At-Tawbah (The Repentance): Verses 44–46

Issues in the Verse

View 1 (Ibn Abbas): The phrase, "Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day do not ask your permission..." refers specifically to the situation after the expedition of Tabuk.

View 2 (The Majority): This view is rejected. The preceding and succeeding verses all relate to the story of Tabuk. The purpose of this statement is to distinguish the true believers from the hypocrites. Believers, when commanded to go out for Jihad, rush to obey without hesitation, whereas hypocrites pause, become sluggish, and offer excuses. This distinction holds true whether the verb is in the future or past tense. Thus, Allah established the seeking of permission as a sign of hypocrisy at that time. (Allah knows best.)

There is an implied word here; the meaning is: "do not ask your permission concerning striving (Jihad)." This omission is considered eloquent because the meaning is clear. There are two main interpretations:

First Opinion (Literal Reading): This statement is taken at its face value without assuming any omitted word. The meaning is that it is not the habit of true believers to ask the Prophet (PBUH) for permission to engage in Jihad. The leading figures among the Muhajirun and Ansar would say, "We do not ask the Prophet (PBUH) for permission for Jihad, as our Lord has repeatedly encouraged us toward it. What is the point of seeking permission?" They were such that if the Messenger commanded them to stay behind, it would be difficult for them. Do you not see how difficult it was for Ali ibn Abi Talib when the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) commanded him to remain in Medina, until the Prophet (PBUH) told him, "You are to me as Aaron was to Moses"?

Second Opinion (Implied Word): There must be an implied word here. They argue that abandoning the seeking of permission from the Imam for Jihad is impermissible. Since Allah condemned these people for not seeking permission, it must be that permission was required. The implied meaning is: "Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day do not ask your permission not to strive (i.e., they do not ask permission to stay behind)." The negative particle ("not") was omitted, similar to His saying: "Allah makes clear to you so that you do not go astray" (An-Nisa: 176). What confirms this omission is that the context before and after the verse indicates that the condemnation was specifically for seeking permission to remain behind. (Allah knows best.)

Then Allah Almighty said: "It is only those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day who ask your permission [to stay behind], and whose hearts are in doubt, so in their doubt they waver." (At-Tawbah: 44)

This verse clarifies that this behavior stems only from a lack of belief in Allah and the Last Day. Since disbelief can arise from doubt or from firm denial, Allah specified that the disbelief of these people was due to doubt and uncertainty. This indicates that the doubter and the waverer are not believers in Allah.

Question 1: If knowledge is derived through inference (deduction), then doubt in one premise of an argument leads to doubt in the conclusion. Doubt in a single premise is enough to cast doubt on the validity of the entire argument. This would imply that a believer, upon encountering a question or difficulty regarding one premise of his proof, becomes doubtful about the conclusion, thus exiting faith every moment a question crosses his mind. This is clearly false. Therefore, faith is not built upon inference but upon adherence (Taqlid). Does this verse, therefore, indicate that the foundation of faith is adherence?

Answer: Even if a Muslim experiences doubt regarding the validity of one premise of a single proof, the rest of his proofs remain sound and unassailable. For this reason, his faith remains continuously established.

Question 2: Do your companions not say, "I am a believer, God willing" (In sha' Allah), which implies doubt?

Answer: We have thoroughly investigated this matter in Surah Al-Anfal, in the exegesis of His saying: "Those are the true believers" (Al-Anfal: 74).

The Karramiyyah sect claims that faith is merely verbal affirmation (Iqrar). However, in this verse, Allah testifies that these individuals are not believers, contradicting their claim.

His saying, "and whose hearts are in doubt," indicates that the locus of doubt is solely the heart. If the locus of doubt is the heart, then the locus of knowledge and faith must also be the heart. This is because the locus of one of two contraries must be the locus of the other contrary. This is why Allah said: "Those—in whose hearts He has inscribed faith" (Al-Mujadilah: 22). If the heart is the location of knowledge and disbelief, then the one deserving of reward or punishment is truly the heart, and the rest of the limbs follow it.

His saying, "so in their doubt they waver," means that the doubter remains oscillating between affirmation and negation, passing no judgment on either side and not affirming either contradictory extreme.

To elaborate: Belief is either decisive (Jazm) or it is not.

1. If it is decisive:
   • If it contradicts reality, it is ignorance.
   • If it conforms to reality, and it is certain, it is knowledge.
   • If it conforms to reality, but is not certain, it is the belief of the adherent (Muqallid).
2. If it is not decisive:
   • If one side is preponderant, that is conjecture (Zann), and the weaker side is mere illusion (Wahm).
   • If the two sides are equally balanced, it is doubt (Rayb and Shakk), and the person remains wavering between the two extremes.

Then Allah Almighty said: "Had they intended to set out, Allah would have prepared them with equipment." (At-Tawbah: 45)

It is recited as 'iddatan (with ta' marbuta) and also as 'idda (with ta' marbuta dropped) with or without the idafa (genitive construction). Ibn Abbas said this refers to provisions, water, and mounts, because their journey was long and during a harsh time. Their abandonment of preparation is evidence that they intended to stay behind. Others said this indicates that they were affluent and capable of acquiring the necessary equipment and provisions.

Then Allah Almighty said: "But Allah disliked their setting out, so He made them lag behind." (At-Tawbah: 45)

Al-Inbi'ath (setting out) means setting forth in obedience to a command. One says, "I sent the camel forth, and it set out," or "I sent him forth for such-and-such a matter, and he proceeded with it." Tathbeet (making them lag behind) means turning a person back from the action they were about to undertake. The meaning is that Allah disliked their departure with the Prophet (PBUH) and turned them away from it.

Objection: Their departure with the Prophet (PBUH) was either a corruption (mafsadah) or a benefit (maslahah).

1. If it was a corruption, why did the Prophet (PBUH) receive blame for permitting them to stay behind?
2. If it was a benefit, why did Allah say He disliked their setting out?

The Correct Answer: Their departure with the Prophet (PBUH) was not a benefit. Evidence for this is that Allah explicitly explained those corruptions in the following verse: "Had they set out among you, they would have only increased your disorder" (At-Tawbah: 47).

The remaining question is: Since their non-departure was the more appropriate and beneficial course, why was the Prophet (PBUH) blamed for granting permission?

We cite Abu Muslim, who said that the phrase "Why did you permit them?" does not necessarily mean the Prophet (PBUH) had already given them permission to stay behind. It is possible they asked his permission to go out with him, and he permitted them. In this case, the question is nullified. Abu Muslim argued that the verse indicating their departure was a corruption necessitates that the blame directed at the Prophet (PBUH) was for permitting them to go out with him. This is supported by other verses, such as: "If Allah returns you to a group of them, then ask your permission to set out, say, 'You will never set out with me...'" (At-Tawbah: 83), and His saying: "The absentees will say when you set out..." (Al-Fath: 15) until His saying, "Say, 'You will not follow us.'" This refutes the question according to Abu Muslim's method.

The Second Approach to the Answer: We concede that the blame in "Why did you permit them?" was directed because the Prophet (PBUH) permitted them to stay behind. We then argue that this blame was not because their staying behind was a corruption in itself, but because the Prophet's (PBUH) permission for them to stay behind was a corruption. This is explained in several ways:

1. The Prophet (PBUH) gave permission before fully examining, contemplating, and reflecting, which is why Allah said: "Why did you permit them until it became clear to you who were truthful and you knew the liars?"
2. Had the Prophet (PBUH) not permitted them to stay behind, they would have stayed behind on their own initiative. This staying behind would have become a clear sign of their hypocrisy, and the Muslims would have guarded against them and not been deceived by their words. By granting permission, the Prophet (PBUH) kept their hypocrisy hidden, and those benefits were lost.
3. When they asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) for permission, he became angry with them and said, "Stay behind with those who stay behind," as a form of reprimand, as Allah recounts at the end of this verse: "And it was said, 'Stay behind with those who stay behind.'" They seized upon this phrase and claimed, "He has given us permission!" Thus, Allah said, "Why did you permit them?" meaning, why did you utter this phrase to them, which they could use as a means to achieve their goal?
4. Those who deny that prophets engage in Ijtihad (independent reasoning) say that his permission was based on Ijtihad, which is impermissible for prophets. They argue that since the Prophet (PBUH) had access to revelation, proceeding with Ijtihad is like proceeding with Ijtihad when a clear text (Nass) is available. Just as the latter is impermissible, so is the former.

The Mu'tazilah of Basra argue that this verse proves that just as Allah is described with the attribute of Will (Irada), He is also described with the attribute of Dislike (Karahiyyah), based on His saying: "But Allah disliked their setting out."

Our companions (Ahl al-Sunnah) respond that the meaning of "Allah disliked" is that He willed the absence of that thing. The Basrans argue that non-existence (Adam) cannot be the object of a relation (Ta'alluq). This is because Will is a quality that necessitates the preference of one possibility over another, whereas non-existence is pure negation. Furthermore, continuous non-existence cannot be the object of Will, as actualizing the already non-existent is impossible, and making non-existence remain non-existent is also impossible. Thus, it is impossible for Will to relate to non-existence. Therefore, interpreting "dislike" as "willing non-existence" is invalid.

Our companions answer: We interpret "dislike" concerning Allah as willing the opposite of that thing. Thus, Allah willed their remaining behind (stillness), and this intention was expressed by describing Allah as disliking their setting out with the Messenger (PBUH).

Our companions used this verse to support their position on Divine Decree and Predestination with the phrase "so He made them lag behind" (i.e., He made them lazy and weakened their desire to set out). The essence of this argument is only complete if we affirm the truth: the occurrence of an action depends on the presence of the motive for it. If the motive becomes weak or less favored, the action cannot occur. Now, whether the strengthening or weakening of that motive comes from the servant leads to an infinite regress (Tasalsul). If it comes from Allah, then the intended conclusion is established. This is because strengthening the motive is solely from Allah. Once that strengthening occurs, the action must occur, and at that point, our statement regarding Divine Decree and Predestination is correct.

The verse concludes with: "And it was said, 'Stay behind with those who stay behind.'"

This phrase is intended to warn them and equate them with women, children, and the incapable, whose characteristic is staying in the houses—they are the Qa'idun (those who stay behind), the Khalifun, and the Khawafil, as mentioned in His saying: "They were pleased to be with those who stayed behind."

There is disagreement over who uttered this statement:

1. It might be Satan, through whispering.
2. It might be some of them saying it to others when they gathered to stay behind, as those who promote corruption love to gather with those like them.
3. It might be the Messenger (PBUH), when he permitted them to stay behind, and Allah blamed him for it.
4. It might be Allah Almighty, because He disliked their setting out due to the corruption they would cause. The meaning would then be: Since you are agents of corruption, Allah disliked your setting out in this manner, so He commanded you to stay behind from this specific departure.

Verse 46

"Had they set out among you, they would have only increased your disorder, and they would have spread sedition among you, seeking to cause discord among you. And among you are those who are eager to listen to them. And Allah is All-Knowing of the wrongdoers." (At-Tawbah: 47)