9:30 At-Tawba (The Repentance)

لما أمر تعالى بقتال أهل الكتاب، ذكر من أقوالهم الخبيثة، ما يهيج المؤمنين الذين يغارون لربهم ولدينه على قتالهم، والاجتهاد وبذل الوسع فيه فقال‏:‏ ‏{‏وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ‏}‏ وهذه المقالة وإن لم تكن مقالة لعامتهم فقد قالها فرقة منهم، فيدل ذلك على أن في اليهود من الخبث والشر ما أوصلهم إلى أن قالوا هذه المقالة التي تجرأوا فيها على اللّه، وتنقصوا عظمته وجلاله‏.‏ وقد قيل‏:‏ إن سبب ادعائهم في ‏{‏عزير‏}‏ أنه ابن اللّه، أنه لما سلط الله الملوك على بني إسرائيل، ومزقوهم كل ممزق، وقتلوا حَمَلَةَ التوراة، وجدوا عزيرا بعد ذلك حافظا لها أو لأكثرها، فأملاها عليهم من حفظه، واستنسخوها، فادعوا فيه هذه الدعوى الشنيعة‏.‏ ‏{‏وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ‏}‏ عيسى ابن مريم ‏{‏ابْنُ اللَّهِ‏}‏ قال اللّه تعالى ‏{‏ذَلِكَ‏}‏ القول الذي قالوه ‏{‏قَوْلُهُمْ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ‏}‏ لم يقيموا عليه حجة ولا برهانا‏.‏ ومن كان لا يبالي بما يقول، لا يستغرب عليه أي قول يقوله، فإنه لا دين ولا عقل، يحجزه، عما يريد من الكلام‏.‏ ولهذا قال‏:‏ ‏{‏يُضَاهِئُونَ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ يشابهون في قولهم هذا ‏{‏قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ قول المشركين الذين يقولون‏:‏ ‏{‏الملائكة بنات اللّه‏}‏ تشابهت قلوبهم، فتشابهت أقوالهم في البطلان‏.‏ ‏{‏قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ كيف يصرفون على الحق، الصرف الواضح المبين، إلى القول الباطل المبين‏.‏

وهذا إغراء من الله تعالى للمؤمنين على قتال الكفار من اليهود والنصارى لمقالتهم هذه المقالة الشنيعة والفرية على الله تعالى فأما اليهود فقالوا في العزير أنه ابن الله تعالى الله عن ذلك علوا كبيرا وذكر السدي وغيره أن الشبهة التي حصلت لهم في ذلك أن العمالقة لما غلبت على بني إسرائيل فقتلوا علماءهم وسبوا كبارهم بقي العزيز يبكي على بني إسرائيل وذهاب العلم منهم حتى سقطت جفون عينيه فبينما هو ذات يوم إذ مر على جبانة وإذا امرأة تبكي عند قبر وهي تقول وامطعماه واكاسياه فقال لها: ويحك من كان يطعمك قبل هذا؟ قالت الله قال: فإن الله حي لا يموت قالت: يا عزيز فمن كان يعلم العلماء قبل بني إسرائيل؟ قال: الله قالت: فلم تبكي عليهم؟ فعرف أنه شيء قد وعظ به ثم قيل له اذهب إلى نهر كذا فاغتسل منه وصل هناك ركعتين فإنك ستلقى هناك شيخا فما أطعمك فكله فذهب ففعل ما أمر به فإذا الشيخ فقال له: افتح فمك ففتح فمه فألقى فيه شيئا كهيئة الجرة العظيمة ثلاث مرات فرجع عزير وهو من أعلم الناس بالتوراة فقال يا بني إسرائيل قد جئتكم بالتوراة فقال يا عزير ما كنت كذابا فعمد فربط على إصبع من أصابعه قلما وكتب التوراة بإصبعه كلها فلما تراجع الناس من عدوهم ورجع العلماء أخبروا بشأن عزير فاستخرجوا النسخ التي كانوا أودعوها في الجبال وقابلوه بها فوجدوا ما جاء به صحيحا فقال بعض جهلتهم إنما صنع هذا لأنه ابن الله وأما ضلال النصارى في المسيح فظاهر. ولهذا كذَّب الله سبحانه الطائفتين فقال " ذلك قولهم بأفواههم " أي لا مستند لهم فيما ادعوه سوى افترائهم واختلافهم "يضاهئون " أي يشابهون " قول الذين كفروا من قبل " أي من قبلهم من الأمم ضلوا كما ضل هؤلاء "قاتلهم الله" وقال ابن عباس: لعنهم الله " أني يؤفكون " أي كيف يضلون عن الحق وهو ظاهر ويعدلون إلى الباطل؟.

Fighting the Jews and Christians is legislated because They are Idolators and Disbelievers

Allah the Exalted encourages the believers to fight the polytheists, disbelieving Jews and Christians, who uttered this terrible statement and utter lies against Allah, the Exalted. As for the Jews, they claimed that `Uzayr was the son of God, Allah is free of what they attribute to Him. As for the misguidance of Christians over `Isa, it is obvious. This is why Allah declared both groups to be liars,

ذلِكَ قَوْلُهُم بِأَفْوَهِهِمْ

(That is their saying with their mouths), but they have no proof that supports their claim, other than lies and fabrications,

يُضَـهِئُونَ

(resembling), imitating,

قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن قَبْلُ

(the saying of those who disbelieved aforetime.) They imitate the previous nations who fell into misguidance just as Jews and Christians did,

قَـتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ

(may Allah fight them), Ibn `Abbas said, "May Allah curse them."

أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ

(how they are deluded away from the truth!) how they deviate from truth, when it is apparent, exchanging it for misguidance. Allah said next,

اتَّخَذُواْ أَحْبَـرَهُمْ وَرُهْبَـنَهُمْ أَرْبَاباً مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَالْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ

(They took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah, and the Messiah, son of Maryam) 9:31. Imam Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Jarir At-Tabari recorded a Hadith via several chains of narration, from `Adi bin Hatim, may Allah be pleased with him, who became Christian during the time of Jahiliyyah. When the call of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ reached his area, `Adi ran away to Ash-Sham, and his sister and several of his people were captured. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ freed his sister and gave her gifts. So she went to her brother and encouraged him to become Muslim and to go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. `Adi, who was one of the chiefs of his people (the tribe of Tai') and whose father, Hatim At-Ta'i, was known for his generosity, went to Al-Madinah. When the people announced his arrival, `Adi went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wearing a silver cross around his neck. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited this Ayah;

اتَّخَذُواْ أَحْبَـرَهُمْ وَرُهْبَـنَهُمْ أَرْبَاباً مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ

(They took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah). `Adi commented, "I said, `They did not worship them."' The Prophet said,

«بَلَى إِنَّهُمْ حَرَّمُوا عَلَيْهِمُ الْحَلَالَ وَأَحَلُّوا لَهُمُ الْحَرَامَ فَاتَّبَعُوهُمْ فَذَلِكَ عِبَادَتُهُمْ إِيَّاهُم»

(Yes they did. They (rabbis and monks) prohibited the allowed for them (Christians and Jews) and allowed the prohibited, and they obeyed them. This is how they worshipped them.) The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to `Adi,

«يَا عَدِيُّ مَا تَقُولُ؟ أَيُفِرُّكَ أَنْ يُقَالَ: اللهُ أَكْبَرَ؟ فَهَلْ تَعْلَمُ شَيْئًا أَكْبَرَ مِنَ اللهِ؟ مَا يُفِرُّكَ؟ أَيُفِرُّكَ أَنْ يُقَالَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ؟ فَهَلْ تَعْلَمُ مَنْ إِلهٌ إِلَّا اللهُ؟»

(O `Adi what do you say Did you run away (to Ash-Sham) so that 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Great) is not pronounced Do you know of anything greater than Allah What made you run away Did you run away so that `La ilaha illallah' is not pronounced Do you know of any deity worthy of worship except Allah)

The Messenger ﷺ invited `Adi to embrace Islam, and he embraced Islam and pronounced the Testimony of Truth. The face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ beamed with pleasure and he said to `Adi,

«إِنَّ الْيَهُودَ مَغْضُوبٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَالنَّصَارَى ضَالُّون»

(Verily, the Jews have earned the anger (of Allah) and the Christians are misguided.) Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman, `Abdullah bin `Abbas and several others said about the explanation of,

اتَّخَذُواْ أَحْبَـرَهُمْ وَرُهْبَـنَهُمْ أَرْبَاباً مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ

(They took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah...) that the Christians and Jews obeyed their monks and rabbis in whatever they allowed or prohibited for them. This is why Allah said,

وَمَآ أُمِرُواْ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُواْ إِلَـهاً وَحِداً

(while they were commanded to worship none but One God), Who, whatever He renders prohibited is the prohibited, whatever He allowed is the allowed, whatever He legislates, is to be the law followed, and whatever He decides is to be adhered to;

لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ سُبْحَـنَهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

(None has the right to be worshipped but He. Hallowed be He above what they associate (with Him).) Meaning, exalted, sanctified, hallowed above partners, equals, aids, rivals or children, there is no deity or Lord worthy of worship except Him.

The Jews say Ezra is the son of God; and the Christians say The Messiah Jesus is the son of God. That is the utterance of their mouths for which they have no support nay imitating the utterances of those who disbelieved before them from among their forefathers mimicking them. God assail curse them! How they are deviated! turned away from the truth despite the proofs having been established.

In the second verse (30), the subject taken up briefly in verse 29 (where it was said that these people do not believe in Allah) has been enlarged. In the second verse, it has been said that the Jews take Sayyidna ` Uzayr (علیہ السلام) to be the Son of God.l So do the Christians. They say that Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) is the Son of God. Therefore, their claim that Allah is One and that they have faith turns out to be false.

1. This is not the belief of all the Jews; it was the belief of some Jews of the Arabia. Now, the Dead Sea Scrolls have also proved the fact that some Jewish sects believed Ezra to be the son of God. It is learnt from some scholars who have studied the Scrolls. وَاللہُ اعلم ، (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

After that, it was said: ذَٰلِكَ قَوْلُهُم بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ. (That is their saying [ invented ] by their mouths). This could also mean that these people profess it openly and clearly through their own tongues. There is nothing secret about it. Then, it could also mean that this blasphemy they utter re-mains the work of their tongues. They can give no reason or justification for it.

Finally, it was said: یضَاهِئُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا مِن قَبْلُ ۚ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّـهُ ۚ أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ (They (They resemble the earlier disbelievers in their saying. Be they killed by Allah, how far turned away they are! ). It means that the Jews and Christians, by calling prophets sons of Allah, became the same as disbelievers and Mushriks of past ages, for they used to say that the angels, and their idols, Lat and Manat, were daughters of God.