Tafsir of Surah At-Taubah - Verse 24

The Prohibition of taking the Idolators as Supporters, even with Relatives

Allah commands shunning the disbelievers, even if they are one's parents or children, and prohibits taking them as supporters if they choose disbelief instead of faith. Allah warns,

لاَّ تَجِدُ قَوْماً يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الاٌّخِرِ يُوَآدُّونَ مَنْ حَآدَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَوْ كَانُواْ ءَابَآءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَنَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ أُوْلَـئِكَ كَتَبَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ الإِيمَـنَ وَأَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ

(You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written (predetermined) faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a Ruh (proof, light and true guidance) from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow.) 58:22 Al-Hafiz Al-Bayhaqi recorded that `Abdullah bin Shawdhab said, "The father of Abu `Ubaydah bin Al-Jarrah was repeatedly praising the idols to his son on the day of Badr, and Abu `Ubaydah kept avoiding him. When Al-Jarrah persisted, his son Abu `Ubaydah headed towards him and killed him. Allah revealed this Ayah in his case,

لاَّ تَجِدُ قَوْماً يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الاٌّخِرِ يُوَآدُّونَ مَنْ حَآدَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ

(You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger.")58:22 Allah commanded His Messenger to warn those who prefer their family, relatives or tribe to Allah, His Messenger and Jihad in His cause,

قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَلٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا

(Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained), amassed and collected,

وَتِجَـرَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَـكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ

(the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight), and prefer and love because they are comfortable and good. If all these things,

أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُواْ

(are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His cause, then wait...) for what will befall you of Allah's punishment and torment,

حَتَّى يَأْتِىَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْفَـسِقِينَ

(until Allah brings about His decision. And Allah guides not the people who are rebellious.) Imam Ahmad recorded that Zuhrah bin Ma`bad said that his grandfather said, "We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, while he was holding the hand of `Umar bin Al-Khattab. `Umar said, `By Allah! You, O Messenger of Allah, are dearer to me than everything, except for myself.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ نَفْسِه»

(None among you will attain faith until I become dearer to him than even himself.) `Umar said, `Verily, now, you are dearer to me than myself, by Allah!' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«الْآنَ يَا عُمَر»

(Now, O `Umar!)" Al-Bukhari also collected this Hadith. Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud (this is the version of Abu Dawud) recorded that Ibn `Umar said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying,

إِذَا تَبَايَعْتُمْ بِالْعِينَةِ وَأَخَذْتُمْ بِأَذْنَابِ الْبَقَرِ وَرَضِيتُمْ بِالزَّرْعِ، وَتَرَكْتُمُ الْجِهَادَ سَلَّطَ اللهُ عَلَيْكُمْ ذُلًّا لَا يَنْزِعُهُ حَتَّى تَرْجِعُوا إِلَى دِينِكُم»

(If you transact in `Iynah (a type of Riba), follow the tails of cows (tilling the land), become content with agriculture and abandoned Jihad, Allah will send on you disgrace that He will not remove until, you return to your religion.)"

Commentary

This verse of Surah At-Taubah was revealed essentially about people who did not migrate from Makkah at the time migration was made obligatory for them. Their love for family and property had stopped them from carrying out their obligation to migrate. In their case, Allah Almighty asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ to tell them what appears in the verse cited above.

As for the statement: "Wait until Allah comes with His command," Tafsir authority Mujahid has said that 'command' referred to here, means the command to carry out Jihad and conquer Makkah. The sense of the statement is that the time is near when the evil end of those who sacrifice their relationship with Allah and His Messenger for the sake of worldly bonds shall become visible to all. That is the time when Makkah shall stand conquered, those who chose to discard their appointed duty shall face disgrace and their bonds with people and things they fancied shall be of no avail to them.

Then, there is the interpretation of the famous Hasan al-Basri (رح) who has said that ` command' at this place means the command of punishment. The sense is that those who sacrificed their spiritual bonds as related to the Hereafter just for the sake of their attachment to what was blandly material and did not migrate as instructed were people who would be seized by the Divine command of punishment fairly soon. Either this punishment would come upon them right here in this mortal world, or they shall have to face the punishment of the Hereafter - which is certain. The purpose at this place is to serve a note of warning against the abandonment of the obligation of migration - but, what has been mentioned here is ` Jihad' and not Hijrah (migration), which is the next step after Hijrah. The hint embedded here is that the real thing has not happened yet. What has come up right now is no more than the initial command to migrate. There are people who did not have the courage to do even that. Ahead of them is the forthcoming command of Jihad following which they would have to surrender all worldly attachments for the sake of love for Allah and His Messenger, even stake their lives for that noble cause. And it is also possible that this may be a place where migration itself has been made to stand for Jihad - because, in reality, that too is nothing but a department of Jihad.

Finally, by saying: وَاللَّـهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ (And Allah does not lead the sinning people to the right path) at the end of the verse, it was made amply clear that those who, despite the standing command of migration, opted for their temporal relationships and kept clinging to their family, relatives, wealth and property, shall soon find out that this conduct of theirs was not going to serve their purpose even in this mortal world. If they were thinking that they would keep basking in the sunshine of family, wealth and property in everlasting peace and tranquility, then, they would never realize this dream. Once the command of Jihad comes, these very attractions will turn into burdens too cumbersome to go along with - because, Allah Ta` ala does not allow the sinning and the disobedient to achieve their desired objective.

Standing Rules of Hijrah (migration)

1\. First of all, when Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah was made obligatory, it was not simply a matter of obligation, in fact, it was also a hallmark and a symbol of being a Muslim. Anyone who did not migrate at that time, despite having the ability to do so, was not taken to be a Muslim. This injunction was abrogated after the Conquest of Makkah.

2\. After that, the basic injunction which remained operative was: Should there be a land where it is not possible for one to comply with his or her religious obligations, such as praying and fasting in accordance with the injunctions of Allah, migrating from there shall remain a matter of duty (fard) for ever - on condition that one is capable of un-dertaking such migration. This is the first degree of compliance.

3\. Compliance in the second degree is that one should leave every such place where sin and disobedience have a dominant role in life. This act remains recommended (mustahabb) forever. (see details in Fath al-Bari)

It will be noticed that the address in the verse under study is direct. Those being addressed are people who did not migrate when they were asked to do so because they cared more about their worldly bonds. But, the generality of the words of the verse is telling all Muslims that their love for Allah and His Messenger is obligatory on them in a special degree. That degree is the highest, the foremost. This degree requires that no other bond or love for anything or anyone should ever prevail over it. So, whoever fails to come up with this level of love becomes deserving of punishment from Allah. Let him, then, wait for it.

The Touchstone of True Faith ('Iman)

Therefore, it has been reported in an authentic Hadith narrated by Sayyidna Anas ibn Malik ؓ which appears in the two collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: No one can be a true believer until I become to him dearer than his father, children and everyone else in this world.

According to a Hadith from Sayyidna Abu Umamah ؓ appearing in Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said: Anyone who takes a friend or makes an enemy for the sake of Allah or spends his wealth or withholds it for the sake of Allah has made his faith perfect.

These narrations from Hadith prove that perfection of faith depends on the dominance of the love for the Holy Prophet ﷺ over all other kinds of love, friendship and enmity, concession and reservation - all of which must remain subservient to the will and command of Allah and His Messenger.

Tafsir authority, Qadi al-Baidawi and other commentators have said that there are very few people who could be considered exempt from the warning given in this verse. The reason is that even the greatest among those who practice and teach religious percepts and virtues seem to be subdued by their love for family and belongings - of course, with the exception of those Allah wills to be otherwise. However, Qadi al-Baidawi explains further by saying that ` love' here means love that is within one's control. It has nothing to do with love which one does not control, that which is natural - because Allah Ta` a1a does not obligate anyone beyond one's capacity and control. Therefore, a person may have his heart full of natural love for worldly bonds but he should not let it overpower him to the limit that he starts acting against the will and command of Allah and His Messenger If so, this warning will not apply to him and he will be taken as one who keeps his love for Allah and His Messenger above everything. This is very much like the case of a patient who gets nervous about an unpleasant medicine or unexpected surgery. This is natural. But, he does agree to it rationally since it is for his own good. If so, it is not blameworthy. Then, commonsense never forces him to get rid of his natural nervousness and dislike. Similarly, if someone feels naturally uncomfortable while complying with some Divine injunctions due to his love for wealth and children, yet bears by the discomfort and carries those in-junctions out, then, that is not blameworthy either. In fact, it is praise-worthy for he would be regarded as one who keeps his love for Allah and His Messenger on top of everything in the light of this verse.

Nevertheless, as for the high station of love is concerned, there is no doubt about the ideal that love must come to prevail over one's nature as well and go on to turn every discomfort welcome while complying with what your beloved would like you to do. This is not so difficult to comprehend. Think of the seekers of material comfort in this world. Day in and day out, they would embrace the hardest conceivable labor with a smile to get what they want. For a salary check at the end of the month, one would sacrifice sleep, comfort and social relationships. Honestly or dishonestly, such a seeker would let his desire dominate everything else to achieve his goal.

Moving away from the seekers of the material, let us consider the charisma of the People of Allah. When they seek Allah and His Messenger and the blessings of the-life-to-come, they too reach a station of love which pales out any thoughts of pain and discomfort. According to a Hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: There are three traits which, if found in a person, would bless him or her with the sweetness of faith. Those three traits are: (1) That Allah and His Messenger are, in his sight, dearer than anything other than them, (2) that one loves a servant of Allah for His sake only, (3) and that the very thought of Kufr and Shirk gives one the feeling of being thrown away into the fire.

The ` sweetness of faith' mentioned in the Hadith quoted above means this very station of love that makes the hardest possible labor most welcome for the true seeker. Love has its own chemistry of turning the sour into the sweet. Some Muslim scholars have pointed out that a heart when enriched with the sweetness of faith starts passing it on to other parts of the body which begin to relish it during acts of worship and obedience. In some reports, the same thing has been equated with the ecstasy of faith - and in Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: The delight of my eyes is in Salah.

Qadi Thana'ullah of Panipat has said in Tafsir Mazhari: This station of love for Allah and His Messenger is a great blessing - but, it can be acquired only when one stays close to the People of Allah. It is for this reason that Muslim mystics consider it necessary that it be sought with Shaykhs. The author of Ruh al-Bayan has said that this station of friendship can be acquired by the one who is ready to sacrifice, like Sayyidna Ibrahim Khalilullah, (علیہ السلام) everything for the love of Allah - wealth, children, life, everything.

Finally, says commentator al-Baidawi: The preservation and protection of the Sunnah and Shari’ ah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the rebuttal of and the defense against those who oppose or malign them is also an open sign of love for Allah and His Messenger.

رَزَقنَا اللہ تعالیٰ و جمیع المسلمین حُبِّہِ و حُبّ رَسُولِہِ کمَا یُحِب و یَرضَاہ

May Allah bless us and bless all Muslims with love for Him and the love for His Messenger.

For human beings, their families, their wealth and their economic interests have the greatest value. They consider these things the most important. They prefer these things to all other things and sacrifice their all for them. This sort of life is of the worldly type, and whatever the worldly person receives, he receives only in this world. There is nothing for him in the eternal life after death. As opposed to this, the other type of life is that in which a man gives the greatest importance to God, His Prophet and to efforts for the cause of God and, for the sake of these things, he is ready to leave everything else. It is the latter which is the God-worshipping life and for God’s worshippers, the doors of paradise will remain eternally open in the Hereafter. The first sort of life is based on worldly connections and worldly interests. The second is based on Faith. Whatever a man chooses to adopt as the basis of his life, it is always at the cost of having to leave all other things for its sake; he has to develop relations with some people and break off relations with others. Certain losses are absolutely unbearable to him and at the risk of his life and at the cost of the greater part of his wealth, he tries to avert them, but as regards certain other losses, he is not perturbed by their occurrence. Those who invest their all in worldly affairs, achieve worldly success. Similarly, the Hereafter will be the achievement of those who sacrifice everything else for its sake. Giving up a materially advantageous thing in favour of something apparently less advantageous is a serious matter. So much so that a man’s belief or disbelief comes to be determined on that basis. Just as in this world of God, open infidels are not destined to succeed, similarly there is no possibility of success for those who make tall claims of faith, but when faced with a critical situation, give preference to the world-oriented way. If such claimants of faith have any misconceptions about themselves, they will come to know of their fate at the time God pronounces His verdict.