Sūrah al-Tawbah

A declaration of acquittal is made from God and His Messenger for the Idolaters with whom you had made agreements. So, [O Idolaters of Arabia!] walk about now in the land for four more months and know that you cannot defeat God and that God shall certainly humiliate those who deny [His prophet]. [Then when the time of ḥajj arrives,] in order to communicate to all the people [of this land], a general declaration should also be made from God and His Messenger on the day of the great ḥajj that God is free from obligations to these Idolaters and so is His Messenger. Now, if you people repent, it is better for you, and if you turn away, bear in mind that you cannot escape from God. [O Prophet!] Give tidings of a painful torment to these disbelievers. Those Idolaters however are an exception from this declaration of acquittal with whom you have a treaty and who did not leave any stone unturned in honouring it and did not support anyone against you. So, honour their treaties to the end of their terms because God likes those who abstain from breaking promises. After this [declaration on the day of the great ḥajj] when the sacred months have passed, kill these Idolaters wherever you find them, and for this purpose capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush. Then if they repent and are diligent in the prayer, and pay zakāh, leave them alone. Surely, God is Merciful, Ever-Forgiving. And if [in this period of respite] any of these Idolaters seeks asylum from you [because he wants to hear out your message] grant him asylum until he is able to hear the word of God. Then take him to his place of safety. This is because these are a people who do not know the words of God much.¹²

How can a treaty remain with these Idolaters in the sight of God and His Messenger? Yes, those who had made a treaty with you [in Ḥudaybiyah] near the Sacred Mosque; so, as long as they remain straight with you, you also remain straight with them because God likes those who abstain from breaking promises – how can it remain when if at some instance they overpower you, they neither give regard to any familial ties nor any treaty with you? They want to please you through words of their mouth but their hearts are denying and most of them do not keep their promises. They accepted a paltry price in exchange for God’s revelations; then they have withdrawn from His path. Surely, very evil is what they are doing. In the matter of a Muslim, they neither have regard for familial ties nor any promise, and they are the ones who commit excesses. So, if they repent, are diligent in the prayer and pay zakāh, they are your brethren in religion. We are explaining Our revelations for those who want to know. And if even after this treaty they have made, they go back on their word and find blame in your religion, then fight also these leaders of disbelief. Their words and promises are baseless. [Soon or late, they will break their promise;] hence, fight them so that they abstain from disbelief and polytheism.

[Believers!] Will you still not fight those who have broken their promises and [before this] have had the audacity to expel the messenger [from his city], and it is they who have taken the initiative in waging war with you. Do you fear them? So, God is more worthy that you fear Him, if you really are believers. Fight them; God will punish them through your hands and will humiliate them and will grant you dominance through His help and will soothe the hearts of one group of the believers [through this] and eliminate the sorrow and anger of their hearts and [from among these disbelievers] also grant whomsoever He wills the urge to repent. God is All-Knowing, Wise.³

Do you think that you will be left like this even though God has still not known as yet those among you who waged jihād and did not befriend anyone except God, His Messenger and his followers? [Remember that] whatever you are doing is fully in the knowledge of God. [You regard them to be the custodians of the House of God and on this basis have sympathy for them? In reality,] these Idolaters do not have the right to manage the mosques of God even though they are witness to their own disbelief. It is they all of whose deeds have gone waste and shall abide forever in Hell. Only those people should manage God’s mosques who believe in God and the last day, are diligent in the prayer, pay zakāh and do not fear anyone except God. So, it is hoped that it is these people who shall succeed. Have you equated providing water to the pilgrims and managing the mosque to those who professed faith in God and the Last Day and who have waged jihād for the cause of God? The two cannot be equal in the sight of God. In reality, [these custodians of the House of God have been unjust to themselves and now] God will not guide these unjust people. High is the status with God of those who professed faith, migrated and waged jihād through their persons and wealth for the cause of God and it is they who shall succeed. Their Lord gives glad tidings to them of His mercy, pleasure and orchards in which they shall have eternal favours. They shall abide in them forever and forever. There is no doubt that it is with God that lies a great reward.

Believers! Do not befriend even your fathers and your brothers if they hold disbelief dearer than belief. Those of you who befriend them shall be ones who are unjust [to their own selves]. Tell them [O Prophet]: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your family, the wealth you have earned, the trade whose loss you fear, and the homes you like – all these are dearer to you than God, His Messenger and jihād for His cause, then wait until God delivers His Judgement and [keep this in mind that] God does not guide such people who break their promises. In reality, God has helped you at many instances. In the recent past, on the day of Ḥunayn also when you were overcome with pride on your large number. Then it was of no use to you and the earth despite its vastness became narrow upon you. Then you turned on your heels and fled away. At last, God sent down His tranquillity on His Messenger and on his followers and sent His armies [to help them] which you did not see and punished those who rejected [the Messenger] and precisely this is the punishment for such rejecters. Then after this God shows His favour to whomsoever He intends and also provides him the urge to repent. God is Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.⁴

Believers! These Idolaters are absolutely impure. So, they must not even come near the Sacred Mosque after this year of theirs and if [as a consequence] you fear poverty, [rest assured,] if God wills, He shall soon make you rich through His grace. Undoubtedly, God is All-Knowing and All-Wise.⁵

[Besides these Idolaters,] fight those from among the People of the Book also who believe not in God or the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by God and His Messenger, nor adopt the religion of truth as their own religion; [fight them] until they pay the jizyah from their hands and live a life of submission.

[Their religion now is only that] the Jews say that Uzayr is the son of God and the Nazarenes say that the Messiah is the son of God. These are but words of their mouths. They are saying the same words as the disbelievers before them. The curse of God be on them. From where do they turn away? They have made their scholars and their rabbis as [their] Lord besides God and Jesus son of Mary too even though they had been asked to worship one God only. There is no god except Him. He is exalted above the partners they associate with Him. They want to extinguish this light of God with the blows of their mouths and God has decided to complete His light, however much these disbelievers may dislike it. It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth so that he may make it sovereign over all religions [of this land], however much the Idolaters too may detest this.

Believers! Most among these scholars and rabbis are those who devour the wealth of people through illegal means and stop [people] from the path of God. So, give glad tidings of a painful torment to those [among them] who are hoarding up gold and silver and do not spend it in the path of God. On the day when this gold and silver of theirs shall be heated in the fire of Hell; then their foreheads, sides, and backs will be branded with it – It is this that you had hoarded. So, taste then what you have been hoarding.

[Believers! Fight them and remember that] God ordained the months twelve in number from the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred. This is the true religion. Therefore, do not be unjust to your selves [by attacking someone] in these four months. And fight while being united [in particular] against the Idolaters the way all of them unitedly fight against you. And bear in mind that God is with those who abstain from excesses. [In reality,] changing the months is an addition to their disbelief through which these disbelievers are led into error. In some year, they convert a sacred month to an allowed one and in some year regard it to be a sacred one in order to make the one regarded sacred by God to be allowed [for themselves] by completing the count of the months regarded sacred by Him. Their foul deeds have been made fair to them. It is the verdict of God that He shall not guide such disbelievers.⁶

Believers! What is the matter with you that when it is said to you: “Go out [to wage jihād] for the cause of God,” you fall flat to the ground? Are you content with the life of this world in contrast to the Hereafter? So, [in reality,] in the Hereafter, this provision of the world will turn out to be very little. [Thus, get up;] if you do not get up, then [remember that] God will give you a painful punishment and bring some other nation in your place and you will not be able to harm God the least. God has power over everything. If you do not help the Prophet, it does not matter because God helped him at the time when these very disbelievers turned him out such that he was only the second of the two when both of them were in the cave when he was telling his companion: “Grieve not; God is with us.” At that time, God sent down His tranquillity on him and helped him with armies you could not see and He brought down the word of the disbelievers and only the word of God remained high. God is Powerful; He is very Wise.⁷

Go out whether light or heavy, and wage jihād for the cause of God with your persons and wealth. This is better for you if you know. [O Prophet!] Had the gain been immediate and the journey light, these people would have definitely followed you; but this destination became harsh for them. Now they will swear oaths by God: “If we could have come out, we definitely would have come out with you.” They are destroying themselves and God knows that they are absolute liars.

May God forgive you [O Prophet!] Why did you excuse them from this journey? You should not have done this until it would have become evident to you who the truthful are and you would have known the liars also. Those who truly believe in God and the Hereafter shall never come to you to seek exemption that they be excused to wage jihād with their persons and wealth. God knows full well those [who have genuine excuses and] those who fear Him. Only those come to you to seek exemption who do not believe in God and the Hereafter and whose hearts are afflicted with doubts; so, they are wandering about in these doubts. If they had wanted to go out, they would definitely have made some preparation but God did not like their getting up. Therefore, He stopped them and it was said: “Keep sitting with those who sit.”

[In reality,] if these people had joined you to march ahead, they would have only become the means to increase harm for you and all their struggle among you would have been to incite mischief because there are those among you also who do intently listen to them. God is fully aware of these unjust people. They have sought to work up mischief earlier as well and have been turning about matters for you until against their will the truth appeared and God’s directive manifested itself.

There are those among them also who say: “Grant me exemption and do not put me through a trial.” – Listen up! They are already passing through a trial and [now] Hell is embracing these disbelievers. If some good befalls you, they are grieved, and when some calamity befalls you, they say: [“Good that this happened.] We had already secured ourselves,” and they return joyous. Tell them: Only that shall befall us what God has ordained for us. He is our guardian and believers should trust Him alone. Tell them: What you await in our matter is nothing except one out of two virtues. But what we await for you is that either God will send His torment to you from Himself or through our hands. So wait, we also are among those who wait with you.⁸

[In order to hide their hypocrisy, they get ready to spend some amount or the other.] Tell them: Whether you spend your wealth willingly or unwillingly, it shall never be accepted from you because you are a people who break promises. If their spending is not worth accepting, then the only reason is that they have shown disbelief in God and His Messenger. And if they come for prayer, it is because of duress and if they spend, they spend out of compulsion. So, do not give any importance to their wealth and children. God now only desires to punish them in the life of this world through them, and they lose their lives such that they are disbelievers.

They repeatedly swear oaths by God to assure you that they are from among you even though they are not from among you. They are in fact a people who have fear. Had they found an abode, a cave or a place to sit in, they would have broken their string and run frantically towards it.

Among them [O Prophet] are those also who censure you [in the distribution] of charity. [These are the ones whom greed has impelled to join you.] Thus if they are given from that wealth, they remain happy and if they are not given from it, they show immediate anger. It would have been far better for them if they had remained content with what God and His Messenger had given them and said: “God is sufficient for us. God will give us a lot in future out of His grace and His Messenger also; We only want God.” [Tell them:] Charity in reality is only for the poor and the needy, and for those who are in charge of its set-up, and for those whose hearts are to be assured. Moreover, for the release of necks and to help those who have been inflicted with losses and for the way of God and for the welfare of the wayfarers. This is an obligation decreed by God and God is All-Knowing and Wise.

Among them are those also who aggrieve the Prophet [through their conversation] and say: “This person believes all that he hears.” Tell them: He intently hears what is good for you. He believes in God, trusts the believers and is mercy in entirety for those among you who have sincerely accepted faith. [Listen:] Those who are aggrieving God’s Messenger, there is a painful punishment for them. They swear in the name of God before you to please you. Yet if they are believers, God and His Messenger are more worthy that he be pleased. Do they not know that he who opposes God and His Messenger, for him is the fire of Hell where he shall abide forever? This is great humiliation.

These Hypocrites fear that a sūrah may be revealed to them which exposes to them the secrets of their hearts. Tell them: Make fun [for a little more time]. God is bound to expose what you fear. If you ask them [about this attitude of theirs], they will say: “We were only jesting and entertaining [ourselves].” Tell them: Were you jesting with God, His revelations and His Messenger? Don’t put forth lame excuses. You have renounced faith after accepting it. Even if We pardon a faction of yours, We shall definitely punish another [in this very world] because they in fact are wrongdoers.

Hypocrite men and Hypocrite women are all the same type of people. They urge evil and forbid good and withhold their hands [from all good]. They forgot God; so, God also forgot them. In reality, it is these Hypocrites who do not fulfil their promises at all. For these Hypocrite men and Hypocrite women and open disbelievers there is the warning of the Fire of Hell in which they shall abide forever. It alone is sufficient for them. The curse of God be on them. And for them is an eternal torment. [O false claimants to faith!] like the ones who lived before you. They were mightier and blessed with greater wealth and more children than you. So, they benefited from their share and you benefited from your share in the very way those before you benefited from their share and you indulged in the same debates as they did. It is these people whose deeds went waste in this world and in the Hereafter, and they are the ones who shall be the losers. Has not the news of those before them reached them – the people of Noah, the ‘Ād, the Thamūd, the nation of Abraham, the dwellers of Madyan and the inhabitants of settlements that were overturned? Their messengers brought veritable signs to them. So, it was not that God was unjust to them; they, in fact, continued to be unjust to themselves.

Believers, both men and women, they also are friends to one another. [Contrary to these Hypocrites,] they urge one another to what is good and forbid what is evil, are diligent in the prayer, pay zakāh and obey God and His Messenger. It is these people whom God will very soon bless with His mercy. There is no doubt that God is Powerful, very Wise. God has promised these believing men and believing women orchards below which rivers would flow; they shall live in them forever and [promised] pure abodes in eternal orchards. And the pleasure of God; that is the greatest of all. This alone is supreme success.

O Prophet! Wage jihād against all these disbelievers and hypocrites and be stern with them. Hell is their abode and it is a very evil abode. They swear oaths by God that they did not utter that statement whereas they have definitely uttered that statement of disbelief and in this manner are guilty of renouncing faith after embracing it. And they wanted what they have not been able to obtain. This enmity of theirs is nothing but the consequence of God and His Messenger by their grace rewarding them with riches. So, even if they now repent, it is better for them and if they show indifference, God will punish them in a painful way in this world also and in the next as well. And they will not have any supporter or helper in the land.⁹

There are those among them too who promised God: “If He blesses us with His bounty, we shall surely spend in charity and shall be among those who do virtuous deeds in abundance.” But when God gave them out of His grace, they started to show stinginess in it and turned their faces in evasion. So, as a consequence, God rooted hypocrisy in their hearts until the day they will meet Him because they went back on their promise with God and because they continued to lie. Do they not know that God is aware of their secrets and their whisperings and God knows very well everything that is hidden? They who censure those Muslims regarding charity who spend it whole-heartedly and who have only that to spend which they earn from their hard labour; so, they make fun of them. God makes fun of these who make fun and for them is a painful torment. Whether you ask forgiveness for them or not, even if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness, God is not going to forgive them. Because they have disbelieved in God and His Messenger and God does not guide such people who breach promises.

[In this journey to Tabūk,] those who had been left behind were very happy at being left behind from God and His Messenger, and they did not like that they wage jihād for the cause of God with their persons and their wealth. They told people: “Do not go out in this heat.” Say: The fire of Hell is far hot. Would that they understood! Now they should laugh less and shed more tears because of what they have been doing. So, [O Prophet!] If God takes you back to any of their groups and they seek permission from you to go out for jihād, clearly say: You shall never go out with me nor shall you fight alongside me with any enemy. You preferred to sit earlier; so, now also sit with them who were left behind.

And in future when any of them dies, never offer his funeral prayer and never stand to supplicate on his grave because they have rejected God and His Messenger and have died while breaching their promise. Do not give any importance to their wealth or children. God only intends to punish them through these in the life of this world and their souls depart in the state of disbelief. When a sūrah is revealed: “Profess faith in God the way it should be professed and wage jihād alongside His messenger,” then even those among them who are able to do so, come to you to ask for reprieve, and say: “Leave us! We shall stay with those who stay here.” They preferred to sit with those women who sit behind in houses. And as a result of this, their hearts were sealed; so, they understand nothing. The Messenger of God, however, has waged jihād with his person and his wealth and they too who accepted faith with him. And now it is they for whom there are good things [of this world and the next] and it is they who shall succeed. God has prepared for them orchards beneath which streams flow. They shall live in them forever. This alone is supreme success.

From among the Bedouin Arabs also came those who made excuses that they too be permitted [to stay behind], and who had made a false promise [to profess faith] in God and His Messenger; they sat [in their homes even without this]. Soon a painful torment will seize their disbelievers.

There is no blame, however, on those who are weak and those who are sick and on those also who do not find anything to spend while they remain well-wishers of God and His Messenger. There is no blame on such pious people. And God is Forgiving; He is Ever-Merciful. Similarly, they are also not to blame that when they come to you to make arrangements for their conveyance, you say: “I cannot arrange for your conveyance,” they return with eyes shedding tears in this sorrow that they do not have the ability to travel at their own expense. Only they are to blame who seek reprieve from you even though they are wealthy. They were satisfied to remain with those [women] who remain behind sitting [in houses] and, as a result of this, God sealed their hearts. Now they do not know anything about the fate they are heading for.

When you people return to them [after this journey], they will present before you all sorts of excuses. Say clearly to them: Do not make excuses; we shall not believe in anything you say. God has informed us of your circumstances. Now God and His Messenger will observe your deeds. Then you will be brought before Him who knows what is open and what is hidden, and He will inform you what you have been doing. On your return, they will now swear before you oaths by God that you ignore them. So, just ignore them because they are filth in entirety, and Hell is their abode because of what they used to earn. They will swear in front of you to become pleased with them. So, even if you become pleased with them, God will not be pleased with them because God will never be pleased with such people who break their promises. These Bedouin Arabs are stronger in their disbelief and hypocrisy and are only worthy that they not be aware of the bounds of what God has revealed to His Messenger. God knows everything. He is very wise.

Among these Bedouins, there are those also who regard spending in the way of God to be a penalty and wait for you a turn of fortune. Let bad fortune fall on them and God hears and knows all. And among these Bedouins, there are those also who truly believe in God and in the last day and regard what they spend and the supplications of the Messenger as a means of nearness to God. So, there is no doubt that both these are a means of nearness for them. God shall definitely admit them into His mercy. Surely, God is Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.

God was pleased with those Muhājirūn and Anṣār and they were pleased with God who took the initiative the foremost, and with those also who have befittingly followed them. God has prepared for them orchards below which streams flow. They shall abide in them forever. This alone is great success.

There are also many hypocrites among the Bedouins who live around you and among the inhabitants of Madīnah also. They have become adept in their hypocrisy. You do not know them; We know them. Soon We shall punish them twice. Then they will be pushed towards a great torment.¹⁰

[Besides these,] there are some others also who have confessed their sins. They had done varied deeds, some good and some bad. Hopefully, God will bestow His favour on them because He is Forgiving, Ever-Merciful. Accept the charity of their wealth so that you may cleanse them and purify them. And supplicate for them because your supplication will be a means of tranquillity for them. God hears and knows all. Do they not know that it is God alone Who accepts the repentance of His servants and lauds their charity and not know that God is very inclined to accepting repentance and is Merciful? And tell them: Carry out deeds; now God and His Messenger and their followers will observe your deeds. And you will soon be brought forth before Him who knows all the revealed and the concealed. Then He will inform you what you have been doing.

Similarly, there are others whose matter as yet has been deferred until the verdict of God. He will either punish them or show favour to them and accept their repentance. God knows everything. He is extremely wise.

And those who have built a mosque to harm Islam and strengthen disbelief and cause a rift between the believers and to provide an ambush for people who before this have been engaged in war with God and His Messenger [will also come] and swear oaths [after coming]: “We only intended good.” But God bears witness that they are absolute liars. Never stand in it [O Prophet!] Only that mosque is worthy that you stand in it [for worship] whose foundation from the first day was based on God-consciousness. In it are people who like to remain pure and God likes only those who are pure. Then is that person better who based the foundation of his building on God-consciousness and in pleasing Him or he who built his building on the side of a hollow precipice that is about to fall and it fell with him in Hell? God shall never guide such unjust people. This building which they have built will always be a basis of doubt in their hearts except if their hearts shatter to pieces. God knows everything; He is very wise.

In reality, those who have professed faith [by making a pledge with the Messenger], their person and wealth have been bought by God with the promise that in return He shall grant Paradise to them. They fight in the way of God, slay others and are slain. This is a true promise incumbent upon God in the Torah, in the Gospel and in the Qur’ān. And who can be truer in fulfilling his promise than God? So, rejoice on your deal that you have made with God. [Bear in mind that] this only is the greatest success. They are those who repent, worship, are grateful, who exert [for the cause of God], who kneel and prostrate [before Him], urge [people] to good and forbid [them] from evil and protect the bounds of God. It is they who are true believers and O Prophet! give glad tidings to these believers.

It is not befitting for the Prophet and his followers to pray for the forgiveness of those Idolaters [with whom an acquittal has been declared], even if they are their relatives when it has become evident to them that they are the companions of Hell. Abraham had asked for the forgiveness of his father only because of the promise he had made with his father. But when it became evident to him that he is God’s enemy, he dissociated from him. In reality, Abraham was very kind-hearted and gracious. [Remember that] this is not God’s practice that He again lead astray a nation after guiding it until He clearly inform them of what they must refrain from. Undoubtedly, God has knowledge of all things. It is God whose kingdom prevails in the heavens and the earth. Only He gives life and He alone gives death and except for God you neither have a supporter nor a helper.¹¹

God showed mercy on the Prophet and [his companions] among the Anṣār and the Muhājirūn who stood up with the Prophet in times of difficulty after it happened that the hearts of some among them had almost become inclined towards deviation. Then God looked at them with mercy. In reality, He is affectionate to them, very Merciful. In a similar manner, He looked with mercy on the three whose matter had been deferred. Until when the earth closed in upon them in spite of its vastness and they got sick of themselves and they came to know that there is no place of refuge from God except with Him; then God turned to them in mercy so that they turn to Him. Surely, it is God Who is very prone to accepting forgiveness and is Merciful.

Believers! [If you want to protect yourself from these mistakes,] fear God and be in the company of the truthful. In reality, it was not befitting for the Bedouins of Madīnah and those who lived nearby that they sit behind leaving God and His Messenger. Neither was it befitting for them to regard their own life to be dearer than his. This is because whatever thirst, fatigue and hunger they are afflicted with in the cause of God and whatever step they take to inflict sorrow on the disbelievers [of the Messenger] and injury on [his] enemy, in exchange for all these one pious deed is written for them. There is no doubt that God does not waste the reward of those who are thorough. Similarly, whatever small or large amount they spend in charity and whatever valley they traverse [for the cause of God], all is written down for them so that God can best reward them for their deeds. It was not possible that all Muslims should have come out; but why did this not happen that a few from each of their groups could come forward to obtain sound understanding of religion and warned the people of their nation [about these attitudes they had adopted] when they returned to them so that they could remain secure from God’s grasp?

Believers! [Come out now after these warnings and, as has been directed earlier,] wage war with the disbelievers around you and let them find sternness in you. And you should know that God is with those who are conscious of their limits. [Alas! How can they come out? Such is their situation that] when a sūrah is revealed, there are some among them also who ask: “Whose faith among you has it increased?” So, in reality those who have actually believed, it has increased their faith and they rejoice from it. As for those who have the ailment of hypocrisy in them, then it increased their filth with another filth and they remained disbelievers until their death. Do they not see that every year they are put through trials once or twice? Even then, they do not repent or take heed? And when a sūrah is revealed [for the preparation of a new campaign], they gaze at one another: “Is there anyone who is watching you?” Then they run away. God [in accordance with His law] has turned their hearts away because these are people who do not understand.

[O People!] There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. It weighs down heavily on him if you suffer loss. He is very desirous of your betterment, an embodiment of benevolence and ever-merciful for the believers – even then if they still turn away [O Prophet!] say: God is sufficient for me. There is no deity except Him. I have trusted Him alone and He is the Lord of the glorious throne.