Surah Al-Fath (48) — Ayah 9

(Ayah 9) {لِتُؤْمِنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ وَ رَسُوْلِهٖ وَ تُعَزِّرُوْهُ وَ تُوَقِّرُوْهُ …:} “Ta’zeer” means to help with honor. (Raghib) And “Tawqeer” is derived from “waqar,” meaning to honor. All commentators agree that by {’’ تُسَبِّحُوْهُ ‘‘} (do His tasbeeh) is meant the tasbeeh of Allah Almighty, because tasbeeh can only be for Allah and no one else. According to most commentators, in the two preceding words {’’ تُعَزِّرُوْهُ ‘‘} and {’’ تُوَقِّرُوْهُ ‘‘}, the pronoun in the third person should also refer to Allah Almighty, so that there is consistency in all the pronouns. The meaning would be: “So that you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and help Him (Allah), and honor Him, and do His tasbeeh in the beginning and end of the day.” By helping Allah is meant helping His religion, as He said: « اِنْ تَنْصُرُوا اللّٰهَ يَنْصُرْكُمْ » [ محمد :۷ ] “If you help Allah, He will help you.”

Some commentators have said that in {’’ وَ تُعَزِّرُوْهُ وَ تُوَقِّرُوْهُ ‘‘} the third person pronoun refers back to {’’ لِتُؤْمِنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ وَ رَسُوْلِهٖ ‘‘} mentioned in {’’ رَسُوْلِهٖ ‘‘}, because it is closer to {’’ تُعَزِّرُوْهُ ‘‘}. Allah Almighty, after mentioning the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), commanded to honor and help him, and finally commanded His own tasbeeh. At this place, the appropriateness of mentioning the honor and help of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is quite clear, as ahead, the pledge to the Prophet is declared as a pledge to Allah. The meaning would be: “So that you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and help him (the Messenger), and honor him, and do His (Allah’s) tasbeeh in the beginning and end of the day.” This meaning is also correct, although in it the pronouns are not consistent, but if there is contextual evidence, consistency of pronouns is not necessary. This meaning is supported by the verse in Surah Al-A’raf in which the word “ta’zeer” is used for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), where He said: « فَالَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا بِهٖ وَ عَزَّرُوْهُ وَ نَصَرُوْهُ وَ اتَّبَعُوا النُّوْرَ الَّذِيْۤ اُنْزِلَ مَعَهٗۤ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُوْنَ » [ الأعراف :۱۵۷ ] “So those who believe in him, and strengthen him, and help him, and follow the light which has been sent down with him, they are the successful.” In the Qur’an and Hadith, the word “ta’zeer” in the sense of strengthening or helping has not been used for Allah Almighty. However, the root of “tawqeer” {’’ وَقَارٌ ‘‘} has been used for Allah Almighty in Surah Nuh, where He said: «مَا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُوْنَ لِلّٰهِ وَقَارًا » [نوح : ۱۳ ] “What is the matter with you that you do not fear the greatness of Allah?” Therefore, in terms of context, the second meaning is correct, although the excellence of consistency of pronouns present in the first interpretation is not found in the second.

The exegesis of this verse has been done along with the previous verse.

9. So that you may believe in Allah and His Messenger, and support Him [9], and honor Him, and glorify Allah morning and evening.

[9] In this verse, in ﴿تُسَبِّحُوْهُ﴾, the pronoun in ﴿ه﴾ can only refer to Allah Almighty. As for the pronouns in ﴿تُعَزِّرُوْهُ﴾ and ﴿َتُوَقِّرُوْهُ﴾ in ﴿ه﴾, their reference should also be to Allah Almighty, especially since they are mentioned right alongside, and there is no indication that the first two pronouns refer to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The meaning would then be that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has been sent as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner so that you may believe in Allah and His Messenger, give full support to Allah's religion, and show complete respect and reverence for Allah's commands and sacred things, and glorify and praise Him morning and evening. However, some scholars have considered the pronouns in ﴿تُعَزِّرُوْه﴾ and ﴿وَتُؤَقِّرُوْه﴾ to refer to the person of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Even in that case, there is no problem, because in some other verses of the Quran, the unconditional obedience to the Prophet ﷺ, support for him in all circumstances, and the command to respect and honor him are explicitly mentioned.