Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 97

(Ayah 97) ➊ {اَلْاَعْرَابُ اَشَدُّ كُفْرًا وَّ نِفَاقًا … : ’’ اَلْاَعْرَابُ ‘‘} is a generic term for those who live in the deserts and wilderness of Arabia; for the singular masculine, {’’اَعْرَابِي‘‘} is used, and for the feminine, { ’’اَعْرَابِيَّةٌ‘‘} is used; the plural is {’’اَعَارِيْبُ‘‘}. {’’ اَلْعَرَبُ ‘‘} is a generic term for the race that speaks the Arabic language, whether urban or nomadic; its singular is {’’ عَرَبِيٌّ‘‘}. Here, by "A‘rāb" is meant some individuals of their kind, not every person, because among them are some sincere believers, whose mention is coming in the following verses.

➋ By { ’’ اَلْاَعْرَابُ ‘‘} are meant those people who lived in the rural and desert areas far from Madinah Munawwarah; most of them did not become Muslims with true understanding and sincerity of heart, but rather became Muslims merely being overawed by the growing power of Islam. They had very little opportunity to come to the city (Madinah Munawwarah), to associate with Muslims, and to benefit from the company of the Prophet (peace be upon him), so they were purely rustic and uncouth people, in whose hearts neither gentleness had developed nor had they been touched by knowledge. Therefore, among them, the hypocrisy of those who were hypocrites was even harsher than the hypocrisy of the people of Madinah. Some scholars have written that the difference between the temperament of Bedouins and urban people is like the difference one feels between the fruit of a garden and the fruit of a mountain tree. That is why Allah Almighty sent the messengers from among the people of the towns: «{ وَ مَاۤ اَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ اِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوْحِيْۤ اِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ اَهْلِ الْقُرٰى }» [ یوسف : ۱۰۹ ] "And We did not send before you except men to whom We revealed from among the people of the towns." And the last Messenger (peace be upon him) was born in the mother of all towns, Umm al-Qurā, Makkah, so that he would possess the refinement and gentleness of urban society. Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: "In the nature of Bedouins, lawlessness, self-interest, and ignorance are deeply ingrained, so Allah Almighty, in His perfect wisdom, did not place much responsibility upon them nor granted them high ranks." (Mawduh)

Due to little interaction with people, it is natural for harshness to develop in temperament. Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever lives in the desert becomes hard-hearted, whoever pursues hunting becomes heedless, and whoever comes to the ruler is subjected to trial." [ أحمد : 357/1، ح : ۳۳۶۱۔ أبوداوٗد : ۲۸۵۹۔ ترمذی : ۲۲۵۶۔ نسائی : ۴۳۱۴، وصححہ الألبانی ]

Much light is shed on the harshness of some Bedouins by the hadith narrated by Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said that some Bedouins came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) (they saw him kissing Hasan or Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them), so they said: "Do you people kiss your children?" The people said: "Yes!" So they said: "But by Allah, we do not kiss (them)!" So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "And what can I do if Allah has removed mercy from your hearts?" [ مسلم، الفضائل، باب رحمتہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم الصبیان … : ۲۳۱۷۔ بخاری : ۵۹۹۸ ] The commentators have written many incidents of the harshness of the Bedouins at this place.