Tafsir of At-Tawbah 9:20

"Those who believed, emigrated, and struggled in the way of Allah with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank with Allah."

This is an initiation to clarify their degrees of merit, as an augmentation and completion of the refutation. The repetition of the emigration and the detailing of the two types of struggle serve to signal that these are necessary requisites of the struggle itself, not that something was considered by way of rectification which was not considered previously. It is apparent from the context that those being compared against are the people of the Siqayah (providing water for pilgrims) and the 'Imarah (maintenance of the Sacred Mosque) among the polytheists. We have pointed to what is for and against this, as mentioned by some of the learned.

I say: If what is intended by the af'al (superlative) form is the exaggeration of merit, high rank, and status, the matter is simple. If its literal truth is intended, there are two possibilities:

The first is to say that the object of comparison has been omitted to signify generality. That is, these people characterized by these attributes are higher in rank and more honored than those who are not characterized by them, whoever they may be. This includes the people of Siqayah and 'Imarah. To realize the truth of the superlative, it is sufficient that the root of the action exists in some individuals included under the generality, just as one says, "So-and-so is the most learned of creation," even though among them are those who possess no knowledge at all, and it is impossible for them to possess it. This is a matter in which there should be no doubt, except that it creates a difficulty for us: the object of comparison in the example is someone who participates in the root of the action, which is not the case here. If this does not harm the argument, then it is as stated; otherwise, it is as you see.

The second possibility is to say that what the form implies—that the Siqayah and 'Imarah of the polytheists have a degree [of merit]—is according to the belief of the polytheists. It is made elegant by the occurrence of the like in their speech with the believers, for they said—as indicated by some previous reports—that Siqayah and 'Imarah are better than faith and struggle. There is no doubt that what is indicated by "better than" regarding faith and struggle is based on the belief of the believers; thus, what is in the verse is stated in the manner of Mushakalah (counter-styling), even if the wording differs. What has been said—that making the meaning of preference relative to the belief of the disbelievers holds no great benefit—is of no great harm, as is not hidden from one who has tasted the flavor of rhetoric, even if only with the tip of the tongue.

The speech of some suggests that the preference is based on what preceded—of looking away and closing the eyes—meaning: those characterized by these glorious descriptions are higher in rank than those devoid of them, even if they possess everything else that is a perfection in itself, such as Siqayah and 'Imarah. The meaning of "in the way of Allah" here is sincerity or the like, not the struggle itself. So, the meaning is: "They struggled sincerely."

"And those—those described with what has been mentioned—are the successful." That is, those exclusively possessing the great success, or the absolute success, as if the success of others is not success relative to their success.

The discourse, according to the second view, is a reprimand to those among the believers who prefer the Siqayah and 'Imarah over emigration and struggle. That is: "Have you made their practitioners among the believers, in virtue and honor, like those who believed in Allah and the Last Day and struggled in His way? Or have you made those two things like faith and struggle?" They said: The reason faith was not mentioned on the side of the compared [the Siqayah and 'Imarah], despite it being considered [in the context of the believers], is reliance upon the obviousness of the matter and a signaling that the axis of the denial of the comparison is the Siqayah and 'Imarah, not faith. The reason it was not left out on the side of the one compared to [the believers] is to strengthen the denial, remind of the reasons for superiority and the foundations of preference, and to signify the perfect interconnection between faith and what follows it. The meaning of the lack of equality with Allah the Exalted and the greater rank of the second group, according to this exposition, is clear.

"Oppression" here refers to the oppression of placing both the superior and the inferior in each other's place, not oppression in the general sense. "Lack of guidance" refers to the fact that He, the Exalted, does not guide those who prefer [the former] to the realization of this, not a lack of guidance in the absolute sense. The restriction in His saying: "Those are the successful," relative to the rank of the second group or to absolute success, is a claim, as previously mentioned.

You know that the failure to mention faith on the side of the compared is apparent, for the believers did not dispute—as indicated by the previous Hadith of Muslim—except over what is better after it: some said Siqayah, some said 'Imarah, and some said struggle. Indeed, its mention on the side of that which is compared to needs a subtle point, and the reprimand in the verse according to this estimation is more eloquent than it is according to the first estimation. So contemplate.