Verses 1–6
9. At-Tawba · The Repentance
Madinan129 verses
بَرَآءَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَٰهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
9:1[This is] a [declaration of] repudiation by Allah and His Apostle [addressed] to the polytheists with whom you had made a treaty:
فَسِيحُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍۢ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِى ٱللَّهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُخْزِى ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
9:2Travel [unmolested] in the land for four months, but know that you cannot frustrate Allah, and that Allah shall disgrace the faithless.
وَأَذَٰنٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلنَّاسِ يَوْمَ ٱلْحَجِّ ٱلْأَكْبَرِ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَرِىٓءٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ۙ وَرَسُولُهُۥ ۚ فَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِى ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
9:3[This is] an announcement from Allah and His Apostle to all the people on the day of the greater Hajj: that Allah and His Apostle repudiate the polytheists: If you repent that is better for you; but if you turn your backs [on Allah], know that you cannot frustrate Allah, and inform the faithless of a painful punishment1
إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ عَٰهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنقُصُوكُمْ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَمْ يُظَٰهِرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَدًۭا فَأَتِمُّوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ عَهْدَهُمْ إِلَىٰ مُدَّتِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
9:4(barring the polytheists with whom you have made a treaty, and who did not violate any [of its terms] with you, nor backed anyone against you. So fulfill the treaty with them until [the end of] its term. Indeed Allah loves the Godwary).
فَإِذَا ٱنسَلَخَ ٱلْأَشْهُرُ ٱلْحُرُمُ فَٱقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَٱحْصُرُوهُمْ وَٱقْعُدُوا۟ لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍۢ ۚ فَإِن تَابُوا۟ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَخَلُّوا۟ سَبِيلَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
9:5Then, when the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them, capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every ambush. But if they repent, and maintain the prayer and give the zakat, then let them alone. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.23
وَإِنْ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ٱسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَٰمَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُۥ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌۭ لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
9:6If any of the polytheists seeks asylum from you, grant him asylum until he hears the Word of Allah. Then convey him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 1
1.After the victory of Mecca and completion of grandeur of Islam in the year 8 AH, Allah proclaimed general disgust of polytheists and selected, according to unanimous opinion of commentators and historians, Ali (a.s.) for this mission. He replaced Abu Bakr and read Allah’s proclamation before the people on 10th Zilhajj and announced the breaking off of all relations with infidels forever. But even after this, people who had some contract for a specified period, such as Bani Kinana etc. were given time to complete the contract because Islam did not want to be blamed for breach of contract.
Verse 5
2.This is the punishment of infidels for breach of promise, mischief and insult of Allah’s House otherwise Islam is firm on the oath of ‘La Ikraaha Fiddeen’ and it is not in favour of any compulsion in religion, but it also does not want mischief to get a free hand. It considers it necessary to restrict them so that they do not spread mischief on the earth and live within their limits.
Verse 6
3.This is a nice ethical and missionary programme of Islam that ‘give protection to one who seeks it’, so that ethics should not be affected and then make him listen to the Holy Quran so that he is influenced by the religion and lastly send him home, so that he takes your message to his area where you have no reach under normal circumstances
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
Azan is a general announcement and the day of the great pilgrimage is the 10th of Zilhajj. It is called the great Hajj because that year all the Muslims and the infidels had converged on Mecca. After this such a gathering had never occurred. This occurred after the conquest of Mecca in the 9th year of migration (Hijri) and the limit of four months is from 10th of Zilhajj to the 10th Rabi-ulAakhir. We should know that Hajj-e-Akbaris not fixed due to its occurrence on Thursday or Friday. It is Hajj-e-Akbar when the political aspect is created in worship and there is a clear announcement of immunity from the infidels.
- 2
Here it does not denote the four months when war is prohibited. It is regarding the four months that were given as reprieve.
- 3
Tawba is not sufficient in Islam and Prayer and Zakat is necessary too. Thus it is clear that when the belief of an infidel is not acceptable without Prayer and Zakat how can the belief of a Muslim be acceptable without them?
Benefit
Please note that announcement of immunity is not a one-sided violation of agreement. It was necessitated because the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) had certainty that the polytheists were prepared to violate the peace treaty and attack Islam anytime.
Thus it was the only venue of self-defence.