9. Surah At-Tawba

Commentary Mentioned in the previous verses were the errors and misdeeds of disbelievers and Mushriks who persisted with their disbelief and kept associating others in the pristine divinity of Allah. In the present two verses, mentioned there is another bad custom prevailing in Arabia since its age of ignorance - which Muslims have been instructed to ab-stain from. That bad custom relates to a chain of happenings. Details go back to the distant past since when a year was accepted as having twelve months by the religious codes of all past prophets. Out of these twelve months, four were considered sacred, therefore, worthy of great reverence. They were three consecutive months of Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram, and the month of Rajab. All religious codes of past prophets agree that every act of worship during these four months is more reward-worthy - and should someone commit a sin during these months, the curse and punishment resulting from it is also more blameworthy. Under these past religious codes, fighting and killing was prohibited during these months. Since the Arabs of Makkah al-Mukarramah are the progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) through Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) they all professed belief in Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) as a prophet and messenger of Allah and claimed to follow his Shari` ah. However, as fighting, killing and hunting was also prohibited during these four sacred months among the followers of the Ibrahimi community, the people of the Arab age of ignorance found the implementation of this injunction extremely hard. The reason was that, during the pagan period, fighting and killing had become the only vocation for them. Therefore, in order to make this restriction somewhat easy on them, they spun out all sorts of excuses to satisfy their self-serving motives. Whenever they needed to fight during one of the sacred months, or whenever a sacred month approached while they were already fighting, then, they would say: This year, this month is not sacred. The next month will be the sacred one. For example, when Muharram arrived, they would say that ` this year, the month of Muharram is not sacred, instead of that, the month of S afar will be sacred'. And if they had some other exigency, they would say, ` this year, the month of Rabi' al-Awwal will be sacred;' or say, ` this year the month of Safar has come earlier and Muharram will come later.' Thus, in one stroke, they made the month of Muharram the month of Safar! In short, they would somehow complete the count of four month during one year, but would not bother to retain the order and signification of what was divinely determined. It was up to them to give any name to any month, call it Dhu al-Hijjah or call it Ramadan or make one come earlier and make the other come later. If another emergency came, for example, when they would remain en-gaged in fighting for a period as long as ten months leaving only two months to the year, then, on this occasion, they would increase the number of months in a year saying, ` this year will be of fourteen months.' In this way, they would make the remaining four months the sacred months. In short, they did show their reverence for the Ibrahimi faith at least by doing it during four months of the year when they would abstain from fighting and killing. But, they did not observe the order of the months in a year according to which four of them were fixed as the sacred months. This was what they juggled with seeking interpretations to suit their needs or fancies. The outcome was that, during those days, it had become difficult to determine as to which month was Ramadan or Shawwal, or Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah or Rajab. When Makkah al-Mukarramah was conquered in the 8th year of Hijrah and the Holy Prophet ﷺ sent Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ to make the proclamation of withdrawal from disbelievers and Mushriks at the Hajj season of Hijrah year 9, this month was, according to the genuine calculation, the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. But, according to the same old custom of the Jahiliyyah, this month was declared to be that of Dhu al-Qa'dah - and, that year, according to them, not Dhu al-Hijjah, but Dhu al-Qa'dah was fixed to be the month of Hajj. Then came the Hijrah year 10 which was the year the Holy Prophet ﷺ went for his last Hajj. As nature would have it, this brought about a unique arrangement when the genuine month was that of Dhu al-Hijjah and, according to the ar-bitrary reckoning of the people of Jahiliyyah too, that turned out to be Dhu al-Hijjah itself. Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said in his address at Mina: اِنَّ الزَّمان قد استدار کَھَیٔتہ یوم خَلَقَ اللہُ السَّمٰوَات والارض (Time has come back to its position Allah had set the day He created the heavens and the Earth). It means that the month, the real month of Dhu al-Hijjah, turned out to be the same month of Dhu al-Hijjah that year, even in the sight of the people of Jahiliyyah. This was a window to the custom of Jahiliyyah, a custom that changed the number, the order and the specification of months in a year, even made deletions and alterations at will. The activity of making a few changes here and there may appear to be small and innocu-ous. A month is a month, call it by any name, it remains a month. But, things were not that simple in the given situation. These changes disturbed the implementation of Islamic laws connected with a particular month or a specific date in it. They also affected duties fixed for the be-ginning or the end of the year - such as, the injunctions of Hajj during the ten days of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, fasting during the ten days of Muharram and the rules of Zakah at the end of the year. As a direct result of this practice, hundreds of Islamic laws were distorted making their compliance useless. In these two verses of the Holy Qur'an, Muslims have been instructed to remain on guard against the evil in this pagan custom. Explanation of the Verses In the first verse (36), it is said: اِنَّ عِدَّۃَ الشُّھُورِ عِند اللہِ عَشَرَ شَھراً ,(Surely, the number of months with Allah is twelve). Here, the word: عِدّہ ('iddah) appears in the sense of number and شُھُور (shuhur) is the plural of شَھر (shahr) which means month. The sense of the verse is that the number of months, in the sight of Allah, is set as twelve. No one has the right to decrease or increase it. Then, by placing the phrase: فِی کِتَابَ اللہِ (fi kitabillah: as written in the Book of Allah), it was stressed that this numerical setting of the months stood recorded in the Preserved Tablet (al-lawh al-mahfuz) since eternity. Then, by saying: یَومَ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الاَرضَ (on the day He created the heavens and the Earth), it was indicated that the Divine decree was, though, promulgated in eternity, but this order and setting of the months came into being when the heavens and the Earth were created. After that, it was said: مِنھَآ اَربَعَۃُ حُرُمُ (of which there are Four Sacred Months). It means that, out of these twelve months, four are sacred. They have been called حُرُمُ Hurum (sanctified ones) in the sense that fighting and killing is prohibited during these month, and also in the sense that these months are blessed and it is obligatory to hold them in due esteem and that acts of worship during these become more reward worthy. The first injunction out of the two was abrogated in the Shari’ ah of Islam. But, the second one, that of increased reverence, esteem and devotion to ` Ibadah during this period still remains operative in Islam. In his addressl of the Day of Sacrifice2 during the Last Hajj3, the Holy Prophet ﷺ explained these months by saying: ` Three months are consecutive - Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram - and one month is that of Rajab.' But, there were two sayings of the Arabs regarding the month of Rajab. Some tribes used to call the month we know as Ramadan the month of Rajab while, as seen by the tribe of Mudar, Rajab was the month which comes in between Jumada ath-Thaniah and Sha` ban. Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ by mentioning this month as ` Rajab Mudar' - also made it clear that it means the month of Rajab which is in between Jumada ath-Thaniah and Sha` ban. 1. Khutbah. 2. Yowmu 'n-Nahr, a term used for ‘Idu ‘l-Adha, the Feast or Festival of Sacrifice. 3. Hujjatu'I-Wada'. Thereafter appears the statement: ذالکَ الدِّین القَیِّمُ (That is the right faith). It means that keeping the setting and serial order of months, specially the injunctions pertaining to the Four Sacred Months, according to the very original decree of Allah Almighty is the right faith to hold. Making any changes, alterations, additions or deletions there-in is a sign of crookedness in comprehension and temperament. The next sentence: فلا تَظلِمُوا فِیھِنَّ اَنفُسَکُم do not wrong yourselves therein) means: ` Do not become unjust to your own selves either by acting against the compliance-worthy injunctions pertaining to these months, or by not observing proper respect for them, or by falling short in devoting yourselves to ` Ibadah therein. In his Ahkam a1-Qur'an, Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas has said: The hint given here is that these blessed months have an exclusive characteristic of their own. Whoever devotes to ` Ibadah during these is awarded with the ability and encouragement to engage in it during the rest of the months. Similarly, a person who makes the necessary effort to stay safe from sins and other bad deeds during these months finds that remaining safe from these evils during the rest of the months of a year has become easier on him. Therefore, not making the best out of these months is a terrible loss. Up to this point, the text has described and refuted a particular custom of Jahiliyyah practiced by the Mushriks of Makkah. At the end of the verse, the text reverts to the command, given at the beginning of the verse (5), requiring that, soon after the expiry of the treaty deadline, Jihad is obligatory against all Mushriks and disbelievers.

The second verse (37) also refers to this very custom of Jahiliyyah by saying: اِنَّمَا الںَّسِٓیُ زِیَادَۃُ فِی الکُفرِ (... is nothing but an increase in the infidelity). The word: نَسِیی (nasi’) is a verbal noun that means to move back or postpone. It is also used in the sense of that which is delayed (mu'akhkhar). By putting these months back and forth, the Mushriks of Arabia thought, they would be achieving two things - that it will serve their material interests and that it would also give them the credit of complying with the Divine injunction. This approach was not approved by Allah Ta` ala for their act of postponing and moving months from where they belonged was nothing but an addition to their stance of denial which was going to lead them further astray. That they go about declaring that a sacred month was not sacred in some year and then be ready to name it as sacred in some other year was simply unacceptable. The sentence: لِّيُوَاطِئُوا عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّ‌مَ اللَّـهُ (so that they may conform [ only ] to the number of what Allah has sanctified) following soon after means that a mere act of conforming to the given number cannot stand for the correct compliance of the injunction. The truth of the matter is that the month for which the injunction has been given should be the month in which the injunction must be carried out. This is imperative. Injunctions and Rulings The verses cited above prove that the order of months and the names by which they are known in Islam should not be taken as terms coined by human beings. In fact, the day the Lord of all the worlds created the heavens and the Earth, He had also settled this order and these names and, along with it, particular injunctions to be carried out during particular months. From here, we also come to know that, in all Islamic legal injunctions, only lunar months are credible in the sight of Allah Ta'ala. In other words, all injunctions of the Shari’ ah of Islam - such as, fasting, Hajj, Zakah and many others - relate to the lunar calendar. But, when it comes to finding out the day, date and year, the way the Holy Qur'an has declared the Moon as its indicator, it has, very similarly, identified the Sun too as the other sign: لِتعلَمُوا عَدَہَ السِّنِینَ وَالحِسَاب (so that you may know the number of years and the count [ of time ] - 10:5). Therefore, keeping track of days and years through a lunar or solar calendar is equally permissible. But, Allah Ta` ala has favored the lunar calendar for His injunctions and has made it the pivot round which the laws of the Shari’ ah of Islam revolve. Therefore, the preservation of the lunar calendar is Fard al-Kifayah (a religious obligation which, if fulfilled by some, will absolve others). If the entire community of Muslims were to abandon the lunar calendar and forget all about it, then, everyone will be a sinner. However, if it remains viably preserved, the use of another calendar is also permissible - but, there is no doubt that it is against the way of Allah and the way of the worthy forbears of Islam - therefore, it is not good to opt for it unnecessarily. The month intercalated to complete the count of years has also been considered by some as impermissible under this verse. But, that is not correct because the system of reckoning under which the intercalation of a month is made has nothing to do with the laws of the Shari’ ah of Islam. The people of Jihiliyyah changed these religious laws by adding to the lunar and legal months, therefore, they were censured. As for the practice of intercalation, it does not affect Islamic legal injunctions, therefore, it is not included under this prohibition.

Commentary The verses quoted above describe an important battle from among those fought by the Holy Prophet As a corollary, also given there are many injunctions and instructions. This battle is known as the battle of Tabuk and is almost the last battle of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Tabuk is the name of a place located close to the Syrian border towards the north of Madinah. Syria was, at that time, a province of the government controlled by Byzantine Christians. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ reached Madinah in the 8th year of Hijrah after the conquest of Makkah and the battle of Hunain, that was a time major parts of the Arabian Peninsula had come under the control of the Islamic state. This was a period of some peace Muslims could enjoy after their eight year long battles against the Mushriks of Makkah. But, destiny has its own workings. Is it not that Allah had already revealed about the blessed person of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . لِیُظھِرَہ عَلَی الدِّینِ کُلِّہِ (so that He makes it prevail over every faith - 9:33, 48:28, 61:9) which was the glad tidings of a world of victories and the ascendancy of the Faith of Truth? The Prophet ﷺ and his companions in the mission would hardly have the respite to relax. Soon after they reached Madinah, Syrian traders of olive oil informed them that the Byzantine ruler, Hiraql had assembled his forces at Tabuk on the border of Syria. They were also told that soldiers of the Byzantine army had been placated by the payment of advance salaries for one year and that they had sinister understanding with some Arab tribes and that they all had plans to mount a surprise attack on Madinah. When this information reached the Holy Prophet ﷺ he decided that their attack plans should be pre-empted and they should be challenged where they are gathered together with their forces. (Tafsir Mazhari, with reference to Muhammad ibn Yusuf Salihi) By chance, this was a terribly hot summer. People in Madinah were generally devoted to agriculture. Their farms were close to being harvested. On this depended their economy, rather the sustenance of the whole year. Like people in vocations who have empty pockets by the end of the month, people who depend on agricultural produce are empty-handed close to the harvesting time. On the one hand, they have poverty while on the other, they have hopes of income in the near future. Then, there was this scorching heat of the summer for a people who had their first breather after eight years of incessant wars. No doubt, this was an exacting trial. But, equally crucial was the time. This Jihad was different. It was not like the wars they had fought before. At that time, they were fighting common people like them. Here, they were to confront the trained armed forces of Hiraql, the ruler of Byzantine. Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ordered all Muslims of Madinah to come out for this Jihad. He also invited some other tribes living around Madinah to join in. This general call was a tough test for those who were willing to make sacrifices for Islam as well as a challenge to the hypocrites who would have to prove their claim to be Muslims by joining the Jihad or be exposed as false pretenders. Apart from this consideration, the inevitable consequence was that those who professed belief in Islam re-acted to the call in terms of the conditions they were in. The Holy Qur'an has enumerated them as separate groups of people and has pointed out to their condition as well. The first group included those who were strong and perfect in their faith. They were ready for Jihad without any hesitation. The second group was composed of those who hesitated at the initial stage but, later on, joined up with those ready for Jihad. About these two groups of people, the Holy Qur'an said: الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَ‌ةِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِ‌يقٍ مِّنْهُمْ (... who followed him in the hour of hardship after the hearts of a group of them were about to turn crooked - 9:117). The third group was of those who were unable to join this Jihad on the basis of some genuine excuse. About that, by saying: لَّيْسَ عَلَى الضُّعَفَاءِ وَلَا عَلَى الْمَرْ‌ضَىٰ (There is no blame on the weak, nor on the sick - 9:91), the Holy Qur'an has announced the acceptance of their excuse. Belonging to the fourth group were people who, despite that they had no excuse to offer, simply did not participate in the Jihad out of sheer laziness. Several verses were revealed about them, for example: وَآخَرُ‌ونَ اعْتَرَ‌فُوا بِذُنُوبِهِمْ there are others who admitted their sins - 9:102), and: وَآخَرُ‌ونَ مُرْ‌جَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ‌ اللَّـهِ ' (d there are others whose matter is deferred till the command of Allah [ comes ] - 9:106), and: وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا (And [ He relented ] towards the three whose matter was deferred - 9:118). These three verses were revealed about similar people. They carry admonition for their inertia as well as the good news that their Taubah or repentance has been accepted. The fifth group was that of the hypocrites, the munafiqs. Their hypocrisy was deep seated and saying yes to Jihad was hard. Finally, they failed to cover it up and stayed away from Jihad. Hypocrites have been mentioned in the verses of the Qur'an on many places. The sixth group included munafiqs who had joined up with Muslims with the objective of spying and mischief making. The Holy Qur'an mentions their conduct in the following verses: { 1} وَفِيكُمْ سَمَّاعُونَ لَهُمْ ' (And among you there are their listeners - 9:47); { 2} وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ ' (and if you ask them, they will say - 9:65); { 3} وَهَمُّوا بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُوا (And had planned for what they could not achieve - 9:74). Given above were details about those who stayed away from the Jihad. But, the fact is that their total number was negligible. The majority did belong to those Muslims who, despite many prohibitive factors, chose to sacrifice all gains and comforts and were ready to face expected hardships in the way of Allah. This is the reason why the total number of the Islamic army which set out for this Jihad was thirty thousand - a number never seen in a Jihad before. The outcome of this Jihad expedition was that Hiraql, the Byzantine ruler - when he heard about such a large Muslim force coming up against him - was overtaken by awe. He simply did not turn up on the battlefield. The Holy Prophet ﷺ camped on the war front with the army of his angelic companions for a few days in the hope that the enemy may decide to come. When totally disappointed, he re-turned back to Madinah. The verses quoted above obviously relate to the fourth group of people who did not take part in the Jihad because of their inertia and without any valid excuse. In the beginning of this set of verses, they were admonished for their lethargy, then, they were told why they behaved the way they did and, finally, they were told how to correct themselves. This wise approach unfolds major lessons. Regard for Dunya and Disregard for Akhirah: The Root of all Crimes No doubt, what has been said above is related to a particular event. But, if we were to think about it, we shall realize that the real cause of negligence towards faith - and of every crime and sin - is nothing but this love for the material and heedlessness towards the life to come. Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: حُبُّ الدُّنیَا رَاسُ کُلِّ خَطِیٔۃِ (The love for Dunya [ material life of the present world ] is at the top of every error and sin). That is why it was said in the verse: O those who believe, what is wrong with you that, when it is said to you, "Come out in the way of Allah," you turn heavy (and cling) to the ground. Have you become happy with the worldly life instead of the Hereafter? - 38. This was the diagnosis of the disease. Its treatment appears next when it was said: So, the enjoyment of the worldly life is but little as compared with the Hereafter - 38. The thrust of the argument is that one's major concern in life should be that of the eternal life in Akhirah. It is this concern for the Akhirah that offers the only and the most perfect treatment of all diseases. Incidentally, this also happens to be the master prescription for eradication of crimes that bother human societies all over the world. The ` Aqa'id of Islam (articles of faith) are based on three principles: (1) Tauhid (Oneness of Allah); (2) Risalah (the true mission of the messenger and prophet sent by Allah) and (3) Akhirah (Hereafter). Out of these, the belief in Akhirah is, in all reality, the moving spirit for correction of deeds and serves as an iron wall before crimes and sins. A little thought would make it amply clear that there can be no peace in the world without subscribing to this belief. The world as we see it to-day has reached its zenith in terms of its material progress. Then, there is no dearth of functional solutions and plans designed to eradicate crimes. Laws proliferate. So does the administrative machinery to interpret and implement the objective. No doubt, there is progress in those terms. But, along with it, everyone is witnessing crimes increasing day by day, everywhere, in all societies. The reason, in our humble view, is no other but that the disease has not been properly diagnosed and the line of treatment is not sound. The root of the disease is materialism, excessive indulgence in the temporal and negligence or avoidance of the thought of any life to come. The only way this frame of mind can be corrected is to remember Allah and think about the Akhirah, the life to come. Whenever and wherever in this world this master prescription was used, whole nations and their societies became models of humanity at its best earning the admiration of angels. That this happened during the blessed period of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and during the age of his noble Companions, is sufficient as its proof.

It is interesting that the modern world would very much like to eradicate crimes but it would do so by not having to bother about God and the Hereafter. To achieve this purpose, it invents, introduces and surrounds itself with things to live with - a lifestyle which would never allow human beings to turn their attention towards God and Hereafter. The result of this negative approach is no mystery. We are watching it with our own eyes. Even in the face of ever better laws, all legal systems seem to be failing. Crimes are there as they were, in fact, they are increasing with dangerous speed. To conclude, we wish that intelligent people among countries and nations of the world would think of using this Qur'anic prescription, at least for once, and discover for themselves how easily crimes can be controlled. Now, as we move to the second verse (39), the text has, after serving a notice of warning to the lazy and the listless about their disease and its treatment, delivered its verdict by saying: ` If you do not come out for Jihad, Allah will have you go through a painful punishment and bring in your place a nation other than you, and (by your refusal to follow Islam) you can bring no loss to Allah (or His Messenger) because Allah is powerful over everything.'

In the third verse (40), by citing the event of the Hijrah of the Holy Prophet, it has been stressed that the Rasul of Allah has no need to depend on any human help and support. Allah can help him directly through unseen factors - as it happened at the time of Hijrah when his own people had forced him to leave his homeland. On this journey, the only companion he had was Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ the true one. Enemy foot soldiers and riders were looking for them in hot pursuit. The place to hide he had found was no fortified fortress. It was just a cave and the enemy search party had reached close to its edges. Inside it, the companion of the cave, Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ was worried, not for his own safety, but about his master. He was in fear lest the enemy outside were to harm the Holy Prophet ﷺ . But, the master himself was sitting calm like a mountain at peace. Not simply that he was himself cool and collected, he was telling his companion, Sayyidna Abu Bakr: ؓ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مَعَنَا (` la tahzan innallaha ma` ana': Do not grieve. Allah is with us). What has been said here is composed of a couple of words, easy and effortless as they sound. But, let those listening place the blueprint of conditions prevailing before their eyes, cross their hearts and ask: Can someone dependent on mere material means be that tranquil? Every honest person would say that it was just not possible. The reason for this was no other but that which the Qur'an has given in the next sentence: So, Allah sent down His tranquility on him and strengthened him with troops you did not see ... These troops could be troops of angels, and of the elemental forces of the entire universe too - for they are, so to say, a virtual army of Allah. When this happened, the ultimate came to be. The word of disbelievers was rendered low and the word of Allah remained the highest.

In the fourth verse (41), the command given earlier has been repeated for emphasis. It is being said here that, once the Prophet of Allah orders people to come out for Jihad, they must come out as a matter of absolute obligation - for on the compliance of this command hinges all that is good for them.

The fifth verse (42) mentions an excuse offered by those who did not participate in the Jihad because of negligence and lethargy. It was rejected as unacceptable because they did not use the ability given by Allah to pick and choose the right thing to do in His way. Therefore, the excuse of not having that ability is not valid.

Commentary Mentioned in most of the seventeen verses of this entire section are hypocrites who had, on false pretexts, secured permission from the Holy Prophet ﷺ that they would not go to participate in the Jihad of Tabuk. Falling under it, there are many injunctions, rulings and instructions that have been pointed out in the commentary. The first verse (43) begins in a subtle manner. Here, a complaint has been made to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He has been told that those hypocrites were lying when they presented themselves as de-serving of being excused from active service in Jihad. But, he accepted their plea without first having made an inquiry about the real state of affairs with them which would have made the true and false of it comes out clearly. This gave them the opportunity to go about congratulating themselves on how smartly they had deceived the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Though, in verses coming next, Allah Ta` ala has also clarified that those people were asking to be excused from Jihad just to play tricks - otherwise, even if they were not permitted, still then, they would have never gone. And in another verse, it was also pointed out that, in case these people did go to this Jihad, it would have been of no use to Muslims - in fact, their conspiracy and mischief would have been far more dangerous. But, the drift of the argument is that, in case, permission was not given, they were still not going to go anyway - however, their hypocrisy would have definitely been exposed and they would not have had the opportunity to throw taunts at Muslims and exult that they had fooled them. And the real purpose here is not to show wrath or displeasure, instead of that, it is a way of saying that, in future, the motives and moves of such people should be watched and screened carefully. Then, it can be conceded that there does exist a certain kind of displeasure in the external framework of words but it has been coated with a delightful concern for sensitivities, particularly that of his dear prophet. We can see that the expression of displeasure which begins with the words: لِمَ أَذِنتَ لَهُمْ why did you permit them?) does not actually begin until said ahead of it was: عَفَا اللَّـهُ عَنكَ (Allah has forgiven you) ! It has been said by people having insight in the nature of God-Prophet relationship that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had a special attachment to Allah Jalla Thana'uh. His heart could not simply bear the shock of being in a situation where he is subjected to questioning from Allah Ta` ala. For instance, if the words: (why did you permit them?) - which translate as interrogation in their formal appearance - were said in the very beginning, the blessed heart of the Holy Prophet ﷺ would have been simply unable to take it. Therefore, the words: عَفَا اللَّـهُ عَنكَ (Allah has forgiven you) have been placed earlier. This serves two purposes. Firstly, it gives him the information that something has happened, something that was not liked by Allah. Secondly, the information that he has been forgiven for whatever had happened was being given beforehand so that what is said next should not break his blessed heart. As for the word of forgiveness, let there be no doubt about it and let no one say that forgiveness is usually given for crimes and sins - and the Holy Prophet ﷺ was ma` sum مَعصُوم (protected from sin) - what, then, would be the sense of forgiveness at this place? The answer is that the way there is forgiveness for sin, similarly, there could also be forgiveness for what is contrary to the preferred way (khilaf al-awla) or is simply undesirable - and that does not violate the concept of the ` ismah (infallibility) of a prophet.

In the second (44) and third (45) verses given there was the difference between believers and hypocrites. Those who believe in Allah Ta` ala truly and staunchly do not pick an occasion like that only to seek desertion from Jihad just for the sake of love for their lives and wealth and go about asking the permission of their prophet to stay back. In fact, this is the behavior of only those who do not believe in Allah and the Day of Judgment (Akhirah), truly and correctly - and, as for Allah, He knows the God-fearing perfectly well.

At least, one aspect of why their excuse was false has been given in the fourth (46) where it has been said: وَلَوْ أَرَ‌ادُوا الْخُرُ‌وجَ لَأَعَدُّوا لَهُ عُدَّةً (And had they [ really ] wished to set out [ for Jihad ], they would have [ of necessity ] made [ at least ] some preparation for it [ but they made none ] - 46). This shows that the plea of having an excuse was false. The truth of the matter was that they just did not have any intention to come out for Jihad. How do we know if an excuse is reasonable or unreasonable? An important principle comes out from this verse, a principle that can be used to distinguish between a reasonable and an unreasonable excuse. To wit, an excuse presented only by those who are ready to carry out orders - but, were rendered helpless by some accident - can be entertained and accepted. This rule applies to all matters pertaining to the excusable. As for a person who made no preparation to carry out orders, did not even make the intention to carry them out when called, thereafter, came some excuse - then, this excuse will be like the excuse of sin which is worse than the sin. This will not be taken as a genuine excuse. Take the example of a person who has made all preparations to present himself in the masjid for his Jumu'ah prayers and is intending to go there when, all of a sudden, came an impediment which prevented him from going there. Then, his excuse is reasonable - and Allah Ta` ala blesses such a person with the full reward of his ` Ibadah (worship). As for the person who just did not make any preparation but, later on, by chance, there came an excuse before him, then, this will be taken as nothing but a ruse and pretext. Take an example from everyday life. One makes the necessary preparations to get up early in the morning and get ready for the Fajr Salah. An alarm was set in the family clock, or somebody was assigned to give a wakeup call. After that, by chance, whatever arrangements were made did not work - and because of this, the Salah was missed. This is similar to what happened to the Holy Prophet ﷺ when he camped on a journey late at night (lailatu 't-ta` ris). In order to get up on time for Fajr Salah, he arranged with Sayyidna Bilal ؓ that he would sit the night out and wake up everybody when morning comes. But, by chance, sleep overtook him too. Everyone got up only when the sun had risen. So, this excuse is correct and reasonable. Based on this, consoling his Companions ؓ ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: لَا تَفرِیطَ فی النَّومِ اِنَّمَا التَّفرِیط فی الیقظۃِ (There is no negligence in sleep. Negligence occurs only when awake) that is, one is excusable in sleep. The reason was that, as far as it was possible to do, arrangements had already been made to get up on time. In short, a decision about an excuse being reasonable or unreasonable can be taken only by knowing whether or not preparation was made to carry out orders. Simply using a lot of words to make a point gets nothing done.

In the fifth (47) verse, it was explained that the hypocrites had procured the permission to stay away from Jihad by deceit and now it was better that they just did not participate in it. Had they gone there, they would have done nothing but hatch conspiracies, circulate rumors and spread disorder. The Qur'anic statement: وَفِيكُمْ سَمَّاعُونَ لَهُمْ (And among you there are their listeners) means that, among Muslims, there were some simple people too, people who could be easily taken advantage of and who may have likely been affected by their false rumors.

The opening sentence of the sixth verse (48): لَقَدِ ابْتَغَوُا الْفِتْنَةَ مِن قَبْلُ (They sought disorder even earlier...) refers to what had happened in the battle of 'Uhud. The statement وَظَهَرَ‌ أَمْرُ‌ اللَّـهِ وَهُمْ كَارِ‌هُونَ (… and the will of Allah prevailed, though they disliked it) at the end of the verse indicates that victory is in the hands of Allah. This has been proved on earlier occasions when the Holy Prophet ﷺ was blessed with victory. The same will happen in this Jihad as well when all tricks played by hypocrites will fail.

In the seventh verse (49), after citing a particular excuse made by a noted hypocrite called Jadd ibn Qays, a comment has been made which shows how astray he had gone. The excuse for not going on Jihad he came up with was that he happened to be a young man. If he went out against the Roman Christians in their territory, there were chances that he might fall into the snare of their beautiful women! (` Do not expose me to an ordeal' ) The Qur'an responded by saying: أَلَا فِي الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُوا (Look! they have already fallen into an ordeal). It means that such people were not very smart. They were trying to hide behind the excuse of an imaginary ordeal, not realizing that they had already fallen into the sin of a certain ordeal, the ordeal of acting against the command of Allah and His Messenger, and of deserting the Jihad effort, right on the spot. The last sentence of the verse: وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِ‌ينَ (and certainly the Jahannam has the disbelievers encircled) could have two meanings. It could either mean that the Hell would encircle them in the Hereafter. Or, it could mean that the very chain of causes, which are operating to take them to Hell, and which have them all encircled at that time, are what has been equated with Hell. Given this interpretation, it would suggest that they happen to be, even now, within the larger circle of nothing but Hell.

In the eighth verse (50), yet another aspect of their low nature has been mentioned by saying that, though these people live among Muslims giving the outward impression that they are one of them, but they are soon exposed by their inner reactions to what happens to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . The text illustrates it by saying: إِن تُصِبْكَ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ (If some good comes to you, it annoys them) and: وَإِن تُصِبْكَ مُصِيبَةٌ يَقُولُوا قَدْ أَخَذْنَا أَمْرَ‌نَا مِن قَبْلُ وَيَتَوَلَّوا وَّهُمْ فَرِ‌حُونَ (and if some suffering visits you, they say, "We had already taken care of our problem" ). They would take it as expedient in their favour that they did not go along with Muslims and found the results satisfying enough to go away delighted.

In the ninth verse (51), Allah Ta` ala has instructed the Holy Prophet ﷺ and Muslims, that they should not allow themselves to be affected by things like that said by the hypocrites and that they must always keep reality as it is before them. The words of the Holy Qur'an are:. قُل لَّن يُصِيبَنَا إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّـهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوْلَانَا ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّـهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿51﴾ (Say, "Nothing , can ever reach us except what Allah has written for us. He is our Master. And in Allah alone the believers must place their trust" ). In other words, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is being asked that he should tell those, who worship material causes such as these, that they were in a serious deception. These material causes were no more than a curtain. The power that moves inside them belongs to none but Allah. Whatever happens to us is exactly whatever Allah has written for us - and He, is our Master, Guardian and Helper. And Muslims must place their real trust in Him alone. Consequently, they must see material causes as no more than effective agents and signs while never taking them to be the real dispensers of any good or evil. Belief in Destiny includes Management of affairs: Giving Inaction or Mismanagement the name of Trust is Wrong This verse (51) brings into sharp focus the essential reality of the religious issue of Taqdir (destiny) and Tawakkul (trust). The outcome of believing in Taqdir and Tawakkul should never be that one goes home, sits tight, does nothing and says what will be will be. This is no belief in destiny and this is no practice of trust. Instead, the thing to do is that one should devote full personal energy and courage to put together whatever lawful material means one can arrange for - within the range of what lies in control. After this has been done, the matter should be resigned to destiny and trust. However, the caveat is that one has to keep his or her sight trained toward Allah alone - for it is He who has the ultimate outcome of everything one does under His absolute power and control. Speaking generally, people around the world are found in great confusion about the religious problem of Taqdir and Tawakkul. Some of them are plain irreligious. They just do not recognize the very possibility that something like that exists. They are content with material means as the deity they are comfortable with. Then, there are other people who lack proper awareness. They have turned destiny and trust into a pretext for their sloth and inertia. The Prophet of Islam, may the blessing of Allah and peace be upon him, made full preparation for Jihad, after which, the revelation of this verse put an end to this cycle of excess and deficiency and showed the right way - as put in the lively Persian saying: بر توکل زانوے اشتربہ بند (With Tawakkul [ trust ], do tie the knees of the camel). To sum up, means which you have the option to utilize, are nothing but blessings given by Allah Ta` ala. Not taking ad-vantage of these means is ingratitude, even stupidity. Of course, do not give means the status they do not have and believe that results and outcomes are not subservient to these means - instead of all that, they obey the command of Allah Almighty.