Surah At-Tawbah (9): 56-57

Verse 56

It is known that when Allah, the Exalted, clarified that these people (the hypocrites) possess every defect of the Hereafter and this world, being deprived of all their benefits, He returned to mentioning their ugliness and disgrace, and revealed their audacity in taking false oaths, saying: {And they swear by Allah that they are surely of you}—meaning, they swear to the believers when they sit with them—{that they are of you}, meaning, they are upon your religion.

Then Allah, the Exalted, said: {But they are not of you}, meaning, they are not upon your religion, {but they are a people who are afraid} of being killed. Thus, they outwardly profess faith while concealing hypocrisy. This is like His saying: {And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We believe," but when they are alone with their devils, they say, "Indeed, we are with you; we are only mocking} (Al-Baqarah: 14).

The word al-farq (fear) means apprehension. From this, it is said of a man: farūq, meaning one who is intensely fearful. Furthermore, if they found a place of refuge where they could secure themselves from you, they would flee to it and separate from you. Therefore, do not think that their conformity with you in dwelling and residence comes from the heart.

Verse 57

This leads to His saying: {If they are given thereof, they are pleased, but if they are not given thereof, behold, they are displeased}.

Verse 56 (Continued)

{If they could find a refuge}: Al-malja’ is the place where one takes shelter. Similar to it is al-laja’ (with a shortened alif and a hamza), originating from laja’a ilā kadhā yalja’u laj’an (with a fatḥa on the lām and sukūn on the jīm), meaning he was compelled to it.

{or caves}: This is the plural of maghārah, which is a place where a person goes deep (yaghūr), meaning he conceals himself. Abu ‘Ubayd said: Every place you penetrate and disappear into is a maghārah for you. From this is ghāra al-mā’ fī al-ard (the water sank into the earth) and ghārat al-‘ayn (the eye became sunken).

{or a place of entry}: Al-Zajjaj said: Its origin is mudtakhil, and the tā’ after the dāl is substituted with a dāl because the tā’ is whispered (mahmūs) while the dāl is voiced (mahjūr), and both come from the same point of articulation. It is derived from the pattern mufta‘il from the root dakhala (to enter), like multaj from walaja (to enter/penetrate). Its meaning is: the passage through which one conceals himself by entering it. Al-Kalbi and Ibn Zayd said: It means a tunnel like the burrow of a jerboa.

The meaning is that if they found a place of any of these three types—even though they are the worst of places—{they would turn toward it}, meaning they would return to it. It is said: wallā bi-nafsihi (he turned away by himself) if he departed, and wallā ghayrahu (he turned someone else away) if he caused someone to depart.

{while they were rushing}: Meaning, they would hasten with a speed that nothing could turn their faces back. From this, it is said: jamaha al-faras (the horse bolted), and it is a jamūḥ horse, which is one whose reins cannot hold it back when spurred. The intent of the verse is that due to the intensity of their distress caused by the Messenger and the Muslims, they reached this state.

It is important to note that Allah, the Exalted, mentioned three things: the refuge (malja’), the caves (maghārāt), and the place of entry (madkhal). The most appropriate interpretation is that each one refers to something different from the others: al-malja’ may refer to strongholds, al-maghārāt to mountain caves, and al-madkhal to underground passages like wells.

The author of Al-Kashshāf mentioned that there is a recitation of {madkhalan} derived from dakhala (to enter), and {madkhalan} derived from adkhala (to cause to enter), meaning a place where they cause themselves to enter. Ubayy ibn Ka‘b recited {mutadakhkhalan}. Another recitation was {law āwā ilayhi} (if they took refuge therein), meaning they would seek shelter. Anas recited {yajmizūn}, and when asked about it, he said: yajmaḥūn, yajmizūn, and yashtaddūn (they rush/hasten) are all one meaning.

Verse 57

{And among them is one who criticizes you concerning the charitable contributions}: meaning, he finds fault with you regarding the distribution of ṣadaqāt. {So if they are given thereof, they are pleased, but if they are not given thereof, behold, they are displeased}.

{If only they had been pleased with what Allah and His Messenger had given them and had said, "Sufficient for us is Allah; Allah will give us [from] His bounty and [so will] His Messenger. Indeed, we are toward Allah desiring [His reward]}.