Surah At-Tawba

Chapter 9 · Verse 112 · Revealed in Madinah

ٱلتَّٰٓئِبُونَ ٱلْعَٰبِدُونَ ٱلْحَٰمِدُونَ ٱلسَّٰٓئِحُونَ ٱلرَّٰكِعُونَ ٱلسَّٰجِدُونَ ٱلْءَامِرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱلنَّاهُونَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْحَٰفِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

[Such believers are] the repentant, the worshippers, the praisers [of Allah], the travelers [for His cause], those who bow and prostrate [in prayer], those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and those who observe the limits [set by] Allah. And give good tidings to the believers.

Translation: Saheeh International

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Mishary Rashid Alafasy

Reflection — Ibn Kathir

This is the description of the believers from whom Allah has purchased their souls and wealth, who have these beautiful andhonorable qualities,

This is the description of the believers from whom Allah has purchased their souls and wealth, who have these beautiful and honorable qualities,

التَّـئِبُونَ

Reflection — Maarif ul Quran

The last verse (112) which begins with the words: التَّائِبُونَ الْعَابِدُونَ " (They are) those who repent, those who worship...) describes the attributes of the same believers about whom it was said earlier that Allah has bought their lives and their wealth from the believers, against which Paradise shall be for them. Though, the verse was revealed as relating to a particular group of participants in the Bai'atu al-'Aqabah, but the sense of the verse covers all mujahidin in the way of Allah. As for the list of their attributes which opens with: التَّائِبُونَ (those who repent), they are not there as a condition, because the promise of Paradise has been made for Jihad in the way of Allah, in an absolute sense. The purpose behind the delineation of these attributes is to stress that those who deserve Paradise do have such attributes - as was specially the case with the noble Companions ؓ who were a party to Bai'atu al-'Aqabah.

The word: السَّائِحُونَ (as-sa'ihun: translated literally as ` those who journey' ), according to the majority of commentators, means those who fast صَّائِمِونَ (sa'imun). Actually, this word has been derived from: سِیَاحہ (siyahah: journey, pilgrimage). Before Islam, siyahah was taken to be an act of worship in the Christian religion that meant leaving home for the sake of worship. Islam declared it to be monasticism, and prohibited it. It was replaced with fasting as an act of worship. The reason is that siyahah taught disengagement from worldly life while fasting taught that one should abstain from worldly desires for a limited period of time living at home. It is on the same basis that Jihad too has been equated with siyahah in some reports. Ibn Majah, Hakim and Baihaqi have authentically reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: سِیَاحَۃُ اُمَّتِی اَلجِھَادُ فِی سَبِیلِ اللہِ (The siyahah of my ummah is Jihad in the way of Allah).

What does this verse bring up for you today?

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