ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ
And what prevents their expenditures from being accepted from them but that they have disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger and that they come not to prayer except while they are lazy and that they do not spend except while they are unwilling.
Tafsir
Verse range: 9:54
"And what has prevented them from having their contributions accepted from them except that they disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger, and they do not come to prayer except in a state of laziness, and they do not spend except while they are averse."
This verse explicitly indicates that the mere state of being a transgressor (fāsiq) has no effect in preventing the acceptance [of deeds]. This is a clear refutation of the position held by the Mu'tazila, as we have summarized and explained previously.
The literal meaning suggests that the prevention of acceptance is due to the combination of all three matters:
A question may be raised: Disbelief in Allah is an independent cause for the rejection of acceptance. When an independent cause is present, other factors should have no effect. How, then, can this ruling be attributed to the remaining two causes?
The Answer: This objection is only valid against the Mu'tazila, who claim that disbelief, as disbelief, causes this ruling. However, according to our view (of the Ash'arites), none of these actions inherently necessitate reward or punishment. Rather, they serve as indicators (mu'arrifāt). It is impossible for multiple, distinct indicators to point to a single outcome.
In fact, this verse is one of the strongest pieces of evidence demonstrating that these actions themselves do not directly cause these rulings. The evidence is that the Almighty mentioned that these three things occurred in their case. If each one of them were a complete cause for this ruling, it would necessitate that independent causes converge upon a single effect, which is impossible. This is because the effect is rendered independent by any one of the causes, yet it would simultaneously require all of them, which is a contradiction. Therefore, the assertion that these actions cause these rulings leads to this impossibility, proving that assertion false.
This verse demonstrates that none of the deeds of righteousness are accepted by Allah while one is in a state of disbelief in Him.
If it is argued: How can this be reconciled with the verse, "So whoever does an atom's weight of good, he will see it" (Qur'an 99:7)?
We reply: That verse must be interpreted as referring to the mitigation of punishment. Furthermore, this verse indicates that prayer was obligatory upon the disbeliever; otherwise, Allah would not have blamed them for performing it in a state of laziness.
If they argue: Why can it not be said that the cause for blame is not the abandonment of prayer, but rather performing it lazily, similar to their other actions like standing and sitting? Just as their sitting lazily does not prevent the acceptance of their obedience, the same should apply to their prayer if it were not obligatory upon them.
The explanation of the "lazy ones" (kassālā) has already passed in Surah An-Nisa. The author of Al-Kashshāf stated that kasālā (with a ḍammah or fatḥah) is the plural of kaslān (lazy), similar to sukārā (drunkards) from sakrān (drunk).
The commentators explained that this laziness means: if they were in a congregation, they would pray; but if they were alone, they would not pray.
The author (Al-Razi) states: This meaning only affects the prevention of the acceptance of deeds because it indicates that they do not pray out of obedience to Allah's command, but only out of fear of public censure. This degree of action does not imply disbelief. However, since Allah mentioned this after describing them with disbelief, it indicates that their laziness stemmed from the belief that prayer was not obligatory, which does constitute disbelief.
As for the statement, "and they do not spend except while they are averse," the meaning is that they do not spend for the sake of obedience, but rather to maintain an outward appearance. This is because they considered spending (charity) a burden and a disgrace among themselves. This necessitates that the soul should be willing (ṭayyibah) when fulfilling Zakāh and spending in the way of Allah. Allah condemned the hypocrites for their aversion to spending. This aligns with the Prophet's saying: "Pay the Zakāh of your wealth while your souls are content with it." If one pays it while being averse to it, it becomes a sign of disbelief and hypocrisy.
The author (may Allah be pleased with him) concludes that the essence of these discussions indicates that the spirit of righteous deeds is performing them for the purpose of servitude and submission in obedience. If they are not performed for this purpose, there is no benefit in them; rather, they may become a burden upon their performer.
Regarding the reading of "And what has prevented them from having their contributions accepted from them..."
Ḥamzah and Al-Kisā’ī read "an yaqbala" (an yaqbala) with a yā’ (implying the verb refers to the contributions/spending, nfaqāt), while the rest read it with a tā’ (implying the verb refers to the acceptance, qabūl, which is feminine).
The justification for the first reading (with yā’) is that nfaqāt (contributions/spending) is treated as a verbal noun (maṣdar), similar to His saying: "So whoever receives an admonition..." (referring to the maw'iẓah).
The justification for the second reading (with tā’) is that the verb is attributed to a feminine noun (qabūl or nfaqāt).
The author of Al-Kashshāf noted that nfaqātihim (their contributions) was read in both plural and singular forms. Al-Sullamī read: "an yaqbala minhum nfaqātihim" (that their contributions be accepted from them), attributing the verb to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
"So let not their wealth nor their children impress you. Allah only intends to punish them therewith in the worldly life, and their souls will depart while they are disbelievers."
