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Name
This Surah is known by
two names -- AT-TAUBAH and AL-BARA'AT. It is called AT-TAUBAH because it enunciates
the nature of taubah (repentance) and mentions the conditions of its
acceptance.(vv. 102. 118). The second name BARA' AT (Release) is taken from the
first word of the Surah. Why
Omission of Bismillah
This
is the only Surah of the Quran to which Bismillah is not prefixed. Though
the commentators have given different reasons for this, the correct one that which
has been given by Imam Razi: namely,this is because the Holy Prophet himself did
not dictate it at the beginning of the Surah. Therefore the Companions did not
prefix it and their successors followed them., This is a further proof of the
fact that utmost care has been taken to keep the Quran intact so that it should
remain in its complete and original form.
Discourses and Periods of Revelation
This
Surah comprises three discourses:- The
first discourse (vv. 1-37), was revealed in Zil-Qa'adah A. H. 9 or thereabout.
As the importance of the subject of the discourse required its declaration on
the occasion of Haj the Holy Prophet despatched Hadrat Ali to follow
Hadrat Abu Bakr, who had already left for Makkah as leader of the Pilgrims to
the Ka'abah. He instructed Hadrat Ali to deliver the discourse before the representatives
of the different clans of Arabia so as to inform them of the new policy towards
the mushriks. The
second discourse (vv., 38-72) was sent down in Rajab A. H. 9 or a little before
this, when the Holy Prophet was engaged in making preparations for the Campaign,
of Tabuk. In this discourse, the Believers were urged to take active part in Jihad,
and the shirkers were severely rebuked for holding back their wealth and for hesitation
to sacrifice their lives in the way of Allah because of their hypocrisy, weak
faith or negligence. The
third discourse (vv. 73-I 29) was revealed on his return from the Campaign of
Tabuk. There are some pieces in this discourse that were sent down on different
occasions during the same period and were afterwards consolidated by the Holy
Prophet into the Surah in accordance with inspiration from Allah. But this caused
no interruption in its continuity because they dealt with the same subject and
formed part of the same series of events. This discourse warns the hypocrites
of their evil deeds and rebukes those Believers who had stayed behind in the Campaign
of Tabuk. Then after taking them to task, Allah pardons those true Believers who
had not taken part in the Jihad in the Way of Allah for one reason or
the other. Chronologically,
the first discourse should have come last; but being the most important of the
three in regard to its subject-matter, it was placed first in the order of compilation.
Historical
Background
Now let us consider the historical background
of the Surah. The series of events that have been discussed in this Surah took
place after the Peace Treaty of Hudaibiyah. By that time, one-third of Arabia
had come under the sway of Islam which had established itself as a powerful, well
organized and civilized Islamic State. This Treaty afforded further opportunities
to Islam to spread its influence in the comparatively peaceful atmosphere created
by it. After this Treaty, two events took place, which led to very important results:
Conquest of Arabia
The first
was the Conquest of Arabia. The Holy Prophet was able to send missions among different
clans for the propagation of Islam. The result was that during the short period
of two years, it became such a great power that it made the old order of ignorance'
feel helpless before it. So much so that the zealous elements from among the Quraish
were so exasperated that they broke the Treaty in order to encounter Islam in
a decisive combat. But the Holy Prophet took prompt action after the breach so
as not to allow them any opportunity to gather enough force for this. He made
a sudden invasion on Makkah in the month of Ramadan in A. H. 8 and conquered it.
Though this conquest broke the backbone of the order of ignorance, it made still
another attack on Islam in the battle-field of Hunain, which proved to be its
death-knell. The clans of Hawazin Thaqif, Naur, Jushm and others gathered their
entire forces in the battle field in order to crush the reformative Revolution,
but they utterly failed in their evil designs. The defeat of 'ignorance' at Hunain
paved the way for making the whole of Arabia the 'Abode of Islam' (Dar-ul-Islam).
The result was that hardly a year had Passed after the Battle of Hunain, when
the major portion of Arabia came within the fold of Islam and only a few upholders
of the old order remained scattered over some corners of the country. The
second event that contributed towards making Islam a formidable power was the
Campaign of Tabuk, which was necessitated by the provocative activities of the
Christians living within or near the boundaries of the Roman Empire to the north
of Arabia. Accordingly, the Holy Prophet, with an army of thirty thousand marched
boldly towards the Roman Empire but the Romans evaded the encounter. The result
was that the power of the Holy Prophet and Islam increased manifold and deputations
from all corners of Arabia began to wait upon him on his return from Tabuk in
order to offer their allegiance to Islam and obedience to him. The Holy Quran
has described this triumph in Surah AN-NASR: "When the succour of Allah came
and victory was attained and you saw people entering the fold of Islam in large
numbers...
Campaign to Tabuk
The Campaign
to Tabuk was the result of conflict with the Roman Empire, that had started even
before the conquest of Makkah. One of the missions sent after the Treaty of Hudaibiyah
to different parts of Arabia visited the clans which lived in the northern areas
adjacent to Syria. The majority of these people were Christians, who were under
the influence of the Roman Empire. Contrary to all the principles of the commonly
accepted international law, they killed fifteen members of the delegation near
a place known as Zat-u-Talah (or Zat-i-Itlah). Only Ka'ab bin Umair Ghifari, the
head of the delegation, succeeded in escaping and reporting the sad incident.
Besides this, Shurahbll bin Amr, the Christian governor of Busra, who was directly
under the Roman Caesar, had also put to death Haritli bin Umair, the ambassador
of the Holy Prophet, who had been sent to him on a similar minion. These
events convinced the Holy Prophet that a strong action should be taken in order
to make the territory adjacent to the Roman Empire safe and secure for the Muslims.
Accordingly, in the month of Jamadi-ul-Ula A. H. 8, he sent an army of three thousand
towards the Syrian border. When this army reached near Ma'an, the Muslims learnt
that Shurahbil was marching with an army of one hundred thousand to fight-with
them and that the Caesar, who himself was at Hims, had sent another army consisting
of one hundred thousand soldiers under his brother Theodore. But in spite of such
fearful news, the brave small band of the Muslims marched on fearlessly and encountered
the big army of Shurahbil at M'utah. And the result of the encounter in which
the Muslims were fighting against fearful odds (the ratio of the two armies was
1:33), as very favorable, for the enemy utterly failed to defeat them. This proved
very helpful for the propagation of Islam. As a result, those Arabs who were living
in a state of semi. independence in Syria and near Syria and the clans of Najd
near Iraq, who were under the influence of the Iranian Empire, turned towards
Islam and embraced it in thousands. For example, the people of Bani Sulaim (whose
chief was Abbas bin Mirdas Sulaimi), Ashja'a, Ghatafan, Zubyan, Fazarah, etc.,
came into the fold of Islam at the same time. Above all, Farvah bin 'Amral Juzami,
who was the commander of the Arab armies of the Roman Empire, embraced Islam during
that time, and underwent the trial of his Faith in a way that filled the whole
territory with wonder. When the Caesar came to know that Farvah had embraced Islam,
he ordered that he should be arrested and brought to his court. Then the Caesar
said to him, "You will have to choose one of the two things. Either give
up your Islam and win your liberty and your former rank, or remain a Muslim and
face death." He calmly chose Islam and sacrificed his life in the way of
the Truth. No wonder
that such events as these made the Caesar realize the nature of the danger that
was threatening his Empire from Arabia. Accordingly, in 9 A. H. he began to make
military preparations to avenge the insult he had suffered at M'utah. The Ghassanid
and other Arab chiefs also began to muster armies under him. When the Holy Prophet,
who always kept himself well-informed even of the minutest things that could affect
the Islamic Movement favorably or adversely, came to know of these preparations,
he at once under- stood their meaning. Therefore, without the least hesitation
he decided to fight against the great power of the Caesar. He knew that the show
of the slightest weakness would result in the utter failure of the Movement which
was facing three great dangers at that time. First the dying power of 'ignorance'
that had almost been crushed in the battle-field of Hunain might revive again.
Secondly, the Hypocrites of Al: Madinah, who were always on the look-out for such
an opportunity, might make full use of this to do the greatest possible harm to
it. For they had already made preparations for this and had, through a monk called
Abu Amir, sent secret messages of their evil designs to the Christian king of
Ghassan and the Caesar himself. Besides this, they had also built a mosque near
Al-Madinah for holding secret meetings for this purpose. The third danger was
of an attack by the Caesar himself, who had already defeated Iran, the other great
power of that period, and filled with awe the adjacent territories. It
is obvious that if all these three elements had been given an opportunity of taking
a concerted action against the Muslims, Islam would have lost the fight it had
almost won. That is why in this case the Holy Prophet made an open declaration
for making preparations for the Campaign against the Roman Empire, which was one
of the two greatest empires of the world of that period. The declaration was made
though all the apparent circumstances were against such a decision: for there
was famine in the country and the long awaited crops were about to ripen: the
burning heat of the scorching summer season of Arabia was at, its height and there
was not enough money for preparations in general, and for equipment and conveyance
in particular. But in spite of these handicaps, when the Messenger of Allah realized
the urgency of the occasion, he took this step which was to decide whether the
Mission of the Truth was - - going to survive or perish. The very fact that he
made an open declaration for making preparations for such a campaign to Syria
against the Roman Empire showed how important it was, for this was contrary to
his previous practice. Usually he took every precaution not to reveal beforehand
the direction to which he was going nor the name of the enemy whom he was going
to attack; nay, he did not move out of Al- Madinah even in the direction of the
campaign. All the
parties in Arabia fully realized the grave consequences of this critical decision.
The remnants of the lovers of the old order of 'ignorance' were anxiously waiting
for the result of the Campaign, for they had pinned all their hopes on the defeat
of Islam by the Romans. The 'hypocrites' also considered it to be their last chance
of crushing the power of Islam by internal rebellion, if the Muslims suffered
a defeat in Syria. They had, therefore, made full use of the Mosque built by them
for hatching plots and had employed all their devices to render the Campaign a
failure. On the other side, the true Believers also realized fully that the fate
of the Movement for which they had been exerting their utmost for the last 22
years was now hanging in the balance. If they showed courage on that critical
occasion, the doors of the whole outer world would be thrown open for the Movement
to spread. But if they showed weakness or cowardice, then all the work they had
done in Arabia would -end in smoke. That
is why these lovers of Islam began to make enthusiastic preparations for the Campaign.
Everyone of them tried to surpass the other in making contributions for the provision
of equipment for it. Hadrat Uthman and Hadrat Abdur Rehman bin Auf presented large
sums of money for this purpose. Hadrat Umar contributed half of the earnings of
his life and Hadrat Abu Bakr the entire earnings of his life. The indigent Companions
did not lag behind and presented whatever they could earn by the sweat of their
labor and the women parted with their ornaments. Thousands of volunteers, who
were filled with the desire of sacrificing their lives for Islam, came to the
Holy Prophet and requested that arrangements for weapons and conveyance be made
for them so that they should join the expedition. Those who could not be provided
with these shed tears of sorrow; the scene was so pathetic that it made the Holy
Prophet sad because of his inability to arm them. In short, the occasion became
the touchstone for discriminating a true believer from a hypocrite. For, to lag
behind in the Campaign meant that the very relationship of a person to Islam was
doubtful. Accordingly, whenever a person lagged behind during the journey to Tabuk,
the Holy Prophet, on being informed, would spontaneously say, "Leave him
alone. If there be any good in him, Allah will again join him with you, and if
there be no good in him, then thank Allah that He relieved you of his evil company".
In short, the Holy
Prophet marched out towards Syria in Rajab A. H. 9, with thirty thousand fighters
for the cause of Islam. The conditions in which the expedition was undertaken
may be judged from the fact that the number of camels with them was so small that
many of them were obliged to walk on foot and to wait for their turns for several
had to ride at a time on each camel. To add to this, there was the burning heat
of the desert and the acute shortage of water. But they were richly rewarded for
their firm resolve and sincere adherence to the cause and for their perseverance
in the face of those great difficulties and obstacles. When
they arrived at Tabuk, they learnt that the Caesar and his allies had withdrawn
their troops from the frontier and there was no enemy to fight with. Thus they
won a moral victory that increased their prestige manifold and, that too, without
shedding a drop of blood. In
this connection, it is pertinent to point out that the general impression given
by the historians of the campaigns of the Holy Prophet about the Campaign of Tabuk
is not correct. They relate the event in a way as if the news of the mustering
of the Roman armies near the Arabian frontier was itself false. The fact is that
the Caesar had begun to muster his armies, but the Holy Prophet forestalled him
and arrived on the scene before he could make full preparations for the invasion.
Therefore, believing that "discretion is the better part of valor,"
he withdrew his armies from the frontier. For he had not forgotten that the three
thousand fighters for the cause of Islam had rendered helpless his army one hundred
thousand strong at M'utah. He could not, therefore, even with an army of two hundred
thousand, dare to fight against an army of thirty thousand, and that, too, under
the leadership of the Holy Prophet himself. When
the Holy Prophet found that the Caesar had withdrawn his forces from the frontier,
he considered thee question whether it would be worthwhile to march into the Syrian
territory or to halt at Tabuk and turn his moral victory to political and strategical
advantage. He decided on the latter course and made a halt for twenty days at
Tabuk. During this time, he brought pressure on the small states that lay between
the Roman Empire and the Islamic State and were at that time under the influence
of the Romans, and subdued and made them the tributaries of the Islamic State.
For instance, some Christian chiefs Ukaidir bin Abdul Malik Kindi of Dumatul Jaiidal,
Yuhanna bin D'obah of Allah, and the chiefs of Maqna, Jarba' and Azruh also submitted
and agreed to pay Jizyah to the Islamic State of Al- Madinah. As a result
of this, the boundaries of the Islamic State were extended right up to the Roman
Empire, and the majority of the Arab clans, who were being used by the Caesar
against Arabia, became the allies of the Muslims against the Romans. Above
all, this moral victory of Tabuk afforded a golden opportunity to the Muslims
to strengthen their hold on Arabia before entering into a long conflict with the
Romans. For it broke the back of those who had still been expecting that the old
order of 'ignorance' might revive in the near future, whether they were the open
upholders of shirk or the hypocrites who were hiding their shirk
under the garb of Islam. The majority of such people were compelled by the force
of circumstances to enter into the fold of Islam and, at least, make it possible
for their descendants to become true Muslims. After this a mere impotent minority
of the upholders of the old order was left in the field, but it could not stand
in the way of the Islamic Revolution for the perfection of which Allah had sent
His Messenger. Problems
of the Period
If we keep in view the preceding background,
we can easily find out the problems that were confronting the Community at that
time. They were:
1.
to make the whole of Arabia a perfect
Dar-ul-Islam,
2.
to extend the influence of Islam to
the adjoining countries,
3.
to crush the mischiefs of the hypocrites,
and
4.
to prepare the Muslims for Jihad
against the non- Muslim world.
1.
Now that the administration of the
whole of Arabia had come in the hands of the Believers, and all the opposing powers
had become helpless, it was necessary to make a clear declaration of that policy
which was to be adopted to make her a perfect Dar-ul-Islam. Therefore
the following measures were adopted:
1.
A clear declaration was made that
all the treaties with the mushriks were abolished and the Muslims would
be released from the treaty obligations with them after a respite of four months.(vv.
1-3). This declaration was necessary for uprooting completely the system of life
based on shirk and to make Arabia exclusively the center of Islam so
that it should not in any way interfere with the spirit of Islam nor become an
internal danger for it.
2.
A decree was issued that the guardianship
of the Ka`abah, which held central position in all the affairs of Arabia, should
be wrested from the mushriks and placed permanently in the hands of
the Believers, (vv. 12-18) that all the customs and practices of the shirk
of the era of 'ignorance' should be forcibly abolished: that the mushriks
should not be allowed even to come near the "House" (v. 28). This was
to eradicate every trace of shirk from the "House" that was
dedicated exclusively to the worship of Allah.
3.
The evil practice of Nasi,
by which they used to tamper with the sacred months in the days of 'ignorance',
was forbidden as an act of kufr(v. 37). This was also to serve as an
example to the Muslims for eradicating every vestige of the customs of ignorance
from the life of Arabia (and afterwards from the lives of the Muslims everywhere).
2.
In order to enable the Muslims to
extend the influence of Islam outside Arabia, they were enjoined to crush with
sword the non- Muslim powers and to force them to accept the sovereignty of the
Islamic State. As the great Roman and Iranian Empires were the biggest hindrances
in the way, a conflict with them was inevitable. The object of Jihad
was not to coerce them to accept Islam they were free to accept or not to accept
it-but to prevent them from thrusting forcibly their deviations upon others and
the coming generations. The Muslims were enjoined to tolerate their misguidance
only to the extent that they might have the freedom to remain misguided, if they
chose to be so, provided that they paid Jizyah (v. 29) as a sign of their
subjugation to the Islamic State.
3.
The third important problem was to
crush the mischiefs of the hypocrites, who had hitherto been tolerated in spite
of their flagrant crimes. Now that there was practically no pressure upon them
from outside, the Muslims were enjoined to treat them openly as disbelievers (v.
73). Accordingly, the Holy Prophet set on fire the house of Swailim, where the
hypocrites used to gather for consultations in order to dissuade the people from
joining the expedition to Tabuk. Likewise on his return from Tabuk, he ordered
to pull down and burn the 'Mosque' that had been built to serve as a cover for
the hypocrites for hatching plots against the true Believers.
4.
In order to prepare the Muslims for
Jihad against the whole non-Muslim world, it was necessary to cure them
even of that slight weakness of faith from which they were still suffering. For
there could be no greater internal danger to the Islamic Community than the weakness
of faith, especially where it was going to engage itself single-handed in a' conflict
with the whole non-Muslim world. That is why those people who had lagged behind
in the Campaign to Tabuk or had shown the least negligence were severely taken
to task, and were considered as hypocrites if they had no plausible excuse for
not fulfilling that obligation. Moreover, a clear declaration was made that in
future the sole criterion of a Muslim's faith shall be the exertions he makes
for the uplift of the Word of Allah and the role he plays in the conflict between
Islam and kufr. Therefore, if anyone will show any hesitation in sacrificing
his life, money, time and energies, his faith shall not be regarded as genuine.
(vv. 81-96). If
the above-mentioned important points are kept in view during the study of this
Surah, it will facilitate the understanding of its contents.
Subject: Problems of Peace and War
In
continuation of Surah AL-ANFAL, this Surah also deals with the problems of peace
and war and bases the theme on the Tabuk Expedition. Topics
and their Interconnection This
portion deals with the sanctity of treaties and lays down principles, rules and
regulations which must be kept in view before breaking them, in case the other
party does not observe them sincerely. 1 - 12 In
this portion the Muslims have been urged to fight in the Way of Allah with the
mushrik Arabs, the Jews and the Christians, who were duly warned of the
consequences of their mischievous and inimical behaviour. 13 - 37
In this discourse,
the Muslims have been told clearly and explicitly that they will inherit the rewards
promised by Allah only if they take active part in the conflict with kufr,
for that is the criterion which distinguishes true Muslims from hypocrites. Therefore
true Muslims should take active part in Jihad, without minding dangers,
obstacles, difficulties, temptations and the like. 38 - 72 This
portion deals with the problems of hypocrites and lays down rules and regulations
governing the treatment that should be meted out to them and points out their
distinctive marks from true Muslims. 73 - 90 This
portion deals with the case of those who remained behind and did not accompany
the Holy Prophet for Jihad to Tabuk. For this purpose they have been
separated in different categories, that is, the disabled, the sick, the indigent,
the hypocrites, the believers who realized their guilt and punished themselves
before the return of the Holy Prophet from Tabuk and those who confessed their
error. Their cases have been dealt with in accordance with the nature and extent
of their offence. 91 - 110 In
order to make their noble qualities look all the more conspicuous and dignified
by contrast, the characteristics of the Believers have been mentioned, and they
have been reassured that Allah, the Sovereign of the Universe, is their helper
and guardian. Accordingly, because of their sincerity, He has forgiven the Three
Believers who did not take part in the expedition. 111 - 118
In the concluding
portion, general instructions have been given to the Believers for their guidance.
119 - 127 This
is the conclusion: "Follow the Messenger who is gentle and compassionate
and your greatest well-wisher, and trust in Allah, the Lord of the Universe".
128 - 129 |
