Verses 49–63

Chapter 9: Al-Tawbah (The Repentance) · Printed edition: Volume 18, pp. 199–223

These verses continue the discussion of the hypocrites and provide a description of their condition. They mention some of their words and actions, as well as what these reveal about their wretched inner condition and erroneous beliefs.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ ائْذَنْ لِي وَلَا تَفْتِنِّي ۚ أَلَا فِي الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُوا ۗ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ ٤٩

(9:49) Among them there are some who say, ‘Give me leave, and do not put me to temptation (fitna).’ Look! They have already fallen into temptation and indeed hell besieges the faithless.

Based on the context, the word fitna here either means something that tempts and deceives a person or general calamity and misfortune.

In the first case, the statement would mean: ‘Permit me to stay behind and not go forth to fight, and do not put me to temptation by describing the spoils and riches that I could win by coming with you, lest you tempt me into going forth.’ In the second case, it would mean: ‘Permit me to stay behind and do not put me to tribulation by making me come with you to the battlefield!’

God responds to this statement of theirs by saying, Look! They have already fallen into temptation, meaning that they have already been seized by the fitna they were afraid of before they have even set forth. They have erred, for their disbelief, hypocrisy, and evil character have led them to utter this statement, which is the very temptation or tribulation they were seeking to avoid, for Satan has tempted and deceived them and their disbelief and going stray will lead them into tribulation.

This is their condition while they are still in the life of this world, as for in the Hereafter, hell encompasses the faithless in the Hereafter in the same way that temptation has encompassed them in this world. Therefore, when God says, they have already fallen into temptation, followed by and indeed hell besieges the faithless, it is as though both of these statements mean the same thing, namely that they have fallen into calamity and tribulation in both this world and the next.

In fact, we can read the phrase, and indeed hell besieges the faithless, as meaning that it not only awaits them in the next life but already besieges them while they are in this world, which is something also indicated by the verses that discuss the physical manifestation of a person’s deeds (tajassum al-aʿmāl).

إِنْ تُصِبْكَ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ تُصِبْكَ مُصِيبَةٌ يَقُولُوا قَدْ أَخَذْنَا أَمْرَنَا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَيَتَوَلَّوْا وَهُمْ فَرِحُونَ ٥٠

(9:50) If some good (ḥasana) should befall you, it upsets them; but if an adversity (muṣība) befalls you, they say, ‘We had already taken our precautions in advance’ and they go away exulting.

Based on the context, the terms good (ḥasana) and adversity here refer to the outcomes of battle for those who fought in it, so ‘good’ refers to victory and spoils, while ‘adversity’ refers to death, injury, and defeat.

They say, ‘We had already taken our precautions in advance’: This alludes to the fact that they had taken precautions against this evil before it had occurred, as if their affair was out of their hands, but they had taken charge of it and not allowed matters to go awry for themselves.

Therefore, the meaning of the verse is that these hypocrites’ hearts are against you: If you triumph and win spoils, this will displease them, but if you are killed, wounded, or otherwise affected by adversity, they will brag that they protected themselves from this evil in advance and turn away, pleased with themselves.

God responds to this statement with two answers in the two following verses, namely, say, ‘Nothing will befall us…’ and Say, ‘Do you await…’, which we will discuss presently.

قُلْ لَنْ يُصِيبَنَا إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوْلَانَا ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٥١

(9:51) Say, ‘Nothing will befall us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our patron (huwa mawlā), and in Allah let all the faithful put their trust.’

In short, it is God alone who looks after our affairs—as shown by the statement, He is our patron, which is phrased in such a way as to indicate exclusivity—and we have no say in the matter, nor any control over these apparent causes. On the contrary, the truth is that the affair rests entirely with God and He has afore ordained whatever good or evil and benefit or harm will reach us. This being the case, we should only focus on obeying His commands and striving to uphold His cause. It is God’s will that determines whatever good or bad will befall us—God’s servants must turn over their affairs to Him, and this is the meaning of trusting in God (tawakkul).

From this, the following becomes apparent: The phrase, and in Allah let all the faithful put their trust, is not detached from the rest of the verse but actually follows on from it and complements its meaning. Therefore, the meaning becomes: God is the one who looks after our affairs and we believe in Him; this requires us to place our trust in Him and to hand over our affairs to Him without preferring for ourselves any outcome, whether good or bad. If something good befalls us, this is a blessing from Him, and if something bad befalls us, this was also His will, and there is no blame or reproach upon us for this, nor will our hearts be saddened or grieved by any outcome. As God says elsewhere in the Qurʾan: No affliction visits the earth or yourselves but it is in a Book before We bring it about—that is indeed easy for Allah—so that you may not grieve for what escapes you, nor exult for what comes your way (). No affliction visits except by Allah’s leave. Whoever has faith in Allah, He guides his heart, and Allah has knowledge of all things (). That is because Allah is the protector of the faithful (). … and Allah is the guardian of the faithful (). It is Allah who is the Guardian… ().

As you can see, these other verses all contain the foundations of this reality that the present verse expounds in response to the false beliefs of the hypocrites. In other words, God is the sole guardian of all, and no one except Him has any say in the affair. If a person believes in God and recognizes the station of his Lord, then he knows this and he knows that he must place his trust in his Lord and turn all of his affairs over to his Lord’s will and decision. He should neither exult in any good thing that befalls him, nor should he be grieved by any affliction that visits him.

It is only out of ignorance that a person is upset when he sees something good reach his enemy or that he becomes glad when an affliction visits them, for this has nothing to do with him. This is the first answer that God gives to the hypocrites who are upset when some good befalls the faithful but exult when a misfortune befalls them.

Some commentators appear to have understood the term mawlā in this verse in the sense of ‘helper.’ Likewise, they argue that the phrase, and in Allah let all the faithful put their trust, is separate from the rest of the verse and is merely a command addressed to the faithful to put their trust in God. However, the context of these two verses does not support such a reading.

قُلْ هَلْ تَرَبَّصُونَ بِنَا إِلَّا إِحْدَى الْحُسْنَيَيْنِ ۖ وَنَحْنُ نَتَرَبَّصُ بِكُمْ أَنْ يُصِيبَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابٍ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ أَوْ بِأَيْدِينَا ۖ فَتَرَبَّصُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ مُتَرَبِّصُونَ ٥٢

(9:52) Say, ‘Do you await anything to befall us except one of the two excellences (ḥusnayayn)? But we await that Allah shall visit on you a punishment, from Him, or by our hands. So wait! We too are waiting along with you.’

In this verse, the two excellences are, in fact, the ‘good’ and ‘adversity’ mentioned in the previous one. The hypocrites are upset when some good befalls the Prophet but gladdened when some misfortune befalls him, and they say, ‘We had already taken our precautions in advance.’ In other words, they are waiting to see whether good or ill befalls the faithful.

However, both good and adversity are, in reality, good from the perspective of the teachings of Islam, as ‘good’ contains both good in this world and a great reward with God, while adversity—whether this martyrdom or any form of difficulty or hardship that affects someone—is a cause of God being pleased with a person and a source of eternal and everlasting divine reward in the hereafter.

Therefore, the meaning of the verse is: ‘We and you are both waiting to see what becomes of the other. The difference is that you are waiting to see which of two outcomes will befall us, and both of these outcomes are good: Either we will triumph over our enemies and win riches, or we will give our lives in the path of God. On the other hand, we are waiting to see whether God will punish you directly, such as a punishment from the heavens, or whether He will punish you by our hands by commanding us to fight you and cleanse the earth of your evil presence, and we will be successful in either case. If any of the outcomes you are awaiting befall us, we are happy, and if any of the outcomes we are awaiting befall you, we are happy. So, wait! We too are waiting with you!’ This is a second response to the statement of the hypocrites.

Note that the first verse spoke about good and adversity befalling the Prophet, while the answer given in the second and third verse speaks about adversity befalling the Prophet and the faithful together because of their following him and their sharing in whatever good or ill befalls him.

قُلْ أَنْفِقُوا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا لَنْ يُتَقَبَّلَ مِنْكُمْ ۖ إِنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ٥٣

(9:53) Say, ‘Spend willingly or unwillingly, it shall never be accepted from you; for you are indeed a transgressing lot.’

Here, the command to ‘spend’ is used in the sense of a conditional and to indicate the absence of any prohibition on them spending, while the phrase ‘willingly or unwillingly’ conveys the meaning of ‘under any circumstances.’ However, this is to indicate that no matter what they do, their actions will have no effect, it shall never be accepted from you—this is the reason for the command. And the reason that this spending shall not be accepted is provided at the end of the verse: for you are indeed a transgressing lot.

Hence, the meaning of the verse is as follows: ‘We will not prevent you from spending your wealth, whether you do so willingly or because you feel compelled to do so, for it is a pointless act that will never be accepted from you, because you are a transgressing people, and God does not accept the deeds of transgressors.’ As God has said elsewhere: Allah accepts only from the Godwary ().

وَمَا مَنَعَهُمْ أَنْ تُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ نَفَقَاتُهُمْ إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِ وَلَا يَأْتُونَ الصَّلَاةَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كُسَالَىٰ وَلَا يُنْفِقُونَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كَارِهُونَ ٥٤

(9:54) Nothing stops their charities from being accepted except that they have no faith in Allah and His Messenger and do not perform the prayer but lazily, and do not spend but reluctantly.

This verse provides a more detailed account of why their spending will not be accepted by God; in other words, an explanation of the nature of their transgression (fisq). Disbelief in God and His Messenger, laziness in performing prayers, and a reluctance to spend in the way of God are the pillars of their hypocrisy.

فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ بِهَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ ٥٥

(9:55) So let not their wealth and children impress you: Allah only desires to punish them with these in the life of this world, and that their souls may be wrenched out while they are faithless.

‘To be impressed’ with something (iʿjāb) means to be pleased by the beauty or excellence one perceives in it, ‘to be wrenched out’ (zuhūq) means for something to depart with great difficulty, and some have said its original meaning is ‘to perish.’

In this verse, God forbids His Prophet from being impressed by the wealth and offspring of the hypocrites—specifically, by their abundance, based on the context of the verse. The reason for this prohibition is that this wealth and these offspring—which undoubtedly occupy a person’s mind—are not a blessing that will lead a person towards happiness, but rather a tribulation that will bring them misery. This is because God, the One who bestowed these things upon them, only wishes to punish them in this world and to take their souls while they are faithless.

After all, this life, which living beings imagine to be an innate source of happiness and respite, in reality, only provides this happiness and respite if it follows its proper course. In other words, if the human being adopts its most positive elements, such as beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds, without being distracted by things that bring him neither good or benefit. This, and only this, is the life untouched by death, the respite unmixed with hardship, and the pleasure uncontaminated by pain. For this is life under the patronage of God, as He says elsewhere: Look! The friends of Allah will indeed have no fear nor will they grieve ().

As for someone who becomes distracted by this world, is taken in by its superficial attractions such as wealth and children, and allows himself to be distracted by the false promises and farfetched hopes that appear to him therein and with which the devils seek to tempt him, he will fall victim to the contradictions of physical faculties and material enjoyments. He will suffer the most severe torment from the very things that he imagines, based on their surface appearances, to bring him happiness and enjoyment in this world. It is clear that the more the world turns towards a person, and the more a person enjoys it in the form of wealth and children, the further they stray from the position of divine servanthood and the nearer they edge towards the precipice of destruction and spiritual torment. Such a person is convulsed between the fickle and contradictory means of this world and made to suffer the vicissitudes of its states. In fact, that which these heedless ones call happiness and ease is nothing more than narrowness and misery, as God says: But whoever disregards My remembrance, his shall be a wretched life, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall raise him blind. He will say, ‘My Lord! Why have You raised me blind, though I used to see?’ He will say: ‘So it is. Our signs came to you, but you forgot them, and thus you will be forgotten today’ ().

The end result of a person straying from the remembrance of his Lord is that he will become immersed in this world and its delusions, thinking that this will bring him happiness in life and peace to his heart. With this false idea, he becomes immersed in temptations and hardships and is cast between them, wrongly imagining them to be blessings. Finally, he disbelieves in his Lord and leaves behind the station of divine servanthood: Allah only desires to punish them with these in the life of this world, and this is how God draws a person into ruin through granting them respite, as per the verses: We will draw them imperceptibly into ruin, whence they do not know. And I will grant them respite, for My devising is indeed sure ().

وَيَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُمْ لَمِنْكُمْ وَمَا هُمْ مِنْكُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَفْرَقُونَ ٥٦ لَوْ يَجِدُونَ مَلْجَأً أَوْ مَغَارَاتٍ أَوْ مُدَّخَلًا لَوَلَّوْا إِلَيْهِ وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ ٥٧

(9:56-57) They swear by Allah that they belong to you, but they do not belong to you. Rather they are a frightened lot (qawmun yafraqūn). If they could find a refuge (maljaʾ), or a hideout (maghārāt), or a hole (muddakhkhal), they would turn to it in frantic haste (yajmaḥūn).

Yafrqūn (‘to be frightened’) means to be anxious because you expect some harm to befall you.

Maljaʾ (‘refuge’) is a place in which you take shelter to protect yourself from harm.

Maghār (‘hideout’) is a place into which you can take cover and hide from sight, it is also used to denote a cave or tunnel in the side of a mountain.

Muddakhkhal is a passive participle of a Form VIII (Bāb al-Iftiʿāl) verb and denotes a path into which one can slip surreptitiously.

Yajmaḥūn means to move with such haste that nothing can detain you.

The remainder of the verse’s meaning is obvious.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَلْمِزُكَ فِي الصَّدَقَاتِ فَإِنْ أُعْطُوا مِنْهَا رَضُوا وَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْطَوْا مِنْهَا إِذَا هُمْ يَسْخَطُونَ ٥٨

(9:58) There are some of them who blame you (yalmizu-ka) regarding charities: if they are given from them, they are pleased, but if they are not given from them, behold, they are displeased.

Yalmizu means ‘to blame or reproach’ someone, but they would only reproach him about charities if he did not give them anything because they were not entitled to it, or for other reasons, as indicated by the remainder of the verse.

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَضُوا مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللَّهِ رَاغِبُونَ ٥٩

(9:59) If only they had been pleased with what Allah and His Messenger gave them, and had said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us; Allah will give to us out of His grace, and His Messenger. Indeed to Allah do we eagerly turn.’

When God says, if only they had been pleased what Allah and His Messenger gave them, this indicates that they were given something but that they were not satisfied with this. Therefore, it means ‘if only they had been pleased to take what God and His Messenger gave them.’ The phrase Allah is sufficient for us means, ‘God will suffice us in that which we desire and that to which we attach our hopes.’

…Allah will give to us out of His grace, and His Messenger: This phrase explains what it is they desire, it is not a prediction of what will happen in the future.

In other words, this verse means that it was hoped that they would take what God and His Messenger gave them from the amassed charities or other sources and that they would say: ‘God will suffice us and make it so we have no need of any other means, and we are seeking His grace, and we desire that He grant us a share of His grace and that His Messenger will grant us as well.’

This verse contains a subtle message, in that it attributes the acts of giving to God and the Messenger, but restricts sufficiency (kifāya), grace, and desire to God alone, as is the logical corollary of the religion of monotheism.

إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ٦٠

(9:60) Charities are only for the poor and the needy, and those employed to collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and on slaves and debtors, and in the way of Allah, and on the traveller. An ordinance from Allah, and Allah is all-knowing, all-wise.

This verse explains the causes on which obligatory charities can be spent. We know these refer the obligatory charities because the verse ends with the phrase ‘an ordinance from Allah.’ There are eight such causes. Also, it is important to note that based on the context and apparent meaning of the verse, the poor (faqīr) and the needy (miskīn) are two separate classes, and one is not the same as the other.

Commentators and scholars have debated over whether the poor and the needy are one and the same group of people or whether they are, in fact, two separate groups. Then, if it is the latter, there are many diverging opinions on what the difference is between one who is poor and one who is needy. However, most of these opinions do not rest on any clear evidence. What the apparent meaning of the terms themselves suggests is that the poor person (faqīr) is someone who lives in a state of lack and deprivation and is unable to meet the needs of his own existence with his own property. This is the opposite of someone who is rich (ghanī), who has access to wealth and a comfortable standard of living as a result.

By contrast, the needy person (miskīn) is someone who is not only unable to meet the needs of his own existence, but also lives a pitiable life, to the extent that he is embarrassed by his condition. For example, someone who is forced to sell the sweat of his brow or begs for a living because of his extreme poverty, such as someone who is blind or lame. Therefore, the needy person is in a worse condition than the poor one.

Now, the categories of poor and needy can be seen as having a relationship of a more general category or a more particular one, as every needy person is poor by virtue of his lack of wealth. However, the opposite is not true, as not every poor person is also needy. In everyday language, the poor and the needy are seen as two opposite classes of people because being poor is not the same as being needy. One cannot criticise the Qurʾan for drawing a distinction between them or argue that it was enough to mention ‘the poor’ without mentioning ‘the needy’ as well because someone who is needy is also in a more abject state than someone who is poor. For example, because he is either lame or blind. This is true even if the state of humiliation the needy person suffers ultimately goes back to a lack of wealth.

As for those employed to collect them, this means those who work to collect charities and distribute them on behalf of the government.

Those whose hearts are to be reconciled refers to those who can be won over by giving them a share of charities to induce them to submit, to fight against the enemies of Islam, or to seek their aid in looking after the needs of the faith.

…and on slaves does not mean giving charity to slaves but to spending it in order to buy their freedom, as is the case with those slaves that have a written agreement to purchase their own freedom (makātib) but who do not have the means to pay their master what he has demanded in exchange for their freedom. Alternatively, this may be spent to purchase the freedom of a slave who is in a difficult situation.

…and debtors—to be spent on debtors, meaning that a share of charity can be spent on those who have amassed debts in order to pay off their liabilities.

…and in the way of Allah—meaning to be spent in the way of God, this is a broad category that covers any act whose benefit returns to Islam and the Muslims or serves the interests of the religion. The most obvious example of such a cause is striving in the way of God, but this also extends to any activity whose benefits extend to all, such as repairing roads and building aqueducts and the like thereof.

…and the traveller—in this case, ‘the traveller’ (ibn al-sabīl) refers to someone who is far from home and lacks the means to sustain himself on his journey, even if he is a wealthy person with a comfortable life in his homeland. Therefore, a share of charities can be spent on his needs.

There is a subtle difference in the way in which the Qurʾan enumerates these categories in Arabic. Each of the first four are introduced by the preposition li (‘for’)— for the poor and the needy, and those employed to collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled—while the second four are not—and on slaves and debtors, and in the way of Allah, and the traveller. From the context, it appears that in the latter case, the four are all introduced by the meaning of the preposition fī (‘on’, lit. ‘in’), so on slaves and debtors, in the way of Allah, and on the traveller.

As regards the first four—for the poor and the needy, and those employed to collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled—the preposition li is used to convey ownership (mulk), in the sense of having the sole right to dispose of property. Therefore, this part of the verse should be read as an answer to those hypocrites who coveted a share of charities to which they were not entitled and reproached the Prophet for denying this to them. This verse responds by saying that these are the proper causes on which such charities should be spent and no others, but the apparent meaning of the verse does not go beyond this extent of restriction.

As for these charities being the ‘property’ of these groups, is this in the legal sense of the term? Equally, are the ‘owners’ of this property social classes rather than individuals? Furthermore, what is the share of each class of person relative to that of other classes? These questions are, in truth, questions of law that are beyond the scope of our current investigation. What is more, jurists have disagreed vehemently over the answers to these questions, so we direct interested readers to works of jurisprudence for more information.

As for the latter four causes mentioned by the verse—and on slaves and debtors, and in the way of Allah, and the traveller—a number of interpretations have been offered for the change in tone compared to the first four causes (namely the switch in prepositions from li to fī).

One view is that these causes have been arranged in order of priority and worthiness. Therefore, the most deserving recipients of charity are the poor, then the needy, and so on and so forth. Therefore, the latter four causes are arranged in order of descending importance, each with its own particular level of priority. Were it not God’s intention to convey the relative priority of these causes in this way, He would have arranged the list by mentioning classes of people first, followed by general causes, namely: The poor, the needy, those employed to collect them, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, debtors, and travellers, then slaves and, finally, in the way of God.

However, this arrangement should be understood in terms of priority rather than delivery, namely that the first item on the list is of the highest priority because it represents the most beneficial expenditure of charitable funds, and there is no doubt in this. One could not argue that this is the order in which the funds are to be disbursed to their recipients, as there is nothing in the wording of the verse to suggest this meaning, nor is there any sense behind such a stipulation.

Another view is that the switch from li to fī in the last four items on the list is to show that these four causes are, in fact, the worthiest recipients of charity, as fī (lit. ‘in’) signifies that one thing is contained within another. Therefore, these last four causes must be the most important causes because the verse is worded in such a way that charities are placed ‘in’ them, indicating that they are the proper place for such charities. This is because freeing slaves includes both slaves with contracts of manumission, slaves without such contracts, and prisoners of war, while giving charity to debtors means releasing them from the bonds of debt. Equally, spending in the way of God means spending on those who are poor and striving in the way of God or poor and making the Hajj pilgrimage. In both cases, this combines the alleviation of poverty with the worship of God. Finally, spending on the traveller combines the alleviation of poverty with helping someone who is far from his people and property.

The repetition of the preposition fī in in the way of Allah, and the traveller highlights the priority of these two categories over slaves and debtors. This is what al-Zamakhsharī argues in al-Kashshāf.

However, the problem with this reading is that it comes into conflict with the fact that the first four categories are introduced by the preposition li, which signifies ownership, as the connection of an owner to their rightful property is much stronger than the connection of a vessel to what it contains, as is obvious.

Still another view is that the preposition li is used for the first four categories because when charity is spent on them, they become its owners. Therefore, the use of the preposition li in this case is apt. By contrast, the latter four categories do not become the owners of the charity spent on them, rather the charity is given to others for their benefit.

For example, the charity that is spent on slaves is received by the masters with whom they have a manumission agreement or on those selling them. Therefore, none of the charity spent reaches the hands of the slaves themselves such that it could be considered their property, hence the preposition li is not used. Instead, they are the beneficiary for whom these funds are spent. The same is true for debtors, for their share of charity goes to their creditors to release them from their liabilities. As for charity spent in the way of God, this is self-evident. Meanwhile, it seems that the traveller is included within the category of ‘in the way of Allah’ but he has been singled out for mention to call attention to his special status, without either of the prepositions li or fī being placed in front of him. Therefore, it is possible to read the phrase ‘and the traveller’ as being linked to the earlier instance of the preposition li, even though it makes more sense to link it to the nearest preposition, namely fī.

This is a sound reading of the verse, except for its treatment of the phrase ‘and the traveller’, which is somewhat overwrought, and the argument that it is included within the broader category of ‘in the way of Allah’ is something it shares with other categories mentioned in the verse.

Likewise, if one were to argue that debtors and the travellers were both linked to the preposition li and pointed to the first interpretation of the verse above, namely that these categories are listed in order of priority, and then to point to the last interpretation to explain why ‘slaves’ and ‘the way of Allah’ take the preposition fī, this would also not be far off the mark.

The closing line of the verse, an ordinance from Allah, and Allah is all-knowing, all-wise, shows that God has made charity (zakāt) an obligatory religious duty on the basis of His infinite knowledge and wisdom, and that, therefore, this duty admits no change or alteration by anyone. It is not unlikely that this ordinance pertains to the division of the charities between the eight causes listed in the verse. This is perhaps supported by the context of the verse, which relates to explaining the spending of charities rather than the original obligation of paying charity. Therefore, the most appropriate reading of the verse is that an ordinance from Allah refers to the division of charities between the eight aforementioned categories, indicating that this division is something divinely enjoined by God and that charitable funds cannot be spent on anything else, contrary to the wishes of the hypocrites who were reproaching the Prophet.

Hence, it appears that the verse is, in part, concerned with the fact that the division of charities between these eight categories is not something specific to a particular time, contrary to those who claim that those whose hearts are to be reconciled referred to a group of nobles at the time of the Prophet whose hearts he reconciled to Islam through giving then a share of the charities, but that after him Islam had triumphed and there was no need to reconcile people’s hearts to the religion anymore. However, this is an erroneous reading, as this need did not disappear at all.

وَمِنْهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيَّ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ ۚ قُلْ أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَكُمْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ٦١

(9:61) Among them are those who torment the Prophet, and say, ‘He is an ear.’ Say, ‘An ear of what is good for you. He has faith in Allah and has faith towards the faithful, and is a mercy for those of you who have faith.’ As for those who torment the Messenger of Allah, there is a painful punishment for them.

The hypocrites refer to the Prophet as an ‘ear’ (udhun) because he would listen to all that is said to him, and someone who listens to everything they are told is called an ‘ear.’

Therefore, when God says, Say, ‘An ear of what is good for you’ (in which case, this is a genuine possessive construct), this means that the Prophet is a listener who hears that which is good and beneficial for you. He hears God’s revelation, which contains good for you. And he listens to the advice of the faithful, which is good for you. This could also be read as ‘an ear that is good for you’ (in which case this is an adjectival possessive construct), in the sense that he only hears what benefits you and does not listen to that which might harm you.

The difference between these two readings is as follows: In the first, the thing that is heard is good for them, such as divine revelation from God or the advice of the faithful; in the second, the act of listening is what is good, even if the thing being heard is not. For example, there might be some speech that does not contain any good, but he listens to it anyway and, in doing so, shows respect to the speaker. Then, he will interpret what was said to him in the best possible way so as not to embarrass the speaker or assume the worst about him. Finally, he will not act upon this speech as though it were an accurate account of reality and, in doing so, the speaker will not suffer any consequences or blame for what he has said. In adopting this approach, the Prophet will have shown respect for his faithfulness in the same manner as he shows respect for the faithfulness of someone who brings him a true report.

Based on this, it appears that the most appropriate reading of the verse, based on its context, is the second of the two, as God follows this with, He has faith in Allah and has faith towards the faithful.

The word ‘faith’ (īmān) here means to believe someone to be truthful. The phrase He has faith in Allah (billāh) explicitly mentions the object of his faith, whereas has faith towards the faithful (lil-muʾminīn) does not explicitly mention the object of his faith. Instead, it says that he has faith for the benefit of the faithful, as shown by the use of the preposition li. The faith that is for the benefit of the faithful, even in the case of reports containing things that might be harmful to them, is faith in the sense of treating the person who brings the report as truthful without necessarily trusting the report itself, meaning to trust that they believe that this report is truthful, even if the report itself is not.

This is akin to the verse in which God says, When the hypocrites come to you they say, ‘We bear witness that you are indeed the messenger of Allah.’ Allah knows that you are indeed His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are indeed liars (). In this verse, God explicitly denounces the hypocrites as liars, not because their statement that the Prophet is the messenger of God is false in of itself, but because this statement is contrary to their own beliefs. Compare this to the statement of the believers, as related by God in a different verse, but when the faithful saw the confederates, they said, ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger were true’ (). In other words, they proclaim God and the Messenger as truthful in what they foretold, not in what they believed.

In short, the apparent meaning of the phrase, He has faith in Allah and has faith towards the faithful, is that the Prophet has faith in the truthfulness of the revelation God sends down to him. And he has faith in whatever the believers report to him for their benefit in the sense that he assumes that they believe what they are saying, so he does not accuse them of lying or assume ill intent on their part, without necessarily acting on everything he hears from them. If he were to act on everything they told him, this faith would not, in fact, be to the benefit of the faithful at all and the affairs of the Muslims would be thrown into disorder. As you can see, this interpretation of this phrase supports the second interpretation of the phrase, an ear of what is good for you (i.e. an ear that is good for you).

It also appears that the meaning of ‘the faithful’ here is the community to which they belong, even if this community contains others who are not truly faithful, such as the hypocrites. If this is the case, the phrase ‘those who have faith’ denotes those who are truly faithful in the community of ‘the faithful.’ Therefore, the meaning of this part of the verse is that the Prophet believes his Lord and he believes in every member of the community out of respect for his outward claim to be faithful. This is a mercy for those who truly believe, because in this way he guides them to the straight path.

Now, if what was meant by ‘those who have faith’ are those who believed in him from the beginning of his mission before his victory then, as we have previously mentioned, the phrase ‘those who have faith’ is an honorific the Qurʾan applies to the earliest believers in Islam. In this case, the meaning of ‘the faithful’ in the phrase, He has faith in Allah and has faith towards the faithful, would be those who truly believe in him, in the same sense as this term is used in the verse quoted above, but when the faithful saw the confederates, they said, ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us…’ ().

Some commentators have argued that the preposition li in has faith towards the faithful (lil-muʾminīn) is only to make the verb ‘to have faith’ (yuʾmin) transitive and does not convey a different meaning to the preposition bi, as used in He has faith in Allah (bi-llāh), as the object of the verb yuʾmin can take either the preposition bi or li. For example, see the verses: Thereupon Lot believed in him (āmana lahu) (); But none believed in Moses (āmana li Mūsā) except some youths from among his people (); Shall we believe in you (nuʾmin laka), when it is the riffraff who follow you? ().

Others have argued that the use of the preposition li augments the meaning of yuʾmin (‘to have faith’) with the additional meaning ‘to incline towards.’ In other words, the Messenger has faith in God and inclines towards the faithful, believing in them, or he believes in them while inclining towards them.

While there is nothing problematic with either of these interpretations in and of themselves, the distinction between the two instances of the verb ‘has faith’ (yuʾmin) in the passage under discussion—He has faith in Allah and has faith towards the faithful—makes them unlikely, unless this is to be understood as a purely stylistic convention. However, even if we treat these interpretations as plausible, the conclusion we draw remains the same, namely that the Prophet’s belief in the faithful does not mean that he must believe the content of whatever they tell him, only that he believes that they believe that what they are telling him is truthful, whether he acts on it or not.

When God says, and is a mercy for those of you who have faith, He is counting His Prophet as a mercy for a specific group of people in this verse. However, elsewhere, He has said that he is a mercy for all humankind: We did not send you but as a mercy to all the nations (). However, these verses are referring to two different kinds of mercy (raḥma). The present verse is referring to actualized mercy, while the latter is referring to potential mercy.

In other words, the Prophet is a mercy for those who truly believe in him in the sense that God has saved them from error and guaranteed them a happy and noble fate. At the same time, he is a mercy for all humankind, whether or not they believe in him, both those who are alive at his time and those who will come after him. This is because God sent him with a pure religion and a wholesome way of life in order to transform human society and prevent it from deviating from the path of rectitude and onto the path of misery and perdition. At the same time, He made him a shining beacon to light the straight path of Man’s God-given nature (fiṭra). There are those who have already set out on this path and will reach their intended destination, while there are others who have left behind the path of misery but not yet begun their journey on the path of human nature, and there are still others who wish to leave behind the road to perdition but have not yet done so. This is the state of all human society following the advent of Islam and the spread of its teachings across. Virtually everyone has heard of it, and it has influenced countless cultures and traditions. This is something no one who studies the nature of human society can deny. An astute reader will have already noticed that this aspect of the divine mercy embodied in the Prophet is very close to the one invoked in this verse or, in fact, derived from its essence.

يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَكُمْ لِيُرْضُوكُمْ وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ يُرْضُوهُ إِنْ كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ ٦٢

(9:62) They swear to you by Allah, to please you; but Allah and His Messenger are worthier (aḥaqq) that they should please Him, should they be faithful.

In Majmaʿ al-Bayān, we read: ‘The difference between aḥaqq and aṣlaḥ [both of which can be translated as ‘worthier’] is that aḥaqq can pertain to qualities not bound up with human actions. For example, one might say, “Zayd is worthier (aḥaqq) of this property.” However, one cannot use the term aṣlaḥ in this context. Therefore we can say that God is aḥaqq (“worthier”) of obedience, but we cannot say He is aṣlaḥ of it.’

The reason for this distinction between aṣlaḥ and aḥaqq is that the former conveys a sense of potentiality or receptivity, while the latter conveys a sense of actuality and necessity, and no form of potentiality or receptivity can ever be attributed to God Almighty, as this would imply that He was acted upon by another being, which is impossible, as He is purely active and never passive.

Notice that in this verse God has shifted from speaking directly to His Prophet to address the faithful, as if to subtly call their attention to the principle expressed in the phrase, but Allah and His Messenger are worthier that they should please Him, should they be faithful, namely that every true believer should be pleased with God and His Messenger, and they should never oppose God and His Messenger, for that will only bring down a great disgrace and the everlasting torment of Hell upon them.

This verse also calls attention to an etiquette of monotheism, namely, are worthier that they should please Him. See how the verse uses the singular pronoun Him instead of the dual pronoun ‘them both’ (humā). This is out of respect for God’s exalted station, which He shares with no one. After all, even if there are things that can be said of both God and other beings simultaneously, whatever rights or qualities He possesses are His innately and by virtue of His essence, and whatever rights or qualities other beings possess are extraneous or accidental to them. For example, the obligation to please, venerate, and obey others, or the qualities of knowledge and life, and the power to give life and death, and so on.

This etiquette of monotheism can be observed in numerous places throughout the Qurʾan where the Prophet shares some status with other members of his nation, but God sets the Prophet apart from them and singles him out for mention. For example: …the day when Allah will not let the Prophet down and the faithful who are with him (); Allah sent down His composure upon His Apostle and upon the faithful (); The Apostle has faith in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and all the faithful ().

أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ مَنْ يُحَادِدِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَأَنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا فِيهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ ٦٣

(9:63) Do they not know that whoever opposes (yuḥādid) Allah and His Apostle, there awaits him the Fire of hell, to remain therein forever? That is the great disgrace (khizyu).

In Majmaʿ al-Bayān, we read: ‘To oppose (muḥadda) means to transgress the bounds with effort, and it is synonymous with mukhālafa (to oppose), mujānaba (to take the opposite side), muʿādāt (to be hostile), and the like thereof. Its original meaning is “to prevent or detain,” and muḥadda can also refer to the impetuousness that can sometimes seize a person and cause them to lose their good sense, as this prevents them from doing what is right… khizyu signifies lowliness and humiliation.’

The question in this verse is rhetorical and intended to convey amazement and to indicate that God and His Messenger are more worthy of people trying to please them.

In short, the meaning of the verse is that people know very well that opposing God and His Messenger and enmity towards them and angering them will only lead them to be consigned to Hell eternally. If it is forbidden to anger God and His Messenger then, by extension, it is obligatory for whoever believes in God and His Messenger to please God and please the Messenger.

Examining Narrations

1. In Tafsīr al-Qummī, it is narrated from Abū al-Jārūd, from Imām al-Bāqir, concerning the verse, If some good should befall you, it upsets them; but if an adversity befalls you… (): ‘As for “good”, this refers to spoils and comfort, as for “adversity”, this refers to tribulation and hardship.’
2. In al-Durr al-manthūr, it is narrated from Ibn Abī Ḥātim from Jābir b. ʿAbd Allāh: ‘The hypocrites who had stayed behind in Medina began spreading ill rumors about the Prophet, saying things like: “Muḥammad and his companions suffered so greatly on their journey that they perished.” Then news came to the city that contradicted their claims, saying that the Prophet and his companions were safe. This displeased them greatly, so God sent down the verse, If some good should befall you, it upsets them ().’
3. In al-Kāfī, it is narrated from Abū Ḥamza, that he asked Imām al-Bāqir about the verse, Do you await anything to befall us except one of the two excellences? (), he explained: ‘Either dying while obeying the Imām or being present for the reappearance of the Imām. But, even though we are in great hardship, we await that Allah shall visit on you a punishment, from Him—transformation—or by our hands—being slain. God says, So wait! We too are waiting along with you.’

Author’s comments: This is extending the verse to a new context (jarī) rather than an explanation of its meaning (tafsīr).

4. In al-Maḥāsin, it is narrated from Yūsuf b. Thābit from Imām al-Ṣādiq: ‘No action is harmful so long as there is faith, and no action is beneficial so long as there is faithlessness.’ Then he said: ‘Do you not see that God says, Nothing stops their charities from being accepted except that they have no faith in Allah and His Messenger?’

Author’s comments: al-Qummī and al-ʿAyyāshī both narrate this from him, as does al-Kulaynī in al-Kāfī, in a detailed tradition.

This narration’s meaning is further clarified by other verses and narrations; so long as a person has faith, no sin will cause them to remain in hell forever, and so long as a person has no faith, then no good deed will avail them.

5. In Majmaʿ al-Bayān, concerning the verse ‘…or a whole…’ (), he says: ‘a burrow (sarab).’ This is narrated from Imām al-Bāqir.
6. In al-Kāfī, it is narrated from Isḥāq b. Ghālib that Imām al-Ṣādiq told him: ‘O Isḥāq! How many people do you think this verse applies to? …if they are given from them, they are pleased, but if they are not given from them, behold, they are displeased ().’ The Imām answered his own question: ‘More than one-third of people!’

Author’s comments: This is narrated by al-ʿAyyāshī in his Tafsīr and by al-Ḥusayn b. Saʿīd in Kitāb al-zuhd, from Isḥāq, from the Imām.

7. In al-Durr al-manthūr, it is narrated from al-Bukhārī, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātam, Abū al-Shaykh, and Ibn Mardawayh, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī:

When the Prophet was dividing charities, Dhū al-Khuayṣira al-Tamīmī came to him and said: ‘Be fair, O Messenger of God!’

He answered: ‘Woe to you! And who shall be fair if not me?’

ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb said: ‘O Messenger of God, allow me to strike his neck!’

The Messenger of God said: ‘Leave him be, for he has companions whose prayer and fasting would make you think little of your own, but they shall go out of the religion as an arrow passes through game, whereupon the archer would examine the arrowhead but see nothing, and look at the arrow feathers but see nothing, and look at its shaft but see nothing, for it has passed through too quickly for any blood to stain it. The sign by which they will be recognized is a man whose breast—or breasts—will resemble that of a woman or a lump of flesh moving loosely. They will emerge when there are differences amongst the people.’ Then the verse was revealed: There are some of them who blame you regarding charities ().

Abū Saʿīd added: ‘I testify that I heard the Messenger of God utter these words and I testify that when ʿAlī slew them—and I was with him—the man described by the Prophet was found amongst the dead exactly as he had described him.’

8. In Tafsīr al-Qummī about the same verse, we read: ‘It was revealed when the charities were gathered and the wealthy people came thinking that the Messenger would divide these amongst them as well. Then, when the Messenger of God gave them to the poor, they began to complain to the Messenger of God and reproach him. They said: “We are the ones who fight and raid with him and support his cause, but he gives these charities to those who neither assist him nor avail him in any way!” So, God revealed the verse, If only they had been pleased with what Allah and His Messenger gave them, and had said, “Allah is sufficient for us; Allah will give to us out of His grace, and His Messenger. Indeed to Allah do we eagerly turn” ().

‘Then God explained to whom these charities should be delivered, saying, Charities are only for the poor and the needy, and those employed to collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and on slaves and debtors, and in the way of Allah, and the traveller. An ordinance from Allah, and Allah is all-knowing, all-wise.

‘In doing so, God excluded all people from receiving charities save for the eight groups whom he mentioned by name.

‘Then Imām al-Ṣādiq explained who these groups are. He said: “The poor are those who do not beg but who have dependents to support, and the evidence that they do not beg is God’s saying in Sūrah al-Baqarah, that charities are for the poor who are straitened in the way of Allah, not capable of moving about in the land. The unaware suppose them to be well-off because of their reserve. You recognise them by their mark; they do not ask the people importunately ().

‘“The needy are those who suffer from chronic illnesses, such as the blind, the lame, the leper, and any man, woman, or child, who suffers from a condition such as this.

‘“Those employed to collect them are those who work to take, gather, and safeguard these charities until they are delivered to the one who divides them.

‘“Those whose hearts are to be reconciled are those people who believe in God’s monotheism but whose hearts have not yet accepted the knowledge that Muḥammad is the Messenger of God, so the Messenger would reconcile them and educate them so that they would learn, and God assigned for them a share of the charities so that they would learn and incline to Islam.”’

Author’s comments: This interpretation—which is presented without a complete chain of narrators—is supported by numerous other narrations with complete chains that have been transmitted from the Prophet’s Household. There are some discrepancies between these narrations, but, given their abundance, interested readers can refer to the collections of traditions and works of jurisprudence for a more detailed treatment of this subject.

9. In al-Durr al-manthūr, al-Bukhārī, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, and Ibn Mardawayh narrated from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī: ‘When ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib was in Yemen, he sent the Prophet some gold that was still mixed with its earth. He divided it between four whose hearts were to be reconciled to Islam: al-Aqraʿ b. Ḥābis al-Hanẓalī, ʿAlqama b. ʿUlātha al-ʿĀmirī, ʿUyayna b. Badr al-Fazārī, and Zayd al-Khayl al-Ṭāʾī. The Quraysh and the Helpers objected: “Will you share this with the chiefs of the people of Najd and forget about us?” The Prophet said: “I merely wish to reconcile their hearts to Islam.”’
10. In al-Durr al-manthūr, ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, and Ibn Mardawayh narrate from Yaḥyā b. Abī Kathīr: ‘Those whose hearts were to be reconciled to Islam were Abū Sufyān b. al-Ḥārith b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib of the Banū Hāshim, Abū Sufyān b. Ḥarb of the Banū Umayya, al-Ḥārith b. Hishām and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Yarbūʿ of the Banū Makhzūm, Ḥakīm b. Hizām of the Banū Asad, Suhayl b. ʿAmr and Ḥuwayṭib b. ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā of the Banū ʿĀmir, Ṣafwān b. Umayya from the Banū Jumah, ʿUdayy b. Qays from the Banū Sahm, al-ʿAlāʾ b. Jāriya (or Hāritha) from Thaqīf, ʿUyana b. Ḥiṣn from the Banū Fazāra, al-Aqraʿ b. Ḥābis from the Banū Tamīm, Mālik b. ʿAwf from the Banū Naṣr, and al-ʿAbbās b. Mirdās from the Banū Salīm.

‘The Prophet gave each of these men one hundred she-camels, except for ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Yarbūʿ and Ḥuwayṭib b. ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā, to each of whom he gave fifty.’

11. In Tafsīr al-Qummī, Abū al-Jārūd narrates from Imām al-Bāqir: ‘Those whose hearts are to be reconciled to Islam were Abū Sufyān b. Ḥarb b. Umayya, Suhayl b. Amr from the Banū ʿĀmir b. Luʾayy, his brother Hishām b. ʿAmr, the brother of the Banū ʿĀmir b. Luʾayy, Ṣafwān b. Umayya b. Khalf al-Qurashī al-Jumaḥī, al-Aqraʿ b. Ḥābis al-Tamīmī of the Banū Hāzim, ʿUyayna b. Ḥiṣn al-Fazārī, Mālik b. ʿAwf, and ʿAlqama b. ʿUlātha.

‘A report has reached me that the Messenger of God would give each of them one hundred camels and their pasture, or thereabouts.’

Author’s comments: These are those whose hearts were to be reconciled to Islam to whom the Prophet gave charities for that purpose. These traditions do not mean to limit those whose hearts are to be reconciled to Islam—one of the eight categories for which charities can be spent mentioned in the verse—to these individual persons named herein.

12. In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is narrated from Ibn Isḥāq, from some of his associates, that Imām al-Ṣādiq was asked about those slaves who had contracts of manumission (makātib) but who were unable to pay the amount in full, having only managed part. He said: ‘The remainder should be paid out of charitable funds, surely God says in His Book, and on slaves ().’

In the same source, it is narrated from Zurāra: ‘I said to Imām al-Ṣādiq: “A slave who fornicates?”

‘He said: “He is lashed with half the number of lashes stipulated for the free person.”

‘I said: “And if he repeats his offence?”

‘He said: “He is lashed the same again.”

‘I said: “And if he repeats it again?”

‘He said: “He is never punished with more than half of the prescribed punishment.”

‘I said: “Should he ever be stoned as a punishment for what he does?”

He said: “Yes, he is put to death on the eighth offence, if he does this eight times.”

‘I said: “So what is the difference between him and the free person when their action is one and the same?”

‘He said: “Surely God is too merciful to make him suffer the fetters of the slave and the punishment of the free at the same time!” He added: “The leader of the Muslims must purchase his freedom from his owner on the eighth offence.”’

13. In the same source, it is narrated from al-Ṣabāḥ b. Sayāba: ‘Whenever a Muslim dies and leaves behind a debt that he has not spent on immorality or extravagance, the leader of the Muslims should discharge it for him. If he does not, he bears the sin of it. Surely God says, Charities are only for the poor and the needy, and those employed to collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and on slaves and debtors… and the deceased is a debtor who has a share of the charities that are at the leader’s disposal. Therefore, if the leader withholds this share from him, he is sinful.’
14. In the same source, Muḥammad b. al-Qasrī narrates from Imām al-Ṣādiq: ‘I asked him about charities. He said: “Divide them amongst those whom God has identified, but do not give from the share assigned to debtors to those who have incurred debts in order to pay dowries for wives, nor to those who proclaim the call of pre-Islamic ignorance.” I asked him: “What is the call of pre-Islamic ignorance?” He said: “A man who participates in tribal bloodshed and must pay a blood debt, this is not paid out of the share allotted to debtors, nor to those who are careless with the property of others.”’

In the same source, it is narrated from al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad: ‘I said to Imām al-Ṣādiq: “A man gave me money to spend in the way of God.” He said: “Spend it on the Hajj pilgrimage.” I said: “But he said I should spend it in the way of God!” He said: “Then spend it on the Hajj pilgrimage, for I know of no better way of God than the Hajj.”’

Author’s comments: There are too many narrations to count on this topic, and those we have presented here are merely a sample.

15. In al-Durr al-manthūr, about the verse, Among them are those who torment the Prophet… (), it is narrated by Ibn Isḥāq, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abī Ḥātim from Ibn ʿAbbās: ‘Nabtal b. al-Ḥārith would come to the Messenger of God, sit with him and listen to him, then relate what he said to the hypocrites. He would tell them: “Muḥammad is naught but an ear. He believes everything he is told!” So God sent down the verse, Among them are those who torment the Prophet, and say, “He is an ear.”’
16. In Tafsīr al-Qummī, the occasion of revelation for the same verse is given as follows: ʿAbd Allāh b. Nabtal was a hypocrite who would come and sit with the Messenger of God, listen to his discussions, then relate what he heard to the hypocrites and revile him. The Angel Gabriel came down to the Messenger of God and said: ‘O Muḥammad, there is a man of the hypocrites who reviles you and relates your conversations to the hypocrites.’ The Messenger of God said: ‘Who is he?’

He said: ‘A man with a dark countenance with much hair on his head whose eyes resemble two cooking pots when he looks through them and who speaks with the tongue of the devil.’

The Messenger of God summoned him and informed him of this, but he swore it was not true. So, the Messenger of God said: ‘I accept your oath, so do not do it.’ Then ʿAbd Allāh returned to his companions and said: ‘Muḥammad is naught but an ear. God told him that I was reviling him and reporting on him and he believed it, then I told him that I did not do any such thing, and he believed it!’

Whereat God sent down the following verse to His Prophet, Among them are those who torment the Prophet, and say, ‘He is an ear.’ Say, ‘An ear of what is good for you. He has faith in Allah and has faith towards the faithful…’ meaning that he believes what God tells him and he accepts your excuses even if he does not believe them in his heart. And has faith towards the faithful refers to those who profess faith, even if they do not truly believe.

Author’s comments: A similar report has been transmitted in Nahj al-bayān from Imām al-Ṣādiq.

17. In al-Durr al-manthūr, Ibn Abī al-Ḥātim narrates from al-Sudayy: ‘A group of hypocrites gathered that included Julās b. Suwayd b. Ṣāmit, Juḥsh b. Ḥamīr, and Wadīʿa b. Thābit, and they wanted to impugn the Prophet. However, they forbade one another from doing so and said: “We fear that word will reach Muḥammad and you will face the consequences.” One of them said: “Muḥammad is nothing but an ear, we will swear to him that we did no such thing, and he will believe us.” Then the verse was revealed, Among them are those who torment the Prophet, and say, “He is an ear.”’
18. In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is narrated from Ḥammād b. Sinān, from Imām al-Ṣādiq: ‘I wanted to give some commodities to someone to sell in Yemen. So I went to Imām al-Bāqir and told him: “I want to give some commodities to so-and-so to sell in Yemen.” He said to me: “Don’t you know that he drinks wine?” I said: “I have heard the believers say as much.” He said: “Then believe them, for God Almighty says, he has faith in Allah and has faith towards the faithful, meaning that he believes God and he believes what the faithful tell him because he was most-kind and most merciful to the faithful.”’

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1. In fact, like the slave and the debtor, the charity is spent for the traveller’s welfare but not given directly to him. In this case, it is spent on a mount and provisions to convey him to his homeland. (Trans.) ↩︎