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