Sūrat at-Tawbah
Section 11 of 20 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Excuses on the Return from Tabūk
The business of Sūrat at-Tawbah, as is known, is to give a thorough threshing and to lay wholly open the secrets and the plots and the whisperings of the munāfiqīn. So it continues; and the larger theme must be remembered: all of it stands under the expedition of Tabūk, that truly difficult journey they undertook. As has been said, the overwhelming majority of the Muslims went with the Prophet (peace be upon him) despite every disadvantage — the heat, the crops standing close to the cutting, and the rest. A great many of the munāfiqīn, most of them, had stayed behind, and were now ready with their excuses. They would all line up and make them. Three believers had been unable to go, for various reasons — three only. They resolved that they would not lie.
When the munāfiqīn came — before the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached Madīnah Munawwarah on his return from Tabūk, Allah (swt) says here, in verses 64 and 65,** informing the Prophet (peace be upon him) what he would be met with when he came home: that all these hypocrites would come and would make their excuses. Hence:
يَعْتَذِرُونَ إِلَيْكُمْ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ قُل لَّا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكُمْ قَدْ نَبَّأَنَا ٱللَّهُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِكُمْ ۚ وَسَيَرَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُۥ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَـٰلِمِ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
“They will make excuses to you when you return to them. Say, “Do not make excuses. We shall never believe you. Allah has told us the facts about you. Allah will see what you do, and His Messenger as well. Then you shall be returned to the Knower of the Seen and the Unseen, and He will tell you what you have been doing.”” (9:94)
Yaʿtadhirūna ilaykum idhā rajaʿtum ilayhim: they will make excuses to you when you return to them. And then Allah (swt) tells him what to do. They will also say:
سَيَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ إِذَا ٱنقَلَبْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ لِتُعْرِضُوا۟ عَنْهُمْ ۖ فَأَعْرِضُوا۟ عَنْهُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ رِجْسٌ ۖ وَمَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
“They will swear by Allah before you when you will go back to them, so that you may ignore their misdeeds. So, just ignore them. They are filth, and their abode is Jahannam, a recompense for what they used to do.” (9:95)
Yaḥlifūna bi-llāhi lakum idhā inqalabtum ilayhim: they will swear oaths upon their excuses when you return to them, that you may leave them alone — that you may not take them to task, nor punish them, and so forth. Fa-aʿriḍū ʿanhum: very well, then, let them be. Turn away from them. Do nothing about them. Innahum rijs: they are filth entire. There is much filth in their hearts, and their deeds are full of it. Wa-maʾwāhum jahannam: and they will come to Hell in the end — jazāʾan bi-mā kānū yaksibūn, as a recompense for what they used to earn.
يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ لِتَرْضَوْا۟ عَنْهُمْ ۖ فَإِن تَرْضَوْا۟ عَنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَرْضَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ
“They swear before you, so that you may be pleased with them. So, even if you are pleased with them, Allah will not be pleased with the sinning people.” (9:96)
Yaḥlifūna — and here Allah (swt) sounds a very strong warning. He says that they will swear oaths that you may be pleased with them, seeking to convince you and to have you believe that they had a genuine excuse for staying behind. Even were you to be pleased with them, even were you to accept them and be satisfied with them — Allah is not satisfied with a transgressing people.
Allah (swt) then speaks of some of the outlying Arab tribes and the Bedouins, and of how difficulties are found among them too: some of them have their troubles, and among some of them nifāq is deeply embedded. Allah (swt) then continues, through the remainder of the sūrah, to set out in detail the characteristics of the munāfiqīn and of the believers.