Volume 8 Surah 9 - Enjoy Islam

Al-Tawbah (The Repentance) | PROLOGUEThey go on to say that Islam, then, does not fight anyone other than those whofight against the people in the land of Islam, within its area, or those who threaten itfrom outside. They further cite the fact that the Prophet signed the peace treaty withthe idolaters at al- Ĥudaybiyah, and prior to that he had a treaty with the Jews andidolaters in Madinah. This defeatist logic means that Islam has nothing to do with therest of mankind. It does not, or should not, care what deities they worship, or if onegroup of people are made lords over others, as long as it is safe within its ownterritory. This smacks of disrespect for Islam and God Almighty, resulting from afeeling of utter defeat.What is worse, when these people feel unable to change the miserable conditionsof today’s Muslims, or face up to international forces hostile to Islam, they do not seethat their weakness is the result of their moving away from Islam. On the contrary,they persistently try to attribute their own weakness and defeat to Islam, the noblefaith God has laid down for mankind.The texts to which they resort are provisional ones, addressing a particularsituation. The state of affairs they addressed may happen again. In such conditions,the provisional rulings may be applied because the Muslim community lives asimilar situation to the one they addressed the first time. But this does not mean thatthese are the ultimate rulings, and the approach they follow is the final one Islamprovides. What it means is that the Muslim community needs to persist in trying toimprove its situation, removing any impediments standing in its way, until it canapply the final rulings given in this last sūrah. Needless to say, these addressed asituation entirely different from that addressed by the provisional ones.In relation to the idolaters, the final statements say:Disavowal by God and His Messenger [is hereby announced] to those of the idolaterswith whom you have made a treaty. [Announce to them:] You may go freely in theland for four months, but you must realize that you can never escape Gods judgement,and that God shall bring disgrace upon the unbelievers. And a proclamation from Godand His Messenger is hereby made to all mankind on this day of the greaterpilgrimage: God is free from obligation to the idolaters, and so is His Messenger. Ifyou repent, it shall be for your own good; and if you turn away, then know that youcan never escape Gods judgement. Give the unbelievers the news of grievous suffering,except for those idolaters with whom you have made a treaty and who have honouredtheir obligations [under the treaty] in every detail, and have not aided anyone againstyou. To these fulfil your obligations until their treaties have run their term. God lovesthose who are righteous. When these months of grace are over, slay the idolaterswherever you find them, and take them captive, besiege them, and lie in wait for themat every conceivable place. Yet if they should repent, take to prayer and pay the zakāt,21