Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 38

(Ayah 38) ➊ From the beginning of the surah up to verse 37, there is a declaration of disassociation from the polytheists of Arabia, the basic rulings regarding the Muslims’ relations with the People of the Book and jihad, detailed mention of the events of Badr and Hunayn, and the divine help and unseen assistance from Allah in those events. Now, the detailed mention of the Battle of Tabuk and the open exposition of the role of the hypocrites in it is given, and severe displeasure is expressed towards those who stayed behind from this battle. For this reason, this surah is also called Fadhihah, meaning the one that disgraces the hypocrites. In addition, to encourage jihad, various methods of promise and warning, admonition and glad tidings, and mention of reward and punishment have been adopted, so its name is also Bahuth, meaning the surah that greatly incites.

➋ The scholars of tafsir are unanimous that from here begins the reproach of those who stayed behind from the Battle of Tabuk with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), when the fruits were ripe, the heat was intense, and the shade felt extremely pleasant, so some so-called Muslims began to shirk from setting out for jihad. Allah Almighty began the address by stirring faith: O you who have believed! What is the matter with you? Just reflect on the demands of your faith—does it demand what you are doing in response to the command to set out for jihad? {’’ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ ‘‘} was originally {’’ تَثَاقَلْتُمْ‘‘}, which is from the form tafa'ul. By increasing from {’’ ثَقُلَ‘‘} to the form tafa'ul, the meaning of heaviness is taken to the extreme, so the word itself is made extremely heavy: {’’اثَّاقَلْتُمْ ‘‘} meaning you become extremely heavy and burdened, so much so that you do not rise to move. What else could be the cause except that you have become content with the meager, insignificant, and temporary provisions of worldly life—which can be snatched away at any time—in comparison to the Hereafter, which is everlasting and in which are such blessings that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no thought has occurred to any human heart. If this is the case, then the provisions of this worldly life are very little compared to the Hereafter, they have no real value. Its example is like the water that sticks to a finger dipped in the sea, as narrated by Mustawrid (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). [ مسلم، الجنۃ و صفۃ نعیمھا، باب فناء الدنیا … : ۲۸۵۸ ]

➌ Tabuk is the name of a famous place located about six hundred kilometers north of Madinah. This event occurred in 9 AH after the conquest of Makkah. The background of this expedition was that the tribe of Ghassan ruled over the land of Syria, which was under the authority of the Roman emperor. They became concerned that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had now finished with the Arabian Peninsula, and now it was their turn, so why not call the Roman emperor and attack Arabia first. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) received this information, he decided to leave the land of Arabia and go to the enemy’s territory, that is, Syria, to prevent them from attacking Arabia. Since the journey was very difficult and long, it was the season of harvest, and mounts and war equipment were not fully available, it was called Jaysh al-‘Usrah, “the army of hardship.” Therefore, although previously the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would usually use dissimulation when planning an attack—inquiring about the conditions of various places instead of indicating the real target so that people would not know the actual place of attack—this time he clearly stated his objective and ordered everyone to set out. About thirty thousand fighters were prepared. Before this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had also written a letter to the Roman emperor inviting him to Islam. He was inclined to accept Islam, but his people did not support him, so he was deprived of Islam. Now the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) reached Tabuk with the Muslims and waited for the enemy for twenty days, but no one dared to confront them, nor did any battle take place. The people of that region and the surrounding areas came to him and pledged obedience, though they did not become Muslim. He returned as a successful conqueror, having instilled fear in the enemy and established the awe of Islam. Later, during the time of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the entire land of Syria was conquered, and except for the occupied part of Israel, it remains under the control of Islam to this day.

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

38. O you who believe! What is the matter with you that when you are told, "Go forth in the cause of Allah," you cling heavily to the earth [40]? Do you prefer the life of this world over the Hereafter? But the enjoyment of worldly life is insignificant compared to the Hereafter [41].

[40]
The Allies Against the Muslims in the Battle of Tabuk: Christians, Polytheist Tribes, Hypocrites of Madinah, and the Jews:

From here, an entirely new subject begins, namely the Battle of Tabuk. Its background was that after the victories of Makkah and Hunayn, when Islam became dominant throughout Arabia, the Arab tribes and their king Ghassan, who lived on the border of Syria and were under the authority of the Caesar of Rome, considered these successes of the Muslims to be a great threat to themselves and began preparations for a decisive battle to crush the Muslims and, in fact, to break the back of Islam. On the other hand, the defeated polytheists from all over Arabia were present to assist them, and thirdly, the hypocrites of Madinah, through the mediation of Abu Amir the Monk, had started colluding with Ghassan and the Caesar of Rome. The Jews were also supporting these hypocrites, and the hypocrites had built Masjid Dhirar for the purpose of this conspiracy. In other words, the internal and external forces of disbelief were exerting their utmost efforts to wipe Islam off the face of the earth. The Prophet ﷺ was constantly receiving reports of the great gathering of Roman armies on the Syrian border.

The Adverse Conditions of the Muslims:

On the other hand, the situation was such that there was a period of famine in Madinah. The weather was extremely hot. The crops were near harvest. The distance was long and arduous. There was a shortage of provisions and mounts, and the confrontation was with that great power which had recently defeated the Kisra, the King of Persia, and established its awe and dominance over the world. In every respect, this was a decisive battle between truth and falsehood. In these circumstances, taking the name of Allah, the Prophet ﷺ decided to confront the King of Rome and made a general proclamation of jihad among the Muslims. Contrary to the usual practice, he clearly informed everyone that the destination was Syria and that they were to go to face King Ghassan and the Caesar. In these circumstances, it was natural for the hypocrites to shirk from war, and some weak-hearted and weak-in-faith Muslims also became hesitant. In this verse, they are being addressed, and a strong encouragement for jihad is being given.

[41] By not participating in jihad, at most you will save your lives or some wealth, harvest your crops, or avoid the hardships of travel, but all these benefits are of no value compared to the everlasting blessings of Paradise.