Surah At-Tawbah (9): Verse 128

Issues Discussed Here:

When Allah commanded His Messenger (PBUH) to convey difficult and burdensome obligations in this Surah, which are hard to bear except for those whom Allah has favored with success and honor, He concluded the Surah with what facilitates bearing these burdens.

1. The Messenger is from them: Since the Messenger is from them, any honor or glory he attains in this world returns to them.
2. His Compassion: He finds it distressing if harm befalls them, and his desire to bring them the good of this world and the Hereafter is immense. He is like a compassionate physician or a merciful father.
   • A compassionate physician might prescribe difficult treatments, and a merciful father might impose harsh discipline. However, because one knows the physician is skilled and the father is compassionate, these painful treatments and strict disciplines become bearable and are viewed as acts of kindness.
   • Similarly, since you know he is a true Messenger from Allah, accept these difficult obligations from him so that you may attain all goodness.

Then, Allah commanded the Messenger (PBUH): If they refuse to accept these obligations and turn away, then leave them alone, do not pay attention to them, rely upon Allah, and refer all your affairs to Him: {Say: Sufficient for me is Allah; there is no god but He; in Him I have put my trust, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne} (At-Tawbah: 129). This conclusion to the Surah is exquisitely beautiful and perfectly complete.

Allah described the Messenger (PBUH) with five types of attributes in this verse:

The First Attribute: {مِنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ} (from yourselves)

There are several interpretations for this:

1. He is a human like you: Similar to His saying, {Is it a wonder for mankind that We have revealed to a man from among them} (Yunus: 2), and {I am only a human being like you} (Fussilat: 6). The purpose is that if he were an angel, the matter would have been difficult for people to accept, as previously discussed in Surah Al-An'am.
2. He is from the Arabs: Ibn Abbas said: There is no tribe among the Arabs that did not give birth to the Prophet (PBUH) through the grandmothers—Mudar, Rabi'ah, and Yaman. The Mudarites and Rabi'ites are the Adnanites, and the Yemenites are the Qahtanites. This is analogous to His saying: {Allah has already conferred favor upon the believers when He sent to them a Messenger from among themselves} (Al 'Imran: 164). The purpose here is to encourage the Arabs to support him and serve him, as if to say: Any worldly power or elevation he attains is a cause for your glory and pride because he is from your people and lineage.
3. Addressed to the People of the Sanctuary (Mecca): The Arabs used to call the people of the Sanctuary the "People of Allah" and His chosen ones, serving them and managing their affairs. It is as if the Arabs were told: You were diligent in serving his ancestors and forefathers before his arrival; why are you now lazy in serving him, even though he has no less honor or high status than his ancestors?
4. A Sign of His Purity: The intent of mentioning this attribute is to draw attention to his purity. It is as if it is said: He is from your kin; you know him for his truthfulness, trustworthiness, chastity, and integrity. You know he is keen to ward off calamities from you and bring you benefits. Sending a Messenger of this character is one of Allah's greatest favors upon you.

• Variant Reading: It was also read as {مِنْ أَشْرَفِكُمْ} (from your noblest/best). This reading is attributed to the recitation of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), Fatima, and Aisha (RA).

The Second Attribute: {عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ} (Grievous to him is that which causes you distress)

• Aziz (Mighty/Severe) means dominant and strong. Izzah (Might) means dominance and severity. When a hardship afflicts a person, it is known that he was incapable of repelling it; had he been able, he would not have neglected to repel it. Since he did not repel it, it is known that he was incapable, and the hardship overcame him. This is why when something is severe for a person, he says, "This has become Aziz (difficult/overwhelming) for me."
• Anat (distress/hardship) means a person falls into a difficulty and severity from which he cannot escape (e.g., {that is for him who fears the torment} [An-Nisa: 25], and {Had Allah willed, He could have put you into difficulty} [Al-Baqarah: 220]).
• Al-Farra stated that the mā in {mā 'anittum} is in the nominative case (in place of 'anattukum), meaning: "Your distress is grievous to him," i.e., your harm is difficult for him. The most severe harm to repel is the harm of Allah's punishment, and he was sent precisely to repel this harm.

The Third Attribute: {حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ} (Ardent for your welfare)

• Hirs (ardent desire) cannot relate to their physical selves; rather, it means he is intensely eager to bring you goodness in this world and the Hereafter.
• Under this interpretation, the preceding phrase {عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ} means: It is extremely grievous to him if any affliction of this world or the Hereafter reaches you. This interpretation avoids redundancy.
• Al-Farra said Haris means Shahih (stingy/covetous), meaning: He is covetous that you enter the Fire. This is considered weak because it yields no benefit (in this context).

The Fourth and Fifth Attributes: {بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ} (Kind and Merciful to the believers)

Ibn Abbas (RA) said that Allah named him with two of His own names. Two questions arise here:

Question 1: How can this be, when in this Surah he commanded them with difficult obligations that only the divinely successful can bear?

Answer: We already provided the analogy of the skilled physician and the compassionate father. The meaning is that he did this to them so they might be saved from eternal punishment and attain eternal reward.

Question 2: Since the structure is {عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم}, why did the sequence change to {بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ * رَءُوفٌ * رَّحِيمٌ} (Kind and Merciful to the believers)?

Answer: The phrasing {بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ * رَءُوفٌ * رَّحِيمٌ} implies restriction (exclusivity): there is no kindness (ra'fah) or mercy (rahmah) from him except for the believers. As for the disbelievers, he has no kindness or mercy toward them. This serves as a complement to the severity mentioned in this Surah. It is as if Allah is saying: Although I have been extremely severe in this Surah, that severity is directed toward the disbelievers and hypocrites. As for My mercy and kindness, they are exclusively for the believers. This subtle point necessitated the change in sequence.

| Surah At-Tawbah (9): Verse 129