Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 93 - Tafsir of Surat At-Tawbah & Tabuk ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 22nd Oct 2014
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 93 - Tafsir of Surat At-Tawbah & Tabuk ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 22nd Oct 2014
There is one incident left that happened after the return of the Prophet PBUH, and that is the death of the leader of the munafiqun Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul.
CV of Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul
Probably around one month after Tabuk, Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul felt sick and they realized he was about to die. And he requested the Prophet PBUH to visit him on his deathbed. Who is Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul? He was going to be one of the main leaders of Madinah pre Islam, and he was the senior most politician who was alive when the Prophet PBUH immigrated to Madinah (Yathrib). The other leaders had either been killed in the wars of Bu'ath, OR after the coming of the Prophet PBUH they fled within a year or two. So eventually the only senior elderly leader left is Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. He embraced Islam after the Battle of Badr as this was when the final idolaters had to leave or accept Islam. He was the last batch of people to convert. After Badr there was no choice: You either accept Islam or leave Madinah. So he accepted Islam with the last batch of converts. He didn't want to accept Islam, but he was forced to.
And he showed us his true colors at Uhud - he turned back with 1/3 of the army and abandoned the Prophet PBUH. What was his excuse? He criticized the Prophet PBUH for not listening to him i.e. "You didn't listen to me, so I'm not fighting for you." So he felt he was the leader above the Prophet PBUH, and this is kufr in and of itself. And what did he do in Ahzab? He tried to terrify the Muslims, even though he himself was genuinely terrified. And he wanted somehow to get out and make some type of treaty. So he would go around and try to scare sahaba and kept on telling them, "Can't you see how many people are here?! Aren't you terrified?", etc. So he went around trying to make the sahaba scared. What did Allah say in the Quran?
فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَـناً
"Their (the sahaba) Iman went up." [3:173] Had he actually cooperated with the Banu Qurayza or Quraysh, that would have been clear treason and he would have been executed.
After this came the big incident: the slander of Aisha RA. Right before the slander, in the incident of Banu Mustaliq, Allah revealed Surah al-Munafiqun. One of the worst things Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul did was that he publicly said, "When we return back to Madinah, the people of honor will expel the people of lowliness." He meant himself by 'the people of honor' and, astaghfirullah, meant the Prophet PBUH by 'aḏal' i.e. 'the people of lowliness.' And this type of mockery is blatant kufr. And what happened on the way back? His son, Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, who was a true believer, when he heard his father say this, he did not allow his own father to enter back into the city until Abdullah ibn Ubayy went to the Prophet PBUH and asked forgiveness.
On more than one occasion Umar RA had asked permission to execute Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul but the Prophet PBUH kept on saying, "Let him be," or sometimes, "Allah did not ask me to open up the hearts of men," or, "Let not others say Muhammad kills his own followers." So there is a PR move here that, Abdullah ibn Salul's pretending to be Muslim is LESS harmful than executing him.
And of course one of his worst crimes was starting the slander of Aisha RA. And again Allah hints at him in the Quran in Surah al-Nur. And Allah says:
وَالَّذِي تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُ مِنْهُمْ لَهُ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
"And he who took upon himself the greater portion thereof - for him is a great punishment." [24:11]
Allah uses a very harsh word to describe him. And of course there was no witnesses to testify against him, but Allah says He will take care of him in the next world with a harsh punishment. This is Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, and his entire CV is one evil after another.
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Death of Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul
When he was on his deathbed he begged the Prophet PBUH to visit him.
And it's amazing to see the psychology of the munafiqun, that at some level they believed in Allah. At another level they are too arrogant to worship him. In this they have some type of similarity with Iblis, and this is why munafiqs are worse than a normal kafir. The regular kafir doesn't know Allah or Islam or doesn't believe in it. But the munafiq knows Islam; at some level they believe in Allah yet they don't act. Indeed why does he want the Prophet PBUH to visit him? He even says, "Ask forgiveness for me" - at some level there is knowledge that Allah is his creator, yet at another level he is too arrogant to actually submit to Allah and His messenger. This is why Allah says in the Quran the munafiqun will occupy the lowest depths of Hell. That is why, when the call came to visit him, Umar RA asked, "Ya Rasulullah will you visit such an enemy of Allah?" So the Prophet PBUH said, "I hope that through him Allah will cause (many) people to embrace Islam." This shows us again Islam takes into account the overall image; the Prophet PBUH did not defend Abdullah ibn Ubayy when Umar RA said, "He is the enemy of Allah." Rather the Prophet PBUH said, "I hope by this visit to get the hearts of other men," i.e. there is a greater good. So you must weigh the good and bad and look at what is better overall for the ummah.
There are two reports: One report is Abdullah ibn Ubayy himself asked the Prophet PBUH for his shirt as a kafan. The more authentic report is that after he died his son asked the Prophet PBUH for his shirt. It could be both are valid. In any case what is clear that the Prophet PBUH actually did give his shirt; and this is an example of barakah. Further the son asked the Prophet PBUH to lead the janazah salah. So the body was brought to the masjid, and when the Prophet PBUH stood up, Umar RA held on to his lower garment and said, "Ya Rasulullah will you pray for him after he's done such and such, etc." and Umar listed a whole list of evils. And then Umar said, "And even after Allah has prohibited you for praying for them." This shows us the level of comfort Umar RA felt with the Prophet PBUH, for him to actually remind the Prophet PBUH of a verse of the Quran. This also shows us that the leader can be politely challenged. Umar RA is just saying, "I don't understand, how can you pray for him?" And the Prophet PBUH said, "Rather Allah has given me a choice and I've chosen to ask," and he quoted Surah al-Tawba verse 80. This shows us much of the Surah had been revealed already. So this verse says, "Seek forgiveness or don't seek forgiveness." So this is a choice given by Allah to the Prophet PBUH. Then Allah says, "If you were to ask 70 times, Allah won't forgive"; so the Prophet PBUH said, "If I knew 71 times would have forgiven them, I would have done that." Then the Prophet PBUH prayed, and in al-Tabari it's mentioned the Prophet PBUH himself went into the grave and helped bury this man who was such an enemy. This shows us you don't want the fire of hell for even your worst enemy. So the Prophet's PBUH mercy and tenderness was so much he even wanted ibn Ubayy to be forgiven.
Then, after this incident, Allah revealed Surah al-Tawba verse 84 in which Allah says, "Never pray for any of them who dies and never stand at their grave." Why? Because the Prophet PBUH stood at the grave of ibn Ubayy, and he made a long du'a for him as was his custom. After he did it for ibn Ubayy, then Allah said, "If a known munafiq dies you cannot pray for him." For us this verse is not applicable because we do not know who is a munafiq. But is applicable to the Prophet PBUH, plus Jibril AS had told him the names of the munafiqs as we know. After this, the Prophet PBUH was told, 'Never ever pray for these people or stand at their graves. They are kuffar.'
With this incident we conclude all the events of Tabuk.
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Surah al-Tawba
We will now discuss Surah al-Tawba, and it's a very long Surah; 2/3 of it deals with Tabuk so we cannot possibly cover all these verses. Also note the first 37 verses were revealed later on in a few months (in Dhu al-Qa'dah of the 9th year).
Why Is There No Bismillah?
Now, of course Surah al-Tawba is the only Surah which does not start with 'Bismillah...' It's also one of the last surahs to be revealed, because we are already in the 9th year of the Hijrah. There is literally one year left. So this is one of the last to be revealed. Why is there no Bismillah? There are two opinions narrated from the sahaba:
1. First is a hadith in Sunan Tirmidhi, that Uthman ibn Affan, the compiler of the mus'haf was asked, "O Amir al-Mu'minin, why is there no Bismillah and why did you put al-Tawba in its place (i.e. after Anfal, when it's early Madinah, and Tawba is late Madinah)"? So Uthman said, "al-Tawba was one of the last revealed; and the matter was unclear to us where it should go. Therefore we put it with Anfal because the content is the same. And we did not put a 'Bismillah' not knowing if the two are connected or not." Because of this some of the tabi'un actually said Tawba and Anfal are one surah. Remember the sahaba did not write the names of the Surah inside the mus'haf, nor did they write the ayah numbers. Therefore some of the tabi'un understood Tawba and Anfal are one surah, so there are reports there are 113 surahs in the Quran - not because a Surah is missing, but because they've joined Anfal and Tawba. This is reported by Qatada, the student of ibn Abbas. But this is a position hardly anyone else agreed with; the bulk of the ummah, and what has become the ijma, is that Anfal and Tawba are two separate surahs.
This also raises the question of who did the ordering of the surahs? It appears it was the sahaba. The ordering of the verses everyone agrees the Prophet PBUH did that. There is a famous German orientalist, Angelika Neuwirth, and her specialty is the Quran and the harmony and structure of the Quran. And she actually has some very unique research of analyzing the melody and rhyme of the surahs. And she's shown there is an internal structure of rhyme and harmony. The point is, the arrangement of the verses are from Allah; but the arrangement of the surahs is something that has been controversial. Allah knows best but it appears to be the sahaba who did this. The evidence for this is that every sahabi who had his own Quran arranged the surahs differently. But once Uthman standardized it, then it became binding on us to follow the set arrangement to respect the ijma' of Uthman's compilation.
2. This leads to the second opinion narrated from Ali RA. He was asked by one of his sons, "Why is there no Bismillah?" And Ali RA said, "This is a Surah wherein Allah cuts off his ties with the pagans; it is not befitting he begins it with mercy." The very first line, "Bara..." means to completely cut off. So it is not befitting. And the rest of the Surah is very harsh, so again it's not befitting the Surah begins with mercy.
Tafsir
As we said the first 37 verses were revealed later right before the Hajj. Let us move to verse 38 which deals with Tabuk.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ۚ أَرَضِيتُم بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ ۚ فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ
38. O you who have believed, what is [the matter] with you that, when you are told to go forth in the cause of Allah, you adhere heavily to the earth? Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the Hereafter except a [very] little.
Here begins the severe warning to go forth. And these verses are very powerful verses of Jihad, but they need to be put in the correct contexts. It is un-Islamic for any Muslim to take this verse and apply it to his particular cause. Allah is referring to the Battle of Tabuk; to take it and apply to oneself is dangerous.
إِلَّا تَنفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا وَيَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُّوهُ شَيْئًا ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
39. If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment and will replace you with another people, and you will not harm Him at all. And Allah is over all things competent.
Here is a very explicit reference that the Battle of Tabuk was simply a command and test from Allah. There is no legitimate reason i.e. threat or danger as to why the Prophet PBUH went up north, but the reason is most likely a test to raise the bar.
إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا ۖ فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلَىٰ ۗ وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
40. If you do not aid the Prophet - Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us." And Allah sent down his tranquility upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah - that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
So Allah is referencing the Hijrah - and this is the verse that explicitly affirms Abu Bakr RA is a true sahabi. Anyone who denies that Abu Bakr is a sahabi has contradicted the Quran, and therefore is not a part of Islam.
انفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
41. Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah . That is better for you, if you only knew.
This is the most powerful verse about Tabuk. Allah is saying to GO regardless of whatever your state is. This shows us Tabuk was fard ayn - once again the wisdom is to demonstrate who is the real believer to prepare them for the battles to take place within a year of the death of the Prophet PBUH.
لَوْ كَانَ عَرَضًا قَرِيبًا وَسَفَرًا قَاصِدًا لَّاتَّبَعُوكَ وَلَٰكِن بَعُدَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الشُّقَّةُ ۚ وَسَيَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَوِ اسْتَطَعْنَا لَخَرَجْنَا مَعَكُمْ يُهْلِكُونَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ
42. Had it been an easy gain and a moderate trip, the hypocrites would have followed you, but distant to them was the journey. And they will swear by Allah, "If we were able, we would have gone forth with you," destroying themselves [through false oaths], and Allah knows that indeed they are liars.
Here begins the tirade, criticisms of the munafiqun. That Allah exposes them as liars.
عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنكَ لِمَ أَذِنتَ لَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَتَعْلَمَ الْكَاذِبِينَ
43. May Allah pardon you, [O Muhammad]; why did you give them permission [to remain behind]? [You should not have] until it was evident to you who were truthful and you knew [who were] the liars.
This is a beautiful verse in the Quran in that Allah mildly rebukes the Prophet PBUH but before He does He says first that, "Allah has forgiven you, BUT why did you...." This is a reference to when the Prophet PBUH accepted any and all excuses from the munafiqun that, "I'm not well" or, "My family is.." and whatever excuse was given, the Prophet PBUH accepted. So Allah says to the Prophet PBUH he should not have accepted the excuses.
لَا يَسْتَأْذِنُكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ أَن يُجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالْمُتَّقِينَ
44. Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day would not ask permission of you to be excused from striving with their wealth and their lives. And Allah is Knowing of those who fear Him.
How does this verse apply to us? Think about how many excuses we make when it comes to salah, Quran, praying in the masjid, etc. Those with Iman do not give excuses.
إِنَّمَا يَسْتَأْذِنُكَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَارْتَابَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ فَهُمْ فِي رَيْبِهِمْ يَتَرَدَّدُونَ
45. Only those would ask permission of you who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day and whose hearts have doubted, and they, in their doubt, are hesitating.
Here the Prophet PBUH is being told to look at the preparations of those who have given an excuse. They haven't done anything to take measures to go forth in battle. They haven't prepared at all.
وَلَوْ أَرَادُوا الْخُرُوجَ لَأَعَدُّوا لَهُ عُدَّةً وَلَٰكِن كَرِهَ اللَّهُ انبِعَاثَهُمْ فَثَبَّطَهُمْ وَقِيلَ اقْعُدُوا مَعَ الْقَاعِدِينَ
46. And if they had intended to go forth, they would have prepared for it [some] preparation. But Allah disliked their being sent, so He kept them back, and they were told, "Remain [behind] with those who remain."
لَوْ خَرَجُوا فِيكُم مَّا زَادُوكُمْ إِلَّا خَبَالًا وَلَأَوْضَعُوا خِلَالَكُمْ يَبْغُونَكُمُ الْفِتْنَةَ وَفِيكُمْ سَمَّاعُونَ لَهُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمِينَ
47. Had they gone forth with you, they would not have increased you except in confusion, and they would have been active among you, seeking [to cause] you fitna. And among you are avid listeners to them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers.
This is a very powerful verse - in it Allah is saying there are three types of people:
1. The fitna mongers
2. Those whose hearts will be swayed by the fitna mongers
3. Those who won't be swayed by the fitna mongers
This shows us that there are people of weak hearts. The point is when we think of the sahaba we think of Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali, etc. and yes those are the elite. But let's not forget, for every known sahabi there is at least 1000 sahabi that are not known. And the reason is because they are not on that level. So even in the time of the Prophet PBUH, people could be persuaded to do evil by the fitna mongers. So what do you think about our times? When someone comes with bad thoughts, there are those whose hearts will be swayed. So Allah is saying people who would listen to such evil things, Allah saved the sahaba by not having them in the army.
لَقَدِ ابْتَغَوُا الْفِتْنَةَ مِن قَبْلُ وَقَلَّبُوا لَكَ الْأُمُورَ حَتَّىٰ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَظَهَرَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَهُمْ كَارِهُونَ
48. They had already desired dissension before and had upset matters for you until the truth came and the ordinance of Allah appeared, while they were averse.
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ ائْذَن لِّي وَلَا تَفْتِنِّي ۚ أَلَا فِي الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُوا ۗ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ
49. And among them is he who says, "Permit me [to remain at home] and do not put me to trial." Unquestionably, into trial they have fallen. And indeed, Hell will encompass the disbelievers.
The reference for this verse is for that person who said he can't go because the Roman women would be too much temptation. The most flimsiest of excuses. You are fighting jihad on a battlefield - if you see a woman from miles away what will happen? Yet this is one of the excuses a munafiq gave. So this is what Allah is referencing and He is mocking them.
إِن تُصِبْكَ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْكَ مُصِيبَةٌ يَقُولُوا قَدْ أَخَذْنَا أَمْرَنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَيَتَوَلَّوا وَّهُمْ فَرِحُونَ
50. If good befalls you, it distresses them; but if disaster strikes you, they say, "We took our matter [in hand] before," and turn away while they are rejoicing.
So if good happens they are angry, but if a disaster falls they are happy and will say, "You should have listened to us." This shows us if a Muslim is happy when Islam is smeared then he has no Iman. But if a Muslim feels pain when Islam is smeared this is a sign of Iman. This ayat proves this.
قُل لَّن يُصِيبَنَا إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوْلَانَا ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
51. Say, "Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector." And upon Allah let the believers rely.
This is one of the most powerful and beautiful verses in the Surah.
قُلْ هَلْ تَرَبَّصُونَ بِنَا إِلَّا إِحْدَى الْحُسْنَيَيْنِ ۖ وَنَحْنُ نَتَرَبَّصُ بِكُمْ أَن يُصِيبَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابٍ مِّنْ عِندِهِ أَوْ بِأَيْدِينَا ۖ فَتَرَبَّصُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُم مُّتَرَبِّصُونَ
52. Say, "Do you await for us except one of the two best things while we await for you that Allah will afflict you with punishment from Himself or at our hands? So wait; indeed we, along with you, are waiting."
So Allah is saying the sahaba are winners in every situation: If they win they win, if they die they go to Jannah.
وَيَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُمْ لَمِنكُمْ وَمَا هُم مِّنكُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَفْرَقُونَ
56. And they swear by Allah that they are from among you while they are not from among you; but they are a people who are afraid.
لَوْ يَجِدُونَ مَلْجَأً أَوْ مَغَارَاتٍ أَوْ مُدَّخَلًا لَّوَلَّوْا إِلَيْهِ وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ
57. If they could find a refuge or some caves or any place to enter [and hide], they would turn to it while they run heedlessly.
Allah repeats this in Surah al-Hashr.
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَلْمِزُكَ فِي الصَّدَقَاتِ فَإِنْ أُعْطُوا مِنْهَا رَضُوا وَإِن لَّمْ يُعْطَوْا مِنْهَا إِذَا هُمْ يَسْخَطُونَ
58. And among them are some who criticize you concerning the [distribution of] charities. If they are given from them, they approve; but if they are not given from them, at once they become angry.
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَضُوا مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللَّهِ رَاغِبُونَ
59. If only they had been satisfied with what Allah and His Messenger gave them and said, "Sufficient for us is Allah; Allah will give us of His bounty, and [so will] His Messenger; indeed, we are desirous toward Allah," [it would have been better for them].
This is a reference not to the Battle of Tabuk, but the Battle of Hunayn which took place after the conquest of Makkah. When the Bedouin leader went up to the Prophet PBUH and said, "Give me money." The leader of the neo-kharijites; and he was also a munafiq because he outwardly said he's a Muslim.
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
60. Zakat expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakat] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah . And Allah is Knowing and Wise.
Allah here discusses the eight categories of zakat and this is the primary verse in the Quran regarding zakat.
وَمِنْهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيَّ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ ۚ قُلْ أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَّكُمْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
61. And among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, "He is an ear (He listens to everything)." Say, "[It is] an ear of goodness for you that believes in Allah and believes the believers and [is] a mercy to those who believe among you." And those who abuse the Messenger of Allah - for them is a painful punishment.
Here we find the munafiqun are making fun of the Prophet PBUH for being too lenient, for listening to the sahaba who are complaining about them. So Allah reverses it back and says, "The fact that the Prophet PBUH only listens it is better for you; if he were to act with you the way you deserve you would not be alive anymore." So one of the points here is that the sahaba are complaining to the Prophet PBUH about the munafiqun, and the fact that the Prophet PBUH is just listening and not doing anything it's better. Also the fact that the Prophet PBUH believes the sahaba - it's a mercy for them. Further, we have clearly respect for the Prophet PBUH which comes from Iman. So anyone who harms or makes fun of the Prophet PBUH is not a Muslim. It is impossible for a Muslim to ridicule, mock or joke about the Prophet PBUH.
يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَكُمْ لِيُرْضُوكُمْ وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَقُّ أَن يُرْضُوهُ إِن كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ
62. They swear by Allah to you [Muslims] to satisfy you. But Allah and His Messenger are more worthy for them to satisfy, if they should be believers.
أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ مَن يُحَادِدِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَأَنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا فِيهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ
63. Do they not know that whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger - that for him is the fire of Hell, wherein he will abide eternally? That is the great disgrace.
يَحْذَرُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ أَن تُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُورَةٌ تُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ قُلِ اسْتَهْزِئُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُخْرِجٌ مَّا تَحْذَرُونَ
64. They hypocrites are apprehensive lest a Surah be revealed about them, informing them of what is in their hearts. Say, "Mock [as you wish]; indeed, Allah will expose that which you fear."
So this verse shows the hypocrites at some level believe in Allah. Imagine what type of Iman this is: The munafiq know Allah knows what is in their hearts, and they are worried a Surah will come down to expose them. The eloquence in the Quran is that Allah describes that fear in their hearts; He exposes them by exposing their FEAR of being exposed. Subhan'Allah.
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّمَا كُنَّا نَخُوضُ وَنَلْعَبُ ۚ قُلْ أَبِاللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ وَرَسُولِهِ كُنتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
65. And if you ask them, they will surely say, "We were only conversing and playing." Say, "Is it Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?"
لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا قَدْ كَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ ۚ إِن نَّعْفُ عَن طَائِفَةٍ مِّنكُمْ نُعَذِّبْ طَائِفَةً بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا مُجْرِمِينَ
66. Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you - We will punish another faction because they were criminals.
This is a reference to the multiple jokes that took place on the way back from Tabuk against the Prophet PBUH. The next verses Allah threatens them.
يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ مَا قَالُوا وَلَقَدْ قَالُوا كَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ وَكَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِسْلَامِهِمْ وَهَمُّوا بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُوا ۚ وَمَا نَقَمُوا إِلَّا أَنْ أَغْنَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ ۚ فَإِن يَتُوبُوا يَكُ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَتَوَلَّوْا يُعَذِّبْهُمُ اللَّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۚ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ
74. They swear by Allah that they did not say [anything against the Prophet], while they had said the word of disbelief and disbelieved after their [pretense of] Islam and planned that which they were not to attain. And they were not resentful except [for the fact] that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His bounty. So if they repent, it is better for them; but if they turn away, Allah will punish them with a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And there will not be for them on earth any protector or helper.
Another claim said on the way back from Tabuk is that one of the munafiqs said, "If Islam is true this means we are more misguided than donkeys" i.e. 'what a stupid religion.' When the news reached that this is what they said, they swore by Allah they didn't say it. So Allah revealed the above verse (74) exposing their lies. The planning 'that which they could not attain' is a reference to the attempted assassination on the Prophet PBUH according to most of the books of tafsir.
وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِن فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
75. And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah, [saying], "If He should give us from His bounty, we will surely spend in charity, and we will surely be among the righteous."
فَلَمَّا آتَاهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ بَخِلُوا بِهِ وَتَوَلَّوا وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ
76. But when he gave them from His bounty, they were stingy with it and turned away while they refused.
Now this verse is famously attributed to a sahabi who begged the Prophet PBUH for more money, and the Prophet PBUH kept on saying, "Don't ask for more money it's a fitna," but he insisted. So the Prophet PBUH made du'a, and the sahabi became rich. When the zakat collectors came, he was stingy and basically turned away. The story is famous and the sahabi's name is mentioned - but it is problematic on many accounts. Even in the story, the sahabi repents and the Prophet PBUH refuses to accept his repentance. This is simply unheard-of in the seerah; and it goes against the Quran. The story has a weakness in its chain, so most likely it isn't true. When the story contradicts something clearly authentic i.e. Allah can forgive if you ask, and according to the story the sahabi came wanting to be forgiven but the Prophet PBUH said, "I'll never forgive you" - that doesn't make sense.
So what does this verse apply to? It doesn't apply to the sahabi, rather to some of the hypocrites. Some of them wanted to be rich and they said, "If we become rich we will be generous." But after being rich they became stingy so they lied to Allah and His messenger resulting in their hypocrisy.
الَّذِينَ يَلْمِزُونَ الْمُطَّوِّعِينَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي الصَّدَقَاتِ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ إِلَّا جُهْدَهُمْ فَيَسْخَرُونَ مِنْهُمْ ۙ سَخِرَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
79. Those who criticize the contributors among the believers concerning [their] charities and [criticize] the ones who find nothing [to spend] except their effort, so they ridicule them - Allah will ridicule them, and they will have a painful punishment.
This is a reference to the sahabi who couldn't afford anything so he spent the whole night drawing water from a well to earn some dates. And he came and gave half a handful - upon this the munafiqun mocked him saying, "What does Allah need from half a handful of dates?"
اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لَا تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً فَلَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ
80. Ask forgiveness for them, [O Muhammad], or do not ask forgiveness for them. If you should ask forgiveness for them seventy times - never will Allah forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.
We discussed this verse previously regarding the choice of seeking forgiveness the Prophet PBUH had.
فَرِحَ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ بِمَقْعَدِهِمْ خِلَافَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَكَرِهُوا أَن يُجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَالُوا لَا تَنفِرُوا فِي الْحَرِّ ۗ قُلْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ أَشَدُّ حَرًّا ۚ لَّوْ كَانُوا يَفْقَهُونَ
81. Those who remained behind rejoiced in their staying [at home] after [the departure of] the Messenger of Allah and disliked to strive with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah and said, 'Do not go forth in the heat." Say, "The fire of Hell is more intensive in heat" - if they would but understand.
In this verse the Prophet PBUH is commanded it is haram to allow the hypocrites to go forth in a battle after Tabuk. But Tabuk was the last battle, yet verse 83 says:
فَإِن رَّجَعَكَ اللَّهُ إِلَىٰ طَائِفَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسْتَأْذَنُوكَ لِلْخُرُوجِ فَقُل لَّن تَخْرُجُوا مَعِيَ أَبَدًا وَلَن تُقَاتِلُوا مَعِيَ عَدُوًّا ۖ إِنَّكُمْ رَضِيتُم بِالْقُعُودِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ فَاقْعُدُوا مَعَ الْخَالِفِينَ
83. If Allah should return you to a faction of them [after the expedition] and then they ask your permission to go out [to battle], say, "You will not go out with me, ever, and you will never fight with me an enemy. Indeed, you were satisfied with sitting [at home] the first time, so sit [now] with those who stay behind."
So why is Allah saying this? To humiliate them - even if they want to go, they will not get the honor.
وَلَا تُصَلِّ عَلَىٰ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُم مَّاتَ أَبَدًا وَلَا تَقُمْ عَلَىٰ قَبْرِهِ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
84. And do not pray [the funeral prayer, O Muhammad], over any of them who has died - ever - or stand at his grave. Indeed, they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger and died while they were defiantly disobedient.
This verse is a reference to Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul and the Prophet PBUH was commanded after this to never pray for a hypocrite or do his janazah.
يَعْتَذِرُونَ إِلَيْكُمْ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ قُل لَّا تَعْتَذِرُوا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكُمْ قَدْ نَبَّأَنَا اللَّهُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِكُمْ ۚ وَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
94. They will make excuses to you when you have returned to them. Say, "Make no excuse - never will we believe you. Allah has already informed us of your news. And Allah will observe your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger; then you will be taken back to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do."
This is a reference to the morning the Prophet PBUH came back from Tabuk and there was a long line of munafiqs ready to give their excuses. So Allah revealed this verse after the Prophet PBUH accepted all their excuses.
سَيَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَكُمْ إِذَا انقَلَبْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ لِتُعْرِضُوا عَنْهُمْ ۖ فَأَعْرِضُوا عَنْهُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ رِجْسٌ ۖ وَمَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
95. They will swear by Allah to you when you return to them that you would leave them alone. So leave them alone; indeed they are evil; and their refuge is Hell as recompense for what they had been earning.
الْأَعْرَابُ أَشَدُّ كُفْرًا وَنِفَاقًا وَأَجْدَرُ أَلَّا يَعْلَمُوا حُدُودَ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
97. The Bedouins are stronger in disbelief and hypocrisy and more likely not to know the limits of what [laws] Allah has revealed to His Messenger. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.
Then Allah mentions the Bedouins and Allah criticizes them by saying most of these outside converts, as of yet Iman has not entered into their hearts. And they are hypocrites, but not all of them:
وَمِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَيَتَّخِذُ مَا يُنفِقُ قُرُبَاتٍ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَصَلَوَاتِ الرَّسُولِ ۚ أَلَا إِنَّهَا قُرْبَةٌ لَّهُمْ ۚ سَيُدْخِلُهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
99. But among the Bedouins are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day and consider what they spend as means of nearness to Allah and of [obtaining] invocations of the Messenger. Unquestionably, it is a means of nearness for them. Allah will admit them to His mercy. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
In verse 100 Allah praises the Ansar and Muhajirun.
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
100. And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.
وَآخَرُونَ اعْتَرَفُوا بِذُنُوبِهِمْ خَلَطُوا عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَآخَرَ سَيِّئًا عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
102. And [there are] others who have acknowledged their sins. They had mixed a righteous deed with another that was bad. Perhaps Allah will turn to them in forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
This verse is reference to Ka'b ibn Malik and his companions who admitted they were guilty. They had good deeds i.e. they participated in Badr, Uhud, etc. but they committed this mistake so they mixed good with evil.
وَآخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِمَّا يُعَذِّبُهُمْ وَإِمَّا يَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
106. And [there are] others deferred until the command of Allah - whether He will punish them or whether He will forgive them. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.
This verse is an implicit command to boycott Ka'b and the other two sahabi who didn't go.
Verse 107-110 deals with Masjid al-Dirar which we discussed. Verses 117-118 are about the forgiveness of the 3 sahaba who stayed behind.
لَّقَد تَّابَ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِّنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
117. Allah has already forgiven the Prophet and the Muhajirun and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of difficulty after the hearts of a party of them had almost inclined [to doubt], and then He forgave them. Indeed, He was to them Kind and Merciful.
In this verse, Allah begins by saying He has already forgiven the Muhajirun and Ansar who followed the Prophet PBUH during Tabuk.
وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّوا أَن لَّا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
118. And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind [and regretted their error] to the point that the earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness and their souls confined them and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.
Here Allah says the remaining three are forgiven too.
Then Allah concludes by talking about those who people who weren't able to go - but still they get the reward of those who went because of their intention. And then Allah concludes the Surah by reminding of the dangers of the hypocrites. And then the concluding two verses:
لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
128. There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.
فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ
129. But if they turn away, [O Muhammad], say, "Sufficient for me is Allah; there is no deity except Him. On Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne."
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Recall we are in the 9th year of the Hijrah, in Dhu al-Qa'dah. The next incident will be the Hajj of Abu Bakr; then one or two years of delegations and then it's the Hajj of the Prophet PBUH. The bulk of the Quran has been revealed already - the laws of Islam are pretty much finalized, and Makkah has been solidified. After this, one by one in these final years every single tribe in Arabia will embrace Islam. So we have a few lessons left and we'll come to end of the seerah.