Surah At Tawbah (The Repentance)

1. This chapter was revealed very late. The Prophet’s companions did not write Bismillah (in the name of Allah) at the head of the chapter, following the example of Othman bni Affan, who was not sure whether or not this section was part of the chapter Al-Anfal (Spoils of War). The beginning of the chapter was revealed when the Prophet returned from the expedition to Tabouk. In the same year, he sent Abu Bakr out at the head of the pilgrims, and later Ali bna abi Taleb, to recite the chapter Al-Tauba (Repentance) to the people and to ask the idolaters to cease making the pilgrimage after that year. Allah Almighty informs the pilgrims that together with His Prophet He denounces the pacts which the Muslims had formed with their associates. The dominant opinion is that this denunciation refers to absolute pacts which are not dependent on time factors, and accords concluded with those who supported the Prophet’s enemies and who violated their agreement before the expiration of the term of the pact. For Allah Almighty says later that the Muslims must respect pacts formed for a certain time until the expiration of that period, unless those with whom they have made such pacts support their enemies and violate the agreement themselves. A pact concluded for less than four months must be respected for four entire months.

2. To those who form with the Prophet a pact not limited to a fixed amount of time, Allah Almighty grants a period of four months during which they can circulate and move about freely and in all security. To those who have made no pact with the Prophet (peace be upon him), Allah grants a reprieve until the end of the holy months. When this time comes and they still do not believe, the Prophet will declare war on them until they convert to Islam. Allah Almighty informs the idolaters that in the area where they are situated they are under His control, that they will never reduce Him to powerlessness, and that He will cover unbelievers with ignominy.

3. This refers to an announcement and a warning addressed by Allah Almighty and His Prophet (peace be upon him) to the people when they are assembling on the day of Immolation (in the ninth year of the Hijra, or the emigration of the Prophet from Makkah to Medina), so that they may be made aware of this decree. Allah tells them that together with His Messenger He denounces the pacts made with the unbelievers, and that if the latter repent and renounce their idolatry and their errors, things will be better for them. If, however, they are obstinate and persist in their errors, they should know that they will never reduce Allah to powerlessness, for He is the Omnipotent who has them in His power, and they must submit to His will, and they will never escape His punishment. Allah Almighty threatens unbelievers with dire punishment if they persist in their disbelief.

4. In decreeing a grace period of four months, Allah Almighty makes an exception of those who have formed a pact with the Muslims for a fixed period of time and who have faithfully honoured their commitments and have not supported the Muslims’ enemies against them. He commands the Muslims in such cases to carry out the agreements they have made until the expiration of the pact. Allah loves those who fear Him and fully honour their agreements. (This is a sign that respecting pacts is an obligation for a Muslim, as long as the pact is in force. One of the conditions of this obligation is that the enemy acts in accord with the letter and the spirit of the accord. If they violate a single clause or compromise on one of the objectives of the accord, they violate the entire pact.)

5. At the expiration of the four-month grace period granted to allies, during which Allah forbids the Muslims to fight against them, you must kill the idolaters wherever you find them, capture them, stop them by killing them or taking them prisoner. You must kill not only those you come upon by chance, but go searching for them, seek them out wherever they are lurking, prevent them from fleeing or escaping, maintain surveillance on the roads they use and remain on the lookout in order to cut off their retreat and force them to convert to Islam or be killed. If they repent and convert, if they perform the prescribed prayers, pay the prescribed alms, and carry out all the duties decreed for Muslims, free them. Allah is merciful and forgiving. (This verse is known as “the verse of the sword,” for in it Allah commands the Muslims to fight, an order which was postponed until they had sufficiently fortified themselves.)

6. If an idolater whom Allah Almighty has commanded His Prophet (peace be upon him) to fight, asks the Prophet for help and protection, he must grant him his request until he has heard the word of Allah, and the Prophet should recite the Quran to him and reveal certain religious precepts to him. In this way, he will have given him proof. The Prophet must then lead him to a safe place; for such people know nothing of Islam and have only spurned it through ignorance, fanaticism, and stupidity. Allah allows protection to be granted to them so that they can come to know the divine religion and so that Allah’s message can be spread. Thus the Prophet (peace be upon him) granted protection according to this verse, and that was one of the reasons why many idolaters discovered the true path of faith.

7. Allah Almighty explains the reason for denouncing idolaters and their pacts, and demonstrates the wisdom behind granting them a grace period of four months. In this connection, He says: “How can one countenance the idea that these associates take advantage of a pact, and how can one allow them to remain idolaters and deny Allah and His Messenger, when if they succeed in dominating the Muslims and triumphing over them, they will have no regard for family ties or a pact they have agreed upon? Be faithful to those idolaters with whom you have formed a pact near the sacred oratory (on the day of Hudaybiya), as long as they themselves respect their agreement and make use of it to discover the true path. For Allah loves those who fear Him and honour their commitments.” The Prophet continued to honour the pact he had formed with the people of Quraish until the latter broke it. They helped their allies in the Bani Bakr family to attack the Khuza’a, allies of the Prophet. The Prophet then set out for Makkah and seized it.

8. Allah Almighty indicates the reasons for which it is inconceivable for the idolaters to honour their pacts: it is precisely because they have ascribed associates to the Lord and denied His Prophet, and if they gain the advantage over the Muslims and conquer them, they will destroy them, respecting neither family ties nor pacts. Such people deceive the Muslims with their fine talk, whereas in their hearts they detest them. Most of them commit injustices and violate their pacts.

9. They have denied the signs of Allah and turned away from them in order to concentrate on the ephemeral pleasures of this world. They have prevented themselves from believing in Allah and following the true path, and have discouraged people from converting to Islam. How detestable their attitude is! What an execrable act they have committed in spurning the faith and exchanging belief for impiety and the true path for error!

10. If they are in a situation where they can kill a Muslim, their impiety leads them to have no respect for family ties, which presuppose affection, nor for the sworn oath required when a pact is formed, nor for Allah who prohibits treason and perfidy. Through their wickedness they transgress the prescribed bounds.

11. If they repent of their disbelief, convert to Islam, duly perform their prayers, and pay the prescribed alms, they will then be your brothers in religion. Allah demonstrates His signs and reveals them to those who respect the arguments, proofs, and signs provided by the Lord, and profit from them.

12. If these idolaters with whom you have formed pacts violate their agreements and their pacts (their oaths), deny and insult your religion, you must fight the henchmen of impiety, for they respect neither pacts nor promises. Perhaps if you fight them they will cease to be unbelievers! (It is on the basis of this verse that it is judged to be legal to kill those who insult the Prophet (peace be upon him) or denigrate Islam.)

13. Allah Almighty urges the believers to fight idolaters who have violated their pacts and who wanted to banish the Prophet from Makkah. It is they who initiated hostilities when they asked Badr to come to the aid of their caravan. Allah Almighty then asks the believers not to fear disbelief and its adherents, saying: “Only Allah Omnipotent and His terrible punishment are worthy of your fear. If their faith is sincere, believers fear only Allah.”

14. Allah Almighty orders believers to fight the unbelievers and affirms that He will punish the unfaithful by their hand, and will destroy them through the agency of the believers, and humiliate them and cover them with shame by causing them to be taken captive, humbling them and inflicting defeat on them. Allah will grant the believers victory over them and console the hearts of those who have been harmed by the unbelievers (such as the Khuza’a and the weak citizens of Makkah who were unable to join their brothers in religion and emigrate with them to Medina).

15. By granting them victory over the unbelievers, Allah will clear from the believers’ hearts the rancour they felt towards the unbelievers because of their perfidy, their iniquity, and their aggression. Apart from those people, Allah forgives the sins of whoever He wishes, and permits them to acquire faith and satisfaction. He is fully aware of what is capable of leading His creatures to the path of salvation. He is wise in everything He says and in everything He does.

16. Do you imagine you can remain apart, without Allah putting you to the test in order to distinguish those who are sincere from those who are liars, and to know who fights for His cause, acts sincerely, not hypocritically towards Allah, His Prophet, and the believers by fighting and giving good advice, forms no bonds with idolaters and refrains from passing the Muslims’ secrets and plans to them? Allah is omniscient. According to divine law, the hardest test is that which reveals men’s heart of hearts, purifies the soul, and unveils evil intentions.

17. It is not fitting for unbelievers who ascribe associates to the Lord to frequent mosques built to the glory of Allah alone, including the sacred oratory, to make use of them or manage them. Neither is it fitting for them to visit the sacred oratory either to make their pilgrimage or attend the holy places, whereas they testify against themselves through their denials, both through their acts and statements, worshipping idols and asking them to intercede with Allah in their favour, and on each circuit of the Kaaba prostrating themselves before idols that they themselves have installed there. By acting in this way, they are adopting two contradictory attitudes, since in order to frequent the sacred oratory it is necessary to commit oneself to the religion of the one Allah, which is not possible except for those who believe in Allah alone. As for the deniers, they ascribe associates to Allah and consider Him to be on a level with certain of His creatures. All the acts of which these denigrators are so proud, such as maintaining the sacred oratory, distributing drinking water to pilgrims, offering hospitality to guests, maintaining family ties, etc., are utterly without value, because of their idolatry. Hell will be their eternal dwelling-place.

18. Frequenting and maintaining Allah’s oratories are only fitting for those who believe in a sole Allah, in His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgement, and who perform their prayers, pay the prescribed alms, and fear only Allah, since they fight for Allah’s cause, tell the truth, and worship Allah alone. Whoever acts in this way is worthy of frequenting and maintaining Allah’s oratories, since his actions are in perfect accord with his faith, and he is one of those who follow the path of salvation and truth.

19. This verse was revealed on the subject of the Prophet’s uncle al-Abbas, son of Abdil Muttaleb, when he was captured at the battle of Badr. He said, “You may have converted to Islam, emigrated, and fought for Allah’s cause, but we took charge of the maintenance of the holy oratory, we provided pilgrims with drinking water, and we freed captives.” And Allah Almighty replies: “In the eyes of Allah, giving water to pilgrims and maintaining the holy place are worth nothing compared to believing in a sole Allah without associates and fighting for His cause. Allah does not direct unbelievers towards the true path.”

20. Those who believe, have emigrated, and put themselves and their goods at the service of Allah, occupy a higher rank in Allah’s eyes, and will be more richly rewarded than those who saw to the maintenance of the holy oratory and gave drink to pilgrims during the pre-Islamic period of Jahiliyya (the era of ignorance). It will be the believers who fight as they should for Allah’s cause who will earn His mercy, His salvation, and His paradise.

21. Through His Book and by way of His Prophet and His angels who will come to summon them when they are on the point of death, the Lord announces to believers that He will grant them entry into His vast Paradise, where they will live forever and enjoy eternal happiness. Allah announces the good news of this utter pleasure, which comes from Him and is His ultimate benediction, the most absolute felicity and the most perfect reward.

22. These noble servants will have Paradise as an eternal dwelling-place. Such is the recompense which Allah will grant them for their good deeds. Allah Almighty has at His disposal the most wonderful rewards for those who believe, who fight for Him, and who accomplish everything that Islam prescribes.

23. Some Muslims were troubled to see Allah Almighty denounce their allies, directly and through His Messenger, and permit the Muslims to violate the pacts they had formed with idolaters, because the Almighty considered that the latter would not honour their agreements. Those Muslims whose faith was weak expressed their discontent. They were motivated by tribal loyalties and by the desire to honour family ties. Allah Almighty then says: “The benefits of the faith, the emigration, and fighting in my cause are not earned or brought to perfection unless you renounce the protective bonds formed with unbelievers, and unless you prefer the love of Allah and His Prophet and the struggle in His cause to the affection you feel for a son, a father, a brother, or a tribe. Allah forbids believers to maintain protective bonds with those who choose impiety and renounce the faith. In this verse and elsewhere, Allah considers as wicked and threatens with dire punishment those who maintain links of friendship with unbelievers, even if they are fathers or sons.

24. Allah Almighty then commands His Prophet to threaten those who prefer the ties of family, clan, commerce, goods and homes to the love of Allah, His Prophet, and the struggle for His cause, and to warn them that they should fear Allah’s reaction and expect His punishment. Allah Almighty does not lead the wicked and the disobedient to the path of righteousness.

25. Allah Almighty reminds believers of the blessings and favours that He has conferred on them by granting them victory on so many occasions when they accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him) on his expeditions. He tells them that all their victories came from Allah and because of His support and His decree, and not on account of the number of Muslims or allies, nor their strength, nor the abundance of their possessions. He alerts them to the fact that victory comes from Allah, whether their army is large or small. At the battle of Hunayn, the Muslims were complacent because of their great numbers, but this served them not at all. They retreated in disorder and felt that, vast as the world was, it was too small for them, so terrified were they. They could not find the path of salvation, and only very few of them, such as the Prophet, showed any firmness. That was a test on Allah’s part on account of their confidence in their numbers. (Allah Almighty then granted victory to His Prophet and the believers, so that they would know that victory comes from Allah alone, however small the army.)

26. Then Allah Almighty sent down confidence upon His Prophet (peace be upon him) and the believers who had remained staunchly at his side. He freed them from their terror and perplexity and restored their courage. The Prophet held his position with the few believers who had proved their firmness. He asked the Lord for help, and He sent down armies of angels whom the believers could not see with their own eyes, but whose effect they felt deep in their hearts, because they had recovered their calm and their valour. The Prophet seized two handfuls of sand which he flung in the faces of the deniers. Each of the fighters from the Hawazen tribe was driven from the combat by a grain of sand in his eye or his mouth. The believers who had fled then returned to their positions beside the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his staunch companions, and attacked the enemy. Allah granted them victory and punished the deniers who had battled against Allah’s Messenger by humiliating them and covering them with shame, through death or captivity. Such is the fate reserved for unbelievers. Such is the punishment they receive.

27. After having killed, humiliated, or tortured them, Allah then granted absolution to the survivors of the Hawazen tribe. He guided them to Islam. Twenty days after this battle, they joined the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Makkah and committed themselves to him at a place called al-Ja’rana. The Prophet then proposed to them that they choose between the liberation of their prisoners and the restoration of their property. They chose the liberation of their prisoners, who numbered six thousand boys and women. The Prophet freed them and divided their property among his warriors.

28. Allah Almighty commands His servants to forbid idolaters to enter the sacred oratory or to circle the Kaaba, after the revelation of this verse (that is, in the ninth year of the Hijra). For they are impure, defiled. Also the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered that after that year no idolater should make the pilgrimage, and that no unclothed man should circumambulate the sacred oratory. Allah Almighty says to the believers: “If you fear that the absence of idolaters from Makkah will ruin your businesses and reduce your incomes, know that Allah will provide for you through His grace, and will reimburse you through His generosity, if He wishes. Allah knows wherein lie the well-being and the interest of all men. He is wise in His laws and His decrees.”

29. When things returned to normal for the Muslims in the Arabian peninsula with the conversion of the whole area to Islam, Allah Almighty ordered them in the ninth year of the Hijra to fight against the Jews and Christians. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) prepared to fight against the Byzantines and very explicitly summoned the people to that cause. He assigned his people the responsibility of fighting in Allah’s name. Certain hypocrites gave proof of their weakness. It was a time of drought, and the heat was oppressive. The Prophet and his companions set out for Tabouk, and stayed there for about twenty days, after which they retraced their steps, because of a lack of provisions and also on account of the weakness of their men. Allah orders them to fight against people of the Book who do not embrace Islam, until they pay a tribute with their own hands as a sign of humility, resignation, and submission on their part. It is necessary to fight against people of the Book if they possess four characteristics which are at the base of the hostility they show towards Islam and the Muslims, which are:
— The fact that they do not believe in Allah, since they have destroyed monotheism and taken their rabbis and priests as legislators. Some of them have even worshipped the Messiah and Ezra.
— The fact that they do not believe in the Day of Judgement, since they say instead that the Hereafter is a world of spiritual life where human beings will be like angels.
— The fact that they do not accept the prohibitions decreed by Allah and His Prophet, and refuse to respect these prohibitions.
— The fact that they do not practice the true religion, as it was revealed by Allah to His prophets. Instead, they adopt a religion which has been established for them by their pontiffs and bishops.

30. Allah Almighty urges believers to fight against the Jews and Christians, people of the Book who have fabricated lies concerning Allah. The Jews claim that Ezra is the son of Allah. The Christians say that the Messiah is the son of Allah. They maintain claims of this kind which they pronounce with no other basis than the lies which they fabricate and impute to Allah. They hold beliefs analogous to those earlier deniers who formerly went astray like them. May they be cursed and wretched! How can they go so far astray when the path of truth is absolutely plain? How can they abandon it for lies?

31. The Jews and Christians, people of the Book, have taken as their masters and legislators teachers who have allowed what is forbidden by the Lord and have prohibited what He permits. So they have followed them, and it is precisely to this fact that Allah Almighty refers when He says: “They take as masters their rabbis and their monks instead of Allah.” Some of them even ascribe a son to the Lord, such as Ezra and the Messiah, and worship him as well as Allah. There is no god but Allah, immeasurably above polytheism or the idea that He might have a son or a companion, or analogues and associates. There is no other Allah but Him. And yet that is not what they have been commanded to believe. They should be commanded to worship Allah alone, without associates.

32. The deniers among the idolaters and the people of the Book seek to extinguish the light of Allah, which is that of the Islamic religion, decreed by the Lord to guide mankind. When they discuss and fabricate the lies they impute to Allah, they seek to conceal the message which Allah sent His Messenger to communicate, that is: the call to Monotheism, to the true path and the religion of Truth. In this way they are like those who wish to extinguish the sun’s rays with their breath, or the light of the moon. That is impossible, just as it is impossible to hide the light of prophecy, and what Allah has sent His prophet to communicate must of necessity appear and prevail. Allah rejects whatever fails to reflect His light, even though this may displease the deniers.

33. It is Allah Almighty who sent His Prophet Mohammad, armed with the Book which is the Quran, whose safe-keeping He has guaranteed until the end of the world, and which leads to the path of righteousness and the religion of the Truth. Allah will make it prevail over all preceding religions, for it is without doubt the true religion which carries with it true revelation (carried also by all preceding religions), that is to say, the call to monotheism and to faith in a sole Allah without associate. Men have modified and deformed it. Islam has therefore come to put things back in order and to restore to the call to monotheism its purity and authenticity, even if that displeases the idolaters.

34. Allah Almighty warns believers against the masters of evil and the slaves of aberration, who damage religion and flounder in errors. In this regard He says: “Many rabbis and monks among the Jews and Christians fraudulently appropriate other people’s goods, using a variety of means. In order to do this, they exploit their status as religious dignitaries. With the coming of Islam, they persisted in their errors and their obstinacy, in the hope of retaining their privileges. They set about blocking the road to Allah, turning people away from Islam, which is the religion of Truth, confounding good and evil, camouflaging the truth by persuading their followers that they were really summoning them to righteousness. For if they had admitted the truth of Mohammad (peace be upon him) ‘s message and the solid foundations of his religion, they would have had to follow him, which would have weakened their jurisdiction, put an end to their authority, and cut off the source of their vast incomes. In actual fact, they are summoning people to hell. On the Day of Resurrection they will find no help. Allah Almighty threatens those who hoard gold and silver (meaning those who accumulate money) and do not spend it on the road to Allah or in the fight to make His religion triumph, or use it for acts of benevolence or looking after other people’s needs. He announces that they will suffer a terrible punishment.

35. The son of Omar says: “Here ‘hoarding’ means the goods on which one does not pay the prescribed alms.” According to Omar bnil-Khattab, “All wealth on which the prescribed alms are paid is not hoarded, even if it is buried; and all wealth on which the prescribed alms are not paid is hoarded, and will burn whoever accumulates it.” Allah Almighty says: “On the Day of Resurrection, all wealth on which the prescribed alms have not been paid will be put in the fire until it is red-hot, and it will burn the brows, flanks, and backs of those who have hoarded it. They will be reprimanded and berated in these terms: ‘This is what you hoarded for yourselves and on which you failed to pay what was due to Allah. It is what you hid for yourselves. Enjoy it now in the form of terrible torments.’”

36. On his farewell pilgrimage, the prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) addressed the faithful in these terms: “Time took on its original form on the day when Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is divided into twelve months. Of these twelve months, four are holy (which Allah has ordered us to respect, and during which He prohibits fighting, through the intermediaries Abraham and Ishmael (peace be upon them)). Three of these holy months are consecutive, that is: Dhul Qi’da, Dhul-Hijja, and Muharram. The fourth, Rajab, comes between Jumada and Sha’ban. Such is the true law of Allah as observed by Abraham, Ishmael, (peace be upon them) and others. Such are the edicts promulgated concerning the holy months. Do not act wickedly towards yourselves by engaging in any wrongdoing during these months. For the sins committed in these months are multiplied, as are those committed in the city of the holy oratory (Makkah). However, those who do good deeds during these months or in the area around the holy oratory will be more generously rewarded by the Lord. (For some, “Do not act wickedly towards yourselves by engaging in any wrongdoing during these months” means: do not pronounce legal what is forbidden during these months, nor forbid what is allowed, as was the case with the idolaters.”) Fight, all of you, against the idolaters, and unite together to repel their aggression and put an end to the harm they do you, for they all fight against you to destroy your religion, put an end to it, and extinguish the divine light. You are more worthy than them of uniting together to repel aggression and make the word of Allah victorious. Know that Allah is with those who fear Him. He grants them victory, supports them, and sends them His soldiers. (Some believe that this verse concerning the holy months was later abrogated, since the Prophet (peace be upon him) laid siege to Ta’if during the holy month of Dhul-Qi’da, and since Allah Almighty ordered believers to fight against the idolaters without condition, and also said: “Do not act wickedly towards yourselves.” The context shows that the command here has a general application.)

37. This verse concerns postponement, a practice adopted by the Arabs in pre-Islamic times, the era of ignorance (al-Jahiliyya): if they violated a holy month because they were fighting during it, they agreed to designate another month as holy in its place, so as merely to observe the number of holy months prescribed by Allah, that is, four. Allah Almighty reprimands the idolaters for having interpreted divine law just as they pleased. He criticizes them for their false opinions. They said that they treated four months as holy, according to Allah’s decree. But they saw nothing wrong in bringing forward or delaying the holy months. The important thing for them was that there should be four holy months, and not which particular months they were. Thus they made legal what Allah had made illegal. The devil who leads men astray camouflaged their detestable practice with this false illusion, since they were content to observe the prescribed number of holy months without grasping the reason behind the designation of these particular months as holy. Allah Almighty does not lead deniers to the good or to the path of righteousness.

38. Allah Almighty reproaches the believers who manifested weakness during the expedition to Tabouk. The heat was oppressive, and they were tempted by fruit and shade. Allah Almighty says to them: “O believers, what is the matter with you? When you are called upon to fight for Allah’s cause, why do you fall into indolence and indifference? Why do you opt for life’s sweetnesses and prefer to enjoy delicious fruit and shade? Did you act in this way because you are content with the life here below, in preference to the life hereafter? But the joys of this earth are as nothing compared with the joys in the life to come! Believers can therefore expect grace and clemency on Allah’s part. They will have paradises as vast as the sky and earth.”

39. If you do not mobilize to support your Prophet, if you do not join him in fighting for Allah’s cause, Allah will inflict a terrible punishment on you in this world by depriving you of His favours and His grace, and He will inflict on you the punishment of fire in the other world. It is not difficult for him to substitute another people for you, who will support the Prophet and commit themselves and their goods to the service of Allah. He is Omnipotent. Your weakness could not possibly hurt Him for He surpasses mankind, and everyone is in need of Him.

40. O believers, if you do not support the Prophet, Allah will support him, assist him, and succour him, as at the time when He aided him when, banished by the deniers, he left Makkah with his friend and companion Abu Bakr. They took refuge for three days in a cave on Mount Thaour. The people of Quraish pursued them right up to the entrance of the cave. In terror, Abu Bakr said: “If one of them looks down, he will see us.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “In your opinion, what will be the fate of those who have Allah as their only companion?” Allah then sent down His serenity upon him, protected him and helped him. He comforted him with angels (‘invisible armies’) to defend and protect him. He laid low the word of the deniers, and raised on high the word of faith (‘There is no other god but Allah’). Allah is terrible in His punishments and His vengeance. He is invincible and wise in the laws He decrees and in His governance of the Universe.

41. Allah Almighty decrees a general mobilization for the believers. He orders them to set out with the Prophet if he summons them to fight for Allah’s cause. He orders them to mobilize in any case, precipitating themselves fervently or unwillingly, whether they wish to or not. In this connection He says: “Hasten to the combat with heavy or light equipment, whether you are rich or poor, on horseback or on foot, strong or weak. For it is in this that the well-being of believers consists, in this world and the next. Nations only acquire glory and sovereignty through military might. It is also in this that salvation consists, for whoever fails to support the right and establish justice by following the true path and acting according to divine law will not achieve happiness. This verse was abrogated by the following: “One should not reprimand the feeble, the sick, and those who cannot cover the expense, on condition that they show themselves to be devoted to the cause of Allah and His Prophet.” See verse 91 below.

42. Allah Almighty reprimands the hypocrites who showed signs of weakness during the expedition to Tabouk and did not accompany the prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), on the pretext that they had good excuses for acting in this way. In fact, they did not. Allah Almighty says: “If it had been a matter of easy gain (a brief expedition) and a short journey without risk (a limited distance), they would have followed you. But the distance between al-Cham and Medina seemed to them much too great.” And Allah Almighty tells Mohammad (peace be upon him) that after his return from the expedition they will swear in Allah’s name that if they had not had such good excuses which prevented them from accompanying him on the expedition they would certainly have come, and they will swear many oaths in order to please him. Thus proving their hypocrisy, they will destroy themselves, for Allah knows that they are lying when they swear to the truth of a claim such as: “If we could have done so, we would have come on the campaign with you.” Allah will not accord them His grace.

43. Allah Almighty forgive you, O Prophet, for having allowed them to remain at home when they asked you for your permission. You should have taken your time before granting their request. You should have abstained from answering until you had discovered the truth, until it revealed itself clearly to your eyes and you were able to distinguish the truthful from the liars, and so treated each one according to his deserts.

44. Those who believe in Allah and His Prophet do not ask you for permission to abstain from fighting for Allah’s cause, since for them it is a means of gaining the Lord’s good will. If the Prophet assigns this mission to them, they obey his orders. Allah knows the sincere believers who fear Him, seek His good will, and mobilize as they should in order to fight on His behalf.

45. However, those who ask the Prophet for permission not to accompany him on the campaign, without having a good reason for abstaining, are people who believe neither in Allah nor the Day of Judgement, and who do not wish to be rewarded by the Lord on the last day for their good deeds and for spending their wealth to meet the obligations of Islam. Their hearts are given over to doubt concerning the veracity of his message. They are hesitant, irresolute, and sceptical.

46. If they had truly and sincerely wished to go on the campaign with him, they would have prepared themselves for the expedition by equipping themselves and getting ready for departure. But Allah did not want them to accompany you on your campaign. Therefore he discouraged them and prevented them. People said to them: “Stay with the women, the children, the sick, the infirm, and the aged.”

47. In this verse Allah Almighty indicates the reasons for which He did not want the hypocrites to accompany the Prophet (peace be upon him) on his expedition, saying: “If they had gone forth with the Muslims, they would have added to their anxiety and brought confusion to their ranks, for they are cowardly and feeble. They would have sown trouble amongst you through plots, calumnies, and sedition. There are some Muslims whose faith is weak and who lack willpower. Such people are liable to listen to what the hypocrites say and be influenced by them, which would sow disorder among the believers. Allah knows the wicked and the evil intentions they would have nourished against the faithful, if they had gone on the expedition with you.”

48. Allah Almighty steels His Prophet against these hypocrites, saying: “They have long been hatching plots against you, your companions, and your religion, since you first arrived in Medina. The idolaters, the hypocrites, and the Jews of Medina have banded together to scheme against you. When Allah granted you victory at the battle of Badr and made the cause of Islam triumph, Abdallah bnu Ubay bnu Saloul said to his companions: ‘It is a fait accompli.’ So they pretended to embrace Islam. But the more Allah made Islam triumph, the more exasperated and infuriated they became.” These hypocrites sought to sow disarray in the ranks of the Muslims, and earlier, at the time of the expedition to Ohod, they tried to create discord, when Abdullah bnu Ubay retired from the battle with one third of the Muslim army, saying: “The Prophet has been listening to children and people who do not have a reliable opinion. Why not let us kill him?”

49. Some of the hypocrites say to you (referring specifically to one of the most notorious hypocrites, Al-Jaddu bnu Qays from Medina): “Give me permission to abstain from fighting, because if I accompany you I fear that on seeing the Byzantine women I will succumb to their temptations.” Allah Almighty says: “By alleging false pretexts, abstaining from fighting with Allah’s Messenger, and showing more concern for their own lives than for his, they have succumbed to the greatest of temptations.” And Allah Almighty tells the human race that Hell lies in wait for the deniers who reject Allah and His Prophet, and that He will seize them on the Day of Resurrection and they will not be able to avoid Him or escape Him. Such will be the wretched consequence of their actions, and an exemplary penalty.

50. If good fortune befalls the Prophet and the Muslims or if they win a victory, the hypocrites regret it. If a misfortune befalls the Muslims or if they suffer some reverse, the hypocrites say: “We were afraid of this, and we have taken our precautions by abstaining from fighting and putting ourselves in danger.” Then they return to their own kind, happy to have escaped the misfortune and rejoicing to see the Prophet and the Muslims suffer.

51. O Prophet, tell those who rejoice in the calamities which befall the Muslims and who are sorry when fortune smiles on them: “We have submitted ourselves to the will of Allah and His fate. What He has ordained for us will most certainly come to pass, and His will is ineluctable. We put our trust in Allah. He suffices us and one could not place one’s trust better than in Him. Therefore we do not despair when we are in trouble, and we do not act insolently concerning Allah’s blessings.”

52. And tell them, Mohammad: “Can you not perceive that we seek two things which are equally good: martyrdom for the cause or victory? We, on the other hand, expect Allah to strike you with His punishment or grant us victory over you. Then we will let you taste our punishment.”

53. Say to the hypocrites who seek to conceal their hypocrisy by contributing money to Allah’s cause: “Whether you pay out willingly or unwillingly, Allah Almighty will not accept your contributions, because you are a band of criminals, deniers, and unbelievers. Allah only accepts the good deeds of sincere believers.”

54. In this verse, Allah Almighty explains the reason why He does not accept their contributions: it is because they deny Allah and His Messenger, perform their prayers casually and without enthusiasm, and spend their money on Allah’s cause and others unwillingly. Since actions only have value to the extent that they are motivated by faith, and since such people have no faith, Allah will accept from them neither expenditure nor good deeds.

55. Therefore do not let yourself be seduced by their wealth or their children or the comfort in which they live. Allah merely wishes to torment them and annoy them in this world, for they labour to amass such fortunes and then Allah Almighty obliges them to pay the prescribed alms and to pay money towards the expense of fighting for Allah’s cause and for the other obligations decreed by Islam. Allah will then make them give up their souls in a state of denial, so that their penalty will set an example and their punishment will be more excruciating in the other world. Their wealth and their children are just a means to lure them.

56. These hypocrites claim to be members of your community in order to shelter themselves from your vigilance. They swear in the name of Allah that they share your religion and your beliefs, whereas they are not your fellow-believers. Instead, they are renegades and hypocrites. They only act in this way and swear false oaths because they are cowards.

57. These hypocrites hate fighting at your side, and they detest being in your company, but they fear that you might discover their hypocrisy. Also, they long to escape from you and flee to a place where they can find refuge in order to escape your vengeance. If they could live in castles or fortresses, in caves or in dens, or underground, they would rush there as fast as wild horses. They have dwelt among the Muslims, despite their disbelief, their hypocrisy, and the hostility they feel towards them, because they have not been capable of leaving their tribe, their home, and their property. So they have hypocritically lavished kindnesses on the Muslims and pretended to embrace Islam.

58. There are still some among the hypocrites, O Prophet, who reproach you for the manner in which you distribute the prescribed alms and the spoils of war. They claim that you seek thereby to please certain people, and that you distribute alms to whoever you wish among your relatives and friends, and that you act unfairly in this regard. This does not exasperate them on account of any ardent desire to defend the religion or because they are concerned about the general welfare of the Muslims. Rather, they are seeking profits for themselves. If they receive a portion, even undeservedly, they approve of the distribution and render you homage. But if they do not receive an amount which satisfies them, they are enraged, even if they do not deserve anything.

59. Allah Almighty teaches human beings correct conduct according to the faith. In this connection, He says that if they gratefully accepted what Allah and His Messenger gave them, if they were contented with it and rejoiced in it, if they said, “Allah suffices us, and He is the best of givers and the most trustworthy. He will treat us generously. His Prophet cheats no one of his rights and he gives to each according to his deserts and in conformity with Divine law. It is in Allah Almighty that we place all our hopes” — that would be much better than being greedy and insulting the Prophet.

60. After describing the complaints of the ignorant hypocrites and their calumny of the Prophet, whom they accused of wrongfully distributing the prescribed alms and the spoils of war, Allah Almighty indicates that it was He who made the distribution, who decreed His decisions in this regard, and who personally took charge of the matter. He specifies that He did not give anyone else the responsibility of sharing out the alms and booty, and that the distribution should be carried out in favour of the persons indicated in this verse, that is to say:
— The poor: those who own goods worth less than 12 dinars.
— The indigent: who have neither goods nor resources, whom people forget to give alms to, and who ask nothing from others.
— Those who collect the alms: this means the officers responsible for alms and those who collect monies, on condition that they are not related to the Prophet, for the Prophet’s relatives do not have the right to alms.
— People of good will whom one wishes to encourage by giving them alms, either so that they will embrace Islam, or practice their religion better, or finally so that they themselves can collect the alms of those who succeed them.
— Slaves who wish to pay the sum needed for their liberation (that is, part of the alms should be spent on liberating slaves).
— The insolvent: such as a debtor who is not in a position to pay what he owes, or someone who has stood as his guarantor and does not have the funds to meet his engagements. Also, someone who has committed some act of insubordination but has repented.
— Soldiers who fight for Allah’s cause, or those who wish to carry out their pilgrimage in order to please the Lord.
— Passing travellers who do not have sufficient funds to pursue their journey and who are unable to have part of their wealth sent from their home country. Such people should receive a part of the alms in order to meet their needs.

61. There are some among the hypocrites who slander Allah’s Prophet by retailing statements about him like the following: “He is an ear which listens to everything that he is told and believes all of it. If we go and see him, and speak to him and swear oaths, he will believe us.” Tell them: “It is an ear for the good. He knows who is truthful and distinguishes him from the liar, and of all that he hears he believes only those things which he judges to be true and in the interest of the faithful. He does not lend his ear to futile words, nor to lies and slander. He believes in Allah and gives credence to the believers in Allah’s religion and in whose faith he has confidence. He is compassionate towards those who have faith, and he will bear witness against renegades. To those who attack the Prophet through their statements or their actions, Allah reserves a dreadful punishment on the Day of Judgement.”

62. One of the hypocrites said, with reference to their leaders who had abstained from taking part in the expedition to Tabouk and about whom some Quranic verses had been revealed: “They are the best men among us and the noblest of all. If what Mohammad says is true, they are worse than donkeys.” A Muslim heard him and said: “Mohammad tells only the truth, and you are indeed worse than a donkey.” Then the Muslim went to the Prophet to tell him what had happened. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent to ask the hypocrite what he meant by making such statements. The hypocrite then started swearing in the name of Allah that he had said no such thing. The Muslim therefore implored Allah: “Lord, affirm the sincerity of the truthful man and contradict the liar.” Allah then revealed this verse. In order to please you, these hypocrites will swear to you that they never made the statements attributed to them which attack the Prophet. Do not tell the Messenger. But Allah and His Messenger have more right to be satisfied than the believers. For nothing escapes Allah, who knows the treachery in people’s eyes and the secrets of their hearts.

63. Do these hypocrites not know that whoever opposes Allah Almighty and His Prophet ( peace be upon him), transgressing the bounds prescribed by the Lord, contradicting them and defaming the acts and the morals of the Prophet, will suffer the punishment of fire in Hell where he will remain for all eternity? That will be his ignominious punishment and the greatest misery.

64. The hypocrites would exchange defamatory remarks concerning the Prophet and then hope that Allah would not unveil their secret by revealing a verse which would unmask their statements. Allah answers them, saying that He will reveal what they fear to His Prophet and the believers. Let them therefore mock as much as they please! The fear of scandal and seeing all their secrets divulged is the result of their scepticism. For the hypocrites vacillate: they are neither believers who have certitude, nor renegades who are firm in their disbelief.

65. When the Prophet set out on his expedition to Tabouk, certain hypocrites said to each other: “Do you think it will be as easy for the Arabs to fight the Byzantines as it is for them to fight among themselves? We swear that tomorrow you will be herded together in chains.” They made such statements in order to terrify the Muslims. The Prophet then said to Ammar Ibnu Yasser: “Go and join them, for they are playing with fire. Question them about what they have said. If they deny it, repeat their exact statements to them.” Ammar carried out the Prophet’s orders and they came to apologize to the Prophet. One of them said: “O Messenger of Allah, we were just chatting and joking.” By that they meant to say that they had not been speaking seriously but simply to amuse and entertain each other, believing that this was a sufficient excuse. They did not realize that to joke about religion, to make a mockery of it and make fun of it is blasphemy, for to speak lightly about Allah, His law, and His signs is to make fun of them.

66. Allah Almighty says to these hypocrites: ” Make no excuses for what you have said! For you have blasphemed against Allah with your banter. By excusing yourselves you admit that you have committed a sin. If some of you repent and are pardoned, Allah will punish the others for committing the sin of making such wicked statements and for persisting in their hypocrisy.”

67. The hypocrites, men and women, resemble each other in their character, their behaviour, and their attitude. All of them indulge in blameworthy behaviour among themselves, such as lying, betraying, breaking their promises, and violating their agreements, and they prohibit good and benevolent acts, such as fighting for Allah’s cause and contributing to military expenses. They cheat in matters of piety and benevolence. They have forgotten about earning Allah’s satisfaction by carrying out what He prescribes and shunning all that He prohibits. They have followed in the footsteps of the devil. So Allah has punished them by depriving them of His grace and His help in this world, and by His retribution in the Hereafter. The hypocrites are the most villainous of all people. They transgress Allah’s commandments more than anyone else, and they separate themselves from their natural virtues.

68. As with the deniers, Allah Almighty has reserved for the hypocrites, men and women, the Hell-fire which He promised them for their wicked acts. They will remain there eternally and will taste the punishment and the torment that they have merited and which will suffice. Allah has cursed them and deprived them of His grace. In addition to the fire, they will suffer further ever-lasting punishments: a fiery wind will lash their faces, and boiling water will melt everything in their bellies.

69. You hypocrites who try to harm Allah, His Prophet, and the believers, you are worth no more than the hypocrites among earlier peoples: you have been enchanted by your good and your children and you have abandoned yourselves, as they did, to the pleasures of this earth. They were however mightier than you and had more wealth and more children. Their only concern was to enjoy life to the full and to get their full share of its pleasures and gratification. They were seduced by the delights of life here below, which led them to commit injustices. They did not seek to attain the noble goals which the believers aspire to, such as believing in Allah, in His Books and His prophets, making the word of Truth prevail, glorifying justice, engendering righteousness and prohibiting evil. Just like your predecessors, you hypocrites have revelled in your lot. You are worth no more than them, although you have witnessed Allah’s signs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) brought you the message of Truth, but you have not followed it. Therefore you deserve punishment even more than they did, since you have followed the path of evil and spoken just as improperly as they did, whereas you should have been more inclined than them to do good. Those who delight in the goods of this world, those who forge and fabricate lies, and commit acts which show them to be vain, will not be rewarded either in this world or the next. They and those like them shall be the losers, because they will receive no reward from Allah for what they have done.

70. Allah Almighty delivers a sermon to the renegades and hypocrites: “Have they not heard the story of the peoples who preceded them and who denied their prophets: the people of Noah, who were drowned, those of ‘Ad who were annihilated by a devastating storm, the people of Thamud who were carried off by a great clamour, those of Abraham when Allah granted him victory over them, the Midianites, Shu’ayb’s people, who were engulfed in an earthquake and underwent the torments of the night of shadows, Lot’s people, a depraved people. Allah destroyed them by overturning their city. The prophets who were sent to these peoples brought them on the behalf of Allah the message of Truth supported by clear proofs. They did not believe in their prophets but persisted in their obstinacy and disbelief. Allah destroyed them; He did not act maliciously towards them by imposing this punishment on them. He merely imposed on them the penalty for the sins they had committed, as a fitting retribution. It is they who acted maliciously towards themselves.

71. The believers, men and women, maintain amongst themselves relations which are fraternal and friendly, characterized by cooperation and solidarity. They have in common the praiseworthy characteristics prescribed by their religion; they protect each other mutually, they feel solidarity with each other, they do good and recommend it, avoid evil and prohibit it, perform their prayers, pay the prescribed alms to those who deserve them, obey the orders of Allah and His prophet, and shun all that is forbidden.

72. Allah promises the believers, men and women, that on the last day He will grant them entry into gardens beneath which streams flow, where they will be eternal, and live in paradise in fine, well-built houses. He promises them an even greater reward than the favours He has previously bestowed. What a magnificent reward! The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “Allah the Almighty and Omnipotent calls out: ‘O people of paradise!’ and they reply: ‘We are at Your command! We await Your orders! We hold your blessings in our hands.’ Allah says: ‘Are you content?’ and they answer: ‘How could we not be content, Lord, since You have granted us more blessings than any of Your other creatures?’ ‘Do you want Me to give you something which is even better?’ He asks them, and they reply: ‘What could be more precious?’ Allah answers: ‘I grant you My good will, and from now on I will never become angry with you again.'” (Reported by the two sheikhs and by Malek.)

73. Allah Almighty commands His Prophet to fight against the deniers and hypocrites who live amongst the Muslims, in the same way that they seek to harm the Prophet and the Muslims. He also orders him to treat them severely and sternly in order to dissuade them and their followers. This refers to fighting the deniers with weapons and the hypocrites with proofs and arguments. The unbelievers and the hypocrites will have their eternal dwelling-place in Hell. Thus they will be covered in ignominy in this world and the next.

74. This verse was revealed in connection with one of the leading hypocrites, Abdullah bnu Ubay bnu Salloul. A boy from the Juhayna tribe and another one from a family in Medina allied to the Prophet were arguing in front of a spring during a military expedition. Abdullah bnu Ubay then said to the people from Medina: “Are you not going to support your brother? By Allah! In the relations we have with Mohammad, we are like the man who fattens his dog in order to get eaten by him!” And he proclaimed: “By Allah! When we get back to Medina, the noblest will banish the vile.” A boy named Zayd Bnu Arqam reported these statements to the Prophet, who questioned Abdallah bnu Ubay about them. He began to swear that he had not said anything of the kind. Allah then sent down this verse to refute his denial. The Almighty considers that the hypocrites have become deniers after having embraced Islam. He says that some of them were preparing to kill the Prophet on his return from the Tabouk expedition, but that they did not succeed because Allah protected him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has committed no sin against the hypocrites which might provoke such hatred towards him and Islam, or such a desire for vengeance. Rather, Allah has enriched them with His grace by sending His Prophet amongst them and showering them with benefits, so much booty did they capture. Allah Almighty then called on them to repent of their hypocrisy and the evil they had planned or performed, for that would be better for them. If they persist in their wicked conduct and refuse to repent, Allah will make them suffer a terrible punishment in this world by killing them and weighing them down with remorse and anxiety; He will humiliate them in the hereafter and cover them in ignominy by inflicting the punishment of fire on them. No one will be able to help them or spare them from Allah’s implacable punishment or save them from wretchedness and humiliation.

75. Some of the hypocrites made a pact with Allah, promising, if He granted them His grace and made them rich, to thank Him for His favours by giving alms, performing benevolent deeds, maintaining their family ties, and contributing money to Allah’s cause.

76. But when Allah had showered them with favours and granted them what they desired, they did not keep their promises, but showed themselves to be avaricious, and did not pay alms on a portion of the wealth that Allah had granted them. They hid themselves away and stopped using their goods to help others, or to show obedience, or devote themselves to good works, in their own interest as well as for the public welfare, as they had promised Allah they would.

77. To punish them for having revealed themselves to be so avaricious and for having failed to honour their agreement and the pact they had made with Allah, Allah planted hypocrisy in their hearts, where it will remain until the Day of Resurrection. Haunted as they are by hypocrisy, there is no hope of them repenting, for they are infected with two characteristics of hypocrisy: the habits of perjury and breaking one’s promises. (Explaining the reason why this verse was revealed, it is said that Tha’laba bnu Hateb of Medina told the Prophet: “Pray Allah to grant me wealth.” The Prophet replied: “Shame on you, Tha’laba! The modest gains Allah grants you, for which you thank Him by paying alms, are better for you than a huge sum which you would not be able to bear.” “By Allah who sent you as the messenger of Truth!” said Tha’laba, “if you pray Allah to grant me wealth, I will give everyone his due.” So the Prophet prayed to Allah: “Lord, grant wealth to Tha’laba.” The latter raised sheep which reproduced so extraordinarily well that there was not enough room for them in Medina. Tha’laba left the city and settled in one of the neighbouring valleys, prayed with the congregation at noon and in the afternoon, and abandoned the rest of his religious duties. His sheep continued to multiply. He went so far as to abandon his prayers, except on Fridays, and he soon abandoned them too. One day the prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) asked for news of Tha’laba. ‘When he was told what had happened, he said: “Cursed be Tha’laba!”

78. Allah Almighty informs mankind that He knows their secrets and their intimate conversations, so He is aware that in their heart of hearts the hypocrites feel emotions quite different from those which they publicly express. Even when they promise that if Allah grants them wealth they will give alms and thank Him for his favours, Allah knows them better than they know themselves, for He knows all mysteries. How then dare they lie and break their promises to Allah?

79. Another characteristic of these hypocrites is that nobody is safe from their denigration. If someone comes to give alms generously, they say: “He is an impostor.” If he gives little, they say: “Allah can do without alms like that.” This verse was revealed because one day the Prophet (peace be upon him) was exhorting the people to pay alms and was demonstrating what a desirable act it was. Abdul Rahman bnu Aouf took the initiative of giving four thousand dirhams. The hypocrites accused him of being an impostor. When his turn came, a man from among the Prophet’s allies in Makkah contributed a bag of grain. The hypocrites said: “Allah can do without alms like that.” The hypocrites mocked the Muslims who were poor and who tried, as best they could, to pay alms. In answer to the hypocrites, Allah Almighty says that, in His turn, He will impose on them a punishment identical to their sins, bringing down on them the mockery of the believers and everyone else, by unmasking them in this verse and revealing their sins and their faults in broad daylight. He also tells them that He is reserving a terrible punishment for them on the Day of Resurrection.

80. Allah Almighty tells His Messenger that these hypocrites do not deserve forgiveness, and that even if he begged Him seventy times to pardon them, Allah would not do so, because of their obstinacy in denying Allah, His uniqueness, and His revelation to His Messenger, and because they doubt that Allah knows all secrets and the most intimate conversations and can penetrate the mysteries of heaven and earth. The story is told that when the chief hypocrite Abdullah bnu Ubay fell ill, his son Abdullah hurried to the Prophet and said to him: “Messenger of Allah, my father is dying. I would like you to be present and pray for him when he renders up his soul.” The Prophet went with him, and stayed with the dying man until he rendered up his soul, then wrapped him in his shroud and prayed for him. Someone then said to the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah, are you praying for him?” He replied: “Allah tells me that even if I prayed for him seventy times it would be of no avail. So I shall pray seventy times, and then another seventy, and yet another seventy.”

81. Allah Almighty condemns those hypocrites who showed how weak they were by abstaining from accompanying the Prophet on his expedition to Tabouk, and who rejoiced at having stayed at home after his departure for the fight, and refused to serve Allah’s cause with their goods or themselves. To foster evil and discourage the believers, some of them said to others: “Do not go on a campaign in this heat.” And so Allah Almighty orders His Prophet to tell them that the fire of hell to which they will be condemned is far hotter than the stifling heat of the desert to which they refuse to subject themselves. If they were reasonable and capable of understanding, they would not have refused the summons and stayed at home, and they would not have rejoiced in their weakness.

82. And Allah threatens the hypocrites on account of their wicked deeds. He says to the Prophet: “Let them laugh a little in this perishable world here below, for this ephemeral life is as nothing. When they have left it and returned to Almighty and Omnipotent Allah, they will weep plentifully and ceaselessly because of their impiety and the sins they have committed, and for having wasted the opportunity of accomplishing good deeds which please Allah and His Messenger.”

83. If Allah Almighty brings you home from your expedition into the middle of a group of feeble hypocrites (and it was said that there were twelve of them) and they ask you for permission to accompany you on your campaigns, well! tell them: “You will never accompany me,” in order to punish them and assert yourself. Say to them: “You will not have the honour of accompanying me to fight for Allah’s cause. You will never fight alongside me, for the first time you were called upon to fight for Allah’s cause you preferred to stay at home and be covered with shame, whereas you had no excuse to justify your feebleness. Stay, therefore, with those who are weak: the infirm, the sick, the women, and the children.”

84. Allah Almighty instructs His Prophet to disavow the hypocrites and never to pray for any of them who are dying, and never to pray at their tombs to implore Allah to forgive them. For they have denied Allah and His Messenger, and have died in a state of denial. Such is the judgement of Allah with regard to every hypocrite, even if the verse was revealed concerning Abdullah bni Ubay bni Saloul. After the revelation of the present verse, the Prophet never again prayed for a hypocrite.

85. Do not allow yourself to be dazzled by their riches and their children. Allah Almighty wants to torment them by calling upon them to pay the prescribed alms and to contribute money towards the struggle for Allah’s cause and perform the other obligations prescribed by Islam in the world here below. Then Allah will cause them to die as unbelievers. Such is the penalty ordained by Allah. It is the most terrible and most excruciating penalty in the world to come. Their goods and their children are thus granted to them by Allah as a lure.

86. When a commanding Sura (chapter) was sent down with a summons to believe in Allah and demonstrate a sincere belief in Him, mentioning battle and exhorting people to fight with the Prophet, those who were able to fight and contribute generously to Allah’s cause tried to avoid obeying Allah’s orders and asked you for permission to stay at home just like the infirm and those who had good excuses.

87. They were content to remain at home and be dishonoured, staying with the women who remain behind after the departure of the army. Allah sealed their hearts. They were confused and they did not understand. They did not perceive the personal and collective good which results from fighting for Allah’s cause, and did not grasp the harm done to oneself and the community, in this world and the next, by abstaining from combat.

88. If the hypocrites abstained from fighting, the Prophet and the believers, for their part, did fight and commit their goods and themselves to Allah’s cause. To them, Allah promises His favours: in this world, achieving victory, abolishing denial, making the word of Allah triumph, and enjoying the spoils of war, and in the hereafter gaining satisfaction in paradise.

89. For these sincere believers who devote their goods and themselves to His cause, God provides gardens with streams flowing beneath them, to reward them for their faith and their sincere obedience to Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him). That is a splendid triumph.

90. Certain people also came from the tribes situated near Medina, to ask the Prophet for his dispensation and permission to remain at home. Others among the weak did not come to offer their excuses and explain the reasons why they had abstained from fighting with the Prophet. Those who stayed away because they were deniers with the intention of transgressing the bounds set by Allah will suffer a terrible punishment.

91. In this verse, Allah Almighty describes the excuses for which one should not criticize those who abstain from combat. Some are inherent in the physical constitution of the person in question which prevents him from engaging in combat, such as infirmity, others are temporary, such as an illness which prevents someone from going on a campaign to fight for Allah’s cause, or poverty which means that one lacks the resources to make oneself ready for war, to acquire arms, equip oneself, and meet one’s own needs and those of one’s family during the period of hostilities. Allah Almighty specifies that such people should not be criticized if they stay at home, on condition that they show themselves to be committed to Allah’s cause and to His Prophet and the believers, and that they are not trying to frighten the warriors and spread demoralizing rumours. If they meet these conditions, He will count them among the virtuous. Allah is merciful towards the truly weak who have legitimate reasons which excuse them from battle.

92. Seven members of the Bani Mouqren family of Mouzina who were needy came to see the Prophet, and asked him to provide them with horses so that they could fight with him. He answered them: “In Allah’s name! I cannot procure any horses for you.” They went away weeping, saddened by the fact that they did not have the means to procure horses for themselves, in order to go on the campaign with Mohammad (peace be upon him). This verse was then revealed. Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) says: “There exist certain people in Medina who remain with us, whether we are crossing a valley or travelling somewhere else.” They asked: “Even though they have stayed in Medina?” “Yes,” replied the Prophet, “They stayed behind for good reasons.” (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim, and Ibnu Maja.)

93. Allah Almighty considers that such people are not to be pitied and one should rather blame those who ask the Prophet for dispensation without any valid excuse, although they are rich and healthy and capable of contributing. He reprimands them for having remained behind with the infirm, the sick, and the women who stayed in the rear of the army. Allah Almighty says that He has sealed their hearts. Their sins surround them on all sides. They do not know where they stand in this world, or the terrible punishment they will undergo in the next.

94. Allah Almighty informs His Prophet that when he returns to Medina with his army the hypocrites who have abstained from fighting for Allah’s cause, although they were rich and in good health, will come to offer him their excuses. Allah Almighty orders His Prophet to reply to them: “Do not give me your excuses. We will not believe you and we will not trust you, for Allah has shown you to us for what you are. Later, Allah and His Prophet will be witnesses of your actions. It is your behaviour which will reveal to us the truth about you: either you will persist in your hypocrisy, or else you will repent and commit yourselves to Allah. As for your statements, they are not reliable, whatever oaths you swear to back them up. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will assume the task of informing you of your acts, both good and bad. You will be repaid according to your deserts.”

95. If you return to Medina from your expedition, those who remained behind and abstained from combat, although they were wealthy and in good health, will come to present their excuses to you and with false oaths call Allah to witness that they are telling the truth, in the hope that you will ignore their faults and stop reprimanding them for their weakness. Turn away from them with scorn and contempt, not indulgently, as if you were accepting their excuses. They are vile, and they soil noble and pious souls. You must beware of them and spurn them so that they cannot contaminate the believers. Their eternal dwelling-place and final refuge will be the fires of hell, where they will expiate their wicked deeds.

96. With their oaths, they seek to please you. If you let yourself be deceived by their oaths, and treat them with benevolence, that will not help them in the least, for Allah does not look kindly on villains who transgress His commands and those of His Prophet.

97. Allah Almighty says that among the bedouin there are some renegades and hypocrites who go even further in their denials and hypocrisy than their urban counterparts, given the crudity of their manners and the hardness of their hearts, and because they lack wisdom and live far from the sources of knowledge. Therefore they do not know the bounds revealed by Allah Almighty to His Prophet or the precepts of Islam, because they can find no one to instruct them. Allah knows well what is capable of reforming men. He is wise in His decrees.

98. Among the bedouin there are some who see nothing but extortion and loss in the expenses they incur in support of Allah’s cause. They pay the required contributions unwillingly, because they do not believe that they will be reimbursed by Allah for having battled for the divine cause and for performing benevolent acts. They wish you defeat in time of war, and they long to see you struck down by calamities and catastrophes. And Allah Almighty answers them: “May their evil wishes return upon themselves, and may they meet with defeat! Allah hears the prayers of His faithful servants and knows who deserves victory and who merits misfortune.”

99. Among the bedouin there are also some who believe in Allah and in the last day, and who see the contributions they make to Allah’s cause simply as a way of coming closer to Allah. Through such contributions they hope that the Prophet will favour them with his prayers, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for benefactors and recommended their souls to Allah. Allah Almighty says that He accepts the contributions they make, that they will constitute in His eyes a favourable approach to Him, and He will receive them into His grace, forgive them their sins, and grant them His clemency. For Allah Almighty pardons His servants’ sins and shows mercy towards them.

100. Allah Almighty expresses His satisfaction with regard to the precursors, the very first emigrants (those who emigrated before the peace of Hudaybiya) and the partisans of Medina (those who swore an act of allegiance to the Prophet at Aqabat al-Radwan) and those who joined them with sincere enthusiasm. Allah emphasizes that He is content with them. Therefore He has showered them with favours in this world, and granted them glory, victory, and spoils, and shown them the path of salvation. In the Hereafter, He has prepared gardens for them, beneath which flow streams, and where they will dwell eternally. Such is the splendid triumph reaped by these noble and virtuous people.

101. Allah Almighty indicates that there are hypocrites among the bedouin who live in the area surrounding Medina. There are also hypocrites among the city-dwellers, who have trained themselves in hypocrisy and are expert at it, to such a degree that it is difficult to unmask them and know who they are (‘fanatical hypocrites’). You do not know them, Mohammad, but Allah knows them and He will punish them twice in this world:
— firstly: through calamities which will descend upon them, and the fear of scandal if they are unmasked.
— secondly: by inflicting miseries on them at the hour of death, when angels will strike their faces and backs as they seize their souls.
Then on the last day they will be herded into hell. Detestable fate!

102. After having described the state of those who abstain from fighting because they deny the faith and are sceptical, Allah speaks of those who stay at home through indolence, although they are devout and believe in the Divine message. Concerning them, He says: “There are others who admit their sins and confess them to the Lord. They perform virtuous acts interspersed with wicked ones such as failing to go on campaign with the Prophet and abstaining from battle for no valid reason. Such people are at Allah’s mercy and can only hope for His forgiveness. Perhaps He will guide them to true repentance and pardon them. He is all-merciful and all-forgiving.” (It is said that this verse was revealed in connection with Abi Loubaba and certain companions of his who showed weakness on the invasion of Tabouk. When the Prophet returned from his campaign, they tied themselves to the wall around the mosque and swore that they would be untied only by the Prophet himself. When this verse was revealed, the Messenger of Allah released them and pardoned them.)

103. Allah Almighty orders His Prophet to levy from the goods of those who have confessed their sins a certain sum of money as alms which will purify them from the stains of avarice, greed, and hardheartedness towards the poor, ennoble their souls, and raise them to the level of benefactors, so that they will be worthy of happiness in this world and the next. Then Allah orders His Messenger to pray for them and recommend their souls to Allah, for the prayers of Allah’s Messenger will comfort them. Allah hears their confession and the Prophet’s prayers in their favour. He knows their repentance is sincere and that they regret their sins.

104. Allah Almighty urges the believers to pay alms and to repent. That is the way to obtain His pardon. He says that He alone can accept His servants’ repentance, and that Allah will receive the person who repents into the bosom of His mercy, and that He accepts alms from the person who earns his money honestly. He makes it multiply to the profit of the benefactor until a date grows as huge as Mount Ohod.

105. Here Allah Almighty threatens those who disobey His commands. He warns them that on the Day of Resurrection He will examine all their acts, as will His Messenger and the believers, and that on that day they will be summoned to Him, who knows all the mysteries of heaven and earth, sees all His creatures, and He will inform them of all their deeds.

106. Those who await Allah’s decree are Mararatu bnul-Rabi’, Ka’bu bnu Malek and Hilalu bnu Umayya who, among others, showed weakness at the time of the Tabouk expedition, not through scepticism or hypocrisy but through indolence, and because they felt like resting. They came to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) and admitted that they had no excuse. He postponed a decision on their case until Allah should decide their fate. He ordered people not to speak to them and not to bear them company. So they stayed in their homes until they felt that the world, vast though it was, was too narrow, so acutely did they fear Allah’s anger and His punishment. Allah knows what can reform, educate, and purify His servants. He is wise in the judgements He hands down concerning them.

107. According to Ibn Abbas, this verse concerns certain partisans who built a mosque. There was a monk named Abu ‘Amer, a man from the Khazraj tribe who converted to Christianity in the pre-Islamic period and began to hatch plots against the Muslims in collaboration with the people of Quraish and the enemies of Islam, incited the idolaters against the Prophet at the battle of Ohod, and tried to subvert the partisans during the battle, but they spurned him. Abu ‘Amer said to them: “Build a mosque to use as a look-out post, in case Mohammad should come to you.” He ordered them to get ready and assemble as many men and weapons as possible, and told them that he was going to seek help from the emperor of the Byzantines to drive out Mohammad (peace be upon him) and his companions. Then they set about building the mosque near the mosque of Qiba. When the construction was finished, they went to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said to him: “We have finished building our mosque. We would like you to come and pray in it and beg Allah to shed His grace on us.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) was just preparing to undertake the expedition to Tabouk, so he decided to carry out their request at a later date. On his return, the angel Gabriel came to reveal to him the real intentions of those who had built the mosque, and ordered him never to pray there. Allah Almighty says: “Those who have raised this mosque will swear that in doing so they only wanted to perform a good deed and render service to the people. Allah bears witness to the fact that they are lying in their statements and their intentions. They built this mosque to demean that of Qiba, to manifest their disbelief, to divide the Muslims (the latter all prayed together in the Qiba mosque, which allowed them to get to know one another, to spend time together, and to unify their ranks), and to prepare the way for those who had recently fought against Allah and His Messenger.”

108. Allah Almighty commands His Prophet (peace be upon him) never to pray in this mosque, which was built with the intention of doing him harm. He urges him instead to pray in the Qiba mosque, which was built on faith (that is to say, on obedience to Allah and His Prophet, and for the solidarity of the believers). Then the Prophet says: “A prayer in the Qiba mosque is as valuable as a small pilgrimage.” Allah Almighty says that in the Qiba mosque there are men who build it by performing their prayers there, evoking Allah there, and glorifying Him there, wishing in this way to purify themselves of their faults and sins. Allah Almighty renders homage to the partisans of Medina who purified themselves and took care of the cleanliness of their bodies, for He loves those who purify themselves.

109. He who constructs a building on the foundation of a willingness to fear Allah and obtain His approval is far superior to the man who builds a mosque in order to cause harm, demonstrate his disbelief, and divide the Muslims. The latter is like someone who constructs his building on the edge of a crumbling cliff over-looking hell. It crumbles, as does his building, into the fires of hell. Unjust people who transgress Allah’s bounds and His commandments will not be guided by Him to the true path and to justice. Faith is firm and unshakeable, and those who have it are blessed by gaining Allah’s love. Falsehood, on the other hand, is futile and evanescent (corrupt ), and crumbles easily, and the faulty are miserable, indecisive, and perplexed.

110. Because they committed this execrable act, the oratory which these hypocrites built will not cease to inspire them with doubt until the day they die. Allah knows everything concerning human beings, and He is wise in His governance of the universe.

111. Allah Almighty inspires in humans the desire to fight and says that he will recompense the believers by preparing Paradise for them for having committed their goods and themselves to Allah’s cause, so that the word of Allah will triumph, and in order to establish faith and justice on earth. When they fight for Allah’s cause, either they kill their enemies or are themselves killed, and in either case they will be rewarded. Allah promises His servant this just recompense. He commits Himself to the promise made in the Torah, the Gospels, and the Quran. Allah Almighty then invites the believers to honour the covenant made with Allah, for no one honours his agreements more faithfully than Allah, and there is no greater profit than that which impels those who honour this pact.

112. Here Allah Almighty enumerates the characteristics of the believers who offer Him their goods and themselves in exchange for paradise. They are those who repent of all their sins, who abandon wickedness, worship Allah with perseverance, praise Him for His benevolence and His favours, travel the earth in order to observe and learn about Allah’s signs (or, according to another interpretation, those who fast), and perform their prayers. They are also those who seek to be useful to mankind and instruct them to obey Allah by commanding them to do good and forbidding them to do evil, knowing what must be done and what must be avoided in order to obey Allah (meaning that they respect the bounds prescribed by Allah). Allah announces to the believers who have these noble qualities that He will benefit them in this world and the next.

113. When the Prophet’s uncle Abu Taleb was on the point of death, the Prophet went to see him. Some members of the Quraish clan were there, including Abu Jahl and Abdullah bnu Umayya. The prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said to him: “Uncle, say ‘There is no other divinity but Allah,’ so that I can intercede with Allah in your favour.” Abu Jahl and Abdullah bnu Umayya said to him: “O Abu Taleb, are you going to renounce the religion of Abdil-Muttaleb?” He replied in the negative. Then the Prophet said: “I will ask for forgiveness on your behalf, unless I am forbidden to do so.” Then this verse was revealed. It tells the Prophet and the believers not to pray for pardon on behalf of deniers, even if they are relatives.

114. Certain companions of the Prophet said to him: “O Prophet of Allah, some of our relatives respect their neighbours, maintain family ties, help people in trouble, and honour their agreements. Will you not ask Allah to pardon them?” The Prophet replied: “Yes, by Allah, I will implore Allah to pardon my father just as Abraham implored pardon for his father.” Allah then sent down the preceding verse and this one, where He excuses Abraham (peace be upon him) for having asked for forgiveness for his father, who was an idolater. A Muslim should pray for a non-Muslim relative to become a believer, as long as he is alive. When he dies, he must commit him to Allah and stop praying for him and imploring Allah for forgiveness on his behalf. “Abraham was both compassionate and forbearing” means that he prayed to Allah and pleaded with him at length.

115. Allah the Merciful and Wise never condemns or punishes a people, after having guided them to the faith, for statements they might have made involuntarily, or acts they may have committed because of a faulty interpretation of things. In his commentary on this verse, Ibn Jarir says: “After having guided you and permitted you to believe in Him and His Messenger, Allah would not condemn you or distance Himself from you for having implored His favour towards your dead parents who were idolaters, except after He had forbidden you to do so. He does not abandon you before alerting you to the fact that a certain practice is detestable. Allah is Omniscient.”

116. In this verse, Allah exhorts the believers to fight against the unbelievers and to call upon them to fear Allah, Master of heaven and earth, and no one other than Him, for it is He who bestows life according to the laws He has decreed and through which He governs the universe. It is He who causes death when the time comes for a life to end. Once the appointed time comes, it cannot be hastened or delayed. Allah Almighty is the protector of believers and supports them. They have no help or support other than Him.

117. This verse was revealed on the subject of the Tabouk expedition which took place in a year of drought, and during a period of torrid heat and a shortage of water and food. Allah Almighty granted His favours to the emigrants and partisans who followed the Prophet at a difficult moment when they lacked money, water, and food, forgiving them because they sincerely believed in Allah and because they had responded to the appeal of their magnanimous Prophet, after having been on the point of failing in their duty and when the hearts of some of the Muslims were about to stray from the path of righteousness. The verse is about those who abstained from fighting for reasons other than hypocrisy, who mixed good actions with bad and admitted their sins, after having endured so many hardships on their journey and during the campaign. Allah granted them His favour by permitting them to repent, to return to Him, and to commit themselves steadfastly to their religion. He is filled with gentleness and clemency towards them.

118. The three are Ka’bu bnu Malek, Mararatu bnul-Rabi’, and Hilalu bnu Umayya al Waqifiy. All three stayed behind at home during the Tabouk campaign and confessed to the Prophet that they had no excuse for not accompanying him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to them: “Go away until Allah has spoken concerning you.” He ordered people to stop speaking to them and the believers obeyed his command, until the earth seemed narrow to them although it is so vast. They felt oppressed, so deeply chagrined and dismayed were they. They remained thus for fifty nights. Only then was this verse revealed, announcing the remission of their sins. In this verse, Allah Almighty says that he has taken pity on them and reveals that He has accepted their contrition so that they can repent and turn again to Him, after having failed to accompany the Prophet on his campaign. They were well rewarded for their sincerity and obtained Allah’s pardon in exchange.

119. O believers, fear Allah, forearm yourself in His sight by respecting the obligations and duties that He has prescribed for you and avoiding what He has prohibited. Be truthful and sincere. In this way you will escape danger and Allah will provide you with consolation and show you a way out.

120. Allah Almighty reprimands those who have not followed the Prophet and criticizes them for having preferred themselves to Him. He particularly blames the citizens of Medina and the bedouin from the surrounding areas. In fact, they deserve less praise, for they suffer neither thirst nor fatigue nor hunger in Allah’s cause. They do not endure exasperation, nor do they terrify idolaters or win any victories over them; but Allah has surely recorded a righteous deed on their account. Allah does not allow the waste of a good deed.

121. Whenever those who fight alongside the Prophet contribute a sum of money, large or small, to Allah’s cause, or traverse a ravine, their act is recorded in their accounts so that Allah can repay them with the most beautiful reward possible. They will be even more generously rewarded than if they had performed no good deeds except in combat. A small expense contributed to military enterprises is equal in value to a large amount devoted to other benevolent works.

122. Combat is a binding religious obligation. It is sufficient if some people accomplish this task so that others can be relieved of this duty. However, if the Prophet goes on a campaign and asks people to follow him, no Muslim has the right to remain in the rear, except for those who have good excuses. When the previous verses were revealed in which Allah Almighty expresses himself severely on the subject of those who remain in the rear, they decided: “None of us should remain in the rear of an army or a campaign.” They acted accordingly, but this meant that the Prophet was left all alone. Allah then sent down this verse in which He indicates to the believers that they need not mobilize en masse, and that some of them should remain at the Prophet’s side in order to acquire a rigorous knowledge of religion and instruct those who return from a campaign concerning the new Quranic verses which have been revealed in their absence and about whatever is new in matters of religion and the precepts recently announced by the Prophet. All Muslims will thus be up-to-date in matters relevant to their religion.

123. Allah Almighty describes the best way of combatting those who deny the religion, telling the Muslims that they must begin by fighting those who are nearest to the land of the Muslims. They will thus avoid being attacked by their enemies from behind, which would be the result of their leaving those nearer to them to attack them from the rear. That is why the Prophet began by combatting the idolaters in the Arabian peninsula. After having fought the Arabs, he undertook the fight against the people of the Book, that is: the Byzantines. It is thus that each time the Muslims rose against one people they would pass on to a further one, then to another insolent and villainous nation, and so on. Allah Almighty orders the believers to be vigilant in combatting unbelievers, and to make them feel the roughness, the impetuosity, and the brutality of battle, in order to defeat them and also those who are behind them. Believers are known by their roughness towards unbelievers, and by their clemency towards each other. And Allah Almighty tells the believers that He is with them to strengthen them and grant them victory, if they fear and obey Him.

124. When Allah Almighty sends down a Quranic verse, some of the hypocrites say to each other (or say to the believers in order to sow doubt in their hearts): “Has this Sura increased anybody’s faith or convinced them of the truth of the Quran or of Islam, or of the Messenger?” Allah Almighty proclaims: “The Suras strengthen the faith of those who believe in Allah. They rejoice in Allah’s good will and the generous reward He has reserved for them. (Certain commentators see in this verse the proof that faith can increase and diminish.)

125. On the other hand, the Suras increase the doubts and anxieties of those whose hearts are full of doubt and suspicion which impel them to act hypocritically, hiding their disbelief and proclaiming the faith. Allah uses the Quran to guide men’s hearts. He can also lead them further astray and augment their distress. All such people will die as unbelievers.

126. Do these hypocrites not know that Allah puts them to the test once or twice a year, through campaigns or some other means such as calamities which prove their aptitude for faith and obedience or for impiety, sedition, and transgression? Despite this fact, they do not repent that they have gone astray, or that they have committed sins and misdeeds in which they wallow. They persist in error and falsehood, and do not derive a useful lesson from the punishment they receive.

127. Allah speaks here of the deniers who were in the Prophet’s company when a Sura was revealed. He says that each time a Sura was revealed in their presence they looked furtively at each other and winked, at the very moment when the believers were humbly bowing their heads and lowering their eyes as a sign of obedience and submission to the Lord. They would mutter among themselves about leaving the Prophet and his companions, moving about on tiptoe in order not to betray their mockery and denial of Allah’s words. They would say to each other: “Will the Messenger of Allah and his companions notice if we go away?” Then they would all slink off because they detested listening to the divine revelation. Allah turns their hearts away from the path of righteousness and faith, for they do not understand what they hear, nor do they see it clearly or think rationally about it.

128. Allah Almighty shows Himself to be benevolent towards the believers by sending them a prophet chosen from their own ranks, who speaks their language, who hates to see them in trouble, who patiently seeks to convince them, whose precepts are totally easy, tolerant, and perfect for whoever wishes them to be so. He is committed to guiding and reforming them so that they can reap benefits in this world and the next. With regard to the believers, He is all goodness and clemency.

129. If they turn away from the noble and pure divine law that you have brought to them, if they refuse to believe in you or your message, do not be downcast; just say: “Allah suffices me. There is no divinity but Him. I put myself in His hands. He is the creator and master of all things, for He is the Lord of the Supreme Throne, and all the creatures in the heavens and on earth and beneath His Throne are subject to His power; He is omniscient. Everything is subject to His will. He is responsible for all things.