Surah Al Tawbah (Section 9)

9-67 The hypocrites, men and women, are all alike. They enjoin evil and forbid good and withhold their hands. They have forsaken Allah, so He has forsaken them. Surely the hypocrites are the transgressors.^a

ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقُونَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍۢ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَقْبِضُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ ۚ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَنَسِيَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ (۶۷)

9-67a: بَعْضُهُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍۢ – Its literal meaning is the one of you being from the other but the purport is that they are alike as if they are the parts of the same thing. Thus, they are the same both men and women.

يَقْبِضُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ – The meaning of قَبۡض is to grasp something tightly, and the meaning of قَبۡضُ الیَدِ is to accumulate something after taking it. The meaning of یقبضون ایدیہم is they stop themselves from spending (R).

نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَنَسِيَهُمْ – (They have forsaken Allah, so He has forsaken them). This shows that the punishment that is given is of the same type as the action that deserves punishment. The word نسی here is used in the sense of ترك . See 2:44a.

9-68 Allah promises the hypocrites, men and women, and the disbelievers the Fire of hell to abide therein. It is enough for them. And Allah curses them, and for them is a lasting chastisement.

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتِ وَٱلْكُفَّارَ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ هِىَ حَسْبُهُمْ ۚ وَلَعَنَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌۭ مُّقِيمٌۭ (۶۸)

9-69 Like those before you — they were stronger than you in power and had more wealth and children. So they enjoyed their portion; thus have you enjoyed your portion as those before you enjoyed their portion, and you indulge in idle talk^a as they did. These are they whose works are null in this world and the Hereafter, and these are they who are the losers.

كَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ كَانُوٓا۟ أَشَدَّ مِنكُمْ قُوَّةًۭ وَأَكْثَرَ أَمْوَٰلًۭا وَأَوْلَـٰدًۭا فَٱسْتَمْتَعُوا۟ بِخَلَـٰقِهِمْ فَٱسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِخَلَـٰقِكُمْ كَمَا ٱسْتَمْتَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُم بِخَلَـٰقِهِمْ وَخُضْتُمْ كَٱلَّذِى خَاضُوٓا۟ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ (۶۹)

9-69a: كَٱلَّذِى خَاضُوٓا – (as they indulged in idle talk) – It can be structured in two ways کالخوض الذی خاضوہ or the original of الذی is الذین and ن has been dropped for abbreviation and the purport is کالذین خاضوا.

9-70 Has not the story reached them of those before them — of the people of Noah and ‘Ad and Thamud, and the people of Abraham and the dwellers of Midian and the overthrown cities? Their messengers came to them with clear arguments. So Allah wronged them not but they wronged themselves.^a

أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍۢ وَعَادٍۢ وَثَمُودَ وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَأَصْحَـٰبِ مَدْيَنَ وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتِ ۚ أَتَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ (۷۰)

9-70a: ٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتِ – It is the plural of مؤتفکة and the meaning of ائتفاك (which is from  افك) is revolution and the purport is all the people who were destroyed. Nafr bin Ans has narrated that his father said, “O son! Do not get off in Basrah because فانھا احدی ٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتِ ). Some have restricted its meaning to the dwellings of the people of Lot (LA). Al Mufradat states that مؤتفکة are winds that whirl around.

9-71 And the believers, men and women, are friends one of another. They enjoin good and forbid evil and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, and obey Allah and His Messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.

وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍۢ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ (۷۱)

9-72 Allah has promised to the believers, men and women, Gardens, wherein flow rivers, to abide therein, and goodly dwellings in Gardens of perpetual abode. And greatest of all is Allah’s goodly pleasure. That is the grand achievement.^a

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةًۭ فِى جَنَّـٰتِ عَدْنٍۢ ۚ وَرِضْوَٰنٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ (۷۲)

9-72a: عَدْنٍۢ – The meaning of عَدَنَ بمکان is استقر that is, resting in calmness and peace. So, جَنَّـٰتِ عَدْنٍۢ  are those gardens in which they will reside in perpetuity and will never be taken out of it. مَعۡدِن is derived from it (R).

رِضْوَٰنٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ – The pleasure of Allah is here called the greatest blessing of paradise. The hadith of Abu Saeed Khudri which is in both Bukhari and Muslim reinforces this. This is conclusive testimony to the nature of the Muslim paradise whose biggest blessing is obtaining the pleasure of Allah. It is also worth reflecting that a believer can obtain the pleasure of Allah even in this world and رضی اللّٰه عنہم (May Allah be pleased with them) is an explicit and decisive dictum of the hadith in respect of the Companions. So, the paradise of a believer begins in this world, and it is that very thing in which there is no partnership between a believer and an disbeliever. Both believers and disbelievers share in the finite pleasures of this world and perhaps sometimes the disbelievers get a greater share of gratification from them. The mention of the believers in this and the previous verses is given as a comparison with the disbelievers who in turn are mentioned as a caution to the hypocrites that their end would be bad like that of the disbelievers.