Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 120

(Ayah 120) ➊ {مَا كَانَ لِاَهْلِ الْمَدِيْنَةِ … : } The people living in Madinah and the Bedouins living around them, that is, the tribes of Muzainah, Juhainah, Ashja’, Aslam, Ghifar, etc., were commanded to stay with you (ﷺ) even in hardship and difficulty, and to accompany you cheerfully in all the trials and tribulations that arise in difficult situations, to bear the hardships that you (ﷺ) are bearing, because they know well that in the sight of Allah, you (ﷺ) are the most beloved and honored. So when you, despite such honor and dignity, are facing these hardships and difficulties, then it is the right of everyone that they also face what you are facing, and for the sake of your precious life, they should not care for their own lives, nor consider them of any value or worth. How can it be that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offers his life and all his comfort and ease for sacrifice, and they keep saving their own lives? This can never be their right. (Zamakhshari) Abdullah bin Hisham (رضی اللہ عنہ) narrates that we were with the Prophet (ﷺ), and he was holding the hand of Umar bin Khattab (رضی اللہ عنہ). Umar (رضی اللہ عنہ) said to him: “O Messenger of Allah! Surely you are more beloved to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “No! By Him in Whose hand is my soul! Not until I become more beloved to you than your own self.” So Umar (رضی اللہ عنہ) said: “Then indeed, by Allah! Now you are more beloved to me than my own self.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Now, O Umar! (You have become a complete believer).” [ بخاری، الأیمان والنذور، باب کیف کان یمین النبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : ۶۶۳۲ ]

➋ { ذٰلِكَ بِاَنَّهُمْ لَا يُصِيْبُهُمْ ظَمَاٌ وَّ لَا نَصَبٌ … : ’’ ظَمَاٌ ‘‘} Thirst, {’’ نَصَبٌ ‘‘} fatigue, hardship, toil. {’’ مَخْمَصَةٌ ‘‘} Severe hunger in which the stomach sticks to the back, just as the sole of the foot ({اَخْمَصُ}) is. {’’ وَطِئَ يَطَأُ ‘‘ مَوْطِئًا} (‘A) is a ظرف, a place to tread, to step. {’’غَاظَ يَغِيْظُ‘‘} To enrage, that is, by stepping on the paths, mountains, settlements, lands, houses, and fields, or by their horses and other mounts trampling over them, the hearts of the disbelievers are filled with anger and jealousy, and they become alarmed and frightened. (Ibn Kathir) {’’ وَ لَا يَنَالُوْنَ ‘‘ ’’نَالَ يَنَالُ‘‘} The literal meaning is to take, to obtain, that is, if the Muslims conquer any land or city of the enemy, or kill or capture them, or obtain spoils of war, or inflict any loss upon them, in short, every success obtained from them and every good deed is written down, and its reward will surely be given to them, because all these actions of theirs are for the sake of Allah and in obedience to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and this is called ihsan and goodness, and Allah never wastes the reward of those who do good.

120. 1 Since a general call had been made for participation in the Battle of Tabuk, except for those who were excused, elderly, or had other legitimate reasons, participation was obligatory for everyone. But still, those who did not participate in this jihad from Madinah or its surroundings—Allah, condemning and reproaching them, is saying that they should not have stayed behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

120. 2 That is, it is also not appropriate for them to protect their own lives while being unconcerned about the protection of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Rather, they should stay with the Messenger and take more care for his protection than their own.

120. 3 The reason for not staying behind is being explained by ذٰلِکَ. That is, they should not stay behind because whatever thirst, fatigue, or hunger they suffer in the way of Allah, or any such actions that increase the anger and rage of the disbelievers, likewise killing the enemy’s men or taking them captive—all these deeds will be written as righteous deeds. That is, righteous deeds are not only those where a person sits in the mosque or in a corner performing voluntary prayers, reciting, or remembering Allah, but every hardship and difficulty faced in jihad, even those actions that instill fear or provoke rage in the hearts of the enemy, each of these things will be written as a righteous deed with Allah. Therefore, even out of eagerness for worship, avoiding jihad is not justified, let alone a person shirking jihad without any excuse.

120. 4 This refers to passing through such areas on foot or mounted on horses, etc., so that the sound of their footsteps and the hoofbeats of their horses strike terror into the hearts of the enemy and ignite their fire of rage.

120. 5 “Taking anything from the enemy or taking them to task” means killing or capturing their men, defeating them, or obtaining spoils of war.

120. It is not proper for the people of Madinah and the Bedouins around them to remain behind the Messenger of Allahﷺ [136] or to prefer their own lives over his. That is because they suffer neither thirst, nor fatigue, nor hunger in the cause of Allah, nor do they take any step that angers the disbelievers, nor inflict any injury upon an enemy, but a righteous deed [137] is written for them because of it. Surely, Allah does not let the reward of those who do good go to waste.

[136]
The Completion of Faith Lies in Considering the Messenger of Allah Dearer Than One’s Own Life:

That is, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ endures the hardships of the expedition to Tabuk, while the Muslims remain behind in their homes at ease, and they consider their own lives dearer than the life of Allah’s Messenger. One Companion, Abu Khaythamah ؓ, also stayed behind from the Battle of Tabuk. He went to his garden where there was cool shade. His wife had sprinkled water to cool the ground well, laid out a mat, placed fresh clusters of dates before him, and also presented cool, sweet water. Upon seeing these comforts, suddenly a wave like lightning ran through Abu Khaythamah’s heart. He said, “Shame on this life, that I enjoy pleasant shade, cool water, and the delights of the garden, while Allah’s Messenger is traveling in such intense heat, scorching sun, and thirst.” As soon as this thought came, he called for his mount, girded his sword, took up his spear, and immediately set out. The she-camel was moving like the wind. Eventually, he reached the army. The Prophet ﷺ saw from afar that a camel rider was coming, raising dust as if riding on the wings of the wind, and said, “May Allah make it so that this is Abu Khaythamah.” After a short while, it was seen that it was indeed Abu Khaythamah ؓ. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that until a believer considers me dearer than his own life, his faith is not complete, as is mentioned in the following hadith. Abdullah bin Hisham narrates that we were with the Prophet ﷺ and he was holding the hand of Sayyiduna Umar. Sayyiduna Umar ؓ said, “O Messenger of Allah! You are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “No, by Him in Whose hand is my soul, until I become dearer to you than your own self, you cannot be a believer.” Sayyiduna Umar ؓ said, “By Allah! Now you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Yes, O Umar! (That is, now you are a true Muslim).” [بخاري۔ كتاب الايمان والنذور۔ باب كيف كانت يمين النبي]

[137] That is, for every action of a mujahid during the journey of jihad, a righteous deed is written in his record of deeds, whether this action is involuntary, such as enduring hunger, thirst, fatigue, or any hardship faced in this path—all these are counted among his righteous deeds. And whether these actions are voluntary, such as traveling, capturing territory from the enemy, or achieving success by fighting them, for all these actions, they will receive reward from Allah.