell.
In the eighth verse (50), yet another aspect of their low nature has
been mentioned by saying that, though these people live among Mus-
lims giving the outward impression that they are one of them, but they
are soon exposed by their inner reactions to what happens to the Holy
إِنْ تُصِبْكَ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤُّهُمُ : The text illustrates it by saying. صلى الله عليه وسلم Prophet
وَإِنُ تُصِبْكَ مُصِيبَةٌ يَقُولُوا قَدْ أَخَذُنَا : If some good comes to you, it annoys them) and)
and if some suffering visits you, they say, "We) أَمْرَنَا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَيَتَوَلَّوْا وَهُمْ فَرِحُوْنَ
had already taken care of our problem"). They would take it as expedi-
ent in their favor that they did not go along with Muslims and found
the results satisfying enough to go away delighted.
In the ninth verse (51), Allah Ta'ala has instructed the Holy Prophet