9:39 At-Tawba (The Repentance)

‏{‏إِلَّا تَنْفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا‏}‏ في الدنيا والآخرة، فإن عدم النفير في حال الاستنفار من كبائر الذنوب الموجبة لأشد العقاب، لما فيها من المضار الشديدة، فإن المتخلف، قد عصى اللّه تعالى وارتكب لنهيه، ولم يساعد على نصر دين اللّه، ولا ذب عن كتاب اللّه وشرعه، ولا أعان إخوانه المسلمين على عدوهم الذي يريد أن يستأصلهم ويمحق دينهم، وربما اقتدى به غيره من ضعفاء الإيمان، بل ربما فَتَّ في أعضاد من قاموا بجهاد أعداء اللّه، فحقيق بمن هذا حاله أن يتوعده اللّه بالوعيد الشديد، فقال‏:‏ ‏{‏إِلَّا تَنْفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا وَيَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ‏}‏ ثم لا يكونوا أمثالكم ‏{‏وَلَا تَضُرُّوهُ شَيْئًا‏}‏ فإنه تعالى متكفل بنصر دينه وإعلاء كلمته، فسواء امتثلتم لأمر اللّه، أو ألقيتموه، وراءكم ظهريا‏.‏ ‏{‏وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ‏}‏ لا يعجزه شيء أراده، ولا يغالبه أحد‏.‏

ثم توعد تعالى من ترك الجهاد فقال " إلا تنفروا يعذبكم عذابا أليما " قال ابن عباس: استنفر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حيا من العرب فتثاقلوا عنه فأمسك الله عنهم القطر فكان عذابهم " ويستبدل قوما غيركم " أي لنصرة نبيه وإقامة دينه كما قال تعالى " وإن تتولوا يستبدل قوما غيركم ثم لا يكونوا أمثالكم " " ولا تضروه شيئا " أي ولا تضروا الله شيئا بتوليكم عن الجهاد ونكولكم وتثاقلكم عنه " والله على كل شيء قدير " أي قادر على الانتصار من الأعداء بدونكم وقد قيل إن هذه الآية وقوله " انفروا خفافا وثقالا " وقوله " وما كان لأهل المدينة ومن حولهم من الأعراب أن يتخلفوا عن رسول الله " أنهن منسوخات بقوله تعالى " وما كانوا المؤمنين لينفروا كافة فلولا نفر من كل فرقة منهم طائفة " روى هذا عن ابن عباس وعكرمة والحسن وزيد بن أسلم ورده ابن جرير وقال إنما هذا فيمن دعاهم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى الجهاد فتعين عليهم ذلك فلو تركوه لعوقبوا عليه وهذا له اتجاه والله سبحانه وتعالى أعلم بالصواب.

Admonishing clinging to Life rather than rushing to perform Jihad

Allah admonishes those who lagged behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the battle of Tabuk, at a time when fruits were ripe and shades tempting in the intense and terrible heat,

يَأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ

(O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the cause of Allah), if you are called to perform Jihad in the cause of Allah,

اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الاٌّرْضِ

(you cling heavily to the earth), reclining to remain in peace, shade and ripe fruits.

أَرَضِيتُم بِالْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الاٌّخِرَةِ

(Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter), why do you do this, is it because you prefer this life instead of the Hereafter Allah next diminishes the eagerness for this worldly life and increases it for the Hereafter,

فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ

(But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world compared to the Hereafter.) Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Mustawrid, a member of Bani Fihr, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«مَا الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا كَمَا يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُكُمْ إِصْبَعَهُ هَذِهِ فِي الْيَمِّ،فَلْيَنْظُرْ بِمَ تَرْجِعُ؟»

(The life of this world, compared to the Hereafter, is just like when one of you dips his finger in the sea, let him contemplate how much of it his finger would carry.) The Prophet pointed with his index finger. Muslim collected this Hadith. Ath-Thawri narrated that Al-A`mash said about the Ayah,

فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ

(But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world compared to the Hereafter.) "What compares to the provision a traveler takes." `Abdul-`Aziz bin Abi Hazim narrated that his father said, "When `Abdul-`Aziz bin Marwan was dying he said, `Bring the shroud I will be covered with so that I inspect it.' When it was placed before him, he looked at it and said, `Is this what I will end up with from this life' He then turned his back and cried, while saying, `Woe to you, O life! Your abundance is truly little, your little is short lived, we were deceived by you."' Allah warns those who do not join Jihad,

إِلاَّ تَنفِرُواْ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا

(If you march not forth, He will punish you with a painful torment) Ibn `Abbas said, "Allah's Messenger ﷺ called some Arabs to mobilize, but they lagged behind and Allah witheld rain from coming down on them, and this was their torment." Allah said,

وَيَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ

(and will replace you by another people), who will give aid to His Prophet and establish his religion. Allah said in another Ayah,

الْفُقَرَآءُ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْاْ يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْماً غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَكُونُواْ

(And if you turn away (from the obedience to Allah), He will exchange you for some other people and they will not be your likes.) 47:38

وَلاَ تَضُرُّوهُ شَيْئًا

(and you cannot harm Him at all), you can never harm Allah when you lag behind and stay away from joining Jihad,

وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(and Allah is able to do all things.) He is able to destroy the enemies without your help.

If illā lā has been assimilated with the nūn of the conditional particle in in both instances here and in the next verse you do not go forth if you do not set out with the Prophet s for the struggle He will chastise you with a painful chastisement and He will substitute you with another folk other than you that is He will bring them in your place and you will not hurt Him that is God or ‘him’ as being the Prophet s at all should you neglect to help him to victory for God Himself will indeed bring victory to His religion; for God has power over all things including bringing victory to His religion and His Prophet.

It is interesting that the modern world would very much like to eradicate crimes but it would do so by not having to bother about God and the Hereafter. To achieve this purpose, it invents, introduces and surrounds itself with things to live with - a lifestyle which would never allow human beings to turn their attention towards God and Hereafter. The result of this negative approach is no mystery. We are watching it with our own eyes. Even in the face of ever better laws, all legal systems seem to be failing. Crimes are there as they were, in fact, they are increasing with dangerous speed. To conclude, we wish that intelligent people among countries and nations of the world would think of using this Qur'anic prescription, at least for once, and discover for themselves how easily crimes can be controlled.

Now, as we move to the second verse (39), the text has, after serving a notice of warning to the lazy and the listless about their disease and its treatment, delivered its verdict by saying:

` If you do not come out for Jihad, Allah will have you go through a painful punishment and bring in your place a nation other than you, and (by your refusal to follow Islam) you can bring no loss to Allah (or His Messenger) because Allah is powerful over everything.'