English - Chapter 9 - At-Tawbah

A declaration of immunity from Allah and His Messenger is hereby made to those of the pagans with whom you have made a treaty

This is a public proclamation from Allah and His Messenger to the people on the day of the Great Hajj (Pilgrimage) that Allah and His Messenger do hereby dissolve treaty obligations with the pagans. Therefore, if you repent, it will be better for you but if you turn away, then you should know that you cannot frustrate the Will of Allah. O Prophet, proclaim a painful punishment to those who are unbelievers

Except (this proclamation does not apply to) those pagans who honored their treaties with you in every detail and aided none against you. So fulfill your treaties with them to the end of their term; for Allah loves the righteous

When the forbidden months (10,11,12 & 1 of the Islamic calendar) are over, then fight the pagans wherever you find them, seize them, besiege them, and lie in ambush for them in every stratagem of war, but if they repent, establish Salah and pay Zakah, then let them go their way: surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful

If anyone from the pagans ask you for asylum, grant it to him so that he may hear the Word of Allah, and then escort him to his place of safety: this should be done because these people do not know the truth

How can there be a treaty with the pagans on the part of Allah and His Messenger except for those with whom you ratified a treaty at the Masjid-al-Haram? So long as they honor it, you also honor: for Allah loves the righteous

How can you trust them? If they prevail against you, they respect neither treaty nor ties of relationship. They just flatter you with their tongues, but their hearts reject you, and most of them are transgressors

They have sold the revelations of Allah for paltry worldly gain and they have hindered others from His way; indeed evil are the deeds that they have done

They neither honor the ties of relationship nor observe the obligations of treaties with the believers; it is they who are the transgressors

However, if they repent, establish Salah and pay Zakah, then they shall be your brethren in Deen (faith and way of life based on Divine guidance): thus do We spell out Our revelations for people of understanding

But if they violate their treaty once they have sworn it and insult your Deen, then fight with the ringleaders of the unbelief - for their oaths are nothing to them - so that they may be stopped

Will you not fight against those people who have broken their oaths, conspired to expel the Messenger and were the first to attack you? Do you fear them? Nay, it is Allah Who is more deserving of your fear, if you are true believers

Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and humiliate them. He will grant you victory over them and soothe the hearts of a believing people

He will take away all rancor from their hearts. Allah shows mercy to whom He pleases, and Allah is All-Knowledgeable, All-Wise

Do you think that you will be left alone (without trial)? While Allah has not yet demonstrated which of you had exerted your utmost struggle (in the path of Allah) and did not take any intimate friends other than Allah, His Messenger and the believers? Allah is well aware of all your actions

It is not for the pagans to maintain the mosques of Allah while they bear witness against themselves about their unbelief. It is they whose deeds are in vain and in the hellfire shall they live forever

The mosques of Allah should be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish Salah (prayers), and pay Zakah (poor due) and fear none except Allah. It is they who are expected to follow the true guidance

Have you made those who provide water to the pilgrims and maintain the Masjid-al- Haram equal to those who believe in Allah, the Last Day and make Jihad? They are not equal in the sight of Allah, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoers

Those who believe, leave their homes (migrate), and make Jihad with their wealth and persons in the cause of Allah, have higher rank in the sight of Allah. It is they who will be truly successful

Their Lord gives them good news of His mercy, His good pleasure, and paradise with everlasting bliss

They will live therein forever. Surely it is Allah with Whom is the mighty reward

O believers! Do not take your fathers and your brothers as your friends if they prefer Kufr (unbelief) over Iman (belief); for those who turn away from this commandment shall be considered wrongdoers

O Prophet, tell them: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, your relatives, the wealth that you have acquired, the business in which you fear a loss, and the homes which you like are dearer to you than Allah, His Messenger, and making Jihad (struggle) in His Way, then wait until Allah brings about His decision. Allah does not guide the transgressors

Allah has indeed helped you in many battlefields and (recently) on the day of Hunain: when you were proud of your great numbers (the Muslim army was 12,000 strong and the unbelievers were only 4,000), but the numbers availed you nothing. The earth, with all its vastness, seemed to close in upon you, and you turned your backs and fled

But Allah sent down His sakeenah (peace and tranquility) upon His Messenger and the believers and sent down to your aid those forces which you could not see, and punished the unbelievers. Thus was the recompense for the unbelievers

Then after that, you also witnessed that Allah guided to repent some of them whom He wanted, for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful

O believers! Know that pagans are unclean; therefore, do not let them come near the Masjid-al-Haram after this year's pilgrimage. If you fear poverty, soon Allah - if He so wills - will enrich you out of His bounty. Allah is All-Knowledgeable, All-Wise

Fight those people of the Book (Jews and Christians) who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, do not refrain from what has been prohibited by Allah and His Messenger and do not embrace the religion of truth (Al-Islam), until they pay Jizya (protection tax) with their own hands and feel themselves subdued

The Jews say: "Uzair (Azra) is the son of Allah," and the Christians say: " Messiah (Christ) is the son of Allah." That is what they say with their mouths, imitating the sayings of the former unbelievers. May Allah destroy them! How perverted they are

They (Jews and Christians) have taken their rabbis and priests to be their Lords beside Allah and so they did with Messiah (Jesus), the son of Mary, although they were commanded to worship none but One Ilah (Allah); besides Whom there is none worthy of worship. Exalted be He above those whom they associate with Him

They desire to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths but Allah seeks to perfect His light even though the disbelievers may dislike it

It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and true Deen (faith) to make it prevail over all other deens (faiths) even though the pagans may hate it

O believers! Indeed most of the rabbis and priests misappropriate the wealth of people and hinder them from the way of Allah. To those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah, proclaim a painful punishment

The Day will surely come when their treasure will be heated up in the fire of hell, and their foreheads, sides and backs branded with it. They will be told: "This is the treasure which you hoarded. Now taste what you were hoarding

The number of months ordained by Allah is twelve in the Book of Allah since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred; that is the established principle of Deen. Therefore, do not wrong yourselves by violating them. But you may fight against the pagans in all these months if they fight against you in all of them. Know that Allah is with the righteous

Transposing a prohibited month is only an addition to unbelief, thereby the disbelievers are misguided. They make a certain month lawful one year and in another year they make the same a forbidden month, so that they make up for the months which Allah has sanctified, thus making lawful what Allah has forbidden. Their evil actions seem pleasing to them. Allah does not guide the disbelieving people

O believers! What is the matter with you that when you are asked to march forth in the way of Allah, you cling to the earth? Do you prefer the life of this world to the life of the hereafter? If it is so, then you should know that the comforts of this life are little compared to the life of the hereafter

If you do not march forth, He will inflict on you a painful punishment and replace you with other people, and you cannot harm Him at all, for Allah has power over everything

If you do not help the Prophet, it does not matter: Allah did help him when the unbelievers drove him out of his town, the second of the two, while the two were in the cave and (the enemy came to the opening of the cave) he said to his companion (Abu Bakr, later the first of the rightly- guided caliphs), "Do not worry, Allah is with us." So Allah sent down his serenity on him and strengthened him with forces which you can not see, thus, He made the word of the unbelievers lowest, while words of Allah remain supreme. Allah is All- Mighty, All-Wise

March forth whether you are equipped lightly or heavily and make Jihad in the way of Allah with your wealth and your persons. That is best for you if you understand

As for the hypocrites, if the gain would have been immediate and the journey short, they would have certainly accompanied you, but the long journey (in Tabuk expedition) was too hard for them. To justify their not accompanying you, they would even swear by Allah, "If we were able, we would certainly have marched with you." By doing so, they are destroying their own souls, for Allah knows that they are liars

Allah forgives you! But why did you (O Muhammad) give them leave to stay behind? (You yourself should have not given them leave) so that it would have become clear which of them spoke the truth and which of them invented false excuses

Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day will never ask you for exemption from fighting with their wealth and their persons. Allah is aware of those who are righteous

Only those people ask for exemption who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day and whose hearts are filled with doubt, and are wavering because of their doubts

If they had intended to march forth, they would certainly have made some preparation for it; but Allah did not like their going forth; so He made them lag behind and they were told "stay behind with those who stay behind

Had they gone with you they would have added nothing but mischief, and they would have made efforts to create disorder among your ranks, and there would have been some among you who would have listened to them. Allah knows the wrongdoers

Indeed they had plotted sedition before and created disturbance to make you unsuccessful until the truth came through and the decree of Allah prevailed, even though they disliked it

Among them there is someone (Jad-bin-Qais) who said: "Grant me exemption and do not expose me to temptation (of Roman women’s beauty)." Have they not fallen into temptation (of telling lies, double dealings and hypocrisy) already? Surely hell has encircled these disbelievers

If you gain success, it grieves them, but if you face a setback, they say "We had taken our precautionary measures," and turn away, rejoicing

O Prophet, tell them: "Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us; He is our protector;" and in Allah let the believers put their trust

Further tell them: "Can you expect for us anything other than two excellent things (victory or martyrdom)? But we are waiting for Allah to afflict you with punishment either from Himself or by our hands. So wait if you will; we too are waiting

Say: "Whether you give willingly or with reluctance, it will not be accepted from you; for you are the people who are transgressors

The reasons which prevent their contributions from being accepted are: that they disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger, that they come to offer Salah but reluctantly, and that they offer contributions but unwillingly

Let neither their wealth nor their children dazzle you: in reality Allah intends to punish them with these things in this life and that their souls may depart while they are still unbelievers

They swear by Allah that they are indeed believers like you; yet they are not of you; in fact, they are afraid to appear to you in their true colors

If they could find a place of refuge or a cave, or any hiding-place, they would certainly run to it with an obstinate rush

There are some among them who criticize you (O Muhammad) concerning the distribution of sadaqat. If they are given from it they are pleased, and if they are not given from it, lo! They are full of rage

It would have been better for them, if they had only been pleased with what Allah and His Messenger had given them and said: "Allah is all-sufficient to us! Soon Allah will give us of His bounty, and so will His Messenger. Indeed to Allah do we turn our hopes

In fact the sadaqat (Zakah) collection is for the poor, the helpless, those employed to administer the funds, those whose hearts need to be won over to the truth, ransoming the captives, helping the destitute, in the Way of Allah and for the wayfarer. That is a duty enjoined by Allah; and Allah is All-Knowledgeable, Wise

There are some people among them who molest the Prophet saying: "He is one who believes everything that he hears." Say: "It is good for you that he listens to what is best for you; he believes in Allah, has faith in the believers, and is a blessing for those of you who are true believers." As for those who molest the Messenger, will have a painful punishment

They swear to you by Allah in order to please you. But it is more fitting that they should please Allah and His Messenger if they are true believers

Don’t they know that anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger shall live forever in the fire of hell? That surely is the worst humiliation

The hypocrites are afraid lest a Surah should be sent down about them revealing to the Muslims what is in their hearts. Say: "Mock if you will, Allah will surely bring to light all that you fear

If you ask them, "what were you talking about?" They will promptly say: "We were only jesting and having fun." Say: "What, then! Were you mocking at Allah, His revelations and His Messenger

Make no excuses now: you have rejected faith after your belief; even if We may pardon some of you who were not serious in participating, We will punish others amongst you, because they are criminals

The hypocrite men and the hypocrite women, they are all alike. They enjoin what is evil, forbid what is just, and withhold their hands from doing good. They have forgotten Allah; so He has forgotten them. In fact the hypocrites are transgressors

Allah has promised the hypocrite men, the hypocrite women, and the unbelievers the fire of hell to live therein forever, a sufficient recompense. Allah has cursed them and they shall have a lasting punishment

Your behavior is just like those who have gone before you. They were mightier than you in power and more flourishing in wealth and children. They enjoyed their portion of this worldly life; thus have you enjoyed your portion as did those before you; and you have entered into vain discourses as they did. Consequently their deeds were fruitless in this world and in the Hereafter, and they are the ones who are the losers

Have they not heard the news of those who have gone before them? The people of Noah, Ad and Thamud; the people of Abraham, the men of Madyan and the cities which were overthrown. Their Messengers came to them with clear warnings; but they did not listen, Allah did not wrong them, but they wronged their own souls

The true believers, both men and women, are protectors of one another. They enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil; they establish Salah, pay Zakah, and obey Allah and His Messenger. It is they on whom Allah will have His mercy; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise

Allah has promised to the believers, both men and women, gardens beneath which rivers flow, to live therein forever, and they will have beautiful mansions in these gardens of everlasting bliss. Best of all, they will have the good pleasure of Allah. Now that is the highest achievement

O Prophet! Make Jihad against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be firm against them. Hell shall be their home; and it is the worst of all homes

They swear by Allah that they said nothing when in fact they uttered the words of unbelief and they committed Kufr after accepting Islam. They meditated a plot which they were unable to carry out. They had no reason to be revengeful, except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them through His bounty. Therefore, if they repent it will indeed be better for them; but if they turn back (do not repent) Allah will punish them with a painful punishment in this life and in the Hereafter, and they shall have none on earth to protect or help them

There are some among them who made a covenant with Allah saying: "If He bestows on us His bounty, we will spend in charity and become truly of the righteous

But when He did bestow of His bounty they became stingy, turned back from their covenant and became evasive

He put hypocrisy into their hearts to last till the Day wherein they shall meet Him as a consequence of their breach of covenant with Allah and the lies they told

Are they not aware that Allah knows their secret thoughts and their secret counsels, and that Allah knows fully well all that is hidden

As for those that taunt the believers who give freely and ridicule those who find nothing to give except the fruits of their labor; Allah will throw back their ridicule on them and they shall have a painful punishment

O Prophet! It is the same, whether you ask forgiveness for them or not; even if you ask for their forgiveness seventy times, Allah is not going to forgive them: because they have disbelieved Allah and His Messenger. Allah does not guide those who are transgressors

Those who remained behind (did not join the Tabuk expedition) were delighted to sit inactive behind Allah’s Messenger, and they hated to make Jihad with their goods and their persons in the cause of Allah. They said to each other "Do not go forth in the heat." Say to them: "The fire of hell is much more severe in heat." If only they could understand

Let them laugh a little; much will they weep as a recompense for what they have earned

From now on, if Allah brings you among them and any of them ask your permission to go forth for Jihad, say: "You shall never be allowed to go forth with me nor fight an enemy in my company. You chose to sit inactive on the first occasion, therefore you shall now stay with those who stay behind

You shall never offer funeral prayer for any of them who dies, nor shall you attend their burial, for they have denied Allah and His Messenger and died while they were transgressors

Let neither their wealth nor their children dazzle you. Through these Allah wants to punish them in this world and let their souls depart while they are still disbelievers

Whenever a Surah is revealed, saying: " Believe in Allah and make Jihad along with His Messenger," capable people among them ask you for exemption, saying: "Please leave us with those who are to stay at home

They preferred to be with those who remain behind, as a result, a seal was set upon their hearts so that they do not understand

But the Messenger and those who believe with him, make Jihad with their wealth and their persons. They are the ones who will have all the goodness, and they are the ones who will be successful

Allah has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, to live therein forever: that is the greatest achievement

Some from among the desert Arabs also came with their excuses, begging exemption to stay behind; thus, those who lied to Allah and His Messenger sat inactive. Soon a painful punishment shall seize those of them who disbelieved

There is no blame on the disabled, the sick, and those lacking the means, to stay behind so long as they are sincere to Allah and His Messenger. There is no way (blame) against those righteous people. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful

Likewise, there is no blame on those who came to you and requested the conveyance to the battlefront and you said: "I am unable to provide you the conveyance," and they returned with their eyes streaming with tears; they were filled with sorrow that they had no resources of going forth to the battlefield at their own expense

The way (blame) is only against those who begged exemption although they are rich. They preferred to be with those who remained behind. Allah has set a seal upon their hearts; so they do not know what they missed

They will apologize to you with all sorts of excuses when you return to them. Say: "Present no excuses: we shall not believe you: Allah has already revealed to us the whole truth about you. Now Allah and His Messenger will keep a watch over your conduct: in the end you will return to Him Who knows what is hidden and what is open, and He will tell you all that you have been doing

They will swear to you by Allah when you return to them so that you may leave them alone. So leave them alone: they are filth. Hell shall be their abode, a punishment for their misdeeds

They will swear to you in order to please you, but even if you be pleased with them (accept their excuses), Allah will never be pleased with these transgressors

The Arabs of the desert are the worst in disbelief and hypocrisy, and are least inclined to acknowledge the limits that Allah has revealed to his Messenger. Allah is All- Knowledgeable, All-Wise

Some of the desert Arabs look upon whatever they spend in the way of Allah as a penalty and wait for some misfortune to befall you. May misfortune befall them! Allah hears all and knows all

But some of the desert Arabs believe in Allah and the Last Day, and look on what they spend in the way of Allah as a means of bringing them close to Allah and to the prayers of the Messenger. Indeed, closer they shall be brought: soon Allah will admit them to His mercy. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful

As for the first pioneers who accepted Islam from the Muhajir (immigrants) and Ansar (supporters in Medina) and those who follow them in good deeds, Allah is well pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they shall live forever: that is the mighty achievement

Some of the desert Arabs around you are hypocrites, and so are some of the residents of Medina, who are fanatical in their hypocrisy. You do not know them, but We know them. Soon We shall give them double punishment: then they shall be turned to the most severe chastisement

There are some who have confessed their sins: they have mixed records of good and bad deeds. It is quite possible that Allah may turn to them in mercy, for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful

Take sadaqat (this commanded sadaqat means - Zakat-ul-Mall) from their wealth, so that they may thereby be cleansed and purified, and pray for them; for your prayer will give them comfort. Allah hears all and knows all

Do they not know that Allah accepts repentance from His servants and takes their sadaqat (charity), and surely Allah is the One Who is the Accepter of Repentance, the Merciful

Tell them: "Do as you will. Allah, His Messenger and the believers will now keep a watch over your conduct; then you shall be brought to His court Who knows the hidden and the open, and He will inform you of all that you have done

There are yet others whose case is held in suspense for the decision of Allah. He will either punish them or turn to them in mercy; and Allah is Knowledgeable, Wise

There are others who built a Masjid for mischievous motives (Masjid-e-Zirar), to spread disbelief and to disunite the believers, and an outpost for one (Abu ‘Amir) who had made war against Allah and His Messenger before. They will indeed swear that their intentions are nothing but good; but Allah declares that they are absolute liars

You should never stand to offer Salah in it. Certainly the Masjid founded on piety from the very first day is more deserving that you should stand to offer Salah in it; for in it there are men who love to be purified; and Allah loves those who purify themselves

Who is a better person; he who lays the foundation of his building on piety to Allah and His good pleasure, or he who lays the foundation of his building on an undermined bank that will tumble down with him into the fire of Hell? Allah does not guide such wrongdoers

The foundation of those who so build is never free from suspicion and shakiness in their hearts until their hearts are cut to pieces. Allah is Knowledgeable, Wise

Indeed Allah has purchased from the believers their persons and their wealth and in return has promised them paradise; they fight in the cause of Allah and slay and are slain. This is a true promise which is binding on Him mentioned in Torah, the Gospel and the Qur’an; and who is more true in fulfilling his promise than Allah? Rejoice, therefore, in the bargain which you have made, and that is a mighty achievement

Those that turn to Allah in repentance, serve Him, praise Him, move about in the land for His sake, make Rakuh (bow down in prayer) and Sajud (prostrate themselves in prayer), enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and observe the limits (permissions and prohibitions) set by Allah (they are the ones who make such a bargain with Allah). O Prophet, proclaim the good news to such believers

It is not proper for the Prophet and those who believe that they should beg forgiveness for the pagans, even though they be their relatives, after it has been explained to them that they are the inmates of hellfire

Abraham prayed for his father’s forgiveness only to fulfill a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah he disassociated himself from him. The fact is that Abraham was tenderhearted, forbearing

It is not the way of Allah to confound people after He has guided them, until He makes clear to them what they should guard against; surely Allah has the knowledge of everything

Surely it is Allah to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and causes to die. You have none besides Allah to protect or to help

Allah forgave the Prophet and those Muhajir and the Ansar who stood by him in the time of distress, when some were on the point of losing heart. He turned to them in mercy. Surely to them He is Most Kind, Most Merciful

He also turned in mercy to the three, the decision of whose case was deferred. So despondent were they that the earth, with all its vastness, and their own souls, seemed to close in upon them. They knew for certain that there was no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them in mercy so that they could repent. Surely Allah is the One Who is Oft- Returning, the Merciful

O believers! Have fear of Allah and be with those who are truthful in word and deed

It is not proper for the people of Medina and the beduin Arabs of the neighborhood to forsake the Messenger of Allah or to jeopardize his life so as to safeguard their own: because they do not suffer any thirst or hunger or any ordeal for the sake of Allah, or take any step which may provoke the unbelievers, or receive any injury from an enemy, but shall be written down as a good deed to their account; for Allah does not waste the reward of the righteous

Likewise, they do not spend anything for the cause of Allah, be it small or large, or cut across a valley in Jihad, but is written down to their credit; so that Allah may reward them based on the best of their deeds

It is not proper that the believers should go forth all together. Therefore, why not a squadron from each division stay behind so that they may obtain the understanding of Deen (Al-Islam), and admonish the people when they return to them so that they may refrain from un-Islamic conduct

O believers! Fight the unbelievers who hem you in, to let them know how strong you are; you should know that Allah is on the side of the Godfearing

Whenever a Surah is revealed, some of them ask: "Whose faith from among you has increased by this?" Certainly the faith of the believers is increased and they do rejoice

As for those whose hearts contain malice, it will add filth to their existing filth, and they will die while they are still disbelievers

Do they not see that they are tested every year once or twice? Yet they neither repent nor learn a lesson from this

Whenever a Surah is revealed they look at each other as if to ask, "Is anyone watching?" Then they silently slip away. Allah has slipped their hearts (from the guidance), for they are a people who do not want to understand

Now, there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves, the one who grieves at your loss and who is excessively anxious for your success in both worlds, and who is compassionate and merciful towards the believers

Now, if they turn away from you, (O Prophet) say: "Allah is all-sufficient for me. There is no god but Him. In Him I have put my trust. He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne