سُوْرَةُ التَّوْبَةِ
Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 48
لَقَدِ ٱبْتَغَوُا۟ ٱلْفِتْنَةَ مِن قَبْلُ وَقَلَّبُوا۟ لَكَ ٱلْأُمُورَ حَتَّىٰ جَآءَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَظَهَرَ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ وَهُمْ كَـٰرِهُونَ ﴿48﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Verily, they had plotted sedition before, and had upset matters for you, until the truth (victory) came and the Decree of Allâh (His religion, Islâm) became manifest though they hated it.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
لَقَدِ
laqadi
Verily
ٱبْتَغَوُا۟
ib'taghawū
they had sought
ٱلْفِتْنَةَ
l-fit'nata
dissension
مِن
min
before
قَبْلُ
qablu
before
وَقَلَّبُوا۟
waqallabū
and had upset
لَكَ
laka
for you
ٱلْأُمُورَ
l-umūra
the matters
حَتَّىٰ
ḥattā
until
جَآءَ
jāa
came
ٱلْحَقُّ
l-ḥaqu
the truth
وَظَهَرَ
waẓahara
and became manifest
أَمْرُ
amru
(the) Order of Allah
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(the) Order of Allah
وَهُمْ
wahum
while they
كَـٰرِهُونَ
kārihūna
disliked (it)
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
48. These people have already stirred up discord [52] before, and they kept plotting to upset your affairs until the truth of Allah’s promise (the dominance of Islam) came, and Allah’s command prevailed, even though they were averse to it.
[52]
The Fitnah of Abdullah bin Ubayy:
The list of the mischiefs of the hypocrites is very long. In reality, Abdullah bin Ubayy could not tolerate the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. Before the Prophet’s ﷺ arrival, the crown of leadership of both the Aws and Khazraj tribes was about to be placed on Abdullah bin Ubayy’s head. When the Prophet ﷺ arrived, his leadership was put in jeopardy. It was this jealousy and malice that incited him throughout his life to enmity against Islam and the Muslims. Before the Battle of Badr, he maintained correspondence with the Quraysh of Makkah. Then, when the Quraysh of Makkah suffered a crushing defeat at Badr and the Muslims achieved a great victory, he was consumed with rage, but keeping his own interests in view, he outwardly accepted Islam, though enmity towards Islam remained in his heart. In the Battle of Uhud, he betrayed the Muslims and, at a most critical moment, withdrew with his three hundred companions from the army so that the Muslims would be defeated. Throughout his life, his sympathies remained with the Jews. Inciting them and preparing them for war against the Muslims was his favorite occupation. They too, thanks to his “kindness,” continued to be beaten by the Muslims, and at every opportunity, Allah’s support remained with the Muslims. On the return from the expedition of Banu Mustaliq, he slandered Lady Aisha ؓ and kept the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims in mental distress until Allah Almighty revealed the exoneration of Lady Aisha ؓ. In this very expedition, he incited the Ansar to expel this Prophet from Madinah. Then, by constructing Masjid Dhirar, he established a new base for these impure conspiracies and began colluding with the Caesar of Rome. In short, at every opportunity, his utmost effort was that Islam should be subdued and that he should become the supreme chief of Madinah. In the end, he departed from this world with this very longing in his heart.
[52]
The Fitnah of Abdullah bin Ubayy:
The list of the mischiefs of the hypocrites is very long. In reality, Abdullah bin Ubayy could not tolerate the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. Before the Prophet’s ﷺ arrival, the crown of leadership of both the Aws and Khazraj tribes was about to be placed on Abdullah bin Ubayy’s head. When the Prophet ﷺ arrived, his leadership was put in jeopardy. It was this jealousy and malice that incited him throughout his life to enmity against Islam and the Muslims. Before the Battle of Badr, he maintained correspondence with the Quraysh of Makkah. Then, when the Quraysh of Makkah suffered a crushing defeat at Badr and the Muslims achieved a great victory, he was consumed with rage, but keeping his own interests in view, he outwardly accepted Islam, though enmity towards Islam remained in his heart. In the Battle of Uhud, he betrayed the Muslims and, at a most critical moment, withdrew with his three hundred companions from the army so that the Muslims would be defeated. Throughout his life, his sympathies remained with the Jews. Inciting them and preparing them for war against the Muslims was his favorite occupation. They too, thanks to his “kindness,” continued to be beaten by the Muslims, and at every opportunity, Allah’s support remained with the Muslims. On the return from the expedition of Banu Mustaliq, he slandered Lady Aisha ؓ and kept the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims in mental distress until Allah Almighty revealed the exoneration of Lady Aisha ؓ. In this very expedition, he incited the Ansar to expel this Prophet from Madinah. Then, by constructing Masjid Dhirar, he established a new base for these impure conspiracies and began colluding with the Caesar of Rome. In short, at every opportunity, his utmost effort was that Islam should be subdued and that he should become the supreme chief of Madinah. In the end, he departed from this world with this very longing in his heart.
