9
SURE
Tevbe Suresi
⌄
⌄
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
How can God and His Messenger abide by the treaty that the idol worshipers have already broken? If they respect the treaty that you have signed with them in Masjid- Al Haram [the oldest house of worship built by Abraham and Ishmael in Mecca], you should respect it too for the simple reason that God loves the righteous people [who respect their words].
8
As far as the other idol worshipers are concerned, they never observed any right of kinship between you and them and, if they had the upper hand, they would have never offered any treaty to you. Therefore, how can they ask for a treaty [now that they are weak]? No way; they try to seem pleasant by using the right words but they have the worse intention as most of them are corrupt.
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
It is not proper that the disbelievers assume the guardianship of the houses [ such as Masjid-Al-Haram which was built by Abraham and Ishmael] devoted to the sole purpose of worshiping the Lord. After all, they bear witness that they do not believe! [Therefore, how can they become the guardians of houses built for worshiping what they do not believe in?] Indeed all their deeds are nullified and they have to live by the Fire forever.
18
Only those are worthy of visiting/ maintaining the mosques (in Arabic meaning the place of worship) of God who believe in the existence of [the One and only One] God and the Last Day, worship the Lord on regular basis, devote a part of their income to the charity and do not fear none but God. Only such people are expected to be guided [and adopt the right path.]
19
Do the disbeliever really think that by offering water (to those who come to the pilgrimage of Mecca) and taking care of Masjid- Al-Haram, they are equal to those who have chosen to believe in God and the Last Day and do the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of God? These two groups are surely not equal in the sight of God and God will not guide the people who are unjust.
20
21
23
24
Proclaim: "If your fathers, sons, brothers, spouses, dear ones, the wealth that you have accumulated, the business that you have built up and the houses that you love so much are more important than God, His prophet and sacrifice in the cause of God, then go on and continue your lives till God passes His judgment [on the Day of Judgment] upon you [as you are for a big surprise. ] Indeed God does not guide such corrupt people [who are so in love with this world that cannot let it go.]"
25
God has helped you so many times in the past. In the battle of "Hunain" (which took place eight years after the immigration of prophet to Medina and for the first time the Muslims’ army outnumbered the disbelievers’ army), however, you became too proud of your numbers [that you did not remember the Lord, the way He should be remembered, i.e., in humility.] Then you felt the spacious earth around you becoming smaller and smaller and you turned around and fled.
26
27
28
O’ you who have chosen to believe, know that the disbelievers have a dirty nature. Therefore, from now on, do not let them to come close to Masjid-Al-Haram [the house that Abraham and Ishmael built for the purpose of worshiping the One and only One God.] If you are afraid of loosing your income [spent by disbelieving pilgrims], God promises to compensate you with His generosity, in accordance with His will. God is the Most Knowledgeable, the Most Wise.
29
Fight back against those people of the Book who do not believe in God and the Last Day, nor do they avoid what God and His prophet have declared as unlawful, nor do they adopt the Right way (as prescribed by Islam. ) If they want to live in Islamic state, they should give up their hostile attitude and pay a special tax (know as Jizyah in Arabic) in return for protection and other privileges that they get (such as not being obliged to join the "national Islamic army.")
30
The Jews say: "Ezra (who re-wrote the lost old testament after they were released from their captivity in Babylon around B. C.) is the son of God!" The Christians say: “Messiah is the son of God!” These are just bunch of senseless words that comes out of their tongues. They simply follow in the footsteps of the former disbelievers. God condemns them. They have been diverted from the straight path.
31
32
33
34
O’ believers, know that most religious scholars and preachers are guilty of: a) devouring people’s money [which is trusted with them to be spent on charity] and b) preventing people to join the way of God. As to those who hoard their money and do not spend it in the way of God, let them know that a sever punishment is waiting for them.
35
36
The Lord’s official calendar (since the creation of the heavens and the earth) has been twelve months [lunar year. ] Four out of these twelve months are declared as sacred [during which certain acts of violence are forbidden.] Do not be unjust to your souls by violating these laws. However, if the disbelievers start fighting with you during these sacred month, fight with them and present a united front against them in the same manner that they put a united front against you; be sure that God is with those who respect Him.
37
Changing/ alternating/ replacing the months of the year [i. e., forgery in the calendar] is a sign of disbelief. The disbelievers make a month sacred in one year and then change it in another year! Thus making Lord declared unlawful as lawful. These kinds of evil deeds seems fine with them. The Lord, however, does not guide such people who deny the truth.
38
O’ believers, what happened to you that, when [in preparation for the campaign of Tabuk] you were asked to march forth for the cause of God, you became heavily attached to the earth? Does it mean that you prefer this earthly life to the life of the Hereafter? If this is the case, rest assured that all the pleasures of the world is nothing compared to that of Hereafter.
39
40
It is not important at all, if you do not help your prophet. God [suffices him as He] helped him before when the disbelievers made him to emigrate [from Mecca to Medina.] The prophet then told to his companion [while they were hiding from their persecutors, taking refuge] in the cave: "Do not be afraid. God is with us." Then God gave him peace of mind and sent an invisible army and made the words of the disbelievers worthless. God’s word is the supreme word as He is Almighty and the Most Wise.
41
42
O’ Mohammad, if it was an easy campaign, they would have been quite ready to follow you. However, they could not handle the situation (marching a long way in the desert in the hot summer, not having enough time to harvest their new crop and going to face the strong Roman empire’s army.) They would dare to swear by God and say: "If we could, we would certainly join you." By saying such lies, they are destroying their own souls. God knows that they are liars.
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
Do not let their wealth or children delude you. God wants to punish them by means of these very things in their worldly life [as their wealth and children will create more headache for them than happiness.] their wealth and children will cause them to die in the state of disbelief [and, therefore, be sentenced to Hellfire.]
56
57
58
59
60
The collected charities should go to the needy ones, the poor people, the administrators of the charities, those who sympathize with the Muslims, those who are heavily in debt, the travelers in distress and may be used in freeing the slaves as well as any God pleasing cause. This is how God wants it and God is the Most Knowledgeable, the Most Wise.
61
Some hypocrites hurt the prophet when they mockingly say: "This man believes in whatever people tell him" Respond: “Good for you that he does so. ” Know that Mohammad believes in God and trusts the believers. He is a blessing for the true believers. Those who hurt him, should expect a painful punishment.
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
You (the hypocrites) are behaving like your predecessors. they were mightier than you and had more wealth and more children. They enjoyed their worldly life for a while. Like them, you also will enjoy your life for a while. Like them, you too are engaged in vain discussions. At the end all their deeds in this world, as well as [the repercussion of their deeds] in Hereafter, was nullified. They were true losers.
70
Have these people ever heard of the previous sinners such as the people of Noah, Thamud, Aad, the people of Abraham, the citizens of Midyan and the evil doers [of Sodom & Gomorrah]? Their prophets went to them with undeniable proofs (miracles. ) God never did any injustice to them. It was they themselves who were unjust to their own souls.
71
As for the believing men and believing women, they are the guardian friends of each other. They encourage each other to do good deeds and forbid wrongdoings. They worship the Lord on regular basis, participate in charity and obey the Lord and His Messenger. God surely will shower them with His blessings; God is Almighty and the Most Wise.
72
73
74
They swear by God that they have never said such and such thing and they are lying. They have returned back to disbelief as they did not find the belief accommodating. They have rebelled in spite of the fact that God and His Messenger showered them with the Lord’s grace and material provisions. If they repent even now, there is still hope for them. If they do not come to their senses and do not repent, then God will punish them severely in this world and in the Hereafter and no power on the earth can come to their help.
75
76
77
78
79
Those who criticize the well of believers for their generous contributions to the charities and make fun of the small contribution of the less fortunate ones (who offer them at the cost of sacrificing their necessities) should know that the Lord will make fun of them when He sentences them to painful punishments.
80
81
The hypocrites who [came with all kind of excuses in order not to participate in the expedition to Tabuk and] were permitted to stayed behind, could not hide their happiness that they have lost the opportunity of pleasing God with their belongings and lives. They were openly saying to the people: "It is crazy to set forth in such a heat." Say: “This heat is nothing compared to the Hellfire.” If only they knew.
82
83
84
85
86
Any time a verse is revealed saying: "Believe in God and strive hard with the Lord’s Messenger", you might have noticed that even the most capable ones of them start to beg asking to be excused from the fight for the cause of God and say: “Please give us permission [for such and such reason] so that we stay behind, like those (handicaps, children and women) who stay at home. ”
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
When you return [from the battle], they will come to you with all kind of excuses [to justify their behavior. ] Say: "Do not apologize as we do not believe you. God has already informed us what kind of people you are. God and His Messenger are going to keep an eye on you till you are summoned to the Lord Who knows everything; then He will inform you what you were doing."
95
97
98
Some of these Bedouins consider their expenditures in the cause of God as a penalty [rather than an opportunity to buy their Hereafter. ] They hope that some kind of disaster happen to you (so that they rebel against the established Islamic laws) Their wish will come true for themselves. [If they knew that] God hears everything [that they say] and knows everything [that they do and everything wich they earn for themselves.]
99
Among the Bedouins, there are also those who believe in God and the Last Day and consider their expenditure in the cause of God as a mean to bring them closer to the Lord and His acceptance of the Messenger’s prayer on their behalf. Thus, they earn the closeness to the Lord and God will surely admit them to His blessings as God is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
100
As for those who were the first to respond to the invitation to the Faith, God is pleased with them (those who immigrated (to Al-Medina) as well as those who welcomed them with kindness to their town). They are pleased with the Lord too as God has prepared for them gardens beneath which canals flow and they will live therein for ever; what a great achievement.
101
Among the Arabs (living around Al-Medina) there are hypocrites [who pretended having embraced Islam in order to take advantage of its citizenship. ] In Al-Medina, too, there are those who have mastered hypocrisy. You do not know that but I do know them. When the time comes, they will be subjected to double punishment (for their lack of belief and for their hypocrisy.) Once well punished, they will be sent to a far greater doom.
102
103
104
105
106
107
There are some (hypocrites led by Abu Amir, the Christian monk, who eventually went to Rome and encouraged the Caesar to attack the newly established Islamic nation which led to the expedition to Tabuk by Prophet Mohammad) who built their own mosque to use it as a mean to harm the cause, spread disbelief and to cause a division between the believers. They are the ones who have declared war with God a long time ago. Although they swear that they have the best intention, God hereby declares that they are liars.
108
You should never attend that said mosque. The Mosque which was built the first day [of your entrance to Al-Medina] is founded upon piety and is the best place for you to worship the Lord. In this Mosque (Masjid Al-Nabavi) there are people who love to cleanse their souls and God loves those who engage in self-purification.
109
110
111
God, in a sense, has bought from the believers their souls (as they devote all their lives to a God pleasing way of life) and their belongings (that they devote to the charities and the cause of God) for the price of the Garden of Paradise. They fight in the way of God; they kill and are killed. The Lord’s promise (about the Paradise) is the truth. It is mentioned in Torah, Gospel and the Qur’an—and who fulfils his pledge better than God? Enjoy the deal that you have made with the Lord as this is the greatest achievement.
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
God also showed mercy to those three who stayed behind (Ka’ab Ibn Malik, Hilal Ibn Ummaya and Murarah Ibn Ruba’i) after having made the earth (with all its vastness) to seem too narrow for them and after they completely gave up (they were boycotted even with their wives while waiting for the Lord’s decision. ) Finally they learned (through this experience) that their only refuge is the Lord. The Lord then turned mercifully to them so that they may repent and then accepted their repentance as He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
120
It was beneath the dignity of the people of Al-Medina and its suburban Arabs to abandon the Lord’s Messenger and (instead of supporting him) stay at home in order to take care of their worldly interests. They should know that any hardship such as hunger, thirst, physical pain (earned in the cause of God), as well as every step that they take toward enraging the disbelievers and every acts of theirs aimed to inflict a hardship upon the enemy will be credited to their account with God. Rest assured that God does not let go not rewarded the worthy deeds of the righteous people.
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128