9:49 At-Tawba (The Repentance)

أي‏:‏ ومن هؤلاء المنافقين من يستأذن في التخلف، ويعتذر بعذر آخر عجيب، فيقول‏:‏ ‏{‏ائْذَنْ لِي‏}‏ في التخلف ‏{‏وَلَا تَفْتِنِّي‏}‏ في الخروج، فإني إذا خرجت، فرأيت نساء بين الأصفر لا أصبر عنهن، كما قال ذلك ‏{‏الجد بن قيس‏}‏ ومقصوده ـ قبحه اللّه ـ الرياء والنفاق بأن مقصودي مقصود حسن، فإن في خروجي فتنة وتعرضا للشر، وفي عدم خروجي عافية وكفا عن الشر‏.‏ قال اللّه تعالى مبينا كذب هذا القول‏:‏ ‏{‏أَلَا فِي الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُوا‏}‏ فإنه على تقدير صدق هذا القائل في قصده، ‏[‏فإن‏]‏ في التخلف مفسدة كبرى وفتنة عظمى محققة، وهي معصية اللّه ومعصية رسوله، والتجرؤ على الإثم الكبير، والوزر العظيم، وأما الخروج فمفسدة قليلة بالنسبة للتخلف، وهي متوهمة، مع أن هذا القائل قصده التخلف لا غير، ولهذا توعدهم اللّه بقوله‏:‏ ‏{‏وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ‏}‏ ليس لهم عنها مفر ولا مناص، ولا فكاك، ولا خلاص‏.‏

يقول تعالى: ومن المنافقين من يقول لك يا محمد ائذن لي في القعود ولا تفتني بالخروج معك بسبب الجواري من نساء الروم قال الله تعالى ألا في الفتنة سقطوا أي قد سقطوا في الفتنة بقولهم هذا كما قال محمد بن إسحاق عن الزهري ويزيد بن رومان وعبدالله بن أبي بكر وعاصم بن قتادة وغيرهم قالوا: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وإله وسلم ذات يوم وهو في جهازه للجد بن قيس أخي بني سلمة هل لك يا جد العام في جلاد بني الأصفر؟ فقال يا رسول الله أو تأذن لي ولا تفتني فوالله لقد عرفت قومي ما رجل أشد عجبا بالنساء مني وإني أخشى إن رأيت نساء بني الأصفر أن لا أصبر عنهن فأعرض عنه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وقال قد أذنت لك ففي الجد بن قيس نزلت هذه ومنهم من يقول ائذن لي ولا تفتني الآية أي إن كان إنما يخشى من نساء بني الأصفر وليس ذلك به فما سقط فيه من الفتنة بتخلفه عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم والرغبة بنفسه عن نفسه أعظم وهكذا روي عن ابن عباس ومجاهد وغير واحد أنها نزلت في الجد بن قيس وقد كان الجد بن قيس هذا من أشراف بني سلمة. وفي الصحيح أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لهم من سيدكم يا بني سلمة؟ قالوا الجد بن قيس على أنا نبخله. فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأي دواء أدوأ من البخل ! ولكن سيدكم الفتى الجعد الأبيض بشر بن البراء بن معرور وقوله تعالى "وإن جهنم لمحيطة بالكافرين" أي لا محيد لهم عنها ولا محيص ولا مهرب.

ائْذَن لِّي

(Grant me leave), to stay behind,

وَلاَ تَفْتِنِّى

(and put me not into trial.), if I go with you and see the women of the Romans. Allah, the Exalted, replied,

أَلا فِى الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُواْ

(Surely, they have fallen into trial) because of the statement they uttered. Muhammad bin Ishaq reported from Az-Zuhri, Yazid bin Ruwman, `Abdullah bin Abi Bakr, `Asim bin Qatadah and several others that they said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Al-Jadd bin Qays from Bani Salimah,

«هَلْ لَكَ يَا جَدُّ الْعَامَ فِي جَلَادِ بَنِي الْأَصْفَرِ؟»

(`Would you like to fight the yellow ones (Romans) this year) He said, `O Allah's Messenger! Give me permission (to remain behind) and do not cause Fitnah for me. By Allah! My people know that there is not a man who is more fond of women than I. I fear that if I see the women of the yellow ones, I would not be patient.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned away from him and said,

«قَدْ أَذِنْتُ لَك»

(I give you permission.) In Al-Jadd's case, this Ayah was revealed,

وَمِنْهُمْ مَّن يَقُولُ ائْذَن لِّي وَلاَ تَفْتِنِّى

(And among them is he who says: "Grant me leave and put me not into trial.") Therefore, Allah says that the Fitnah that he fell into because of not joining the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (in Jihad) and preferring his safety to the safety of the Messenger ﷺ is worse than the Fitnah that he falsely claimed to fear." It was reported from Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and several others that this Ayah was revealed in the case of Al-Jadd bin Qays, who was among the chiefs of Bani Salimah. It is also recorded in the Sahih that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked,

«مَنْ سَيِّدُكُمْ يَا بَنِي سَلَمَةَ؟»

(Who is your chief, O Bani Salamah) They said, "Al-Jadd bin Qays, although we consider him a miser." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«وَأَيُّ دَاءٍ أَدْوَأُ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ وَلَكِنْ سَيِّدُكُمْ الْفَتَى الْجَعْدُ الْأَبْيَضُ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ مَعْرُور»

(There is not a disease worse than stinginess! Therefore, your chief is the white young man with curly hair, Bishr bin Al-Bara' bin Ma'rur.) Allah said next,

وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَـفِرِينَ

(And verily, Hell is surrounding the disbelievers.) and they will never be able to avoid, avert, or escape from it.

And there are some of them who say ‘Grant me leave to stay behind and do not lead me into temptation’ this was al-Jadd b. Qays to whom the Prophet s said ‘Will you do battle against the Byzantines?’ and to which he replied ‘I am infatuated with women and I fear that if I were to see these Byzantine women I shall not be able to stay away from them and be led into temptation’. God exalted be He says Surely they have already fallen into temptation! by staying behind a variant reading for saqatū ‘they have fallen’ has the singular form saqat ‘he has fallen’. And surely Hell shall encompass the disbelievers for whom there shall be no escape therefrom.

In the seventh verse (49), after citing a particular excuse made by a noted hypocrite called Jadd ibn Qays, a comment has been made which shows how astray he had gone. The excuse for not going on Jihad he came up with was that he happened to be a young man. If he went out against the Roman Christians in their territory, there were chances that he might fall into the snare of their beautiful women! (` Do not expose me to an ordeal' ) The Qur'an responded by saying: أَلَا فِي الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُوا (Look! they have already fallen into an ordeal). It means that such people were not very smart. They were trying to hide behind the excuse of an imaginary ordeal, not realizing that they had already fallen into the sin of a certain ordeal, the ordeal of acting against the command of Allah and His Messenger, and of deserting the Jihad effort, right on the spot.

The last sentence of the verse: وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِ‌ينَ (and certainly the Jahannam has the disbelievers encircled) could have two meanings. It could either mean that the Hell would encircle them in the Hereafter. Or, it could mean that the very chain of causes, which are operating to take them to Hell, and which have them all encircled at that time, are what has been equated with Hell. Given this interpretation, it would suggest that they happen to be, even now, within the larger circle of nothing but Hell.

(Of them is he who saith: Grant me leave (to stay at home) and tempt me not�) [9:49]. This was revealed about Jadd ibn Qays the hypocrite. This is because when the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was preparing for the Battle of Tabuk, he said to him: �O Abu Wahb, would you not like to have scores of Byzantine women and men as concubines and servants?� He said: �O Messenger of Allah, my people know that I am very fond of women and, if I see the women of the Byzantines, I fear I will not be able to hold back. So do not tempt me by them, and allow me not to join and, instead, I will assist you with my wealth�. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, turned away from him and said: �I allow you�, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse. When this verse was revealed, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, asked Banu Salamah, the tribe of al-Jadd: �Who is your master, O Banu Salamah?� They said: �Al-Jadd ibn Qays except that he is a miser and a coward�. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, responded: �Is there any sickness worse than miserliness? Rather, your master is the fair, curly-haired youth: Bishr ibn al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur�. Hasan ibn Thabit composed about him the following lines: And the Messenger of Allah said and truth catches up With him about whom he said: who do you consider as your master. We said: Jadd ibn Qays even though We consider him a miser and a troublesome one. He said: what is worse than that With which you reproach Jadd and which make a hand needy. And he appointed Bishr ibn al-Bara' as chief for his magnanimity And it is befitting that Bishr who answers others' call be appointed as chief. When a delegation comes to him, he spends his wealth And says: take it for tomorrow it will return. The verses after this one verse and up to Allah's words (The alms are only for the poor and the needy) [9:60] are about the hypocrites.