Tafsir of Surah At-Taubah - Verse 88

After Allah mentioned the sins of the hypocrites, He praised the faithful believers and described their reward in the Hereafter,

لَـكِنِ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ جَـهَدُواْ

(But the Messenger and those who believed with him strove hard and fought) until the end of these two Ayat 9:88-89. This describes the qualities, as well as, the reward of faithful believers. Allah said,

وَأُوْلَـئِكَ لَهُمُ الْخَيْرَاتُ

(Such are they for whom are the good things), in the Hereafter, in the gardens of Al-Firdaws and the high grades.

The expression: اُولُوا الطَّولِ (ulu 'at-caul: translated as ` the capable ones' ) (86) is not for particularization. Instead, it serves a purpose. It tells that there were others too, the ones not so capable. And the incapable ones had, at least, some obvious excuse to stay behind.

A hypocrite, due to his being materially minded, gathers around him many worldly effects; a crowd of supporters is also seen around him. These things greatly impress the superficial kind of person. But, for those who look into things more deeply, such showy glamour is not enviable but serves rather to teach a lesson. Such an accumulation of goods hinders the hypocrite from coming closer to God. God’s favourite servant is one who proceeds towards Him without any reservation or worldly consideration. But those who are immersed in worldly glories are unable to rise above these things. Whenever they are inclined to proceed towards God, they feel as if that would be at the cost of material gains. Since they cannot muster enough courage to undertake this sacrifice, they cannot be loyal to God. Their worldly benefits are gained at the horrible price of entering the Hereafter deprived of everything. The condition of such people is that when God’s religion asks them to forget themselves and attach themselves to God, they are unable to bury their inflated egos. When God’s religion tells them to tread a path devoid of personal glory, they lag behind, prefering to take care of their fame and popularity. When the struggle for God’s religion demands the sacrifice of life and property, their lives and property appear so valuable to them that they are unable to sacrifice them for any non-worldly goal. This attitude goes on hardening to the point where their hearts lose all sensitivity. Falling victim to insensitivity, they lose the urge which pulls them towards God and which does not allow them to reconcile with anything other than God. In contrast to this, the true believers allot the highest position to God and as such everything other than God appears worthless to them. They are always ready to move ahead towards God by undertaking every kind of sacrifice. These are the people for whom God’s graces and bounties exist. Nothing stands between them and the eternal paradise of God, save death.