Tafsir of At-Tawbah 9:106

"And others" is a conjunction linked to the "others" mentioned before it; meaning, among them are another group distinct from those who confessed their sins.

"Deferred" means delayed and their matter kept in suspension.

"For the command of Allah" means until the command of Allah the Exalted regarding their state becomes manifest. The people of Medina and Kufa—excluding Abu Bakr—recited it as murjawna without the glottal stop (hamza), while the rest recited it as murji’una with the hamza. These are two linguistic dialects; it is said: arja’tuhu and arjaytuhu as one says a’taytuhu. It is possible that the ya is a substitute for the hamza, as in their speech: qara’tu and qaraytu, and tawadda’tu and tawaddaytu, which is frequent in their usage. Regarding it being an original linguistic root, it is ya’-based. It is also said that it is waw-based.

From this root comes "al-Murji’ah," one of the sects of the people of the Qibla, and the hamza and its absence have both been recorded regarding them. They were named as such because they deferred (postponed) the act of disobedience from being considered in the entitlement to punishment, as they said: "There is no punishment with faith," so in their view, disobedience has no effect. In al-Mawaqif, it is stated they were named Murji’ah because they "delay" (yurji’una) the deed from the intention—meaning they place it at a lower rank than intention and belief—or because they offer "hope" (raja’) by saying: "Disobedience does no harm with faith." End quote. Based on the first two interpretations, it is possible for it to be read with or without the hamza, but regarding the third, it should be said murji’ah with a fatha on the ra and a shadda on the jim.

The ones intended by these "deferred" ones are, as in the two Sahih collections, Hilal ibn Umayyah, Ka’b ibn Malik, and Murarah ibn al-Rabi’. This is what has been narrated from Ibn Abbas and the senior Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. They had stayed behind from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for a certain reason, despite intending to join him (peace be upon him), but it did not facilitate for them. Their staying behind was not due to hypocrisy—far be it from them—for they were among the sincere. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived and what happened with those who stayed behind occurred, they said: "We have no excuse but the sin," and they did not offer him (peace be upon him) excuses, nor did they act as those who tied themselves to the pillars did. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered that they be shunned and intensified the matter upon them, as you will come to know, if Allah the Exalted wills, until the Almighty’s saying was revealed: {Allah has turned in forgiveness to the Prophet, the Emigrants, and the Helpers...} etc. Their matter was suspended for fifty nights; they did not know what Allah the Exalted would do with them.

"Either He will punish them or He will accept their repentance" is in the position of a state (hal), meaning: among them are those who are either punished or those whose repentance is accepted. It is said that it is a predicate for "others," considering it a subject, and "deferred" is its adjective, but the first is more apparent. The "either/or" is for diversification, meaning that their affair revolves between these two matters. It is also said it is for hesitation regarding the corruption [of the heart/state]; the meaning being: let their matter be between hope and fear in your view. The objective is to delegate that to the administration of Allah and His will, for it is not incumbent upon Him, the Almighty, to punish the disobedient nor to forgive the repentant.

He only intensified the matter upon them—despite their sincerity—because Jihad was a communal obligation (fard kifaya), according to what was narrated from Ibn Battal in al-Rawd al-Unuf, which he approved: that Jihad was an individual obligation (fard ‘ayn) specifically for the Helpers (Ansar) because they pledged allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him) not to abandon it. Do you not see the words of their chanter at the Battle of the Trench: "We are those who pledged allegiance to Muhammad, to Jihad as long as we remain forever"? These were among their elite, so their staying behind was a grave sin.

It was narrated from al-Hasan that this verse is regarding the hypocrites. In that case, the "others" is not intended to be those we mentioned, as they are who you know them to be; rather, it refers to other hypocrites. According to this, the statement of those who said regarding {Either He will punish them} that it means "if they persist in hypocrisy" must be taken—and you have already known that this contradicts what is in the two Sahihs. Carrying "hypocrisy" in the speech of the speaker to mean something that resembles it is far-fetched and a claim without evidence.

"And Allah is Knowing" of their states, "Wise" in what He has done with them regarding the deferral. In the recitation of Abdullah (ibn Mas'ud), it is: {Forgiving, Merciful}.