Appearance
Verses 124–129
These verses draw the chapter to a close. They mention the reaction of both the believers and the hypocrites when they witness the revelation of the Qurʾan’s chapters and highlight yet another trait of hypocrisy by which the hypocrite can be distinguished from the believer, namely that when the Qurʾan is revealed, the hypocrites ask one another, ‘Which of you did this increase in faith?’ And when they look to one another and ask, ‘Is anybody observing you?’
These verses also contain a description of the Prophet that will endear him to the hearts of the faithful and bid him to place his trust in God (tawakkul).
وَإِذَا مَا أُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ أَيُّكُمْ زَادَتْهُ هَٰذِهِ إِيمَانًا ۚ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَهُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ ١٢٤ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ فَزَادَتْهُمْ رِجْسًا إِلَىٰ رِجْسِهِمْ وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ ١٢٥
(9:124-125) Whenever a chapter is sent down, there are some of them who say, ‘Which of you did it increase in faith?’ As for those who have faith, it increases them in faith, and they rejoice. But as for those in whose heart is a sickness, it only adds defilement to their defilement, and they die while they are faithless.
The way the question is posed—similar to the later question, ‘Is anybody observing you?’—shows that the one asking it is concealing something in his heart, as the very nature of the question suggests that his heart is unmoved by the Qurʾanic revelation and he wants to make sure that he is not alone in this regard. Therefore, he asks around for someone whose heart has been affected by the Qurʾanic revelation. It is as if he believes that the Prophet is claiming that the Qurʾan can put right any heart, whether it is ready to be reformed or not, but that he is not convinced by that because, whenever a new chapter of the Qurʾan is revealed, he finds in his heart no fear of God, nor inclination or affection for the truth. On the contrary, he finds only doubt and misgivings. This leads him to ask everyone else who was present when the verse was revealed whether the revelation had any effect on them—in the hope that they will answer in the negative—so that he can feel justified in his own doubt and persist in his hypocrisy.
In short, this question reveals the existence of hypocrisy in his heart.
Now, God has drawn a distinction between different kinds of heart, differentiating between the hearts of the faithful and those in whose hearts is a sickness. He says, As for those who have faith, it increases them in faith, and they rejoice—these are the ones whose hearts are free from hypocrisy and clear of any sickness. They already have certainty about their religion, because the Qurʾan says that the chapter being revealed increases them in faith, for as the light of its divine guidance shines upon the ground of their heart, this intensifies the light of their own faith. Now, this is an increase not only in the quantity of their heart’s faith but in its quality, as the receipt of a new revelation means that their hearts now encompass new Qurʾanic teachings and divine realities. As these spread throughout the heart, they strengthen the light of faith therein and thereby increase their faith relative to what it was before. Therefore, it is also an increase in the quantity of their faith. The relationship between the increase in their faith to the revelation of a new chapter of the Qurʾan is similar to the sort of cause-and-effect relationship we observe in the outside world. In any case, the revelation of a new chapter of the Qurʾan increases the faith of the believers, expanding their hearts, and causing their faces to beam with joy: and they rejoice.
But as for those in whose heart is a sickness—those who harbour doubts and hypocrisy—it only adds defilement to their defilement—it only leads them to be further astray than they already were. God has referred to going astray (ḍalāl) as ‘defilement’ (rijs) elsewhere, in the verse: and whomever He desires to lead astray, He makes his breast narrow and straitened as if he were climbing to a height. Thus does God lay defilement on those who do not have faith (). The contrast between those who have faith and those in whose heart is a sickness in the present verse also shows that the latter group do not have genuine faith in their hearts, only doubt and obstinate denial. In any case, this is disbelief, which is why God says, and they die while they are faithless.
This verse shows that a chapter of the Qurʾan has some effect on the hearts of those who hear it. If their hearts are healthy, then it increases them in faith and joy, but if they are diseased, then it increases them in defilement and error. This is akin to what God says in the verse, We send down in the Qurʾan that which is a cure and mercy for the faithful; and it increases the wrongdoers only in loss ().
أَوَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ فِي كُلِّ عَامٍ مَرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ لَا يَتُوبُونَ وَلَا هُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ١٢٦
(9:126) Do they not see that they are tried once or twice every year? Yet they neither repent, nor do they take admonition.
This verse begins with a rhetorical question, which carries the force of an affirmation. In other words: ‘Why do they not think and draw a lesson from the fact that they are tried and tested at least once or twice a year, yet they continue to disobey God and therefore continue to be put to tribulation by Him; they do not repent or take admonition. If they thought about it, they would realise that what their situation demanded of them and they would see clearly that continuing on their current course would only lead to them sinking further into defilement before suffering permanent ruin and everlasting loss.’
وَإِذَا مَا أُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ نَظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ هَلْ يَرَاكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفُوا ۚ صَرَفَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ ١٢٧
(9:127) And whenever a chapter is sent down, they look at one another: ‘Is anybody observing you?’ (hal yarākum min aḥad) Then they slip away. God has turned aside their hearts, for they are a people who do not understand.
This is another trait of the hypocrites: Whenever a chapter of the Qurʾan is sent down in their presence, they glance at each other and say, ‘Is anybody watching you?’ This is the sort of thing that a person says when they hear something they cannot bear or which causes them distress such that their color drains from their face and signs of fear and anxiety appear on their countenance. They are afraid that someone will notice them and the secret they have hidden in their heart will be uncovered, so they look to someone who shares this secret with them and to whom they have confessed their inner state, and they ask them whether anyone else has noticed their condition of fear and anxiety.
Therefore, when God says, they look at one another, He is referring to the hypocrites. We know this because the pronoun ‘them’ in there are some of them who say also refers to the hypocrites. Also, when He says, they look at one another, this means with a look of one who is fretful, anxious, and afraid of being exposed. Therefore, the phrase, ‘Is anybody observing you?’ is not something that they actually utter, but rather the meaning of the glances they exchange with one another. Therefore, the meaning is: ‘They look at one another with the look of one who means to say: “Is anybody observing you?”’ And the use of the Arabic preposition ‘min’ in ‘min aḥad’ (‘anybody’) emphasizes the meaning of ‘anybody’ (as in, ‘anybody at all’).
Then they slip away. God has turned aside their hearts, for they are a people who do not understand: Based on the context, this suggests that they slip away from the presence of the Prophet while God has turned aside their hearts both from understanding the divine revelations He has sent down and from attaining true faith. This is because they are a people who do not understand the words of truth.
Perhaps the phrase God has turned aside their hearts may also be read as an invocation against the hypocrites, with the meaning: ‘May God turn aside their hearts!’ There are many similar such instances to be found in the Qurʾan. And whenever God pronounces an invocation against someone, it must be read as a forewarning of harm that is to come to them.
لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ ١٢٨
(9:128) There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is your distress (mā ʿanittum); he has deep concern for you, and is most kind and merciful to the faithful.
The verb ʿannittum from the phrase mā ʿannittum (lit. ‘what distresses you’) is derived from ʿanat, meaning destruction and harm. Based on the context, the ‘messenger’ referred to by the verse is undoubtedly the Prophet Muḥammad. When it says he is ‘from among yourselves’, this appears to mean that he is a human being from the same species as his audience, as there is nothing in the text to suggest that God intended to restrict this meaning to the Arabs or the Quraysh in particular. This is doubly so given that the Prophet’s audience and following included people from Rome, Persia, and Ethiopia.
Therefore, the meaning of the verse is as follows: ‘O people! There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves, one of whose qualities is that he is distressed by your grief and hardship and that he cares for you deeply, whether or not you are yet believers, and he is most kind and compassionate to the faithful among you in particular. Therefore, it is your duty to obey his commands, for he is a messenger who does not proclaim anything save that which God has told him to proclaim. Obeying him is tantamount to obeying God. You should also become acquainted with him and treat him well, for he is from yourselves, and you should respond to his summons and listen to him as he advises you to do so!’
According to this reading, all of the qualities of the Prophet mentioned in the verse, such as his being ‘a messenger’, ‘from among yourselves’, and ‘grievous to him is your distress’, are intended to encourage people to listen to him and accept his preaching. This is further indicated by the beginning of the subsequent verse, But if they turn their backs, say, ‘God is sufficient for me…’ ().
فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ ١٢٩
(9:129) But if they turn their backs, say, ‘God is sufficient for me. There is no god except Him. In Him I have put my trust and He is the Lord of the Great Throne.’
In other words, if they turn away from you and refuse to accept your teachings, then say in response: ‘God is sufficient for me, there is no god except Him.’ This means: ‘God is the sufficer, there is no god but Him.’
Therefore, the phrase, There is no god except Him, explains why the Prophet says God alone is sufficient for him and why he relies on his Lord instead of relying on external means. God is the sufficer and there is no sufficer except Him. It is also possible that the formula, There is no god except Him, is intended purely as a magnification of God’s grandeur, as we see in the verse, And they say, ‘God has taken a son.’ Immaculate is He! ().
In Him I have put my trust—The way this is phrased conveys exclusivity (that is, ‘in Him alone I have put my trust’), and this phrase expounds the meaning of the earlier phrase, God is sufficient for me, showing that this refers to relying on God by adhering to His commands. We have already discussed previously that the term tawakkul (relying on God) means that the servant takes his Lord as a trustee to act on his behalf and take control of all of his affairs. In other words, the servant turns away from relying on outward causes and means at his disposal, not least because these means are not sufficient to produce the desired result by themselves. By contrast, tawakkul means relying on the one true cause in existence, to which all other causes ultimately return.
This illustrates why God concludes this formula with the coda, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne, as it signifies that all authority and sovereignty belong to Him and that He rules over all things and governs all affairs.
Now, God has only told his Prophet: say, ‘God is sufficient for me’, rather than ‘then place your trust in God’ (fa-tawakkal ʿalā Allāh), in order to guide him to place his trust in his Lord while being mindful of these realities that illuminate the true meaning of tawakkul. And also to show him that the correct view is that a person should not pin their hopes on the outward causes they can perceive—even while these may play a role in the attainment of their goals—but should rather use whatever means God has placed at their disposal while placing the trust and pinning their hopes on their Lord to bring about the goal or aim they wish to achieve.
This verse also provides a clear illustration of the Prophet’s deep concern for guiding humankind, as God is telling him to place his trust in his Lord in the matter at hand, which, as the previous verses show, is his intense desire to guide people and give them access to abiding and everlasting success.
Examining Narrations
- In al-Kāfī, al-Kulaynī narrates via his chain of narrators from ʿAmr al-Zubayrī from Imām al-Ṣādiq in a lengthy tradition that describes the marks of complete and deficient faith. The narrator asks the Imām, ‘I have understood that there can be deficient faith and complete faith (nuqṣān al-īmān wa tamāmahu), but what about its increase?’ To this, the Imām replied, ‘God Almighty says, Whenever a chapter is sent down, there are some of them who say, “Which of you did it increase in faith?” As for those who have faith, it increases them in faith, and they rejoice. But as for those in whose heart is a sickness, it only adds defilement to their defilement… (), and He says, We relate to you their account in truth. They were indeed youths who had faith in their Lord, and We had enhanced them in guidance ().
‘Now, if faith were uniform and could not increase or decrease, none of them would have any merit over any other, their blessings would be equally distributed, people would be absolutely equal with one another, and it would be meaningless to talk about any person being superior to another. However, it is with complete faith that the believers enter paradise and through the increase of faith that the believers attain superiority over one another in rank in the eyes of God, while it is with deficient faith that those who fall short enter Hellfire.’
- In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is narrated from Zurāra b. Aʿyan from Imām al-Bāqir, about the verse, But as for those in whose heart is a sickness, it only adds defilement to their defilement: ‘It only adds doubt to their doubt.’
- In al-Durr al-manthūr, concerning the verse, There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves (), it is narrated by Abū Naʿīm in al-Dalāʾil from Ibn ʿAbbās that the Messenger of God said: ‘None of my forefathers were fornicators, and God moved me from pure loins to pure wombs, purified and refined; no lineage ever branched save that I was in the better of the two branches.’
Author’s comments: Numerous traditions have been narrated with this meaning from the Prophet by the Companions and others, including ʿAbbās, Anas, Abū Hurayra, Rabīʿa b. al-Ḥārith b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, Ibn ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbās, ʿAlī, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-Bāqir, Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, and others still.
- In the same source, Ibn al-Ḍurays in Faḍāʾil al-Qurʾān, Ibn al-Anbārī in al-Maṣāḥif, and Ibn Mardawayh narrate from al-Ḥasan that Ubayy b. Kaʿb used to say: ‘The last part of the Qurʾan to be sent down from the heavens by God were the two verses that begin: There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves….’
Author’s comments: This tradition is also narrated via another chain from Ubayy b. Kaʿb, although it is in conflict with some of the other narrations on this topic, and also with some of the traditions we have already discussed relating to the verse, And beware of a day in which you will be brought back to God (), which claim that this was the final verse of the Qurʾan to be sent down.
Moreover, the wording of the two verses does not lend much support to the idea that they are the last parts of the Qurʾan to be revealed, unless we read them as references to certain events from the last days of his life, such as the incident of the pen and the ink.
- In the same source, Ibn Isḥāq, Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, and Ibn Abī Dāwūd narrate from ʿAbbād b. ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Zubayr: ‘al-Ḥārith b. Khuzayma came with these two verses from the end of Sūrah al-Tawba to ʿUmar when he was gathering the verses of the Qurʾan: There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves… and He is the Lord of the Great Throne. ʿUmar said: ‘Who else do you have that recalls these two verses?’
Al-Ḥārith replied, ‘I do not know, I swear by God that I heard these from the Messenger of God and understood them and preserved them.’
ʿUmar said, ‘And I bear witness that I heard them from the Messenger of God. If there were three verses, I would have made them a chapter of their own, but instead look through the Qurʾan for a chapter whose end you can add them to.’ So he added them to the end of Sūrah al-Tawba.
Author’s comments: In another version of this account, ʿUmar tells al-Ḥārith, ‘I will not ask you for proof that these are from the Qurʾan, these were indeed as such from the Messenger of God.’ There are other traditions with the same meaning, and we shall discuss the compilation of the Qurʾan and the events surrounding it more fully in our commentary on Sūrah al-Hijr.
We would have liked to include a discussion at the end of our commentary of Sūrah al-Tawba on the topic of the hypocrites in Islam, in which we could fully examine what the Qurʾan has said about them, conduct a thorough historical analysis of their history, and bring to light the corruption and tribulation they caused among the Muslims. However, the length of the current chapter precludes any such addendum. Hence, we will put off this discussion until a more suitable occasion.