Tafsir of At-Tawbah 9:16

(Or do you think) — This is an address to those among the believers or the hypocrites for whom fighting was difficult. The am (or) is munqati'ah (disjunctive), brought forth to transition from the command to fight to rebuking them, or from a previous rebuke to another. The implied hamza, along with the bal (nay), is for rebuking them for the aforementioned assumption—that is, "Nay, do you reckon and think..."

(That you will be left) — In the state you are currently in, without being commanded to perform jihad and without being tested by that which purifies you.

(While Allah has not yet made evident those among you who strive) — The waw is for the circumstantial state (hal), and lam (the negation) is for negation with the expectation of occurrence. The negation of "knowledge" here refers to the negation of the "known" thing itself—which is the jihad—in the most emphatic manner. This is by way of demonstration; for had their jihad occurred, Allah Almighty would have inevitably known it. Indeed, the occurrence of that which the Almighty does not know is impossible, just as the non-occurrence of that which He knows is likewise impossible. Otherwise, His knowledge (subhanahu) would not correspond to reality, which would be ignorance, and that is among the greatest of impossibilities. Therefore, the expression is a form of metonymy (kinayah).

It has been said: "Knowledge" is a figurative expression (majaz mursal) for "making evident," used to signify the necessity of its meaning. In Al-Kashshaf, there is an indication that knowledge is a metaphor for what was mentioned, and elsewhere an indication that it is a matter of metonymy. This has been answered by stating that he pointed out that it was used to negate the existence [of the jihad] as an exaggeration in negating the "making evident." What he mentioned first—namely, that you will not be left as you are until the sincere among you are made evident, and they are those who strive in the cause of Allah Almighty for His sake—is the summary of the meaning. This is because it is an address to the believers to incite them and urge them toward what He urged them to do with His saying (subhanahu): "Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands." Thus, when they were rebuked for assuming they would be left alone, and no sincere striver was found among them, it indicated that if they did not fight, they would not be sincere, and that sincerity—if its effect does not appear through jihad in the cause of Allah Almighty and opposing the disbelievers—is not sincerity at all. If "knowledge" were interpreted merely as "making evident," it would not yield this level of exaggeration, so reflect upon this.

His saying (ta'ala): (And have not taken) — This is a conjunction attached to "strove" and is included within the scope of the relative clause, or it is a circumstantial clause describing the subject—meaning, they strove while not taking...

(Besides Allah, nor His Messenger, nor the believers, a walijah) — That is, an intimate associate or a confidant, as Ibn Abbas said. It is derived from al-wuluj, which means entry; everything you insert into something else while it is not part of it is a walijah. It is used for both the singular and plural in the same form, and it is sometimes pluralized as wala'ij. The phrase "besides" (min dun) is attached to the verb "take" if it remains in its literal state, or it is a second object if "take" is understood in the sense of appointing or placing.

(And Allah is All-Aware of what you do) — That is, of all your deeds, so He will recompense you for them; if they are good, then good, and if they are evil, then evil. It is also recited in the third person. In this is the refutation of what is imagined from the apparent meaning of His saying: "While Allah has not yet made evident," etc.—namely, the notion that He (ta'ala) does not know things before they occur, as Hisham claimed, using this verse as evidence. The way of refutation is that "you do" (ta'malun) is in the future tense, which indicates the contrary of what he claimed.