Al-Tawbah (The Repentance): Verse 55

"Fas la ta'jubuka amwaluhum..." (So let not their wealth impress you...)

Commentary on the Verse Structure

It is important to note that after Allah (Exalted is He) cut off the hypocrites' hope for all rewards in the Hereafter in the previous verse, He now clarifies that the things they consider benefits in this world—their wealth and children—are, in fact, causes for their exaltation in this life, but simultaneously sources of tribulation and affliction for them.

Anyone who contemplates these verses will realize they are arranged in the most excellent manner:

1. Allah first exposed the ugliness and disgrace of their deeds.
2. He then clarified the severe punishment awaiting them in the Hereafter.
3. He followed this by showing the types of tribulation and affliction they face in this world.
4. Subsequently, He explained that the good deeds they perform will yield them absolutely no benefit on the Day of Resurrection.
5. In this current verse, He clarifies that what they believe to be worldly benefits are actually the cause of their punishment, affliction, and intensified hardship.

At this point, it becomes clear that hypocrisy brings about all calamities in both religion and worldly life, and invalidates all forms of good in both realms. If one grasps this sequence, they will know that the discourse could not possibly be arranged better. Success comes from Allah.

Issues Discussed (Masā'il)

Although this address appears to be specifically directed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), the intended meaning encompasses all believers. That is, "You should not be impressed by the wealth of these hypocrites and disbelievers, nor by their children, nor by the other blessings Allah has bestowed upon them." This is similar to His saying: {And let not your eyes extend toward} (Tā-Hā: 131).

I'jāb (admiration/amazement) is delight in something coupled with a degree of boasting about it, and the belief that no one else possesses its equal. This state indicates that the soul is completely engrossed in that thing and cut off from Allah. In Allah's decree, it is not unlikely that He will remove that thing from the person and give it to someone else. Whenever a person remembers this reality, their amazement at the thing fades.

The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Three destructive things: A greed that is obeyed, a desire that is followed, and a man's admiration of himself."

He also said: "The wealthy are ruined," and "What wealth do you truly own? Except what you have eaten and thus depleted, or worn and thus worn out, or given away and thus sent forth."

It is narrated from 'Ubayd ibn 'Umayr (and attributed to the Prophet): "Whoever has much wealth, his reckoning will be severe; whoever increases his trade, his devils increase; and whoever draws nearer to the ruler, moves farther from Allah."

There are many narrations related to this topic, intended to deter reliance on the world and prevent excessive love and boasting about it.

Some profound scholars have stated that existing things, according to rational division, fall into four categories:

1. That which is eternal and everlasting: Allah, the Glorified and Exalted.
2. That which is neither eternal nor everlasting: This is the Dunyā (this world).
3. That which is eternal but not everlasting (i.e., has no beginning): This is impossible, as proof establishes that whatever has eternal existence cannot cease to exist.
4. That which is everlasting but has a beginning: This is the Ākhirah (Hereafter) and all accountable beings. The Hereafter has a beginning (Resurrection) but no end, and similarly, the life of every accountable person (whether obedient or disobedient) has a beginning but no end.

If this is established, the connection between the accountable human being and the Hereafter is stronger than the connection between him and this world. From this, it is clear that man was created for the Hereafter, not for this world. Therefore, his amazement at the world should not be intense, nor should his heart incline toward it, as his true dwelling place is the Hereafter, not the world.

This part of the verse raises several issues:

Issue 1: Grammatical Omission

Grammarians suggest there is an omitted word, as if the meaning is: "Indeed, Allah intends to grant them respite in it so that He may punish them." Alternatively, the lām (for) here can carry the meaning of an (that), similar to {Allah intends to make clear to you} (An-Nisā’: 26), meaning "that He may make clear to you."

Issue 2: Rearrangement of the Verse

Mujāhid, As-Suddī, and Qatādah stated that there is a transposition in the verse. The intended meaning is: "So let not their wealth impress you, nor their children, in the life of this world; indeed, Allah intends to punish them with it in the Hereafter."

The Judge (Al-Qāḍī) raises two questions regarding this:

1. Wealth and children are not inherently punishments; rather, they are blessings from Allah upon His servants. If they insist on this transposition, it does not resolve the issue. Why would wealth and children be a punishment? They would then have to posit an omission, saying Allah intends to punish them by means of these things, as they are a cause for punishment. If they admit this, they no longer need the transposition, because it is valid to say: "Allah intends to punish them with it [wealth/children] in this world, in the sense that it is a cause for punishment."
2. If the verse were structured as: "So let not their wealth impress you, nor their children [in this world], and He said: {You have only taken}," the addition of the bracketed phrase would have little benefit, because it is already known that amazement at wealth and children occurs only in this world. However, punishment is not like that; it can occur in this world as well as the Hereafter. Therefore, the assertion of transposition is unsound.

Issue 3: How Wealth and Children Become Punishment

Wealth and children can be a cause for punishment in this world, and they can be a cause for punishment in the Hereafter.

Causes for Punishment in this World:

1. Fear and Grief: The stronger one's love for something, the greater and more difficult their sorrow upon its loss, and the more intense their fear of its passing. Those with abundant wealth and children live in intense fear of losing them while they possess them, and in intense grief if they are lost. Thus, obtaining the means of physical happiness is inseparable from heart affliction, either through fear of loss or grief over actual loss.
2. Effort and Burden of Preservation: Acquiring them requires severe toil and hardship. Once acquired, preserving them requires even greater, more difficult, and more arduous effort. The one obsessed with wealth and children is perpetually burdened with guarding and protecting them from ruin, yet they benefit from only a small portion of that wealth. Thus, the toil is great, and the benefit is small.
3. The Pain of Separation at Death or Loss: If these things remain until the end of life, the sorrow and regret at death are immense because parting with the beloved is severe. If these things are lost during life, the distress and pain in the heart intensify due to their passing. Thus, the acquisition of wealth and children is established as a cause for worldly punishment.
4. Distraction from God: When love for wealth and children becomes excessive, the soul becomes completely engrossed in them, leading to deprivation from the remembrance of Allah. This engenders a hardness, arrogance, and dominance in the heart; the greater the wealth and status, the stronger this hardness becomes. This is alluded to in: {Indeed, man transgresses, when he sees himself self-sufficient} (Al-'Alaq: 6-7). Therefore, the abundance of wealth and children is a strong cause for the removal of the love of Allah and the Hereafter from the heart, and the infusion of the love of the world and its desires. Upon death, the person transitions from a garden to a prison, from the company of loved ones to a place of distress and alienation, intensifying their pain and regret. Furthermore, at the Resurrection, their lawful gains are subject to reckoning, and their unlawful gains to punishment. Thus, the abundance of wealth and children is established as a cause for punishment in both this world and the Hereafter.

Addressing the Question: If this meaning applies to everyone, what is the specific benefit of attributing this punishment to these hypocrites?

The Answer: The hypocrites are singled out due to specific additions to this affliction:

1. Intensity of Worldly Love: A true believer knows he was created for the Hereafter, which lessens his love for the world. The hypocrite, however, believes that happiness exists only in these immediate gains, so his desire and love for them are magnified. Consequently, the pain resulting from their loss is greater for him, intensifying near death when the signs appear. This form of punishment due to love for wealth and children is specific to them in this world.
2. Obligation to Spend in Jihad: The Prophet (PBUH) commanded them to spend that wealth on good causes and to send their children to Jihad and battle, risking their lives. Since the hypocrites believed the Prophet was not truthful, they viewed spending the wealth as waste and exposing their children to death as accepting severe harm without benefit. This is undoubtedly much harder on the heart. This additional torment was specific to the hypocrites.
3. Forced Service: They inwardly hated the Prophet (PBUH) yet were compelled to spend their wealth, children, and even their lives in his service. This situation is inherently difficult and severe.
4. Fear of Exposure: They constantly feared that their hypocrisy and disbelief would be fully exposed, turning them into open enemies subject to killing, enslavement of children, and confiscation of wealth. Every time a revelation descended or the Prophet called them, they feared their deceit would be uncovered. All of this caused intense heartache and increased suffering.
5. Pious Children: Many hypocrites had righteous children (like Ḥanẓalah ibn Abī 'Āmir, whom the angels washed, and 'Abdullāh ibn 'Abdullāh ibn Ubayy, who participated in Badr and held high status with Allah). These children rejected their fathers' hypocrisy, criticized them, and opposed them. When a son turns against his father in this manner, it causes the father immense distress and alienation, making the existence of such children a source of punishment for them.
6. Contrast with Poor Believers: The poor and weak Companions would go out in service of the Prophet (PBUH) in battles, returning with honorable mention, great praise, and spoils of war. These wealthy hypocrites, despite having abundant wealth and strong sons, remained at home like the disabled and weak. People looked upon them with contempt and scorn, branding them as hypocrites. Their abundance of wealth and children, in this context, became a cause for these humiliating circumstances.

Thus, these factors confirm that the abundance of their wealth and children became a cause for increased punishment in this world specifically for them.

Some of our scholars argue that everything that comes into existence is willed by Allah, citing the verse: {and their souls depart while they are disbelievers}. They argue that the meaning is that Allah willed their souls to depart while they were disbelievers, which implies that He willed the disbelief itself.

Al-Jubbā’ī's Response: He replied that the meaning is that Allah willed their souls to depart at the time they were disbelievers. This does not necessitate that Allah wills the disbelief itself. He offers analogies:

• A sick person might tell a doctor: "I want you to visit me during my illness." This does not mean he wills the illness.
• He might say: "I want you to heal my wound." This does not mean he wills the existence of the wound.
• A ruler might command his army: "Kill the rebels while they are fighting." This does not imply the ruler wills the fighting itself.

The Rebuttal: What Al-Jubbā’ī said is a strange deception. All his examples boil down to willing the removal of something:

• Wanting a doctor during illness means wanting the removal of the illness.
• Wanting a wound healed means wanting the removal of the wound.
• Commanding the killing of rebels means seeking the elimination and abolition of the fighting.

Therefore, in all these examples, the desired outcome is the cessation or removal of the state. This contradicts the verse, because the taking of the disbeliever's soul is not equivalent to the removal of his disbelief, nor does it necessitate that removal; they are two compatible states. Since Allah stated that He willed their souls to depart while they were disbelievers, it must be that He willed their disbelief at the moment that departure occurred. Just as if one said: "I want to meet so-and-so while he is in the house," this implies willing his presence in the house.

The full verification is that the soul's departure in a state of disbelief cannot occur except when disbelief is present. Whoever wills a thing wills all its necessary prerequisites. Since Allah willed the departure during disbelief, and since willing something necessitates willing all its prerequisites, it follows that Allah willed that disbelief. Thus, the examples cited by Al-Jubbā’ī are pure deception.

Verse 56

{Wa yaḥlifūna billāhi innahum laminkum...} (And they swear by Allah that they are of you...)