Al-Hashr (The Banishment): (9) And those who had settled in the abode...

The abode (al-dār) refers to Medina, the city of Hijra. The Ansar had settled there before the Muhajirun.

The implied structure of the verse is: "And those who had settled in the abode and [embraced] the faith before them..."

If one asks: There are two questions regarding this verse:

1. It is not typically said, "they settled in the faith" (tabawwa'ū al-īmān).
2. Even if it were said, the Ansar did not embrace the faith before the Muhajirun.

The answer to the first question has several aspects:

1. It means: "They settled in the abode, and they purified their faith," similar to the saying:

And indeed, I saw you in the fray, Bearing a sword and a spear.

2. They made the faith a settled place and a homeland for themselves due to their firm establishment upon it. Just as when Salman was asked about his lineage, he replied: "I am the son of Islam."
3. It means they named Medina as the faith (al-īmān), because the faith manifested and became strong therein.

The answer to the second question has two aspects:

1. The structure involves transposition (placing things out of order). The intended meaning is: "And those who had settled in the abode before them, and [embraced] the faith..."
2. It is based on the omission of a word (ḥadhf al-muḍāf). The meaning is: "They settled in the abode and [embraced] the faith before their emigration."

Then He said: {nor do they find within their breasts any need for what they have been given} (9:10).

Al-Hasan said this means: no envy, burning desire, or resentment concerning what the Muhajirun were given over them. He used the term "need" (ḥājah) to refer to envy, resentment, and burning desire because these states are inseparable from need. Thus, he used the name of the consequence (need) as a metaphor for the cause (envy/resentment).

Then He said: {and they prefer over themselves even if they are in need} (9:10).

The verb āthara (to prefer) means to single someone out for something. The object of the preference is omitted. The implied meaning is: "And they prefer them [the Muhajirun] with their wealth and homes over themselves."

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to the Ansar: "If you wish, you can divide your homes and wealth with the Muhajirun, and you will receive a share of the spoils of war just as they receive. Or, if you wish, they will have the spoils, and you will keep your homes and wealth." They replied: "No, rather we will divide our homes and wealth with them, and we will not share the spoils with them." So Allah revealed: {and they prefer over themselves even if they are in need}. This clarified that this preference was not out of abundance of wealth, but out of need and destitution (khaṣāṣah), which means poverty. The root of khaṣāṣah is al-khiṣāṣ, which refers to an opening or gap. Every hole in a sieve, door, cloud, or veil is called a khiṣāṣah; the singular is khiṣāṣah.

The exegetes mentioned various types of the Ansar preferring their guests with food, pretending to eat until the guest was satisfied, and then mentioned that the verse was revealed concerning that preference. However, the sound opinion is that it was revealed concerning their preference for the Muhajirun regarding the spoils (al-fay'). It is not precluded that other acts of preference are also included.

Then He said: {And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his own soul, then it is those who are the successful} (9:11).

Al-shuḥḥ (stinginess/greed) can be read with a ḍammah or a kasrah on the shīn.

Know that the difference between al-bukhul (miserliness) and al-shuḥḥ (stinginess/greed) is that miserliness is the act of withholding itself, whereas stinginess is the inner psychological state that necessitates that withholding. Since stinginess is a quality of the soul, Allah Almighty said: {And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his own soul, then it is those who are the successful}—those who attain what they desire. Ibn Zayd said: Whoever God prevents from taking something he should not take, and whoever God commands to give something he should not withhold, has protected the stinginess of his soul.

(This section introduces the next verse, 9:10, which is being translated.)