Tafsir of At-Tawbah 9:61

Surah At-Tawbah (9): 61

{وَمِنْهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيَّ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ}

This verse introduces another category of the hypocrites' ignorance: they used to speak about the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in a manner intended as slander and condemnation, claiming he was merely an "Udhun" (an ear/gullible listener).

There are several issues concerning this verse:

1. Recitation 1 (Nominative/Tanween): 'Asim, in the narration of Al-A'mash and 'Abd al-Rahman from Abu 'Ikrimah, recited {أُذُنُ خَيْرٌ} (Udhunu Khayrun) with both words in the nominative case and with tanween (double vowel ending).
   • Meaning: This implies a conditional structure: "If he is as you claim—that he is an Udhun—then his being an Udhun is better for you than your being disbelieved by him." (i.e., him accepting your word is better for you than him rejecting it).

2. Recitation 2 (Idafa/Possessive): The rest of the reciters read {أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ} (Udhunu Khayrin) using the idafa construction (possessive).
   • Meaning: "He is an Udhun of good," meaning he is an ear for good things, not an ear for evil.

3. Vowelization of Dhal (ذ):
   • Nafi' recited {أُذُنْ} (Udhun) with a sakin (silent) dhal throughout the Qur'an.
   • The rest recited it with a dammah (vowel sound) on the dhal. Both are valid linguistic variations, similar to 'unuq (neck) and dhufur (nail).

1. Narration from Ibn 'Abbas (RA): A group of hypocrites spoke ill of the Prophet (PBUH) in a manner unbecoming of him. Some among them cautioned against this, fearing the Prophet might hear. Al-Jalas ibn Suwayd replied, "Let us say whatever we wish, then go to him and swear we never said it; he will accept our word. Muhammad is merely an Udhun (an ear that hears everything)." This led to the revelation of this verse.

2. Narration from Al-Hasan: The hypocrites used to say, "This man is nothing but an Udhun; whoever wishes can turn him wherever he wants; he has no firm resolve."

3. Narration from Al-Asamm: One of them told his people, "If what Muhammad says is true, then we are worse than donkeys." His wife's son heard this and retorted, "By Allah, it is true, and you are worse than your donkey!" This reached the Prophet (PBUH). Some people then said, "Muhammad is just an Udhun; if you meet him and swear to him, he will believe you." This verse was revealed accordingly. The speaker then repented, saying, "O Messenger of Allah, I never truly embraced Islam until this moment, and this young man is very precious to me; by Allah, I will surely thank him."

4. Al-Asamm's Conclusion: Allah revealed the hidden hypocrisy of the hypocrites to establish proof for the Messenger and to deter them. He revealed verses like: {وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَلْمِزُكَ فِي الصَّدَقَاتِ} (And among them are those who defame you concerning the charities), and {وَمِنْهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيَّ} (And among them are those who hurt the Prophet), and {وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ} (And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah), and other reports concerning the unseen. All these serve as proofs of his true prophethood from Allah.

1. The Slander: Allah recounts that some hypocrites hurt the Prophet (PBUH) by calling him an Udhun. Their intent was to imply he lacked intelligence, foresight, or depth, being simple-hearted and easily deceived by anything he heard. Just as a spy is called an ‘Ayn (eye), the Udhun here signifies someone who readily accepts information without scrutiny.

2. The Divine Response: Allah refutes this by saying: {قُلْ أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَكُمْ} (Say: [He is] an ear of good for you). The implication is: "Even if he were an Udhun, it is better for you." This is like saying, "So-and-so is a truthful man and a just witness."

3. Establishing the "Goodness" of the Ear: Allah clarifies why he is an Udhun of good by listing three qualities:
   • {يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ} (He believes in Allah)
   • {وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ} (And believes the believers)
   • {وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ} (And a mercy to those who believe among you)

These three elements necessitate his being an Udhun of good. We must explain how these meanings lead to that goodness:

• First: {يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ} (He believes in Allah): Whoever believes in Allah fears Allah. One who fears Allah will not engage in wrongful harm or offense.

• Second: {وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ} (And believes the believers): This means he accepts their testimony and agrees with them when they concur on a statement. This contradicts the accusation that he is simple-hearted and easily deceived.

• Grammatical Inquiry: Why is belief directed towards Allah with the preposition bi (بِ), but towards the believers with li (لِ)? * Answer: Belief directed towards Allah (الإيمان بالله) signifies Tasdeeq (affirmation/verification), which is the opposite of disbelief (Kufr), hence the preposition bi. Belief directed towards the believers (الإيمان للمؤمنين) means listening to them and accepting their statement, hence the preposition li, as seen in verses like {وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا} (And you will not believe us).

• Third: {وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ} (And a mercy to those who believe among you): This also necessitates goodness because he governs matters based on outward appearances, does not excessively investigate your inner secrets, and does not seek to expose your hidden faults.

4. Conclusion on Harm: Since each of these three attributes proves he is an Udhun of good, it follows that anyone who harms him deserves painful punishment. If he strives to bring good and mercy to them despite their extreme malice and disgrace, and they repay his kindness with evil, they undoubtedly deserve severe punishment from Allah.

The reading where both words are in the nominative case (with tanween) allows for several interpretations:

1. First View (Implied Statement): The implied meaning is: "Say: [He is] an Udhun (an ear) that is attentive and hears the truth, which is better for you than this corrupt slander you utter." This is followed by evidence refuting the slander: {يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ...}. The meaning is: How can one described with these attributes be slandered or called simple-hearted?

2. Second View (Implied Subject): An implied subject pronoun is assumed: {هُوَ أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَكُمْ} (He is an Udhun of good for you). Meaning, he is an Udhun characterized by goodness toward you because he accepts your excuses and overlooks your ignorance. Why then did you use this quality as a point of slander against him?

3. Third View (Circumstantial Case - Hal): This view, mentioned by the author of Al-Nathm, is considered overly complex. The apparent nominative case of Udhun is actually a circumstantial accusative (Hal). The interpretation is: "Say: He is an Udhun (in the state of being an Udhun), and if he is an Udhun, it is better for you because he accepts your excuses." This is analogous to saying wa huwa haafizan khayrun lakum (and him being a guardian is better for you), where the circumstantial marker replaces the subject. This view is highly complex, though favored by Al-Wahidi.

1. Recitation by Hamzah (Genitive Case - Jarr): Hamzah read {وَرَحْمَةٌ} (wa rahmatun) in the genitive case, connecting it via 'atf (conjunction) to {خَيْرٌ} (khayrun).
   • Meaning: "An Udhun of good and a mercy," meaning an ear whose listening leads to goodness and mercy.

• Inquiry: Since all mercy is good, what is the benefit of mentioning mercy immediately after good?
  • Answer: Mercy is the noblest category of good, so it is permissible to mention it separately, similar to mentioning Gabriel and Michael after mentioning angels in general. Abu 'Ubayd considered this recitation distant because the conjoined word is far from the word it is conjoined to. Al-Farisi argued that distance does not invalidate the conjunction, citing the verse {وَقِيلِهِ يَا رَبِّ} (and his saying, "O Lord"), which is connected back to {وَعِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ} (And with Him is the knowledge of the Hour).

2. Recitation by Ibn 'Amir (Accusative Case - Nasb):
   • Reason: This implies an omitted cause ('illah). The full meaning is: "And [he is] a mercy for you, O ear [that listens]," but the verb/predicate was omitted because {أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَكُمْ} already implies it.

{يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَكُمْ لِيُرْضُوكَ وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَقُّ أَن يُرْضُوهُ إِن كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ}

(They swear to Allah to please you, but Allah and His Messenger have more right that they should please Him, if they are believers.)