Tafsir of At-Tawbah 9:90

{الْمُعَذِّرُونَ}: Derived from ‘adhara (to excuse) in a matter, meaning to fall short, be sluggish, and find no [valid] excuse. Its reality is that one feigns having an excuse for what they do, while they have none.

Alternatively, it is al-mu‘tadhirūn (the apologizers), with the tā’ assimilated into the dhāl, and its vowel transferred to the ‘ayn. In Arabic, it is permissible to break the ‘ayn (to avoid two quiescent letters meeting) or to damma it (to follow the mīm), but neither reading is established. They are those who offer false excuses, as in His saying: "They will present excuses to you when you return to them."

It is also read as {الْمُعْذِرُونَ} (with a light dhāl): meaning one who strives and exerts effort in [fabricating] an excuse.

• It is said: They were the tribes of Asad and Ghaṭafān. They said: "We have families and we are in hardship, so permit us to stay behind."
• It is said: They were the kin of ‘Āmir ibn al-Ṭufayl, who said: "If we raid with you, the Bedouins of Ṭayyi’ will raid our families and livestock." The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: "Allah will suffice me against you."
• From Mujāhid: A group from Ghifār who offered excuses, but Allah did not accept them.
• From Qatādah: They offered excuses through lies.

It is also read as {الْمُعَذِّرُونَ} (with a shaddah on the ‘ayn and dhāl), from ta‘adhdhara in the sense of i‘tadhara. This is incorrect, because the tā’ does not assimilate into the ‘ayn as it does into the ṭā’, zāy, and ṣād (as in al-muṭṭawwi‘īn, azkā, and aṣdaq).

It is also said: It means those who offer valid excuses. This is how al-mu‘dhirūn and al-mu‘adhdhirūn are interpreted according to the reading of Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him)—those who did not fall short in their excuse.

{وَقَعَدَ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ}: These are the hypocrites of the Bedouins who neither came nor offered excuses. It became evident through this that they lied about Allah and His Messenger in their claim of faith. Ubayy read it as kadhdhabū (with shaddah).

{سَيُصِيبُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ}: From the Bedouins. {عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ}: In this world, by being killed, and in the Hereafter, by the Fire.

{لَيْسَ عَلَى الضُّعَفَاءِ وَلَا عَلَى الْمَرْضَى وَلَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ مَا يُنْفِقُونَ حَرَجٌ إِذَا نَصَحُوا لِلَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْسِنِينَ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ * وَلَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ إِذَا مَا أَتَوْكَ لِتَحْمِلَهُمْ قُلْتَ لَا أَجِدُ مَا أَحْمِلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ تَوَلَّوْا وَأَعْيُنُهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ حَزَنًا أَلَّا يَجِدُوا مَا يُنْفِقُونَ}