• God’s curse for the Hypocrites and His Mercy for the Believers

At-Tawbah (Al-Bara’at) Verses 67 – 72

ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقُونَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَقْبِضُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَنَسِيَهُمْ إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ

“The hypocrite men and the hypocrite women are one1from another, they enjoin evil and forbid good and withhold their hands (from spending in the way of God); They have forsaken2God, so He hath forsaken them; verily the hypocrites, they are the transgressors.” (9:67)

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتِ وَٱلْكُفَّارَ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا هِىَ حَسْبُهُمْ وَلَعَنَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيمٌ

“God hath promised the hypocrite men and the hypocrite women and the disbelievers the fire of Hell to abide therein; this sufficieth for them; and God hath cursed them, and for them is the chastisement (which shall be) lasting.” (9:68)

كَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ كَانُوٓا۟ أَشَدَّ مِنكُمْ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرَ أَمْوَٰلًا وَأَوْلَـٰدًا فَٱسْتَمْتَعُوا۟ بِخَلَـٰقِهِمْ فَٱسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِخَلَـٰقِكُمْ كَمَا ٱسْتَمْتَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُم بِخَلَـٰقِهِمْ وَخُضْتُمْ كَٱلَّذِى خَاضُوٓا۟ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ

“(O’ Hypocrites! ye are) Like those (who flourished) before you; they were stronger than you in strength and more abundant in wealth and children; so they enjoyed their portion; thus have ye enjoyed your portion as those before you did enjoy their portion, and ye indulge in vain discourses as those (before you) (in vain) did indulge in; These are those whose works have come to naught in this world and the hereafter; and these are they the losers.” (9:69)

أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَأَصْحَـٰبِ مَدْيَنَ وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتِ أَتَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

“What! came not unto them the news of those before them; of the people of Noah and ‘Ad and Thamud’, the people of Abraham and the inhabitants of Midian and the cities over-thrown; came unto them their apostles with clear proofs (of their truthfulness) Thus it was not God to do injustice unto them, but they unto themselves were unjust.” (9:70)

وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

“And the believer men and the believer women, they arc guardians3to one another; they enjoin4good and forbid evil and they establish (the regular) prayer and pay the poor-rate and obey God and His Apostle (Muhammad), These, God will bestow on them His mercy; Verily God is All-Mighty, All-Wise5.” (9:71)

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِى جَنَّـٰتِ عَدْنٍ وَرِضْوَٰنٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

“God hath promised to the believer men and the believer women gardens ‘neath which flow the rivers, to abide in them, and the excellent mansions in the gardens of ‘Adn6’ But the good-will of God is the greatest; That is the grand achievement.” (9:72)

Commentary

Verse 71

It is related in Tirmizi and Nisai that the Holy Prophet told ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib ‘O’ ‘Ali! None will love thee save a ‘Momin’, i.e., a faithful and none will bear any ill against thee except a ‘Munafiq’, i.e., a hypocrite.’ Some of the companions relate that during the life-time of the Holy Prophet a faithful and a hypocrite was distinguished through the love for ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib.

According to Fath al-Bari, Sharh as-Sahih al-Bukhari, Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hamhal, - Milal wa an-Nahal – Tarikh at-Tabari, A’isha hated ‘Ali so much that she did not like even to mention his name whenever she wanted to make any reference to him nor did she like anyone mentioning ‘Ali’s name associated with anything good. This fact is clearly proved from A’isha’s going to fight ‘Ali in the Battle of Jamal.

• 1. Not by birth but by character as stated in the passage itself.
• 2. bypassed forgot.
• 3. Close to one another in the character defined in the verse.
• 4. Make people do good.
• 5. This is the opposite to verse 9:87.
• 6. Of perpetual bliss.