English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 9: Al-Taubah / Al-Baraat — The Immunity (Revealed at Madinah: 16 sections, 129 verses)

Section 13 (Verses 9:100–9:110): The Hypocrites

Translation:

وَ السّٰبِقُوۡنَ الۡاَوَّلُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡمُہٰجِرِیۡنَ وَ الۡاَنۡصَارِ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ اتَّبَعُوۡہُمۡ بِاِحۡسَانٍ ۙ رَّضِیَ اللّٰہُ عَنۡہُمۡ وَ رَضُوۡا عَنۡہُ وَ اَعَدَّ لَہُمۡ جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِیۡ تَحۡتَہَا الۡاَنۡہٰرُ خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَاۤ اَبَدًا ؕ ذٰلِکَ الۡفَوۡزُ الۡعَظِیۡمُ ﴿۱۰۰﴾

9:100 And the foremost, the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them in goodness1 — Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them Gardens in which rivers flow, abiding therein forever. That is the mighty achievement.

وَ مِمَّنۡ حَوۡلَکُمۡ مِّنَ الۡاَعۡرَابِ مُنٰفِقُوۡنَ ؕۛ وَ مِنۡ اَہۡلِ الۡمَدِیۡنَۃِ ۟ۛؔ مَرَدُوۡا عَلَی النِّفَاقِ ۟ لَا تَعۡلَمُہُمۡ ؕ نَحۡنُ نَعۡلَمُہُمۡ ؕ سَنُعَذِّبُہُمۡ مَّرَّتَیۡنِ ثُمَّ یُرَدُّوۡنَ اِلٰی عَذَابٍ عَظِیۡمٍ ﴿۱۰۱﴾ۚ

9:101 And some of the dwellers of the desert around you are hypocrites; and some of the people of Madinah (also) — they persist in hypocrisy. You do not know them; We know them.2 We will punish them twice,3 then they will be turned back to a severe punishment.

وَ اٰخَرُوۡنَ اعۡتَرَفُوۡا بِذُنُوۡبِہِمۡ خَلَطُوۡا عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَّ اٰخَرَ سَیِّئًا ؕ عَسَی اللّٰہُ اَنۡ یَّتُوۡبَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۰۲﴾

9:102 And others have acknowledged their faults — they mixed a good deed with another that was evil. It may be that Allah will turn to them (mercifully). Surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.4

خُذۡ مِنۡ اَمۡوَالِہِمۡ صَدَقَۃً تُطَہِّرُہُمۡ وَ تُزَکِّیۡہِمۡ بِہَا وَ صَلِّ عَلَیۡہِمۡ ؕ اِنَّ صَلٰوتَکَ سَکَنٌ لَّہُمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ سَمِیۡعٌ عَلِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۰۳﴾

9:103 Take charity out of their property — you would cleanse them and purify them thereby — and pray for them. Surely your prayer is a relief to them. And Allah is Hearing, Knowing.5

اَلَمۡ یَعۡلَمُوۡۤا اَنَّ اللّٰہَ ہُوَ یَقۡبَلُ التَّوۡبَۃَ عَنۡ عِبَادِہٖ وَ یَاۡخُذُ الصَّدَقٰتِ وَ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ ہُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِیۡمُ ﴿۱۰۴﴾

9:104 Do they not know that Allah is He Who accepts repentance from His servants and takes the charity, and that Allah — He is the Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful?

وَ قُلِ اعۡمَلُوۡا فَسَیَرَی اللّٰہُ عَمَلَکُمۡ وَ رَسُوۡلُہٗ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ؕ وَ سَتُرَدُّوۡنَ اِلٰی عٰلِمِ الۡغَیۡبِ وَ الشَّہَادَۃِ فَیُنَبِّئُکُمۡ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰۵﴾ۚ

9:105 And say, Work; so Allah will see your work and (so will) His Messenger and the believers. And you will be brought back to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He will inform you of what you did.

وَ اٰخَرُوۡنَ مُرۡجَوۡنَ لِاَمۡرِ اللّٰہِ اِمَّا یُعَذِّبُہُمۡ وَ اِمَّا یَتُوۡبُ عَلَیۡہِمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ عَلِیۡمٌ حَکِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۰۶﴾

9:106 And others are made to await Allah’s command, whether He will punish them or turn to them (mercifully). And Allah is Knowing, Wise.6

وَ الَّذِیۡنَ اتَّخَذُوۡا مَسۡجِدًا ضِرَارًا وَّ کُفۡرًا وَّ تَفۡرِیۡقًۢا بَیۡنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ وَ اِرۡصَادًا لِّمَنۡ حَارَبَ اللّٰہَ وَ رَسُوۡلَہٗ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ؕ وَ لَیَحۡلِفُنَّ اِنۡ اَرَدۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡحُسۡنٰی ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ یَشۡہَدُ اِنَّہُمۡ لَکٰذِبُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰۷﴾

9:107 And those who built a mosque to cause harm (to Islam) and (to help) disbelief, and to cause disunion among the believers, and a refuge for him who made war against Allah and His Messenger before. And they will certainly swear: We desired nothing but good. And Allah bears witness that they are certainly liars.7

لَا تَقُمۡ فِیۡہِ اَبَدًا ؕ لَمَسۡجِدٌ اُسِّسَ عَلَی التَّقۡوٰی مِنۡ اَوَّلِ یَوۡمٍ اَحَقُّ اَنۡ تَقُوۡمَ فِیۡہِ ؕ فِیۡہِ رِجَالٌ یُّحِبُّوۡنَ اَنۡ یَّتَطَہَّرُوۡا ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ یُحِبُّ الۡمُطَّہِّرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۸﴾

9:108 Never stand in it. Certainly a mosque founded on observance of duty from the first day is more deserving that you should stand in it. In it are men who love to purify themselves. And Allah loves those who purify themselves.8

اَفَمَنۡ اَسَّسَ بُنۡیَانَہٗ عَلٰی تَقۡوٰی مِنَ اللّٰہِ وَ رِضۡوَانٍ خَیۡرٌ اَمۡ مَّنۡ اَسَّسَ بُنۡیَانَہٗ عَلٰی شَفَا جُرُفٍ ہَارٍ فَانۡہَارَ بِہٖ فِیۡ نَارِ جَہَنَّمَ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ لَا یَہۡدِی الۡقَوۡمَ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۹﴾

9:109 Is he, then, who lays his foundation on duty to Allah and (His) good pleasure better, or he who lays his foundation on the edge of a cracking hollowed bank, so it broke down with him into the Fire of hell? And Allah does not guide the unjust people.

لَا یَزَالُ بُنۡیَانُہُمُ الَّذِیۡ بَنَوۡا رِیۡبَۃً فِیۡ قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ تَقَطَّعَ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ عَلِیۡمٌ حَکِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۱۰﴾٪

9:110 The building which they have built will ever continue to be a source of disquiet in their hearts, unless their hearts be torn to pieces.9 And Allah is Knowing, Wise.

Commentary:

  1. In the history of Islam, the word ‘Emigrants’ (muhājirīn) came to signify all those Companions of the Holy Prophet who, having embraced Islam at Makkah, had to flee from their homes either to Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia) or to Madinah. The latter flight, including nearly all the Muslims of Makkah, is known as the Hijra or Flight, and the Muslim era dates from it. The word ‘Helpers’ (Anṣār) signifies the Muslims of Madinah who, having accepted Islam before the Flight, gave shelter to those who fled from Makkah. By “those who followed them in goodness” are meant the Muslims who came after the Com­panions and followed their good deeds. ↩
  2. The insincerity of the heart could not be known to a mortal — it is known only to Allah. ↩
  3. The hypocrites were punished twice in this life. They had to take part in all contributions for the defence of the Muslim community and had to pay the zakāt, all this against their conviction and unwillingly. After having suffered all this torment for the sake of being reckoned Muslims, they were ultimately separated from the Muslims, and this exposure to public shame was no doubt a great punishment for them. ↩
  4. According to different reports, the number of these men varied from three to ten. They were sincere and acknowledged their fault. ↩
  5. Because they showed sincerity in confessing their faults, they were dealt with leniently. Their charity was not to be rejected. ↩
  6. This is generally supposed to refer to three of the believers who held back from the expedition (Bukhari, 64:81). ↩
  7. Some hypocrites built a mosque at the instigation of Abu Āmir, with the object of causing harm to that mosque. Abu Āmir, who after fighting against the Holy Prophet for a long time, had fled to Syria after the battle of Hunain, had written to his friends at Madinah that he was coming with a formidable army to crush the Prophet, and that they should build a mosque for him. But Abu Āmir died in Syria, and the founders desired the Holy Prophet to give it a blessing by his presence, which he was forbidden to do by Divine revelation, and the mosque was demolished. ↩
  8. The words are general and every mosque raised for the service of Allah may be included in this description. ↩
  9. Their hearts could be torn to pieces by severe regret or by sincere repentance. ↩

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