Tafsir of At-Tawbah 9:71

"And the believing men and believing women are allies of one another"

This is an exposition of the excellent state of the believing men and believing women, both in their immediate condition and their ultimate end, following the exposition of the state of their opposites, both immediately and ultimately.

His statement—Exalted is He—"are allies of one another" corresponds to His saying—the Almighty—in what has passed: "They are one of another." The style was altered to indicate their mutual support and assistance, unlike those [the hypocrites].

His statement—the Almighty—"they enjoin the good and forbid the evil" is an explicit contrast to "they enjoin the evil" [referring to the hypocrites]. The discussion regarding al-munkar (the evil) and al-ma'ruf (the good) is well-known.

His statement—Majestic is He—"and they establish prayer" is in contrast to "they have forgotten Allah."

His statement—His Majesty is exalted—"and give zakah" is in contrast to "they withhold their hands."

His statement—Blessed and Exalted is He—"and they obey Allah and His Messenger"—that is, in all matters—is in contrast to the description of the hypocrites regarding the perfection of their defiance and departure from obedience. It is also said: It is in contrast to "they have forgotten Allah," and His statement—Exalted is He—"and they establish prayer" is an additional commendation.

His statement—His state is exalted—"Those, Allah will have mercy upon them" is in contrast to "so He has forgotten them," which is interpreted as the withholding of His grace and mercy—Exalted is He. It is also said: It is in contrast to "it is they who are the defiantly disobedient," because it [the former] carries the meaning of the God-fearing who are recipients of mercy.

The demonstrative pronoun "Those" points to the believing men and women in consideration of their being characterized by the aforementioned majestic qualities. Bringing a word that indicates distance [for a near referent] has been explained more than once.

The seen [in sa-yarhamuhum], according to what Al-Zamakhshari said, followed by more than one, is for the confirmation of the promise. Just as it provides that, it also provides the confirmation of a threat. The author of at-Taqrib viewed this critically, arguing that the seen in the affirmative corresponds to lan in the negative; therefore, in this respect, it is a confirmation of what it is attached to, and there is no difference in that whether it is a promise, a threat, or otherwise.

The scholar Ibn Hajar said: What Al-Zamakhshari claimed—that the seen implies certainty in what it governs—is rejected on the basis that the certainty is understood from the context, not from the linguistic convention. It is a precursor to his corrupt doctrine regarding the necessity of [Divine] requital. Whoever is heedless of this hidden motive has defended him. The erudite Ibn Qasim retorted that this argument has no basis, because it is a matter of textual transmission that is not repelled by what was mentioned, and attributing heedlessness to the Imams is only necessitated by a love of objection.

In this case, the meaning is: Those who are characterized by the noble attributes detailed, Allah the Exalted will have mercy upon them inevitably. "Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might"—Powerful, capable of everything; nothing He wills is impossible for Him—"Wise"—placing things in their proper positions, among which are blessings and retribution. The sentence serves as the rationale for the promise.