Tafsir of Surah At-Taubah - Verse 128

«بُعِثْتُ بِالْحَنِيفِيَّةِ السَّمْحَة»

(I was sent with the easy Hanifiyah monotheism way.) An authenic Hadith mentions,

«إِنَّ هَذَا الدِّينَ يُسْر»

(Verily, this religion is easy) and its Law is all easy, lenient and perfect. It is easy for those whom Allah the Exalted makes it easy.)

حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ

(He is eager for you), that you gain guidance and acquire benefits in this life and the Hereafter. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ اللهَ لَمْ يُحَرِّمْ حُرْمَةً إِلَّا وَقَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ سَيَطَّلِعُهَا مِنْكُمْ مُطَّلِعٌ، أَلَا وَإِنِّي آخِذٌ بِحُجَزِكُمْ أَنْ تَهَافَتُوا فِي النَّارِ كَتَهَافُتِ الْفَرَاشِ أَوِ الذُّبَاب»

(Verily, every matter that Allah has prohibited, He knows that some among you will breach it; but I am indeed holding you by the waist so that you do not fall in the Fire, just like butterflies and flies.) Allah's statement next,

بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.) 9:128, is similar to His other statement,

وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِمَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - فَإِنْ عَصَوْكَ فَقُلْ إِنِّى بَرِىءٌ مِّمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ - وَتَوكَّلْ عَلَى الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ

(And be kind and humble to the believers who follow you. Then if they disobey you, say: "I am innocent of what you do." And put your trust in the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful) 26:215-217. Allah the Exalted commanded His Messenger in this honorable Ayah,

فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ

(But if they turn away), from the glorious, pure, perfect and encompassing Law that you -- O Muhammad -- brought them,

فَقُلْ حَسْبِىَ اللَّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

(then say: "Allah is sufficient for me. There is no God but He,) Allah is sufficient for me, there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, and in Him I put my trust. Similarly, Allah said,

رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلاً

((He alone is) the Lord of the east and the west; there is no God but He. So take Him alone as a guardian.) 73:9. Allah said next,

لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ

(Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from among yourselves ...) 9:128" until the end of the Surah It is recorded in the Sahih that Zayd bin Thabit said, "I found the last Ayah in Surah Bara'ah with Khuzaymah bin Thabit." This is the end of Surah Bara'ah, all praise is due to Allah.

وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ

(and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne) 9:129. He is the King and Creator of all things, and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne (`Arsh), which is above all creation; all that is in and between the heavens and earths is under the Throne (`Arsh) and subservient to Allah's power. His knowledge encompasses all things, and His decision will certainly come to pass over all matters. He is the guardian of all things. Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn `Abbas said that Ubayy bin Ka`b said, "The last Ayah revealed from the Qur'an was this Ayah,

لَقَدْ جَاءكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ

(Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger f rom among yourselves . . . )until the endof the Surah It is recorded in the Sahih that Zayd bin Thabit said, "I found the last Ayah in Surah Bara'ah with Khuzaymah bin Thabit . " This is the end of Surah Bara'ah, all praise is due to Allah.

Commentary

These are the last verses of Surah At-Taubah where it has been declared that the Holy Prophet ﷺ is very kind and merciful for the entire creation of Allah, particularly so for Muslims. Then, in the last verse, he has been told that he should observe patience and trust Allah even if there are people who do not come to believe despite all his efforts.

That this theme appears at the end of Surah At-Taubah happens to be very appropriate. It will be recalled that this Surah has been full of references to the declaration of withdrawal from the disbelievers, the ultimate severance of relationship with them and then fighting in Jihad against them. This is, however, the last resort of the Call to Allah subject to the condition that the initial steps of Da'wah (call) and Tabligh (communication of the Message) leave no hope of correction and betterment. But, the basic function of the prophets is to invite people to the way of Allah with love, affection, sympathy and an earnest de-sire for their well-being; if they have to face aversion from the people or have to suffer some hardships, they are supposed to leave it to Allah and place their trust in Him, for He is the Lord of the Great Throne. By saying the Rabb رَبّ or Lord of the Great ` Arsh, the purpose is to lay stress on the fact that He encompasses the entire creation.

The Quran tells us that God’s messenger is extremely kind and affectionate towards people. He is so perturbed by others’ suffering that it is as if he himself were affected by it. He is extremely anxious to give guidance to others. What moves him to convey the message of truth to the people is nothing but his great desire for their welfare—far from his having any personal ambition or there being any national problem. According to a tradition narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, the Prophet Muhammad said, ‘People are falling into the fire like flies and I am trying to keep them away from it by holding on to their waists.’ (Musnad Ahmad). In this depiction of the Prophet, we can see the mental and moral makeup of the eternal preacher of truth. He should have two prominent features. Firstly, his reliance should be solely on the one and only God. Secondly, he should have in his heart feelings only of love and well-wishing for the addressee. There might be many grievances against the addressee, there might be national or communal or material quarrels between the preacher (da‘i) and the addressee (mad‘u), yet, in spite of this, the preacher must ignore all points of conflict and must not allow any feelings to be aroused in him other than those of affection and kindness. The preacher should rise above the psychology of reaction. He should unilaterally become the well-wisher of his congregation, regardless of any objectionable behaviour on their part and call them to the Truth.