9. Al-Tawbah/The Immunity

I seek Allah’s protection

from the satanic, the accursed and evil forces within the human soul and social environment.

09:01
a. This is a declaration of immunity from Allah and HIS Messenger to those of the polytheists with whom you have a treaty.

09:02
O the polytheists!
You can move about freely in the land for the next four months,
but know that you can never escape the Power of Allah,
and that Allah can always humble those who will dishonor this treaty.

09:03
Here is a proclamation from Allah and HIS Messenger to all people gathered on this Great Day of the Hajj -
that Allah is not bound by any treaty with the polytheists, and so is HIS Messenger.
So, if you would only repent of disbelief, it will be better for you,
but if you turn away, then know that you can never escape the Power of Allah.
So give the good news to those who insist on disbelief of an awful punishment.

09:04
However, the exception is for those of the polytheists with whom you have a treaty,
and they have
neither failed you in anything,
nor assisted anyone against you.
So as for those who fulfill your treaty/obligations and comply with them to the end of their term of the treaty.
Indeed, Allah loves those who are mindful of their obligations in complying with the foregoing Injunctions.

09:05
But once these four sacred months of truce are over,
then slay the polytheists wherever you find them, and
arrest them, and
besiege them in their settlements, and
ambush them at every likely place of ambush.

However, if they
repent of disbelief and embrace Islam,
and establish the Salat/Prayers,
and pay out the Zakat/annual charity,
then leave them to their way.
Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving to whoever repents, and All-Compassionate to whoever dies repentant.
09:06
And if any of the polytheists seeks security/asylum with you against being slayed,
then give him security/asylum, so that he may listen to your recitation of the Word of Allah
– The Qur’an.
Then escort him to his place of safety, if he still remained a disbeliever,
for they are people who have no understanding of Allah’s Messages and Islamic values towards those who seek protection/asylum.

09:07
How can a treaty remain effective between the polytheists - who dishonored the treaty - and Allah and HIS Messenger?
However, the people with whom you made a treaty by the Grand Sacred Masjid will remain effective,
so long as they are honest with you, and they adhere to it, you adhere to it too.
Indeed, Allah loves those who are mindful of their honest obligations.

09:08
Again, how can they be trusted when, if they were to gain the upper hand over you, they will neither observe the terms of the treaty, nor show any respect for kinship, but will instead harm you as much as they can?
They flatter you with their mouths/tongues by speaking sweet words, while their hearts remain averse to you,
for most of them are wicked - who habitually disregard obligations.

09:09
They barter away Allah’s Messages concerning treaties for a petty benefit - be it financial
or political,
and obstruct others from HIS Path.
Evil indeed is what they have been doing!

09:10
Indeed, they neither respect family ties nor treaties nor obligations with believer.
And they – they are truly the transgressors!

09:11
Yet, despite all that, if they
repent and embrace Islam, and
establish the Salat/Prayers, and
pay out the Zakat/annual charity,
then they are to be your brethren in Faith.
Thus WE spell out OUR Messages clearly for a people who seek to understand.

09:12
However, if they betray their treaty with you after giving their word, and
then taunt your Faith in Islam,

then battle against these leaders of faithlessness -
for their treaties mean nothing to them -
so that they may desist from betrayal and aggression.

09:13
And why should you not battle against a people who
betray their treaties, and
plotted to drive out the Messenger Muhammad, and
were also the first to attack you?!
So what is stopping you from fighting them?
What!
Do you fear them?
In fact, Allah is more entitled to be feared than them, if you are true believers.

09:14
Battle against them!
Allah will thus punish them by your hands,
and humiliate them by defeat, capture, and subjugation,
and know for sure that Allah will help you to victory against them,
and heal the wounds of the hearts of believing people.

09:15
And HE will remove the sense of outrage/anger from their hearts -
for Allah will accept the repentance of whoever HE Wills.
And Allah is All-Knowing of those who repent, and All-Wise in that which HE decreed for them – defeat.

09:16
Do you think that you will get away without being tried through suffering and hardship
before Allah could distinguish
who, among you, really strive in HIS Cause, and
who does not take anyone as their close intimates in preference to Allah, HIS Messenger, and the believers?
And Allah is Well-Aware of everything you do.

09:17
It is not fit for the polytheists to maintain Allah’s Masajid while bearing testimony to their
own disbelief.
They are the ones whose good deeds will be rendered useless,
and in the Fire they will live – never to leave, never to die.

09:18
Only those should maintain Allah’s Masajid, who
believe in Allah, and
the Last Hour, and
establish the Salat, and
pay out the Zakat/annual charity, and
stand in awe of no one else but Allah alone.
It is only they who can expect to be of the guided aright.

09:19
Do you reckon that merely providing a drink of water - zamzam - to the pilgrims, and maintaining the Grand Sacred Masjid,
to be somehow the same as
believing in Allah, and
the Last Hour, and
striving in the Cause of Allah?
Indeed, it is not the same in the Sight of Allah.
And Allah does not guide the evildoing people to the Truth.

09:20
Those who
believed, and
emigrated from Makkah to Madeenah, and
strove in the Cause of Allah with their possessions and their lives -
they have a much higher level of reward with Allah,
and it is they - they are to be successful.

09:21
Their Rabb - The Lord gives them the good news of Mercy from HIM,
and of HIS being pleased with them,
and of Paradise,
and of everlasting bliss for them.

09:22
They will live within them – never to leave, never to die.
Indeed, with Allah is a tremendous reward.

09:23
O The Faithful!
Do not hold your fathers and your brothers as confidants so long as they hold disbelief
dearer to belief.
And whoever of you would take them as confidants, then they are indeed unfair to themselves.

09:24
Tell the believers:
If
your fathers, and
your sons and daughters, and
your brothers and sisters, and
your spouses, and
your families, and
the wealth and worldly possessions you have earned/acquired, or
the business you fear may slacken, and
the mansions that you love,
are dearer to you than
Allah, and
HIS Messenger, and
striving in HIS Cause,
then you just wait until Allah brings about HIS Judgment.
And Allah does not guide such defiantly disobedient people.

09:25
Indeed, Allah has already helped you to victory on many occasions/battlefields -
especially on the Day of the Battle of Hunayn,
when you were so elated with joy – overconfident - at your numerical strength, which by itself did not do you any good.
So the earth, with its vast expanse, seemed too straightened for you as you were suddenly taken by surprise in an ambush.
Thus, you turned back, retreating.

09:26
Then Allah sent down serenity and reassurance from HIM – upon HIS Messenger and upon the believers,
and HE sent down forces of angels to your aid that you could not see.
Thus, HE punished those who disbelieved through defeat.
And that is how HE rewards the disbelievers in the life of this world.

09:27
Yet even after this, Allah may forgive whoever HE Pleases of the believers who fled after
the initial ambush -
for Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Compassionate to those who repent.

09:28
O The Faithful!
The polytheists are spiritually impure.
So from this year onward – CE 631 - do not let them come anywhere near the Grand Sacred Masjid for a visit and pilgrimage.
In case you fear becoming poor, then Allah, if HE so Wills, will enrich you from HIS Bounty in other ways.
Surely, Allah Knows everything of your sustenance, and All-Wise in all HE has ordained for you.

09:29
Do not be afraid to battle against those who
do not believe in Allah and The Last Hour, and
do not hold as unlawful what Allah and HIS Prophet have upheld as unlawful, and
do not practice Religion of Truth – Islam – from among the People of the Former
Scriptures,
until all of them pay the poll tax with a willing hand of submission,
and agree to submit.

09:30
And the Jews allege: Ezra is a son of Allah, while
the Christians assert: Christ is a son of Allah.
These are just phrases they utter with their mouths/tongues.
They copy and repeat the assertions of those who disbelieved before them.
May Allah strike them down!
How perverse they are!

09:31
They – the Jews - consider their rabbis/theologians and the Christians take their saints to be entities worthy of worship apart from Allah,
as also the Christ son of Mary.

Though they were commanded to submit in worship and reverence only to One Allah,
for there is no entity of worship apart from HIM.
Glory be to HIM – HE is far above what they ascribe as a partner to HIM!

09:32
They seek to put out the Light of Allah - The Qur’an- with their mouths by uttering blasphemies,
but Allah will never allow to have it so,
for HE will perfect HIS Light,
no matter how much the disbelievers hate it.

09:33
It is HE WHO assigned HIS Messenger with the Guidance of The Qur’an and the Religion of Truth – Islam –
so that HE may exalt it over other religions – all of it,
no matter how much the polytheists hate it.

09:34
O The Faithful!
Surely many of the Jewish rabbis/theologians and the Christian saints
falsely consume the wealth of the people, and
keep people away from the Path of Allah.
And those who hoard the gold and the silver and the precious metals and the stones,
and do not spend it in the Cause of Allah,
so give them the good news of a most awful punishment -

09:35
- at the Time when it – hoarded wealth, gold, silver, precious metals, and stones - will be made burning hot in the Fire of Hell,
and it will be used to brand:
their foreheads, and
their sides, and
their backs.
They will be told:
‘This is the punishment of that what you hoarded up for yourselves, and did not spend in the Cause of Allah and human welfare.
So taste now the value of what you hoarded!’

09:36
Indeed, the number of months in a year is twelve in the Sight of Allah,
and this was recorded in the Book of Allah at the time when HE created the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
Of these, four are sacred.
That is the right understanding of religion.
So do not do any wrong against yourselves within these – by violating this rule.
However, fight against the polytheists in a united front, just as they fight against you in a
united front.
And know that Allah is always with those who remain obedient to HIM.

09:37
Arbitrarily postponing a sacred month to make fighting lawful and rescheduling the month
of Dhul Hijjah is an addition to disbelief.

Those who disbelieve are further misled by doing it -
making it – the month they postpone – lawful in one year, and making it unlawful in another
year.
They adjust the number of months that Allah has made sacred,
and to make lawful what Allah has made unlawful.
The wickedness of their actions is made to appear pleasing to them.
But Allah would not guide such people to the truth who disbelieve.

09:38
O The Faithful!
What is the matter with you?
Whenever it is said to you:
‘March ahead to fight in the Cause of Allah,
suddenly you slump to the earth.
Do you prefer this present worldly life more than the life of the Hereafter?
In fact, the enjoyment of this present worldly life is practically very little in comparison to the life of the Hereafter.’

09:39
If you do not march ahead with The Prophet for the Battle of Tabuk, as commanded,
then HE will punish you with a painful punishment,
and will replace you with people other than you.
And you cannot harm Him at all by refusing to respond to HIS Call -
for Allah Manifests Sovereignty over all existence.

09:40
If you do not help him - The Prophet,
then bear in mind that Allah already helped him when those who disbelieved made him to relocate from Makkah for Madeenah and tried to hunt him down.
He was just one of the two when the two were hiding in the Cave of Thawr,
and when he said to his companion Abu Bakr who was afraid that their pursuers would capture them:
‘Do not panic!
Surely, Allah is with us’ and HE will help us out!
Then Allah made HIS peace of reassurance and serenity descended upon him,
and strengthened him with forces of angels you could not even see.
And HE made the boasting claims of those who disbelieved the lowest,
for the Word of Allah is always the highest of all.
And Allah is indeed All-Powerful, All-Wise.

09:41
O The Faithful!
March out, then, whether you are equipped lightly in armor or heavily, and
strive hard in the Cause of Allah with your possessions and your persons/lives.
That would be better for you only if you understand its significance.

09:42
O The Prophet!
If it were some gain/spoils of war close at hand, and an easy journey, then they would surely have followed you -
but the difficulty of the journey made the distance appear too far for them.

Even then many of them would falsely swear by Allah, saying:
‘Had we been able, we would surely have marched ahead with you.’
By these false assertions, they are only destroying themselves.
And Allah Knows that they are definitely liars.

09:43
May Allah bless you with grace – O The Prophet!
But why did you grant them exemption from the Expedition of Tabuk,
without first ascertaining who were honest,
and without you knowing who were liars?

09:44
Those who truly believe in Allah and The Last Hour,
would never ask your permission to be excused from striving and from committing their possessions and their persons/lives in the Cause of Allah,
for Allah is All-Aware of the Allah-reverent.

09:45
It is only those asking for your permission to be exempted
who do not truly believe in Allah and The Last Hour, and
whose hearts are filled with doubts, and
doubting, they are constantly hesitant.

09:46
And if they had truly intended to march out and fight with you, they would surely have prepared - demonstrating their intent - for it.
But knowing what was in their hearts, Allah did not like for them to get up and join the believers anyway, so HE held them back.
Thus, they were told:
‘Sit home with those who stay’ back at home.

09:47
If they had marched out with you, they would indeed have caused indiscipline, and
let loose confusion among your men, sowing discord,
for there were some in your midst who would have listened to them.
But Allah Knows the wicked.

09:48
Certainly, they had sought to stir up trouble once before this, and upset matters for you,
even until the truth – victory - came,
and Allah’s Will prevailed, even though they were detesting it.

09:49
And there is one among them who said:
‘Allow me to stay home, and do not expose me to temptation.’
Surely they have already fallen into the temptation of hypocrisy during previous battles.
Indeed, Hell will surround the disbelievers.

09:50
If something good – victories or spoils - happens to you, it displeases them,
but if some setback – defeat - befalls you, they say:

We knew it and that is why ‘we had taken precautions in advance’ against the setback by staying home,
and they turn away, rejoicing.

09:51
Tell them:
‘Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has already decreed for us.
HE is our Protector.’
So let the believers trust in Allah!

09:52
Then ask the hypocrites:
‘Are you expecting for us anything else but one of the two most glorious possibilities:
either victory or martyrdom?
Yet what we are expecting for you is Allah’s Punishment - either from HIM directly, or from our hands with our swords.
So you just wait and see.
We too will be waiting with you’ to see your destruction!

09:53
Tell them:
‘You may spend whatever in support of war efforts willingly or grudgingly,
but it will not be acceptable to Allah as a good deed from you.
Just because you – you are a wicked people.’

09:54
And nothing prevents the acceptance of whatever they spend in support of war efforts,
except that they
refuse to believe in Allah and in HIS Messenger Muhammad, and
do not attend to the Salat/Prayers but lazily and with reluctance, and
do not spend in support of war efforts but grudgingly to doing so.

09:55
So do not let the abundance of their wealth and their children/family impress you.
In fact, Allah intends to punish them with these things in the life of this world,
and that their souls will leave during the time of death while they are still disbelievers/
hypocrites.

09:56
They – hypocrites - swear by Allah they are truly a part of you in faith,
while, in fact, they are not a part of you.
But they are a people constantly petrified - pretending to be a part of you lest they might be singled out.

09:57
If they could find some place to escape, either a shelter, or a cavern, or a hideout,
they will definitely rush to it desperately - in swarms.

09:58
And some of them criticize you for partiality in distributing alms.
Yet if they were given from it, they will be content.
But since they are not given any from it, they are upset.

09:59
It would have been better for them if they would rather have been content with what Allah and HIS Messenger had given them, and said:
‘Allah is Sufficient for us!
Allah will give us more out of HIS Bounty and Grace, and so will HIS Prophet.
Surely, we have no right or a cause of complaint, and we implore Allah’ for material blessings.

09:60
The Zakat/annual charity is meant only for:
the poor and the needy, and
those administering it, and
those whose hearts you wish to win over to Islam, and
the freeing of slaves and captives, and
those over-burdened with debt, and
the Cause of Allah, and
the traveler in need of help.
These are the orders of Allah.
And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise regarding these categories of people.

09:61
There are some among them - the hypocrites - who offend the Prophet when they allege:
‘He will listen to anybody.’
Tell them:
‘He listens for your own good, and
he trusts in Allah, and
he believes in the integrity of the believers, and
he is a mercy/blessing for those among you who truly believe.’
Whoever offends Allah’s Messenger is going to have a painful punishment.

09:62
They swear by Allah in front of you hoping to please you,
but if they were the true believers, it would have been more appropriate that they should have pleased both Allah and HIS Messenger.

09:63
Do they not realize that whoever opposes Allah and HIS Messenger,
surely for him will be the Fire of Hell, and he will remain therein forever?
And that will be the greatest disgrace of all!

09:64
The hypocrites are afraid lest a Surah be sent down about them, exposing what is really in their hearts of hypocrisy.
Say to them:
‘Make fun of this Message as much as you like –
Allah will surely expose what you dread.’

09:65
But if you were to ask them what they were talking about, they will definitely say:
‘We were only gossiping and joking’ with each other – all in good fun.
You ask them:

‘Were you gossiping and joking about Allah and HIS Messages in The Qur’an and HIS Messenger?’

09:66
‘Do not offer excuses anymore!
You have indeed disbelieved after having come to believe.
If WE were to forgive a group of you for being frivolous,
WE are still going to punish the others in this life for being criminals’ of deliberate sin.

09:67
The hypocrite males and the hypocrite females are all the same, the one of them being the same for the other.
They promote what is evil, and
discourage people from what is virtuous,
and they withhold their hands when it comes to spending in the Cause of Allah.
They have forgotten Allah with respect to spending in HIS Cause,
so HE too would forget them with respect to rewards.
The hypocrites – they are certainly defiantly disobedient.

09:68
Allah has made a promise to
the hypocrite males, and
the hypocrite females, and
the disbelievers,
the Fire of Hell, in which they will remain forever.
This will be enough for them.
Allah has cursed them, and
for them will be a relentless punishment.

09:69
O the hypocrites and disbelievers!
You are just like those before you -
they were more powerful than you and possessed more wealth and children.
They enjoyed their share of the good - wealth and renown - of the world, just as you have been enjoying yours.
You indulge in the same kind of idle talk as they had indulged in idle talk.
They are the ones whose good deeds will become worthless both in this world and in the Hereafter.
And they – they are going to be the real losers just as you will be if you do not repent.

09:70
Have they not heard the account of those before them?
The People of Noah, and
the tribes of ‘Ad - the People of Hud, and
Thamud - the People of Saleh, and
the People of Abraham, and
the People of Midian - the People of Sho‘ayb, and
the People of overturned habitations of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Their Messengers came to them with Clear Evidence of the Truth.
And it was not, then, Allah WHO was unfair to them, but they were unfair to themselves
through disbelief, belying, and denying Allah’s Messengers.

09:71
And the believing males and the believing females:
they support one another,
they promote what is virtuous, and
they discourage people from what is a vice,
they establish the Salat/Prayers, and
they pay out the Zakat/annual charity, and
they sincerely obey Allah and HIS Messenger.
These - Allah will be Merciful to them.
Indeed, Allah is All-Powerful, All-Wise.

09:72
Allah has made a promise to the believing males and the believing females:
of Paradise through which rivers/streams flow, to live therein forever, and
beautiful mansions in Gardens of Perpetual Bliss, and
above all, the continuous Blessings of Allah.
Indeed, that will be the greatest success!

09:73
O The Prophet!
Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites.
And be firm with them.
If they do not repent, their destination will be Hell -
And what a wretched destination!

09:74
They swear by Allah saying:
‘They never uttered any blasphemous words’ against you.
But certainly, they did utter the words of disbelief which were blasphemous,
and they reverted to disbelief after having come to belief.
And they were determined to do what they were unable to carry it out.
They hated the believers for no other reason but that Allah had enriched them by HIS Grace, and
caused HIS Messenger to enrich them too by inviting them to the True Faith of Islam.
Even so, if they repent, it will be better for them.
However, if they turn away, Allah is going to punish them with a painful punishment both
in this world as well as in the Hereafter.
In that case, they will have no one on the face of earth to help them and protect them
against Allah’s Punishment.

09:75
And some of them made a deal with Allah saying:
‘If HE granted us some of HIS Bounty – worldly riches, then we will definitely give out
alms/charity, and certainly be among the righteous.’

09:76
Yet when HE granted them some of HIS Bounty– worldly riches, they became stingy with it,
and turned away in aversion from what they had offered as a deal.

09:77
So as a consequence of breaking their deal with Allah, and perpetually telling lies,

HE made hypocrisy settle in their hearts till the Time they will meet HIM upon their death and the Resurrection.

09:78
Do they not realize that Allah knows all their secrets as well as their private conversations, and
that Allah has the Full Knowledge of what is hidden’ in the deep recesses of their hearts?

09:79
Those who ridicule such of the believers who give out the alms willingly and voluntarily,
and those who ridicule those believers who have nothing more to offer besides what they earn by their labor due to poverty.
May Allah ridicule them!
And for them is going to be an awful punishment.

09:80
O The Prophet!
Whether you plead forgiveness for them or you do not plead forgiveness for them – it will make no difference.
Allah would not forgive them -
even if you were to plead as many as seventy times.
For they denied and belied Allah and HIS Messenger in secret,
and Allah will not guide a people who are rebellious.

09:81
Those who stayed behind in Madeenah, rejoiced that they had stayed home against the wishes of Allah’s Messenger and they remained averse to fighting in the Cause of Allah with their possessions and their persons/lives.
And they were even saying to one another:
‘Do not go out to fight in Tabuk because it is too hot’ in the desert.
Tell them:
‘The Fire of Hell is far more intense in heat -
if only they would realize it!’

09:82
So let them laugh a little now,
for they will weep a lot in the Hereafter –
as a payback for what they have been earning of hypocrisy and of transgression.

09:83
If only you come back safely from the Tabuk campaign by the Grace of Allah to a group of them – hypocrites,
and they seek your permission to go out to fight with you on some future military expeditions,
you should tell them:
‘You will never go out to fight with me anymore, nor will you ever fight against any enemy
with me.
Indeed, you preferred to stay back at home on the first occasion, so now keep staying home
with those who get left behind’ – other hypocrites, the women, and the children.

09:84
O The Prophet!
You are never to offer funeral prayers for anyone of them who dies as a hypocrite,

nor stand by his grave to pray as they are being lowered down into it,
for they denied and belied Allah and HIS Messenger in their hearts,
and thus died while they were defiantly wicked to Allah and HIS Messenger.

09:85
And let not the abundance of their wealth and their children/family impress you.
Allah only wishes to punish them through these things in this world and
to make sure that they will leave this life while still disbelievers.

09:86
And whenever a new Surah is sent down - stating:
‘Believe in Allah, and
fight alongside HIS Messenger’ in the Service of HIS Cause!
The well-to-do among them seek your permission to be exempted from fighting and say:
‘Allow us to stay with those who stay’ behind - without any valid excuse.

09:87
They were happy to be with those who stayed behind at home during the Tabuk campaign.
So a seal has been set upon their hearts, so they do not understand the essence of jihad.

09:88
However, the Messenger and
those who believe with him, and
fight with their possessions and their persons with him in the Cause of Allah.
Such are those for whom will be the finest rewards,
and those – they will be truly successful.

09:89
Allah has provision for them of Paradise through which rivers/streams flow,
wherein they will live – never to die, never to leave.
That will be the greatest of triumphs.

09:90
And some among the desert nomads also came with ready excuses, seeking permission for themselves to be exempted from the Tabuk expedition.
But those who had lied to Allah and HIS Messenger stayed behind.
So the punishment for those of them, who secretly disbelieve, will be painful.

09:91
It will not be an act of disobedience, however, on those who are
too weak – age, physical impairment, and
the chronically ill – lameness, blindness, and
those without resources to equip themselves,
if they stayed behind - provided they were sincere to Allah and HIS Messenger.
It is also not an act of disobedience on the part of those who seek excellence in goodness,
for Allah is Ever-Forgiving of those who repent, Ever-Kind to those who die repentant.

09:92
Nor will it be an act of disobedience of those who came to you with the request to provide them with riding animals and to whom you had to say:
‘I cannot find any rides for you.’

Whereupon they left, while their eyes were overflowing with tears of sorrow that they could not find the means to spend on rides and participate in the expedition.

09:93
However, it will be an act of disobedience only of those who are wealthy and yet seek your permission to stay behind.
They preferred to be with the ones who stayed behind,
so Allah has set a seal upon their hearts,
and they do not realize what is really beneficial to them.

09:94
When you come back to them from the Tabuk expedition they are going to make excuses to you for having stayed behind in Madeenah.
But tell them:
‘Do not make excuses for we are not going to trust you.
Allah has already informed us of the truth about your hypocrisy, and
Allah will be watching your future conduct and so will be HIS Messenger.
You are then going to be brought back to The One WHO knows the hidden as well as the manifest.
Then HE is going to apprise you of the negative consequences of what you used to do.’

09:95
O The Prophet!
They will beg you by the Blessed Name of Allah, upon your return, to forgive them out of fear of punishment.
So ignore them.
Surely they are morally and spiritually despicable.
Their destination is going to be Hellfire – a payback for what they had been earning of evil and hypocrisy.

09:96
They are also going to plead on oath so that you may be pleased with them.
Even if you were to be pleased with them due to lying with their oaths, remember
Allah will never be pleased with those who are defiantly disobedient.

09:97
The desert nomads are worst in disbelief and hypocrisy and
are thus more likely to be unaware of the bounds prescribed by Allah in what has been sent down on to HIS Messenger.
And Allah is All-Aware of the hypocrites, All-Wise.

09:98
And among the desert nomads some consider whatever they spend in the Cause of Allah is a penalty/punitive obligation,
and they keep looking for an adverse turn in fortune against you so that they may get rid of it.
In fact, it is they who will have an adverse turn in fortune against them -
as Allah is All-Listening to what they say, and All-Knowing of their motives and treachery.

09:99
Some of the desert nomads, however, do believe in Allah and The Last Hour,
and consider what they spend in the Cause of Allah as a means of bringing them closer to Allah, and worthy of the Messenger’s praying for their forgiveness and success.

This is certainly a means of achieving closeness to Allah.
And Allah will admit them into HIS Mercy –
for Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Compassionate towards the repentant.

09:100
The foremost to believe are those who:
were the first to emigrate/relocate from Makkah, and
supported them in Madeenah, and later
- followed them in righteousness.
Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.
And HE has prepared for them Paradise through which rivers/streams flow,
wherein they will live forever - never to die or never to leave.
And that will be the greatest of success!

09:101
And some of the desert nomads who live in your vicinity are hypocrites even as are some of the People of Madeenah.
They have become experts in hypocrisy.
You are not always aware of them – O The Messenger - unless WE inform you of them.
WE - WE Know them all.
WE are going to make them suffer twice as much through fear and humiliation,
and then they are going to be sent to an even more painful punishment in the Hellfire.

09:102
But there are some others, who, after mixing a deed of righteousness with another evil, admit their sins.
It may be that Allah will accept their repentance.
Indeed, Allah is Oft-Forgiving towards those who repent, and Most Merciful towards those who die in a state of repentance.

09:103
O The Prophet!
Accept alms they make from their wealth in order to cleanse them and purify them,
and pray for them,
for your prayers will surely bring them peace of mind and tranquility at heart.
Allah is All-Listening, All-Knowing about all things.

09:104
Do they not know that Allah – HE accepts the repentance of HIS servants, and accepts what they offer in alms?
And it is Allah – HE is The One WHO is The Acceptor of Repentance, The Merciful.

09:105
And say to those who want to repent for their spiritual and moral blemishes:
Do deeds of righteousness!
Then Allah will see your deeds, and so will HIS Messenger and also the believers.
And you are going to be brought back to the Knower of all that is beyond human senses and perception, as well as all that can be apparently seen and visualized by human senses/ the sensed realm.
Then HE will apprise you of what you had been doing and call you to account for it.

09:106
And yet there are some others whose affairs are deferred to the decree of Allah,
so they can know whether HE is going to punish them or pardon them.
And Allah is All-Knowing of their states of mind and All-Wise.

09:107
As for those who built a separate masjid to cause dissension and disbelief, and rift among the believers,
and to serve as a rallying place for those who had previously fought against Allah and HIS Messenger.
And yet they are definitely going to swear:
‘We mean nothing but good’ in building this masjid,
whereas Allah testifies that they are all liars.

09:108
O The Messenger!
‘You are never to stand for Salat/Prayers in it!
Only a masjid found on piety and reverence from the very first day is indeed more worthy of your standing for Salat/Prayers in it.
In it, you will find people who love to purify themselves of all spiritual and moral blemishes.
And Allah loves those who strive to purify themselves.’

09:109
Is not someone who lays the foundations of his building/masjid on piety and reverence to Allah and seeks HIS Favor better than someone who lays the foundations of his building – masjid dharar - upon the edge of a weak sand dune ready to crumble at any moment?
It will crumble along with him into the Fire of Hell.
And Allah does not guide the people who are willfully evildoers.

09:110
The building - masjid dharar - they built will always be a cause of dissension in their hearts, even until their hearts are shattered to pieces, i.e., till they die.
And Allah is All-Knowing of their conspiracies, and All-Wise to counter them.

09:111
Allah has purchased the lives and the possessions of the believers promising them Paradise in return.
They fight for the Cause of Allah, and they slay and/or be slain.
This is a true promise incumbent on HIM in the Torah, and the Injeel/Bible and the Qur’an.
And who could fulfill his promise better than Allah?
So rejoice at the bargain you have made with HIM.
For, indeed, this will be the great triumph!

09:112
The believers whose lives Allah has purchased are those who:
repent from hypocrisy and sin to HIM,
worship HIM,
praise HIM in good times and in bad,
devout in HIS worship,
bow down in awe of HIM, and
prostrate themselves in Salat/Prayers,

enjoin and promote virtue, and
prohibit and prevent evil, and
respect the limits set by Allah – obligations and prohibitions -
so announce the news of rejoicing to these believers.

09:113
It is not worthy of The Prophet and those who are believers to seek Allah’s forgiveness for those who ascribe entities to Allah even though they may be members of their family,
once it has become clear to them they are going to be the People of Blazing Fire – because they lived and died in a state of disbelief.

09:114
As for Abraham’s asking for the forgiveness of his father, he was only fulfilling a promise
he had made to him.
However, when it became clear to him that he - his father - was an Enemy of Allah,
he distanced himself from him.
Abraham was indeed soft-hearted and forbearing.

09:115
Allah will never let a people go astray after guiding them to His Path until after HE has made clear to them what they should beware of so as to guard themselves against straying.
Surely, Allah Knows all about everything.

09:116
Indeed, Allah – to HIM belongs the reigns of the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
HE gives life and death.
And you have neither a guardian nor a helper apart from Allah.

09:117
Certainly, Allah turned in mercy to the Prophet and to the Emigrants from Makkah, and the Supporters from Madeenah who followed him during a difficult time on the Expedition to Tabuk-
even after a group of them were about to lose courage, but HE also turned to them in HIS Mercy,
for HE was Kind and Merciful towards them.

09:118
Likewise, HE also forgave the three persons who stayed behind avoiding the Expedition to Tabuk,
until they felt such remorse that even the earth, with all its expanse, seemed to close in upon them,
and their souls seemed to strangle them with guilt as well.
They came to realize there was no refuge for them from Allah except with HIM – HIM only.
So HE turned towards them in Mercy so that they could seek HIS Forgiveness.
Surely Allah – HE is The Acceptor of repentance for HE is The Merciful.

09:119
O The Faithful!
Keep away from disobedience to Allah in reverence, awe, and piety,
and be among those who are truthful in their speech, deeds, and dealings.

09:120
It was not right for some of the People of Madeenah and the desert nomads living in the neighborhood to remain behind the Messenger of Allah – while on the Tabuk Expedition - and to care more for themselves than for him.
That being so because there was no difficulty that reached them, whether it was fatigue, or thirst, or hunger in the Cause of Allah,
nor any step they could have taken to provoke the disbelievers,
nor any injury they could have received from the enemy,
but will be written in their favor as a deed of righteousness.
Surely Allah never lets the reward go to waste of those who excel in goodness.

09:121
They also could not have spent any spending, a little or a lot, nor trekked across any valley except that it will be written down for them in their account as a deed of righteousness,
so that Allah may reward them for the best of what they had been doing in the Service of Allah.

09:122
And it is not appropriate for the believers to go out for an expedition – one and all.
But why should not a party from each group of them mobilize to acquire a profound understanding of the religion,
so that they can teach those of their companions on return,
and that they may also save themselves from the displeasure of Allah.

09:123
O The Faithful!
Battle against those of the disbelievers around you who pose an imminent threat to your security,
and let them realize that you are firm and strong in your resolve.
And remember that Allah is always with those who guard themselves against HIS disobedience.

09:124
And whenever a new Surah/Ayah is sent down, some of them - the hypocrites - remark
to one another with a wink:
So ‘whose faith among you has the revelation of this Surah/Ayah strengthened?’
It does strengthen the faith of those who believe.
And, in fact, they rejoice at its revelation.

09:125
But the newly revealed Surah/Ayat adds doubts to the doubts for those in whose hearts is a disease of disbelief and hypocrisy,
and they are going to die while they are disbelievers.

09:126
Do they - the hypocrites - not realize that they are being tested by the Revelation of their evil scheming and betrayal every year, once or twice?
Even then they neither repent nor learn a lesson from it.

09:127
And whenever a new Surah/Ayah is sent down and is being recited to the believers,
they look at one another as though saying:

‘Is anyone among the believers watching you?’
And then they turn away – leaving with indifference and contempt.
Indeed, Allah has turned away their hearts from the Truth,
for they are a people who cannot grasp the truth.

09:128
O The People!
Now a Messenger - Muhammad – has come to you from among yourselves.
Any suffering that befalls you in the Cause of Allah weighs heavily upon him.
In fact, he is
eager for you to be guided aright,
full of concern over you for your faith, and
compassionate and kind towards the believers.

09:129
Still, if they turn away from your advocacy, just tell them:
‘Allah is sufficient for me.
There is no entity of worship and can never be – metaphorical or hypothetical - but HE.
In HIM I trust -
for HE is Rabb - The Lord of the Glorious Throne of Almightiness.