Surah At-Tawbah (9): Verse 41

Translation and Exegesis

Know that when the Almighty threatened those who do not march out with the Messenger, and presented the parables we have described, He followed that up with this decisive command:

{March forth, light and heavy.}

This means: March out whether you are in a condition that makes jihad easy for you (light) or in a condition that makes it burdensome (heavy). This description encompasses many categories, which the commentators have mentioned.

1. Light (خفافا) in setting out due to your eagerness for it, and Heavy (ثقالا) in setting out due to the difficulty it imposes upon you.
2. Light due to the fewness of your dependents, and Heavy due to their abundance.
3. Light in terms of weaponry, and Heavy in terms of weaponry.
4. Riders and walkers.
5. Youths and old men.
6. The lean and the fat.
7. The healthy and the sick.

The soundest interpretation is the first one mentioned, as all these specifics are included within the general description, which is a comprehensive attribute.

If it is asked: Do you maintain that this command includes all people, even the sick and the incapable?

We reply: Its apparent meaning suggests that. It is narrated that Ibn Umm Maktūm said to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): "Must I march out?" He replied: "You are nothing but light or heavy." So he returned to his family, put on his armor, and stood before him. Then the verse was revealed: {There is no blame upon the blind...} (Al-Fatḥ: 17; An-Nūr: 61).

Mujāhid said: Abū Ayyūb witnessed Badr with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and never held back from any Muslim campaign, saying: "Allah commanded: {March forth, light and heavy}, and I find myself nothing but light or heavy."

It is narrated from Ṣafwān ibn ‘Amr: "I was the governor of Homs, and I met an old man from Damascus whose eyebrows had fallen out, riding his mount intending to go on campaign. I said: 'O uncle, you are excused by Allah.' He raised his eyebrows and said: 'O nephew, Allah commanded us to march out light and heavy. Indeed, whoever He loves, He tests.'"

It is narrated from Az-Zuhri: Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyab went out on campaign after losing one of his eyes. He was told: "You are ill and afflicted." He replied: "Allah commanded the light and the heavy to march out. If I am incapable of fighting, I will increase the numbers and guard the possessions."

It was said to Al-Miqdād ibn al-Aswad as he intended to march: "You are excused." He replied: "Allah revealed to us in Sūrat Barā’ah: {March forth, light and heavy}."

Know that those who hold the opinion we established say that this verse was abrogated by His saying: {There is no blame upon the blind...} (Al-Fatḥ: 17; An-Nūr: 61).

‘Aṭā’ al-Khurāsānī said it was abrogated by His saying: {It was not for the believers to set out all together} (At-Tawbah: 122).

One might argue: They agree that this verse was revealed concerning the expedition of Tabūk, and they agree that the Prophet (PBUH) left women behind and also left behind certain men. This indicates that this obligation is not incumbent upon every individual (fard ‘ayn), but rather it is a communal obligation (fard kifāyah). Whoever the Messenger commanded to go out, it was obligatory for him to go, whether light or heavy. And whoever he commanded to remain there, it was obligatory for him to remain and refrain from marching. Under this interpretation, there is no need to assert abrogation.

Then the Almighty said: {And strive in the cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives.} There are two views regarding this:

The First View: This indicates that Jihad is only obligatory upon one who possesses wealth and life (the capacity to fight). Thus, it implies that whoever lacks a sound life fit for fighting, and lacks the wealth to procure the means of fighting, Jihad is not obligatory upon him.

The Second View: Jihad is obligatory with one's life if he is able to fight alone and has the strength for it. And it is obligatory with wealth if he is too weak to fight with his life. According to this view, if someone is incapable of appointing a substitute to fight on his behalf with his funds, he is considered striving with his wealth because fighting with his life was impossible for him. Many scholars have adopted this view.

Then the Almighty said: {That is better for you, if you only knew.}

If it is asked: How can it be correct to say that Jihad is better than remaining behind, when there is no good in remaining behind?

We reply: The answer is twofold:

The First Way: The word {better} (خير) is used in two senses. One is: This is better than that. The second is: That something is inherently good in itself, like His saying: {Indeed, I have been conveyed to a place remote} (Al-Qaṣaṣ: 24) [where khayr means remote/far], and His saying: {And indeed, he is intense in the love of good} (Al-‘Ādiyāt: 8) [where al-khayr means wealth/goodness]. It is said: Ath-tharīd is better than al-labbān (a type of milk), meaning it is inherently good, and it has been provided by Allah Almighty. Therefore, what is meant by {That is better for you} is this second meaning, and with this interpretation, the question is dismissed.

The Second Way: We concede that the meaning is that it is better than the alternative. However, the intended meaning is: What is gained from the rewards of the Hereafter through Jihad is better than the comfort, ease, and enjoyment that the one who remains behind gains from them. This is why He said: {if you only knew}, because the good things obtained in the Hereafter through Jihad are not grasped except through contemplation, and they are only known by the believer who has recognized through evidence that the belief in the Resurrection, and the belief in reward and punishment, are true and real.

Surah At-Tawbah (9): Verse 42

{If it had been an easy gain nearby and a moderate journey, they would have followed you, but the distance seemed long to them. And they will swear by Allah, "If we were able, we would have set out with you." They destroy themselves, and Allah knows that they are liars.}