Surah At-Tawbah 9:119
ﱢ ﱣ ﱤ ﱥ ﱦ ﱧ ﱨ ﱩ
O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true.
Tafsir of At-Tawbah 9:119-121
Tafsir
Al-Kashshaf
Verse range: 9:119-121
{With the truthful} It is also recited: "From among the truthful." They are those who are truthful in their religion—in intention, speech, and action. Or, those who are truthful in their faith and their covenant with Allah and His Messenger regarding obedience, as in His saying: *"Men who were true to what they covenanted with Allah"* (Al-Ahzab: 23).
It is said: They are the three [who stayed behind]. The meaning is: Be like them in their truthfulness and steadfastness.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The address is to those who believed from among the People of the Scripture; meaning, be with the Emigrants (Muhajirun) and the Helpers (Ansar), align with them, join their ranks, and be truthful as they are truthful.
Others say it is addressed to those who stayed behind from the Tabuk expedition.
Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Lying is not appropriate, whether in seriousness or in jest, nor should one of you promise his child something and then not fulfill it. Read, if you wish: 'And be with the truthful'—is there any license [to lie] in that?"
{And they should not prefer themselves over his soul} They were commanded to accompany him through hardship and adversity, to endure horrors with him with desire, energy, and joy, and to cast themselves into the same perils that he casts his soul into—knowing that his soul is the most precious and honorable soul to Allah. If his soul, despite its honor and nobility, exposes itself to danger and horror, it becomes incumbent upon all other souls to rush into what he has exposed himself to, without caring for their own safety or weighing their own worth. They should be the lightest and easiest thing for them to sacrifice, let alone preferring themselves over following and accompanying him, or being stingy with their lives when he has been generous with his. This is an eloquent prohibition, combined with a condemnation of their behavior, a rebuke, and an incitement to follow him with pride and zeal.
{That} This refers to what is indicated by His saying: *"It was not for them to stay behind"*—meaning the obligation to accompany him. It is as if it were said: That obligation is because:
{They do not suffer} Any thirst, fatigue, or hunger on the path of Jihad, nor do they tread any place of the disbelievers with the hooves of their horses, the hooves of their mounts, or their own feet, nor do they act in their land in a way that enrages them and constricts their chests,
{Nor do they inflict upon an enemy any infliction} Nor do they cause them any loss through killing, capture, spoils, defeat, or otherwise,
{Except that it is written for them as a righteous deed} And they become entitled to reward and the attainment of nearness to Allah. This is what necessitates accompanying him.
It is permissible that "treading" (wat') refers to the act of striking and annihilating, not literally treading with feet and hooves, as in his (peace be upon him) saying: "The last treading Allah trod was at Wajj."
"Mawti'" (place of treading) is either a verbal noun (like mawrid) or a location. If it is a location, the meaning of "enraging the disbelievers" is that their treading enrages them. "Infliction" (nayl) can also be a verbal noun for emphasis, or it can mean "that which is inflicted." It is said: "He inflicted upon him" (nala minhu) if he caused him loss or deficiency. It is general for everything that harms, afflicts, or causes damage to them.
In this is evidence that whoever intends good, his effort in it is appreciated—whether standing, sitting, walking, speaking, or otherwise—and the same applies to evil.
Based on this verse, the followers of Abu Hanifa argued that reinforcements arriving after the end of a war share in the spoils with the army, because treading their lands is something that enrages them and harms them.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave a share to the two sons of ‘Amir, even though they arrived after the war had ended. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) sent reinforcements to al-Muhajir ibn Abi Umayya and Ziyad ibn Abi Labid with ‘Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, consisting of five hundred men; they arrived after the conquest, and he gave them a share. According to al-Shafi‘i, reinforcements do not share with the combatants.
‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr recited: "Zama'an" (thirsty).