Volume 8 Surah 9 - Enjoy Islam

Al-Tawbah (The Repentance) | PROLOGUEcharacteristics given in this verse. More of this later.The third section begins its denunciation of those who have been called upon toget ready for the expedition, but who hesitated or were too lazy to join. Not all ofthese were hypocrites, as will be seen. This fact explains how hard the whole affairwas for the Muslims. When we discuss the passage, we will, God willing, explain thefactors making it so hard. (Verses 38-41)We note in this passage the repeated reproaches, coupled with threats andreminders to the believers that God had supported His Messenger when the idolatersdrove him out of his home town. No human being had taken part in providing suchsupport. We also note the uncompromising order to the believers to join the Prophetand march with him, no matter what their position might be. All this gives us a clearindication of the hardships involved, leading to much reluctance, fear and aninclination to stay behind. Hence, the repeated reminders, reproaches and clearorders to the community of believers.The fourth section, the longest in the sūrah, is devoted to exposing the hypocritesand their methods in undermining the Muslim community. It describes theirpsychology, as well as their attitude at the time of the Tabūk Expedition, as well astheir previous and later attitudes. It exposes their true intentions, scheming anddevious methods, as well as their flimsy excuses with which they try to justify theirstaying behind and their attempts to weaken the believers’ morale.It also speaks about how they tried to hurt the Prophet and devoted believers. Thisexposure of the true nature of the hypocrites is further emphasized by a warning tothe believers against the hypocrites’ schemes. The sūrah defines the nature of therelations between the two camps, which must be set on a clear basis thatdistinguishes each group through its own actions. This section, taking up more thanhalf of the sūrah, shows that hypocrisy was more widespread after the fall of Makkahto Islam, while it had almost disappeared prior to that. We will explain the reasonsfor this later. (Verses 42, 47-50, 56-59, 61-68, 73-77, 79-85)This sustained attack reveals the extent of the hypocrites’ scheming to underminethe Muslim community and to divert the attentions of the Muslims from pursuingtheir goals by means of false claims. It also shows that there were certain weaknesseswithin the ranks of the Muslim community during that period. This is indicated bythe statement: “There are among you some who would have lent them ear.” (Verse 47)Another indication is seen in the emphatic order not to pray for the hypocrites orappeal to God for their forgiveness. This situation was a by-product of the fact thatlarge groups declared their acceptance of Islam, when they were not yet committedto the new faith. They had not acquired the proper Islamic attitudes. All this willcome in for detailed discussion when we look at the classification the sūrah provides3