Surah al-Tawbah

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Indeed, the part of the Qur'an that was revealed last is this saying of Allah Almighty: "There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; he is deeply concerned for you, and to the believers he is kind and merciful" [Surah al-Tawbah: 128]."
This chain is hasan (good). Imam Waki' also narrated a similar narration from Imam Shu'bah with the same chain, and Ahmad bin Mani' narrated a narration with the same meaning through Hushaym from Mansur, from Imam al-Hasan al-Basri, from Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Rahman that Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by a man who was reciting the verse "And the first forerunners among the Muhajirun and the Ansar" [Surah al-Tawbah: 100] until he completed the verse. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stopped him and said: "Turn back, come back." Then he asked: "Who taught you this surah?" He replied: "Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) taught it to me." He said: "Come with me, and do not leave me until we reach him." So they came to him and asked permission to enter. At that time Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) was reclining on a cushion. He gave permission, and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "This man claims that you taught him this verse in such a way?" and he recited the verse to him. Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) confirmed it and said: "He has spoken the truth." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked insistently: "Did you learn it directly from the blessed mouth of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He replied: "Yes." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) repeated the same question three times, and each time Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the same answer: "Yes." Then Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) explained: "I firmly bear witness that Allah Almighty revealed this verse to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) himself. Jibril (peace be upon him) brought it down from the presence of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, and in this matter of revelation neither al-Khattab (that is, Sayyiduna Umar's father) was consulted nor was the opinion of his son (Umar) taken (that is, it is purely the Word of the Lord, in which no human planning has any part)." The narrator said that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), on hearing this, went out from there while saying aloud: "Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar" (Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest).
Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh recorded this narration in his Musnad (hadith: 3618). Its chain has a break (inqita') because Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Rahman did not hear from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him); however, as an event it is an excellent example of the greatness of the Divine Word and of the Companions' care in verifying narrations.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(On the Day of Resurrection, when the punishment is given) no dinar will be placed upon another dinar, nor any dirham upon another dirham (that is, each coin will be placed in a separate spot and branded, so that the severity of the punishment increases); rather, the skin (of the one who did not pay zakah) will be stretched and made very wide, then with those dirhams and dinars (heated in the fire of Hell) their foreheads, their sides and their backs will be branded," as mentioned in this blessed verse: "On the Day when it will be heated in the fire of Hell, and their foreheads, their sides and their backs will be branded with it" [Surah al-Tawbah: 35].
This narration is very weak because of the weakness of the narrator named Sayf bin Muhammad.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke about those concerning whom Allah, Glorified and Exalted, says: "In it are men who love to purify themselves, and Allah loves those who purify themselves" [Surah al-Tawbah: 108]. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said (describing their qualities): "They are people who used to clean themselves after relieving themselves (istinja') with water (to attain purity), and they did not spend the whole night sleeping (rather, they would spend part of the night in worship and devotion)."
The narrator Abu Sawrah, who is mentioned in the chain of this narration, is weak.

It is narrated from Ubayd bin Umayr (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about "al-sa'ihin", and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "They are those who fast."
This narration is mursal, and its chain is sahih (authentic).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to lead the funeral prayer for Abdullah bin Ubayy (the chief of the hypocrites), but Jibril (peace be upon him) took hold of his (peace and blessings be upon him) garment and (conveyed this command of Allah): "And do not ever pray (the funeral prayer) over any of them (the hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave" [Surah al-Tawbah: 84].
This narration is weak. Despite his weakness, the narrator Yazid al-Raqashi has in it contradicted the authentic narrations established in the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim) from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did lead his funeral prayer, and that this noble verse was in fact revealed after that event.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: A man from the hypocrites died and I did not pray the funeral prayer over him. At this, Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) asked me: "What prevented you from praying the funeral prayer over him?" I replied: "He was one of them (the hypocrites)." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked (with great concern): "By Allah! Am I also one of them (the hypocrites)?" I said: "No." On hearing this, he wept.
Its chain is sahih (authentic); however, Ya'qub bin Sufyan regarded it as munkar (objectionable) as a narration of Zayd bin Wahb.

It is narrated from al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) concerning this saying of Allah Almighty: "O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites" [Surah al-Tawbah: 73], that he said: "Jihad against the disbelievers is with the sword (and material force), while jihad against the hypocrites is with the tongue (that is, by stating the truth, with the force of proofs, and by exposing their plots and deceptions)."
The chain of this report is hasan (good), and it clarifies an important aspect of the interpretation of the Divine Word: since the hypocrites outwardly profess the testimony of faith, the real jihad against them is to suppress their ideas at the level of knowledge and speech.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: "I certainly saw smoke rising from Masjid al-Dirar, from the place where it had collapsed."
Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani narrated it in al-Matalib al-'Aliyah, and its chain is sahih (authentic).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin al-Akwa' (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited (this blessed verse of the Qur'an): "Then Allah will see your deeds, and so will His Messenger and the believers" [Surah al-Tawbah: 105].
The chain of this narration contains the narrator Musa bin Ubaydah al-Rabadhi, who is weak according to the imams of hadith, which is why this narration is weak in its chain.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when this blessed verse was revealed: "And those who hoard gold and silver" [Surah al-Tawbah: 34], it weighed very heavily on the Muslims, and they began saying (anxiously) that now none of us will be able to leave behind wealth for his children that would remain for them. At this, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will relieve you of this worry." So he set off, and Sayyiduna Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) followed him. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Prophet of Allah! This verse has weighed very heavily on your Companions." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "We have obligated zakah only so that the rest of your wealth that remains may be purified, and Allah Almighty has obligated the rules of inheritance in wealth precisely so that it may remain after you (for your heirs)." The narrator said that at this Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called out (in joy) "Allahu akbar" (Allah is the Greatest). Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "Shall I not tell you of the best treasure that can be stored? It is a righteous woman: when her husband looks at her, she pleases him; when he commands her to do something, she obeys him; and when he is away from her, she guards (his wealth and honour in his absence)."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it in his Musnad.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) recited this blessed verse: "Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the path of Allah" [Surah al-Tawbah: 41], and said (in explaining it): "I do not find that Allah Almighty has heard (that is, left) any excuse for anyone (after this general command)." So he went out to the land of Sham (despite his old age, for jihad) and continued fighting in the path of Allah there until he died there.
(Takhrij: Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded this narration in al-Musannaf (33994) and Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh in his Musnad (503). Its chain contains Ali bin Zayd bin Jud'an, who is weak, but its meaning is correct on the basis of other supporting evidence.)

Sayyiduna Ibn Abi Aqil narrates from his father (Sayyiduna Abu Aqil al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him) that he spent the whole night doing laborious work hauling loads on his back with a rope, in return for which he received two sa' of dates. He said: I went back to my family with one sa' of them and came with the other to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in order to seek through it the pleasure of my Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, and nearness to Him. Then I told him (peace and blessings be upon him) the whole story, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Scatter it in the mosque (on the pile of the other charity)." Seeing this, the hypocrites mocked and said: "Surely Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has no need of the one sa' of charity of this poor man." Then Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed this verse: "Those who criticize the believers who give charity voluntarily, and (criticize) those who find nothing (to give) except their effort, and ridicule them, Allah will ridicule them, and they will have a painful punishment" [Surah al-Tawbah: 79].
Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated this hadith in his al-Musannaf. Although this chain contains Musa bin Ubaydah al-Rabadhi, a weak narrator, this event of Sayyiduna Abu Aqil al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) giving charity and the hypocrites' taunting is narrated and established through other reliable chains in Sahih al-Bukhari (1415) and Sahih Muslim (1018).