At-Tawbah  · Part One

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Surah · Verses 1 to 37

﴾١﴿ بَرَآءَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَٰهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ

Baraaa'atum minal laahi wa Rasooliheee ilal lazeena 'anhattum minal mushrikeen

A disavowal from Allah and His Messenger to those of the idolaters you had a treaty with.

﴾٢﴿ فَسِيحُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍۢ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِى ٱللَّهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُخْزِى ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

Faseehoo fil ardi arba'ata ashhurinw wa'lamoooannakum ghairu mu'jizil laahi wa annal laaha mukhzil kaafireen

So travel the land four months, and know that you cannot escape Allah, and that Allah will disgrace the disbelievers.

﴾٣﴿ وَأَذَٰنٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلنَّاسِ يَوْمَ ٱلْحَجِّ ٱلْأَكْبَرِ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَرِىٓءٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ۙ وَرَسُولُهُۥ ۚ فَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِى ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

Wa azaanum minal laahi wa Rasooliheee ilan naasi yawmal Hajjil Akbari annal laaha bareee'um minal mushrikeena wa Rasooluh; fa-in tubtum fahuwa khairullakum wa in tawallaitum fa'lamooo annakum ghairu mu'jizil laah; wa bashiril lazeena kafaroo biazaabin aleem

And an announcement from Allah and His Messenger to the people on the day of the greater pilgrimage, that Allah is free of obligation to the idolaters, and so is His Messenger. So if you repent, it is better for you. And if you turn away, know that you cannot escape Allah. And give news of a painful punishment to those who disbelieved.

﴾٤﴿ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ عَٰهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنقُصُوكُمْ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَمْ يُظَٰهِرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَدًۭا فَأَتِمُّوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ عَهْدَهُمْ إِلَىٰ مُدَّتِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

Illal lazeena 'aahattum minal mushrikeena summa lam yanqusookum shai'anw-wa lam yuzaahiroo 'alaikum ahadan fa atimmooo ilaihim 'ahdahum ilaa muddatihim; innal laaha yuhibbul muttaqeen

Except those of the idolaters you had a treaty with, then they did not fall short with you in anything and did not back anyone against you. Complete their treaty with them to its full term. Allah loves those who are conscious of Him.

﴾٥﴿ فَإِذَا ٱنسَلَخَ ٱلْأَشْهُرُ ٱلْحُرُمُ فَٱقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَٱحْصُرُوهُمْ وَٱقْعُدُوا۟ لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍۢ ۚ فَإِن تَابُوا۟ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَخَلُّوا۟ سَبِيلَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

Fa izansalakhal Ashhurul Hurumu faqtulul mushrikeena haisu wajattumoohum wa khuzoohum wahsuroohum qaq'udoo lahum kulla marsad; fa-in taaboo wa aqaamus Salaata wa aatawuz Zakaata fakhalloo sabeelahum; innal laaha Ghafoorur Raheem

So when the sacred months have passed, fight the idolaters wherever you find them, and seize them, and besiege them, and sit in wait for them at every place of watch. But if they repent and establish the prayer and give the zakah, then let their way be free. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

﴾٦﴿ وَإِنْ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ٱسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَٰمَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُۥ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌۭ لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ

Wa in ahadum minal mushrikeenas tajaaraka fa ajirhu hattaa yasma'a Kalaamal laahi summa ablighhu maa manah; zaalika bi annahum qawmul laa ya'lamoon

And if any of the idolaters seeks your protection, grant it to him until he hears the speech of Allah, then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know.

﴾٧﴿ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ عَهْدٌ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَعِندَ رَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ عَٰهَدتُّمْ عِندَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۖ فَمَا ٱسْتَقَٰمُوا۟ لَكُمْ فَٱسْتَقِيمُوا۟ لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

Kaifa yakoonu lilmush rikeena 'ahdun 'indallaahi wa 'inda Rasoolihee illal lazeena 'aahattum 'indal Masjidil Haraami famas taqaamoo lakum fastaqeemoo lahum; innallaaha yuhibbul muttaqeen

How can the idolaters have a treaty with Allah and with His Messenger, except those you made a treaty with at the Sacred Mosque. So as long as they are straight with you, be straight with them. Allah loves those who are conscious of Him.

﴾٨﴿ كَيْفَ وَإِن يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ لَا يَرْقُبُوا۟ فِيكُمْ إِلًّۭا وَلَا ذِمَّةًۭ ۚ يُرْضُونَكُم بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَتَأْبَىٰ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ فَٰسِقُونَ

Kaifa wa iny-yazharoo 'alaikum laa yarquboo feekum illanw wa laa zimmah; yurdoo nakum biafwaahihim wa taabaa quloobuhum wa aksaruhum faasiqoon

How, when if they gain the upper hand over you they observe toward you neither kinship nor agreement. They please you with their mouths while their hearts refuse, and most of them are defiantly disobedient.

﴾٩﴿ ٱشْتَرَوْا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ثَمَنًۭا قَلِيلًۭا فَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ سَآءَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

Ishtaraw bi Aayaatil laahi samanan qaleelan fasaddoo 'an sabeelih; innahum saaa'a maa kaanoo ya'maloon

They sold the signs of Allah for a small price and turned people from His path. Evil is what they have been doing.

﴾١٠﴿ لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِى مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّۭا وَلَا ذِمَّةًۭ ۚ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُعْتَدُونَ

Laa yarquboona fee mu'minin illanw wa laa zimmah wa ulaaa 'ika humulmu 'tadoon

They observe toward a believer neither kinship nor agreement. Those are the ones who cross the limits.

﴾١١﴿ فَإِن تَابُوا۟ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۗ وَنُفَصِّلُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ

Fa in taaboo wa aqaamus Salaata wa aatawuz Zakaata fa ikhwaanukum fid deen; wa nufassilul Aayaati liqawminy ya'lamoon

But if they repent and establish the prayer and give the zakah, then they are your brothers in religion. And We lay out the signs in detail for a people who know.

﴾١٢﴿ وَإِن نَّكَثُوٓا۟ أَيْمَٰنَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَطَعَنُوا۟ فِى دِينِكُمْ فَقَٰتِلُوٓا۟ أَئِمَّةَ ٱلْكُفْرِ ۙ إِنَّهُمْ لَآ أَيْمَٰنَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَنتَهُونَ

Wa in nakasooo aimaanahum mim ba'di 'ahdihim wa ta'anoo fee deenikum faqaatilooo a'immatal kufri innahum laaa aimaana lahum la'allahum yantahoon

And if they break their oaths after their treaty and attack your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief. They have no oaths that hold. Perhaps they will stop.

﴾١٣﴿ أَلَا تُقَٰتِلُونَ قَوْمًۭا نَّكَثُوٓا۟ أَيْمَٰنَهُمْ وَهَمُّوا۟ بِإِخْرَاجِ ٱلرَّسُولِ وَهُم بَدَءُوكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ ۚ أَتَخْشَوْنَهُمْ ۚ فَٱللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَوْهُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Alaa tuqaatiloona qawman nakasooo aimaanahum wa hammoo bi ikhraajir Rasooli wa hum bada'ookum awwala marrah; atakhshawnahum; fallaahu ahaqqu an takhshawhu in kuntum mu'mineen

Will you not fight a people who broke their oaths and set out to expel the Messenger, and they began against you the first time. Do you fear them. Allah has more right to be feared by you, if you are believers.

﴾١٤﴿ قَٰتِلُوهُمْ يُعَذِّبْهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ وَيُخْزِهِمْ وَيَنصُرْكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَيَشْفِ صُدُورَ قَوْمٍۢ مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Qaatiloohum yu'az zibhumul laahu bi aideekum wa yukhzihim wa yansurkum 'alaihim wa yashfi sudoora qawmim mu 'mineen

Fight them. Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them, and heal the chests of a believing people.

﴾١٥﴿ وَيُذْهِبْ غَيْظَ قُلُوبِهِمْ ۗ وَيَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

Wa yuzhib ghaiza quloobihim; wa yatoobullaahu 'alaa mai yashaaa'; wallaahu 'Aleemun Hakeem

And remove the rage from their hearts. And Allah turns in mercy to whom He wills. Allah is Knowing, Wise.

﴾١٦﴿ أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تُتْرَكُوا۟ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ جَٰهَدُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا رَسُولِهِۦ وَلَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلِيجَةًۭ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

Am hasibtum an turakoo wa lammaa ya'lamil laahul lazeena jaahadoo minkum wa lam yattakhizoo min doonil laahi wa laa Rasoolihee wa lalmu'mineena waleejah; wallaahu khabeerum bimaa ta'maloon

Or did you think you would be left alone before Allah has known who among you struggled and took no confidant besides Allah and His Messenger and the believers. Allah is aware of what you do.

﴾١٧﴿ مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يَعْمُرُوا۟ مَسَٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ شَٰهِدِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِم بِٱلْكُفْرِ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَٰلُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلنَّارِ هُمْ خَٰلِدُونَ

Maa kaana lilmushrikeena ai ya'muroo masaajidal laahi shaahideena 'alaaa anfusihim bilkufr; ulaaa'ika habitat a'maaluhum wa fin naari hum khaalidoon

It is not for the idolaters to maintain the mosques of Allah while testifying against themselves with disbelief. Those are the ones whose deeds have collapsed, and in the Fire they remain.

﴾١٨﴿ إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ ۖ فَعَسَىٰٓ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَن يَكُونُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ

Innamaa ya'muru masaa jidal laahi man aamana billaahi wal Yawmil Aakhiri wa aqaamas Salaata wa aataz Zakaata wa lam yakkhsa illal laaha fa'asaaa ulaaa'ika ai yakoonoo minal muhtadeen

The mosques of Allah are maintained only by whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, and establishes the prayer, and gives the zakah, and fears no one except Allah. It may be that those are among the guided.

﴾١٩﴿ أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ ٱلْحَآجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ وَجَٰهَدَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ لَا يَسْتَوُۥنَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

Aja'altum siqaayatal haaajji wa 'imaaratal masjidil haraami kamman aamana billaahi wal Yawmil Aakhiri wa jaahada fee sabeelil laah; laa yastawoona 'indal laah; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmaz zaalimeen

Have you made the giving of water to the pilgrims and the upkeep of the Sacred Mosque the same as one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and struggles in the way of Allah. They are not equal with Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.

﴾٢٠﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَهَاجَرُوا۟ وَجَٰهَدُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِأَمْوَٰلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَآئِزُونَ

Allazeena aamanoo wa haajaroo wa jaahadoo fee sabeelil laahi bi amwaalihim wa anufsihim a'zamu darajatan 'indal laah; wa ulaaa'ika humul faaa'izoon

Those who believed and migrated and struggled in the way of Allah with their wealth and their selves are greater in rank with Allah. And those are the ones who win.

﴾٢١﴿ يُبَشِّرُهُمْ رَبُّهُم بِرَحْمَةٍۢ مِّنْهُ وَرِضْوَٰنٍۢ وَجَنَّٰتٍۢ لَّهُمْ فِيهَا نَعِيمٌۭ مُّقِيمٌ

Yubashshiruhum Rabbuhum birahmatim minhu wa ridwaaninw wa Jannaatil lahum feehaa na'eemum muqeem

Their Lord gives them good news of mercy from Him and approval, and gardens in which there is lasting comfort for them.

﴾٢٢﴿ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌۭ

Khaalideena feehaaa abadaa; innal laaha 'indahooo ajrun 'azeem

Remaining in them forever. With Allah is a great reward.

﴾٢٣﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ ءَابَآءَكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنَكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ إِنِ ٱسْتَحَبُّوا۟ ٱلْكُفْرَ عَلَى ٱلْإِيمَٰنِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُم مِّنكُمْ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo laa tattakhizooo aabaaa 'akum wa ikhwaanakum awliyaaa'a inis tahabbul kufra 'alal eemaan; wa mai yatawal lahum minkum fa ulaaa'ika humuz zaalimoon

You who believe, do not take your fathers and your brothers as allies if they prefer disbelief over belief. And whoever among you turns to them for support, those are the wrongdoers.

﴾٢٤﴿ قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلٌ ٱقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَٰرَةٌۭ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَجِهَادٍۢ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَٰسِقِينَ

Qul in kaana aabaaa'ukum wa abnaaa'ukum wa ikhwaanukum wa azwaajukum wa 'asheeratukum wa amwaaluniq taraftumoohaa wa tijaaratun takhshawna kasaadahaa wa masaakinu tardawnahaaa ahabba ilaikum minal laahi wa Rasoolihee wa Jihaadin fee Sabeelihee fatarabbasoo hattaa yaatiyallaahu bi amrih; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmal faasiqeen

Say, if your fathers, and your sons, and your brothers, and your spouses, and your family, and wealth you have acquired, and a trade you fear will slow, and homes you are pleased with, are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and struggling in His way, then wait until Allah brings His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.

﴾٢٥﴿ لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِى مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍۢ ۙ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ ۙ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْـًۭٔا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ

Laqad nasarakumul laahu fee mawaatina kaseeratinw wa yawma Hunainin iz a'jabatkum kasratukum falam tughni 'ankum shai'anw wa daaqat 'alaikumul ardu bimaa rahubat summa wallaitum mudbireen

Allah has given you victory in many places, and on the day of Hunayn, when your great number pleased you and it did not help you in anything, and the earth closed in on you for all its width, then you turned back, retreating.

﴾٢٦﴿ ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَعَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودًۭا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

Summa anzalal laahu sakeenatahoo 'alaa Rasoolihee wa 'alalmu 'mineena wa anzala junoodal lam tarawhaa wa azzabal lazeena kafaroo; wa zaalika jazaaa'ul kaafireen

Then Allah sent down His stillness upon His Messenger and upon the believers, and He sent down forces you did not see, and He punished those who disbelieved. And that is the payment of the disbelievers.

﴾٢٧﴿ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

Summa yatoobul laahu mim ba'di zaalika 'alaa mai yashaaa'; wallaahu Ghafoorur Raheem

Then after that Allah turns in mercy to whom He wills. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

﴾٢٨﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌۭ فَلَا يَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ ٱلْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَٰذَا ۚ وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةًۭ فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦٓ إِن شَآءَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanooo innamal mushrikoona najasun falaa yaqrabul Masjidal Haraama ba'da 'aamihim haaza; wa in khiftum 'ailatan fasawfa yughnee kumul laahu min fadliheee in shaaa'; innallaaha 'Aleemun hakeem

You who believe, the idolaters are unclean, so let them not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year of theirs. And if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you from His bounty if He wills. Allah is Knowing, Wise.

﴾٢٩﴿ قَٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَلَا بِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ وَلَا يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ وَلَا يَدِينُونَ دِينَ ٱلْحَقِّ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ حَتَّىٰ يُعْطُوا۟ ٱلْجِزْيَةَ عَن يَدٍۢ وَهُمْ صَٰغِرُونَ

Qaatilul lazeena laa yu'minoona billaahi wa laa bil yawmil Aakhiri wa laa yuharrimoona maa harramal laahu wa Rasooluhoo wa laa yadeenoona deenal haqqi minal lazeena ootul Kitaaba hattaa yu'tul jizyata ai yadinw wa hum saaghiroon

Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day, and do not treat as forbidden what Allah and His Messenger have made forbidden, and do not follow the religion of truth, from among those given the Book, until they pay the tribute out of hand, subdued.

﴾٣٠﴿ وَقَالَتِ ٱلْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ٱبْنُ ٱللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ ٱلنَّصَٰرَى ٱلْمَسِيحُ ٱبْنُ ٱللَّهِ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ قَوْلُهُم بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ ۖ يُضَٰهِـُٔونَ قَوْلَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ قَٰتَلَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ

Q qaalatil yahoodu 'Uzairunib nul laahi wa qaalatin Nasaaral Maseehub nul laahi zaalika qawluhum bi afwaahihim yudaahi'oona qawlal lazeena kafaroo min qabl; qatalahumul laah; annaa yu'fakoon

And the Jews said, Uzayr is the son of Allah. And the Christians said, the Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their statement from their mouths. They imitate the statement of those who disbelieved before. May Allah destroy them. How are they turned away.

﴾٣١﴿ ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَٰنَهُمْ أَرْبَابًۭا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَسِيحَ ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓا۟ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَٰهًۭا وَٰحِدًۭا ۖ لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

Ittakhazooo ahbaarahum wa ruhbaanahum arbaabammin doonil laahi wal Maseehab na Maryama wa maaa umirooo illaa liya'budooo Ilaahanw Waa hidan laaa ilaaha illaa Hoo; Subhaanahoo 'ammaa yushrikoon

They took their scholars and their monks as lords besides Allah, and the Messiah son of Maryam. And they were commanded only to worship one God. There is no god except Him. Glory be to Him above what they associate.

﴾٣٢﴿ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِـُٔوا۟ نُورَ ٱللَّهِ بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى ٱللَّهُ إِلَّآ أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُۥ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ

Yureedoona ai yutfi'oo nooral laahi bi'afwaahihim wa yaaballaahu illaaa ai yutimma noorahoo wa law karihal kaafiroon

They want to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah refuses anything except to complete His light, even if the disbelievers hate it.

﴾٣٣﴿ هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُۥ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ

Huwal lazeee ar sala Rasoolahoo bilhudaa wa deenil haqqi liyuzhirahoo 'alad deeni kullihee wa law karihal mushrikoon

He is the One who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religion, even if the idolaters hate it.

﴾٣٤﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْأَحْبَارِ وَٱلرُّهْبَانِ لَيَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَٰلَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْبَٰطِلِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ ٱلذَّهَبَ وَٱلْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍۢ

Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanooo inna kaseeramminal ahbaari warruhbaani la yaakuloona amwaalan naasi bil baatili wa yasuddoona 'an sabeelil laah; wallazeena yaknizoonaz zahaba wal fiddata wa laayunfiqoonahaa fee sabeelil laahi fabashshirhum bi'azaabin aleem

You who believe, many of the scholars and the monks consume the wealth of people falsely and turn people from the way of Allah. And those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah, give them news of a painful punishment.

﴾٣٥﴿ يَوْمَ يُحْمَىٰ عَلَيْهَا فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنُوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ ۖ هَٰذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَ

Yawma yuhmaa 'alaihaa fee naari jahannama fatukwaa bihaa jibaahuhum wa junoobuhum wa zuhooruhum; haazaa maa kanaztum li anfusikum fazooqoo maa kuntum taknizoon

On a Day when it will be heated in the fire of Hell and their foreheads and their sides and their backs will be branded with it. This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you were hoarding.

﴾٣٦﴿ إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًۭا فِى كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا۟ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ وَقَٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ كَآفَّةًۭ كَمَا يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ كَآفَّةًۭ ۚ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

Inna 'iddatash shuhoori 'indal laahis naa 'ashara shahran fee Kitaabil laahi yawma khalaqas samaawaati wal arda minhaaa arba'atun hurum; zaalikad deenul qaiyim; falaa tazlimoo feehinna anfusakum; wa qaatilul mushrikeena kaaaf fattan kamaa yuqaati loonakum kaaaffah; wa'lamooo annal laaha ma'al muttaqeen

The number of months with Allah is twelve months, in the record of Allah, from the day He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred. That is the upright religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight the idolaters all together as they fight you all together. And know that Allah is with those who are conscious of Him.

﴾٣٧﴿ إِنَّمَا ٱلنَّسِىٓءُ زِيَادَةٌۭ فِى ٱلْكُفْرِ ۖ يُضَلُّ بِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُحِلُّونَهُۥ عَامًۭا وَيُحَرِّمُونَهُۥ عَامًۭا لِّيُوَاطِـُٔوا۟ عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ فَيُحِلُّوا۟ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سُوٓءُ أَعْمَٰلِهِمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

Innaman naseee'u ziyaadatun filkufri yudallu bihil lazeena kafaroo yuhil loonahoo 'aamanw wa yuhar rimoonahoo 'aamal liyu waati'oo 'iddata maa harramal laahu fa yuhilloo maa harramal laah; zuyyina lahum sooo'u a'maalihim; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmal kaafireen

The postponing is only an increase in disbelief. Those who disbelieved are led astray by it. They make it permitted one year and forbidden another, to match the number Allah made sacred, and so permit what Allah made forbidden. The evil of their deeds was made to look good to them. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What This Part Means

Overview

The Chapter That Opens Without the Mercy.

Every other chapter of the Quran begins by naming Allah as the Merciful. This one begins with the word disavowal.

The setting is the closing of an era. Treaties made over years are being settled, some honored to their last day and some ended. An army is being raised for Tabuk in heat and hardship. And a group inside the city who had said the words and prayed the prayers is about to be described so precisely that anyone could pick them out.

Part One is the public notice. Verses 1 to 16 handle the agreements and are more careful than they are usually read. Verse 4 orders that every treaty kept by the other side be completed to its full term. Verse 6 orders that an enemy who asks for protection be given it, allowed to hear the Quran, and then escorted to safety at your own cost. Verse 7 sets the standing rule in one clause: as long as they are straight with you, be straight with them. The severity in verse 5 sits inside that frame and is aimed at the men who had already broken their word, which verses 8, 10, 12 and 13 spell out.

Then the chapter turns to religion as a thing people perform. Who really maintains a mosque. Whether serving pilgrims is the same as believing. Whether a family tie outranks the truth. And it ends Part One with two forms of tampering, one with metal and one with the calendar.

Verses 1 to 16

The Terms Are on the Record.

Notice how much of this passage is procedure. Four months of safe travel before anything begins. A public announcement at the largest gathering of the year, so nobody can claim they were struck without notice. An explicit carve out for every group that kept its side. This is the opposite of a surprise.

Verse 6 is the verse most people never hear quoted. If one of the idolaters, in the middle of all this, asks you for protection, grant it. Let him hear the speech of Allah. Then deliver him to his place of safety. Not release him at the gate. Deliver him. The reason given is that they are a people who do not know, which makes ignorance a reason to give a man access rather than a reason to write him off.

Verse 8 diagnoses the other side without heat. They please you with their mouths while their hearts refuse. The complaint is not that they are hostile. It is that the hostility is being managed at the level of speech while nothing underneath has moved.

Verse 14 says something uncomfortable and says it anyway. Allah will punish them by your hands and heal the chests of a believing people. The relief of the wronged is named as a purpose. Verse 15 immediately follows with Allah turning in mercy to whom He wills, so even here the door is not welded shut.

Verse 16 is the hinge of the whole chapter and it is a question. Did you think you would be left alone. Waliijah, the word for confidant, means someone slipped inside where he does not belong, a private loyalty running under the public one. The test being announced is not bravery. It is whether there is a second allegiance in the room.

Verses 17 to 29

What Actually Maintains a Mosque.

Verse 18 gives four conditions and the fourth is the one that costs. Believes in Allah and the Last Day. Establishes the prayer. Gives the zakah. And fears no one except Allah. A man can hold the first three and still run his religious life around who might be displeased with him. The verse counts that as a failure to maintain the mosque, whatever he is paying toward the roof.

Then the verse closes with “it may be that those are among the guided.” After that list. If the description that strict still ends in hope rather than certainty, nobody reading this has grounds for confidence about themselves.

Verse 19 was revealed into a real argument about status, and it does not deny that watering pilgrims and maintaining the Sacred Mosque are good works. It denies that they are equal to belief plus struggle. Institutional service is not a substitute for the thing the institution exists for.

Verse 24 is the hardest verse in Part One and it is a list of eight. Fathers, sons, brothers, spouses, family, wealth you worked for, a business you are afraid will slow down, and a home you are happy in. Every item is lawful. Every item is normal to love. The verse does not forbid a single one of them. It asks only where they sit in the order. And the phrase about the trade you fear will slow is remarkably exact about how this actually goes wrong, because it is rarely love of money that pulls a man off. It is fear of losing momentum.

Verse 25 puts Hunayn on the record. Your great number pleased you and it did not help you in anything. That was the first battle Muslims entered as the larger force, and it was the one where the earth closed in on them. Verse 26 supplies what turned it, and it is not their recovery. Stillness sent down, and forces they never saw.

Verses 30 to 37

Hoarded Metal and a Tampered Calendar.

Verse 31 says they took their scholars and their monks as lords besides Allah. Adi ibn Hatim, who had been a Christian, told the Prophet, peace be upon him, that they did not worship them. He replied that they made forbidden what Allah had permitted and permitted what Allah had forbidden, and the people followed them, and that was their worship of them. Reported by at-Tirmidhi.

That is a definition of lordship that has nothing to do with prostration. Whoever holds the authority to move the line between permitted and forbidden holds the position, whether or not anyone uses the word.

Verse 34 is addressed to believers and its first target is religious professionals consuming people’s wealth falsely. The warning about hoarding gold and silver lands in the same verse, in the same breath, aimed at the same audience. The chapter does not treat wealth as the problem. It treats withheld wealth as the problem. The word for hoarding is about holding it out of circulation.

Verse 35 gives the branding on the forehead, the side and the back. Ibn Hajar notes the interpretation that these are the three surfaces a man turns toward a beggar: he faces him, he turns his side to him, he turns his back and walks. Whether or not that was the intent, the sequence is recognisable to anyone who has done it.

Verse 36 fixes the year at twelve months with four sacred, and calls it the upright religion. Verse 37 exposes what was being done with it. Nasi’, postponement, slid the sacred month forward when fighting was convenient and put it back later, keeping the count at four so the books balanced. The form was preserved perfectly. That was the point of the exercise. Nothing in the verse suggests they were careless. They were precise, and precision was how the thing got moved.

Structural Summary

Verses One to Thirty-Seven. The Terms Are on the Record.

Four months of notice. Treaties honored where they were honored. Protection granted to an enemy who asks for it and safe passage home. A question about whether a second loyalty is running underneath the first. Four conditions for maintaining a mosque, the last one being fear of no one. Eight lawful loves and a question about their order. A defeat caused by satisfaction with numbers. And two ways of keeping the form while emptying it, one done with metal and one done with a calendar.

The Practice

Take It Into the Week

Verse 18. The verse lists fearing no one except Allah as a condition. Name the one person whose disapproval currently shapes a religious decision you make. Make that decision this week on the merits alone.

Verse 24. The verse asks about order, not about love. Write the eight items in your own version of that list. Mark the one you would defend hardest if it came into conflict. That is your answer, whatever you would have said.

Verse 34. The verse warns about holding wealth out of circulation. Take one amount you have been sitting on with no plan for it and move it into someone’s hands before the end of the month.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 11 / 12

Verse 1

What is the first word of the chapter and what does it mean?