Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 7–13

9. At-Tawba · The Repentance

Madinan129 verses

كَيْفَ يَكُونُ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ عَهْدٌ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَعِندَ رَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ عَٰهَدتُّمْ عِندَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۖ فَمَا ٱسْتَقَٰمُوا۟ لَكُمْ فَٱسْتَقِيمُوا۟ لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

9:7How shall the polytheists have any [valid] treaty with Allah and His Apostle?! (Barring those with whom you made a treaty at the Holy Mosque; so long as they are steadfast with you, be steadfast with them. Indeed Allah loves the Godwary.)1

كَيْفَ وَإِن يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ لَا يَرْقُبُوا۟ فِيكُمْ إِلًّۭا وَلَا ذِمَّةًۭ ۚ يُرْضُونَكُم بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَتَأْبَىٰ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ فَٰسِقُونَ

9:8How? For if, they get the better of you, they will observe toward you neither kinship nor covenant. They please you with their mouths while their hearts spurn you; and most of them are transgressors.2

ٱشْتَرَوْا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ثَمَنًۭا قَلِيلًۭا فَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ سَآءَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

9:9They have sold the signs of Allah for a paltry gain, and have barred [the people] from His way. Evil indeed is what they have been doing.

لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِى مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّۭا وَلَا ذِمَّةًۭ ۚ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُعْتَدُونَ

9:10They observe toward a believer neither kinship nor covenant, and it is they who are the transgressors.3

فَإِن تَابُوا۟ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۗ وَنُفَصِّلُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ

9:11Yet if they repent and maintain the prayer and give the zakat, then they are your brethren in faith. We elaborate the signs for a people who have knowledge.

وَإِن نَّكَثُوٓا۟ أَيْمَٰنَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَطَعَنُوا۟ فِى دِينِكُمْ فَقَٰتِلُوٓا۟ أَئِمَّةَ ٱلْكُفْرِ ۙ إِنَّهُمْ لَآ أَيْمَٰنَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَنتَهُونَ

9:12But if they break their pledges after their having made a treaty and revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unfaith—indeed, they have no [commitment to] pledges,—maybe they will desist.4

أَلَا تُقَٰتِلُونَ قَوْمًۭا نَّكَثُوٓا۟ أَيْمَٰنَهُمْ وَهَمُّوا۟ بِإِخْرَاجِ ٱلرَّسُولِ وَهُم بَدَءُوكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ ۚ أَتَخْشَوْنَهُمْ ۚ فَٱللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَوْهُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

9:13Will you not make war on a people who broke their pledges and resolved to expel the Apostle, and opened [hostilities] against you initially? Do you fear them? But Allah is worthier of being feared by you, should you be faithful.

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 7

1.The most important point in morals of Islam is that Islam invites you to piety at every step and does not allow you to oppose the commands of Allah. It is very much surprising that Islam advocates piety even with regard to the polytheists and infidels so that Muslims may not follow their feelings and Islam be accused of oppression.

Verse 11

2.The last verse of the Holy Quran has invited only to leave the wrong path after repentance, and this verse has also given instruction for brotherhood, so that Muslims should not be unconcerned with the new converts and they should also be accorded the status of brotherhood.

Verse 13

3.It seems that some Muslims were afraid of war and they were not interested in war for the sake of Islam. They were reminded of the tyranny of infidels that they had broken the peace treaty of ten years and before that they made a plan to banish the Prophet (s.a.) from Mecca and then they began fighting in Badr. Besides all this tyranny, don’t you feel ashamed and get ready to fight them?

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    The group of violators of peace treaties are those polytheists who had apparently made peace with the Muslims but they were surreptitiously engaged in plotting against Islam and Muslims. The Quraysh had confessed belief in the 8 A.H while this Surah was revealed in 9A.H.

  2. 1

    The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) had signed a peace treaty with Bani Kanana near the Masjidul Haraam, otherwise there is no such restriction of place.

  3. 2

    ‘Ill’ is being a neighbour or a relative and ‘Zimma’ is oath and vow. and saying and agreement.

  4. 3

    This repetition is the proof that \they are not opposed only to the Prophet (s.a.) and the companions. They are the enemies of every believer and bear enmity towards Islam and Eimaan.

  5. 4

    The leaders are mentioned because it is they who instigate the people to fight and their awe should be purged from the hearts of Muslims. Alas! If only these kind of sentiments were present among the Muslim leaders.

  6. *

    It must be clarified that the Imams of disbelief does not denote the Quraysh chiefs as a group of them were killed in Badr and another group had declared Islam on the occasion of the conquest of Mecca. It denotes the leaders and chiefs of the polytheists in general.