• The Polytheism of the Jews and the Christians

• Their endeavour to wipe out the Truth with their vain efforts

• The dishonesty of the Priests and the Monks

• Change in the Sacred months declared as infidelity

At-Tawbah (Al-Bara’at) Verses 30 – 37

وَقَالَتِ ٱلْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ٱبْنُ ٱللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ ٱلنَّصَـٰرَى ٱلْمَسِيحُ ٱبْنُ ٱللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ قَوْلُهُم بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ يُضَـٰهِـُٔونَ قَوْلَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ قَـٰتَلَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ

“And say the Jews1: “Ezra is the son of God;” and say the Christians: “Messiah2is the son of God;” These are the words of their mouths; (In this) they (only) imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; God fighteth3them; How they turn4away!” (9:30)

ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَـٰنَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَسِيحَ ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓا۟ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَـٰهًا وَٰحِدًا لَّآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

“Take they their divines and monks as (their) lords besides God, and (also) Messiah son of Mary while they were not commanded5but that they (should) worship God the Only One; There is no god but He; Pure is He and Exalted is He from what they associate (with Him).” (9:31)

يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِـُٔوا۟ نُورَ ٱللَّهِ بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى ٱللَّهُ إِلَّآ أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُۥ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ

“Intend they that they put out the Light of God with (the blow of) their mouths6, and disdaineth God save that He perfecteth His Light7, though may detest it the infidels.” (9:32)

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

“He it is Who sent His Apostle8with guidance9and the religion10of truth, that He may prevail it over all other religions, though may detest it the polytheists.” (9:33)

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلْأَحْبَارِ وَٱلرُّهْبَانِ لَيَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَٰلَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ ٱلذَّهَبَ وَٱلْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

“O’ ye who believe! verily many of the divines and the monks eat away the properties of men falsely11, and obstruct (others) from the way of God; and those who hoard up gold and silver12and spend it not in God’s way; announce thou unto them a painful chastisement13.” (9:34)

يَوْمَ يُحْمَىٰ عَلَيْهَا فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنُوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ هَـٰذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَ

“On the Day (of Judgment) when it shall be heated in the fire of hell, then shall be branded with it their foreheads and their sides and their backs; (saying unto them) “This is what ye hoarded up for your selves, taste ye then what ye did hoard up14.” (9:35)

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِى كِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا۟ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَقَـٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ كَآفَّةً كَمَا يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمْ كَآفَّةً وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

“Verily the number of months with God is twelve months in God’s Book, (since) the Day He created the heavens and the earth; of these (months) four are sacred; that is the established religion15, so be ye not unjust16therein unto your selves, and fight17ye the polytheists all together, even as they fight you all together; and know ye that God is with the pious ones18.” (9:36)

إِنَّمَا ٱلنَّسِىٓءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِى ٱلْكُفْرِ يُضَلُّ بِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُحِلُّونَهُۥ عَامًا وَيُحَرِّمُونَهُۥ عَامًا لِّيُوَاطِـُٔوا۟ عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ فَيُحِلُّوا۟ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سُوٓءُ أَعْمَـٰلِهِمْ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ

“Verily the postponing19(of the sacred month) is only an addition unto infidelity, with which those who disbelieve get astray, they allow it one year and forbid it another year, that they may adjust the number of months God hath forbidden, thus they allow what God hath forbidden; the evil of their deeds hath been made fairseeming to them; And verily God guideth not the infidel people20.” (9:37)

Commentary

Verse 31

It is obvious that in fact they did not consider their divines and the monks as the lord and in the same sense it is applicable to God, but they recognised in them such power and authority to do whatever they pleased, independent of God. Besides that, they hold the saints and their images as the object of worship. Thus, they resembled the pagans in two respects. (A.P.).

Verse 32

This is a prophecy about the ultimate triumph of Islam as the Natural Religion of humanity as a whole on earth. This prophecy is getting gradually fulfilled. In spite of the vehement opposition and the terrible hostilities from the various quarters of the world, particularly, the Jewish and the Christian powers, Islam is quickly marching to attract the whole human race towards it. This automatic march of Islam is one of its great miracles. Everyone aware of the revolution of the social and the religious ideology which is fast getting effected in the minds of men and women in the various parts of the world, which is the gradual fulfilment of this prophecy.

This is as well as the prophecy of the advent of the Imam Muhammad Al-Mahdi, the Twelfth and the Last Imam or the Apostolic successor to the Holy Prophet who is also named Muhammad; in whose regime, the whole world will be united into one single unit of a Universal Rule on earth when the darkness of falsehood shall be gone and the world will be wholly lighted with the light of divine justice, peace and security, though the disbelievers may not like it to happen. This interpretation has been vouched by most of the prominent and the leading commentators even of the Sunni School, viz., T.K., D.M. Bh. and the others.

Never at all with any view to attack any religious personality connected with any school of thought, but just to express the exclusive point of view of the Shia Ithna-Ashari faith, i.e., the Islam-Original, it is stated here as a note of caution to all those who are faithfully attached to the Holy (Ahl Al-Bayt) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad that not one or two but a great number of false Mahdies have ever since declared their advent and claimed to be the promised Mahdi, or the last Imam in the line of the Imamat or the apostolic succession to the Holy Prophet. Every such false Mahdi had only to beat his own drum in his own place and during his life-time to depart with the disappointment which naturally meets such false claims.

All the twelve apostolic successors of the Holy Prophet called the Holy Imams have been Hashimites (the family of Abraham through the Holy Prophet Muhammad) as promised to Abraham in Genesis 17/20-16.

“And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold! I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly: make him a great nation.” Gen. 17/20.

“Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Harar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham.”

“And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the first born of Ishmael,

NeHajjoth; and Kedar, and Adheel, and Mibsam,

“And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

“Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:

“These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.” (Gen. 25/12-16.)

The Light here is the light of guidance which may be covered or extinguished by talks or discourses, and God did complete it at Ghadir Khumm in declaring the ‘Wilayah’ of ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib. (A.P.).

Verse 33

The triumph of Islam over all religions mentioned in this verse is explained under the previous verse, 9:32. It is a note of prophecy accepted on all hands of the various schools in Islam that the complete triumph of Islam over all the other religions of the world will be realized during the regime of the awaited Mahdi, a Hashimite of the Holy family of Prophet Muhammad. Notwithstanding the strength Christianity and the other major religions of the world have gained, the beginning of the prevalence of the Islamic faith over them all, has already set in. The Christian doctrine of the vicarious atonement, the belief in the Trinity and the worshipping of idols of the saints, all such false beliefs and wrong practices are fast dying away a natural death and the monotheism and the inclination towards the correct idea of worshipping only the One True God, is gaining ground21.

Triumph here means also that the ‘Shariat’ or the law of Islam supersedes the laws of all the other religions given to various units of mankind by every other prophet preceding the Holy Prophet.

Regarding the nominative pronoun ‘understand’ most of the commentators have taken it to refer to God but it is not impossible to refer it to the Holy Prophet also. The significance will remain the same as the Holy Prophet is the representative of God. Whether the true religion referred to here has overcome all other religions or not - is this promise fulfilled or not? The answer is that Islam has two aspects. First - its teachings theoretical and practical, if it is compared with the theoretical and the teachings of the other religions, undoubtedly Islam surpasses all. Secondly - The domination of its teachings over the human life as a whole throughout the world in such a way that no other faith save Islam remains.

The promise here and elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an, includes both the aspects surpassing of its teachings over the teachings of the other religions, which was completed at Ghadir Khumm and as far as the second aspect is concerned, the promise is yet to be fulfilled but that should be by a person who will be of the Holy Prophet and the Holy Prophet be of him - a true representative and a Vicegerent of God and the Holy Prophet, from the same Selected Lineage of Abraham through Ishmael and that cannot be any one else but the Twelfth Imam of the House of the Holy Prophet. This is supported by numerous traditions narrated by the various Schools of Thought in Islam. (A.P.).

Verse 34

Note the degree to which Islam abhors unlawful acquisition of wealth and its hoarding, and the strength with which the punishment is announced for those who do it. Islam does not stop any one from acquiring wealth, but what is dealt with here in this verse is the hoarding of wealth and not spending it in the way of God. Under Islam the owner of wealth is only a trustee; he has in his earnings the share of God, of the Holy Prophet, of his own self, as well as the share of his family, his children, and by way’ of benefiting the others, the share of mankind in general among them. The orphans, the needy and the wayfarers. Read this verse along with the succeeding one:

This is a clear condemnation of those who do not regularly and faithfully disburse ‘Zakat’ and ‘Khums’ from their well-earned wealth.

Gold and silver here may mean wealth in general as these two main valuables represent it and it may mean the hoarding of these two in particular as they are the measurement of wealth. By hoarding them their circulation is stopped and society suffers.

However, what is condemned is the accumulation of wealth, the consumable commodities or money without spending them in the way approved by God which includes the payment of the prescribed dues to the Baitul-mal and the lawful expenses of family maintenance. Otherwise, the accumulation of it under the prescribed condition by Islam is encouraged. What is known in the history that Abu Dharr used to recite this passage against the ruling of the aristocratic class of his time, because they misused the public treasury on one hand and deprived the deserving class on the other and led an extravagant life. (A.P.).

Verse 35

This supports the view that the reward or the punishment in the hereafter is that our own actions good and bad here assume a pleasant or a painful turn there in such a way that the actions here and the form there are identified as expressed in this verse. (A.P.).

Verse 36

The verse declares a general amnesty during these four months which have been declared sacred by God, and even the heathens of Arabia regarded this period as such and stopped all warfare for all these months. But alas! even this general amnesty allowed even the disbelievers who might be peaceful, was not allowed for the family of the Holy Prophet by those who called themselves Muslims. Let it be remembered that it was the sacred month of Muharram in which the so-called Muslim king Yazid who posed himself even as the Kalif of Islam, i.e., the successor to the Holy Prophet, and his subjects who also termed themselves as Muslims, effected the most heart-rending wholesale massacre of the holy ones at Karbala in which Husain the grandson of the Holy Prophet along with the faithful band of Seventy-two comrades and companions was brutally butchered, sparing not even a baby of six months, in the killing hunger and thirst of three continuous days under the scorching sun of the Arabian flaming summer on the banks of the flowing river (Euphrates)22.

This great tragedy, the greatest sacrifice has been prophesied in the Old Testament:

“For this is the day of the Lord God of Hosts, a day of Vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood, for the Lord God of hosts Hath a sacrifice in the north country of the river Euphrates - Jer. 46/10.

For details of this great sacrifice offered for the guidance and deliverance of mankind, see the book the ‘King of Martyrs’.

Verse 37

This refers to what the Jews and the pagans used to practice by adopting a year of thirteen months every two years to complete the defect between the solar and the lunar calculations. As a result, they would perform the rituals which they had to observe in the month of ‘Dhu ‘l-Hijjah’. In the month of Muharram after the other two years they had to do it in the month of Safar. In this way the ritual every two years will be going on being postponed to another month. Consequently, the sacred months and the rituals connected with them were being affected. (A.P.).

• 1. A sect of the Jews held Ezra as the son of God, as the Christians hold Jesus.
• 2. Jesus. This established! similarity between the Jewish and the Christian views with those of the ancient pagans.
• 3. Destruction or turning away from mercy.
• 4. Refer to verse 3:63.
• 5. This is as well a warning to Muslims against enhancing any one beyond the limits one deserves.
• 6. Refer to verse 61:8. This is a prophecy about the ultimate triumph of Islam & the advent of the 12th or the last Imam al Mahdi. See note.
• 7. Refer to verses 40:14, 48:28, 61:9.
• 8. The Holy Prophet Muhammad.
• 9. Qur’an.
• 10. Islam.
• 11. By bribery, by twisting the Law - misusing trusts and the endowments in charge.
• 12. May mean wealth in general.
• 13. Refer to verses 3:116, 3:178.
• 14. This Verse exposes the fate of the hoarders of wealth without duly spending it in the way of the Lord. See 39:24, 3:116.
• 15. Reckoning
• 16. do wrong
• 17. Refer to note to verse 2:190.
• 18. Refer to verses 2:194, 30:30 and its note.
• 19. The periods of the Sacred months are fixed, they can neither be hastened nor delayed.
• 20. Refer to note to verses 2:189, 2:194.
• 21. See the note on previous verse, 9:32.
• 22. See 2:194.