9-111 Surely Allah has bought from the believers their persons and their property — theirs (in return) is the Garden. They fight in Allah’s way, so they slay and are slain. It is a promise which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’an. And who is more faithful to his promise than Allah? Rejoice therefore in your bargain which you have made. And that is the mighty achievement.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةَ ۚ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ۖ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّۭا فِى ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَٱلْإِنجِيلِ وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِۦ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَٱسْتَبْشِرُوا۟ بِبَيْعِكُمُ ٱلَّذِى بَايَعْتُم بِهِۦ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ (۱۱۱)
9-111a: A covenant with the Muslims: After discussing the hypocrites, a contrast is made in this section by detailing the conduct of those who are sincere believers. They have traded their life and wealth to Allah and received paradise in return. Thus, the reality of belief in Allah is that one’s most cherished things are not his own but should be considered as the goods of Allah. This is Allah’s covenant with Muslims and as long as they abide by this covenant, they will remain deserving of paradise from Allah. Included in the promise of paradise is also the promise of success in this world as is stated in several places in the Quran. However, if Muslims do not abide by their side of the covenant, then they will no longer be deserving of the payment. So, every person who calls himself a Muslim or claims to be a believer should understand that he has sold his life and wealth, and he has no right over them and he is now only a custodian who is tasked to use them in the way of Allah.
How the Companions fulfilled this covenant: After mentioning the covenant, the actions of the believers are described. The distinguishing characteristic of the hypocrites is described as their reluctance to participate in battles and so a contrast is made by first mentioning the believer’s participation in battles. The hypocrites joined in prayers, gave zakat and followed the laws of the Quran in manifest matters such as marriage etcetera but when it came to fighting, a clear distinction arose between them and the believers as the hypocrites on one pretext or the other refused to fight. For this reason, after mentioning the covenant with the Muslims, the distinctive feature that separated the Muslims from the hypocrites is presented, that is participation in battles. In addition, it is obvious that the real test of sacrificing one’s life and wealth arises when hostilities break out. Hence along with the mention of the covenant, mention is made of those things which are the greatest impediment in fulfilling the covenant. However, to interpret يُقَـٰتِلُونَ (to fight) as going about randomly killing people is the height of absurdity. The conditions that made fighting inevitable are given in the Quran: وَقَـٰتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمْ (And fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you) (2:190). It is nonparticipation in these wars that is held against the hypocrites, and it is participation in these wars that is held to be the fulfilment of the covenant by the believers.
The third thing that is stated here is that the promise that Allah has made with the believers is also to be found in the Torah, Gospel and Quran. Thus, all the prophets made the same promise to their followers. It is apparent that the promise mentioned above is that the believers have sold their life and wealth in return for paradise. In other words, the promise is that if a believer gives his life and wealth in the way of Allah then Allah will grant him paradise. Christians, who are used to distorting the statements of the Quran and presenting them out of context, claim that the Quran has lied as there is no such promise in the Torah or Gospel. Probably in saying this, the Christian clergy has the word يُقَـٰتِلُونَ in their mind because they consider the permission to fight as the biggest defect of Islam. The Muslims were reduced to dire conditions before they were given permission to fight, and the conditions under which this permission was given were such that no rational person can object even for a moment that this fighting was unjustified. In the Mosaic dispensation there are no conditions for initiating hostilities and as for the Christian nations, they launch aggressions at the slightest pretext when they are powerful enough to do so. In any case, there is no mention of a promise in يُقَـٰتِلُونَ but only of the way in which Muslims fulfilled the promise. The mention of the promise is in ٱشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (bought from the believers) and it is true that this promise is in the Torah and the Gospel. When a rich man came to Jesus and said: Good Master, what good things shall I do, that I may have eternal life? Jesus said unto him: If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. (Matthew 19:21). This is also the teaching of Moses: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Paradise or the kingdom of heaven cannot be obtained without giving up the world.
9-112 They who turn (to Allah), who serve (Him), who praise (Him), who fast, who bow down, who prostrate themselves, who enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and who keep the limits of Allah — and give good news to the believers.a
ٱلتَّـٰٓئِبُونَ ٱلْعَـٰبِدُونَ ٱلْحَـٰمِدُونَ ٱلسَّـٰٓئِحُونَ ٱلرَّٰكِعُونَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدُونَ ٱلْـَٔامِرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱلنَّاهُونَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْحَـٰفِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (۱۱۲)
9-112a: ٱلسَّـٰٓئِحُونَ – سَاحَة means a spacious public square, and ساحة الدار is the courtyard of a house, as in: فَإِذَا نَزَلَ بِسَاحَتِهِمْ فَسَآءَ (So when it descends in their court) (37:177). ساح فی الارض means he passed through the earth or travelled, as in فَسِيحُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍۢ (So go about in the land for four months) (9:2). سائح is a perennial stream of water and سیّاح and سائح is a traveler (R). سائحون which occurs here and سائحات which occurs in 66:5 means those who fast, as related by the Companions and the generation that followed. In fact, there is a hadith in which the Holy Prophet stated that the meaning of سائحون is صائمون. Further, it is narrated in a hadith in Abu Daud that a person asked the Holy Prophet for permission to travel, and the Holy Prophet replied that the journeying of his Ummah is for jihad in the way of Allah (IK). The meaning most accepted though is those who fast. Al-Mufradat further confirms the meaning given in the hadith as السائحون ای الصائمون and السائحات ای الصائمات. Then after this, Mufradat states that some have said that fast is of two kinds. One is genuine that is abstaining from food and drink and the other is to keep your body free of sin and سائح is one who keeps this kind of a fast.
In the first verse of this section, the covenant of the believers and their attributes are mentioned. In this verse تائب that is those who repent from all kinds of sin are mentioned first, followed by عابد that is those who use their power in the service of Allah, followed by حامد that is those who praise Allah, a corollary of which is that one should develop the same attributes as the ones he praises. So, حامدون are those who are colored with the virtues of Allah. This is followed by سائحون that is those who fast or those who protect their body from sin, and next are those who humble themselves before God, followed by those who guide others to the truth or stop them from evil and last of all those who stand by the prescribed limits of Allah. There is good news for such believers.
9-113 It is not for the Prophet and those who believe to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even though they should be near relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of the flaming fire.a
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِىِّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوٓا۟ أُو۟لِى قُرْبَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَحِيمِ (۱۱۳)
9-113a: According to this verse, it is forbidden to ask protection for those polytheists about whom it becomes known manifestly that they are the inmates of the fire. In Bukhari and other authentic Books of Hadith, the occasion for this revelation is described as the death of Abu Talib which occurred prior to migration while the revelation of this surah took place in nine hijra. The response given to this is that the Holy Prophet continuously asked for protection for Abu Talib until he was stopped from doing so by this verse because relations with disbelievers were severed at this time. In some hadith, the occasion for the revelation of this verse has been described as the Holy Prophet asking for protection for his mother. Abu Talib saw some of the period of the Holy Prophet’s prophethood, but it is astonishing that such an idea is ventured for the Holy Prophet’s mother who died thirty-four years before his prophethood began. When Pharoah asked Moses: فَمَا بَالُ ٱلْقُرُونِ ٱلْأُولَىٰ (What then is the state of the former nations) (20:51), Moses was directed by Allah to responded: عِلْمُهَا عِندَ رَبِّى (The knowledge thereof is with my Lord) (20:52). Those who live before the advent of a prophet or those to whom the message of the prophet has not reached are only responsible for things that they can deduce based upon the light they receive using their intelligence and nature. They cannot be said to be deniers of a prophet. That the Holy Prophet’s mother was on the right religion according to nature is obvious from the commentary narrated by Ibn Abbas of the verse: وَتَقَلُّبَكَ فِى ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ (And thy movements among those who prostrate themselves) (26:219). In which he states that the Holy Prophet’s movements were among such forefathers and foremothers who were among those who submitted.
The prohibition against asking for protection is conditional on knowing manifestly that the person is doomed for hell. Commentators have identified only two situations in which a person can manifestly be said to be an inmate of hell. The first is that a person dies in a state of disbelief, and the second is that revelation informs that a person is beyond redemption. The clarification given by the Quran in this regard is found in the next verse where Abraham has been stopped from asking for protection when it becomes manifest that the person is an enemy of God. So, the reality is that there is a contradiction for a believer to be asking for protection for a person who is clearly an enemy of the truth and rightfulness that Allah has revealed. Asking Allah to protect such a person or to forgive him is meaningless because asking for protection for such a person is asking God to protect an evil and unjust person to thrive in the world when the said person desires to destroy what is the truth. It is not befitting for a believer to have a relationship with the enemies of Allah. It is only possible to have complete certainty about such enmity through Divine revelation but sometimes events can provide this information as well. However, ordinary polytheists and disbelievers are not included in this prohibition but if they die in a polytheistic state or a state of disbelief then it can be argued from this verse that saying their funeral prayer is not allowed. The fact is that the funeral prayer is a deceased Muslim’s right from other Muslims. The right of human sympathy is different and Islamic sympathy is in addition to general human sympathy. The funeral prayer without the relationship of Islamic brotherhood is not allowed. God out of His infinite mercy may deal with such persons as He considers fit, but the funeral prayer can only be said for those who have manifestly joined Islam.
9-114 And Abraham’s asking forgiveness for his sire was only owing to a promise which he had made to him; but when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he dissociated himself from him. Surely Abraham was tender-hearted, forbearing.a
وَمَا كَانَ ٱسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَن مَّوْعِدَةٍۢ وَعَدَهَآ إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُۥٓ أَنَّهُۥ عَدُوٌّۭ لِّلَّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُ ۚ إِنَّ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ لَأَوَّٰهٌ حَلِيمٌۭ (۱۱۴)
9-114a: أَوَّٰهٌ – It means one who does اَوَّاہٌ profusely or says ,تَاَوّہ, and تَاَوُّہ is any expression that evidences sorrow or grief and such a person is understood to be a person who manifests great خشیة or fear of Allah (R). It is translated as tender hearted becauseخشیة اللّٰه or fear of Allah leads to tender heartedness. Ibn Jarir gives several examples to explain its meaning and the preference given to the meaning in these examples is الرحیم (The Merciful), that is it means a person who is very merciful.
Abraham and Azar: It is manifestly proven from here that Abraham was stopped from asking protection for his اب or his elder although he kept on seeking protection for his parents up to the end of his life as is evident from رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ (Our Lord, grant me protection and my parents) (14:41).
For the meaning of اب see 6:74a. Although Azar was an elder of Abraham but when his condition reached from being an ordinary disbeliever to one who was manifestly an enemy of Allah then to ask protection for him meant asking Allah to let this evil and false person, who wanted to trample upon truth and righteousness, to prosper in this world. If such a state has not been reached, then asking goodness for strangers is a praiseworthy attribute. The details of the promise that is mentioned in this verse are given elsewhere for which see 19:47. It appears from there that despite Azar’s threat of stoning Abraham and separating himself from Abraham, Abrahma had promised to ask protection for him. It is indicated from there that Abrahm did not stop asking protection for him till the point where the enmity of Azar and his effort to destroy the truth had become extreme.
9-115 And it is not (attributable to) Allah that He should lead a people astray after He has guided them, so far so that He makes clear to them what they should guard against. Surely Allah is Knower of all things.a
وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُضِلَّ قَوْمًۢا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَىٰهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يُبَيِّنَ لَهُم مَّا يَتَّقُونَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ (۱۱۵)
9-115a: The interpretation of this verse is taken to be that those who had been asking for protection for disbelievers before this verse was revealed are not held by Allah to have strayed because the Quran had not stated the prohibition manifestly. However, a person who asks for protection after it has been made manifestly clear in the Quran would be judged to have gone astray. The meaning of the Arabic word يُضِلَّ is here taken to mean going astray.
9-116 Surely Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and causes death. And besides Allah you have no friend nor helper.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۚ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِىٍّۢ وَلَا نَصِيرٍۢ (۱۱۶)
9-117 Certainly Allah has turned in mercy to the Prophet and the Emigrants and the Helpers who followed him in the hour of hardship, after the hearts of a part of them were about to deviate; then He turned to them in mercy. Surely to them He is Compassionate, Merciful;a
لَّقَد تَّابَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَٱلْمُهَـٰجِرِينَ وَٱلْأَنصَارِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُ فِى سَاعَةِ ٱلْعُسْرَةِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ (۱۱۷)
9-117a: تَّابَ – This verse testifies clearly to the meaning of the word تَّابَ . It does not only mean to turn away from sin by a person or for Allah to turn mercifully to a sinner but as explained in 2:37a it also includes going from a good state to a better state. There is no hint of a sin here either of the Prophet or the believers. On the contrary there is praise for them in ٱتَّبَعُوهُ فِى سَاعَةِ ٱلْعُسْرَةِ (followed him in the hour of hardship) but despite this, it is stated: تَّابَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ (Allah has turned in mercy to the Prophet) and the meaning is only that Allah granted him great favors. This is in accordance with the dictionary meaning of the word تَّابَ which is given as: عاد الی اللّٰه و رجع و اناب (turned to Allah and returned to Him in humility).
سَاعَةِ ٱلْعُسْرَةِ – عُسر is the opposite of یُسر and by سَاعَةِ ٱلْعُسْرَةِ commentators have taken it to mean the Tabuk expedition in which the companions had to face great difficulties. The provisions were so short that at times one date had to be split between two companions and the half date and some water was their repast. The Companions had to ride two and sometimes three on a camel because of the paucity of riding animals. This hardship is a great manifestation of their truthfulness and sincerity and hence is specially mentioned here.
Muslims as devout followers: This verse shows that in the face of great difficulties and challenges the Muslims were completely happy and supportive of the Holy Prophet. Mention is made of one group who entertained some thoughts of weakness but the use of the word كَادَ (about to), shows that no distortion took place in their hearts. It was Holy Prophet’s power of piety which elevated the Companions to this high level of obedience where all of them were colored in the same way.
9-118 And (He turned in mercy) to the three who were left behind; until the earth, vast as it is, became strait to them and their souls were also straitened to them; and they knew that there was no refuge from Allah but in Him. Then He turned to them in mercy that they might turn (to Him). Surely Allah — He is the Oft-returning to mercy, the Merciful.a
وَعَلَى ٱلثَّلَـٰثَةِ ٱلَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا۟ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَن لَّا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّآ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ (۱۱۸)
9-118a: خُلِّفُوا۟ – خَلَّفۡتُه means I left him behind, but by مخلّفون is meant those people who stayed behind and did not go for battle. This is what can be meant by خُلِّفُوا۟, that is those who stayed behind. However, mostly this has been interpreted as those persons for whom the command had been relegated to a later time, that is those about whom it was said: اخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ (others are made to await Allah’s command) (9:106). Kaab, who was one of those who were made to wait, has taken this to be the meaning of خُلِّفُوا۟.
ضَاقَتْ –ضِیۡق (narrow; strait) is the opposite of وسعت , and it is often used for anxiety, niggardliness, sorrow etcetera, as in: وَضَآئِقٌۢ بِهِۦ صَدْرُكَ (and thy breast will be straitened by it) (11:12); يَضِيقُ صَدْرِى (my breast straitens) (26:13). In وَلَا تَكُ فِى ضَيْقٍۢ مِّمَّا يَمْكُرُونَ (nor be in distress for what they plan) (16:127) and here, the meaning is distress or grief (R).
رَحُبَتْ – رُحب means spacious or roomy and like ضِیۡق it is used metaphorically as here. مَرۡحبا (welcome) is also derived from it (R).
The three people mentioned in this verse are Kaab bin Malik, Hilal bin Umayyah and Murarah bin Rabai. They are mentioned in an authentic hadith, and there is also a hadith where Kaab himself has narrated the event in great detail. As the Tabuk expedition left Madinah, these three had not completed their preparation for the journey and they kept delaying the preparation until it was too late to catch up with the force that was on its way to Tabuk. When the expedition returned from Tabuk, they confessed to the Holy Prophet that they had no excuse for their nonparticipation. The Holy Prophet ordered that Muslims should sever relations with them until Allah reveals a judgment in their behalf. For fifty days there was a complete social boycott and no one even talked to them. Kaab recounts that even when he came to the mosque to pray with the Holy Prophet nobody would talk to him. During that time, Kaab states that one day he was wandering through the bazaar in a wretched state when a messenger of the King of Ghassan enquired about him and gave him a letter from the King in which he had written that he had been informed that Kaab was being badly treated and humiliated and invited him to come to his kingdom where he will receive favors from the King. Kaab states that he felt this too was a trial from Allah and he burned that letter. Fifty days after the social boycott this verse was revealed, and the Holy Prophet called Kaab and the other two and gave them the good news of Allah turning to them in mercy.
This incident goes to show the deep love that the Companions had for the truth as they did not even care that confessing the truth would earn the Holy Prophet’s displeasure. If on the one hand, this band of Companions were unrivalled in their devotion, and sacrifice of their life and wealth, on the other hand, world history cannot present another group that had better morals. It is worth remembering that besides Tabuk, Kaab participated in all battles except Badr but the other two companions participated in all battles except Tabuk. Despite this, they had to face great hardship just for not participating in the Tabuk expedition. This is a moment of reflection for those Muslims who prefer to consider service to religion as meaningless and consider service to self as sufficient, or at the most say their prayers and think that they are the successors of Paradise.
In addition to other lessons which are the purpose for narrating the incident of the three men, one more truth that manifests is the extent to which the Companions were devoted and obedient as a result of which Allah gave them the status that no other group of men has received, namely رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ (Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him) (9:100). Keep the difficulties of this war on one side – extreme heat of the Arabian summer, crops ready for harvesting, a long journey, inadequate mounts and provisions, confrontation with the regular standing army of a great Emperor, the Muslim army comprised of volunteers who earned their livelihood by trade and other work – even so thirty thousand men accompanied the Holy Prophet and only three stayed back. Can another similar example be found anywhere in the world? (The hypocrites are excluded in this calculation because they were enemies of Islam at heart). Thus, on the average only one person per ten thousand shows some weakness and that weakness is not without a great purpose of its own as it shows the great truthfulness of the men who failed to accompany the Prophet.
Bayan-ul-Quran 