Tafsir of At-Tawbah 9:80

(Ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them): The apparent meaning is that this and similar phrasing denotes an option (choice). This is supported by the understanding of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in this instance, as you shall know, Allah willing. It is as if the Almighty said to him (peace and blessings be upon him): "If you wish, ask forgiveness for them, and if you wish, do not." The words of al-Nasafi are refuted by the authenticity of the reports. Many scholars have chosen the view that the intention is to treat the two options as equal, as in the Almighty’s saying: "Spend willingly or unwillingly," and the aforementioned line of poetry: "Treat us badly or treat us well..." The purpose here is to inform of the futility of the act, and it carries the hyperbole inherent in such usage. Some investigators, after choosing the interpretation of equality in such cases, said: It does not contradict the concept of an option; if an option is established, it is by way of necessity because it falls between two opposites, neither of which can be abandoned or performed [exclusively], so one must occur, and the state varies. Sometimes it is for affirmation, as in the Almighty’s saying: "It is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe," and other times it is for negation, as here and in the Almighty’s saying: "It is the same to them whether you ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them."

(If you should ask forgiveness for them seventy times, never will Allah forgive them): This is a clarification that forgiveness will not occur even if he asks for them, as was intended after the choice was presented, or it is a clarification of the impossibility of forgiveness after the hyperbole of asking, following the statement regarding the equality between asking and not asking.

The cause of revelation, according to what is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), is that when the Almighty’s saying: "Allah mocks them," etc., was revealed, the hypocrites asked him (peace and blessings be upon him) to ask for their forgiveness, and he intended to do so, so this verse was revealed and he did not do it. It is also said: It was revealed after he had already done so. The Imam [al-Shafi'i] chose the view that he did not [ask], saying: It is not permissible to ask forgiveness for an unbeliever, so how could it proceed from him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)? This was rebutted by the fact that it is permissible for the living [unbelievers] in the sense of seeking the cause of forgiveness, and the claim that asking for the persistent sinner is of no use is not valid, because there is no certainty that it is useless unless it is revealed to him (peace and blessings be upon him) that they will not believe, like Abu Lahab. The argument that asking for the hypocrite is an incitement for him to remain in hypocrisy is [invalid], for there is no hypocrisy [in the act of asking itself], otherwise it would be forbidden to ask for the disobedient among the believers, and no one says that.

Some said: If we assume the asking did occur from him (peace and blessings be upon him), and argue for the precedence of the prohibition implied by the Almighty's saying: "It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists," there is no problem, as the prohibition is not for prohibition [i.e., absolute sin], but to show the lack of benefit. This is a weak argument, for the furthest that verse indicates is the prohibition of asking for the unbelievers, and it does not necessitate the prohibition of asking for those whose apparent state is Islam. The claim that if it is not answered it is a deficiency in the station of prophethood is rejected, because he (peace and blessings be upon him) might have his supplication unanswered for a divine wisdom, just as the supplications of some of his brother prophets (peace be upon them) were not answered, and this is not considered a deficiency, as is obvious.

The relevance of the verse to what precedes it, according to this narrative, is perfectly clear. However, it is said: The authentic and relied-upon report is that Abdullah—his name was al-Hubab, and he was among the sincere—the son of Abdullah ibn Ubayy, asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) during his father’s illness to ask for his forgiveness, so he did, and this verse was revealed. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I will add to the seventy," and then the verse: "It is the same to them whether you ask forgiveness for them..." was revealed. This contains a refutation of the Imam [al-Shafi'i] in his choice of denying the [previous] asking, as well as in his denial that the concept of "number" (mafhum al-'adad) constitutes a legal proof, as al-Asnawi reported from him in al-Tamhid, differing in that from al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him), who holds it as proof, as al-Ghazali reported from him in al-Mankhul, and his teacher, Imam al-Haramayn, in al-Burhan, explicitly stating that this is the view of the majority.

In al-Matlab by Ibn al-Rif'ah, it is stated that the concept of number is the primary basis for us regarding not reducing the stones [used] in cleansing (istinja) to fewer than three, and the [rule regarding] the duration of the option period (khiyar) beyond three days. What is reported from al-Nawawi, that the concept of number is invalid according to the jurists, is interpreted to mean that it is invalid according to a group of jurists, as his words in Sharh Muslim in the chapter on funerals indicate. Otherwise, it is strange coming from him.

The words of the scholar al-Baydawi are inconsistent. In al-Minhaj, he states that restriction by a number does not indicate [a ruling for] the extra or the lesser—that is, it is explicit in its stated meaning and does not allow for addition or reduction. Yet in his Tafsir regarding this verse, after citing the report of the cause of revelation, he says that he (peace and blessings be upon him) understood from "seventy" the specific number because it is the original [meaning], and it was possible that this was a boundary beyond which the ruling differs; so it was clarified to him (peace and blessings be upon him) that the intention was multiplication, not limitation. In his commentary on Surah al-Baqarah, regarding the Almighty’s saying: "And He fashioned them as seven heavens," he mentioned that the verse does not negate the existence of more, and the intention of multiplication by the number seventy is common in their speech, as is the case for seven and seven hundred.

He [al-Baydawi] provided a reason in Sharh al-Masabih by noting that seven contains the totality of numerical categories, for a number is divided into odd and even, and each of those into prime and composite... [The author proceeds into a detailed mathematical explanation of the number seven]... And Ibn Isa al-Raba'i said: Seven is the most complete of numbers, because six is the first perfect number, and with one, it is seven, so it is complete, for after perfection there is nothing but completeness. That is why the lion is called sab' (seven) due to the completeness of its strength.

Some have expressed it as improbable that the most eloquent of people and the one most knowledgeable in language (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would not have understood the intent of multiplication here. Thus, some said: It did not escape him, but he pretended [not to know] by what he said to demonstrate the utmost mercy and compassion toward those to whom he was sent, like Ibrahim (peace be upon him) saying: "And whoever disobeys me—indeed, You are Forgiving, Merciful." Meaning, he (peace and blessings be upon him) caused the hearer to imagine that he understood the specific number rather than the multiplication, and he permitted himself to respond with an addition, intending to manifest compassion and mercy.

This was critiqued on the grounds that his mentioning [the intent to increase] for the sake of disguise and simulation, after he had already understood the multiplication, does not befit his lofty station. Understanding the literal meaning from an expression whose metaphorical usage is well-known does not contradict eloquence or knowledge of the language, for there is no error in it nor is it far-fetched; it is the original [meaning]. This was favored by his passion for their guidance, his compassion for them, and his effort to soften the hearts of others. Perhaps this is better than the talk of "disguise without disguise."

Imam al-Haramayn denied the validity of what indicates that he (peace and blessings be upon him) understood that the ruling for what exceeded seventy was otherwise; this is strange from him, as it has come down through the reports of al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Majah, and al-Nasa'i, who are sufficient as authorities. The statement of al-Tabarsi that the report "I will increase beyond seventy" is a solitary report (khabar wahid) that cannot be relied upon is itself not to be relied upon, and he clung in that to something as fragile as a sunbeam, while for those who believe in the concept [of number], it is like the mountains of the moon.

You know that the apparent meaning of the report aligns with those who affirm the concept of number. At most, Allah the Almighty informed His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the verse of the hypocrites that the intended meaning of the number here is multiplication, not limitation, so that the ruling for the excess would be contrary to the ruling of what was mentioned. Thus, the meaning of the two verses according to Allah is one: the absolute absence of forgiveness for them. But there is a difficulty in the claim that the verse of the hypocrites was revealed after this verse. As for the claim that the [revelation of the] Bara'ah (Repentance) was the final revelation, it is clear. As for the claim that most of it or its beginning was so, then there is no barrier to some verses from it being revealed later than others. However, the beginning of the Surah of the Hypocrites implies that it was revealed in a story other than the one that has passed. The apparent meaning of the reports, as you will know, implies that it was revealed regarding Ibn Ubayy and he was not ill, while the cause of revelation here explicitly states that it was revealed while he was ill. The claim that it was revealed twice requires transmission, and in such matters, opinion is not sufficient.

The phrase "That is" [dhalika]—meaning, the refusal of forgiveness for them even after such asking—is because they "disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger." It means: The refusal is not due to a lack of regard for your asking, but because of their lack of receptivity, as they disbelieved with a disbelief that exceeded the limit, as is indicated by their description as wicked in the Almighty’s saying: "And Allah does not guide the wicked people." Wickedness (fisq) in all things is rebellion and exceeding the limits. The guidance meant here is the guidance that leads to the destination, not the guidance that shows what leads to it, for that [the latter] occurred, but they did not accept it due to their poor choice. The sentence is an emphatic epilogue to the ruling preceding it, for the forgiveness of the unbelievers while they are persistent in disbelief and turned toward falsehood, consumed by it and sealed upon it, is far from reality. This serves as a reminder of the Prophet's excuse (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) for asking for them, which was his lack of despair regarding their faith, as he did not know at the time that they were sealed in error and that no treatment would heal them nor would guidance benefit them. What is forbidden is asking forgiveness after knowing they died as unbelievers, as witnessed by the Almighty's saying: "It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire." Perhaps the revelation of the Almighty's saying: "Because they..." etc., was delayed from the revelation of the Almighty's saying: "Ask forgiveness for them..." as has been said; otherwise, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would have had no excuse for asking after the revelation. The claim that this excuse is only valid if the asking were for the living, as was reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), is open to scrutiny.