Surah At-Tawba

Chapter 9 · Verse 13 · Revealed in Madinah

أَلَا تُقَٰتِلُونَ قَوْمًۭا نَّكَثُوٓا۟ أَيْمَٰنَهُمْ وَهَمُّوا۟ بِإِخْرَاجِ ٱلرَّسُولِ وَهُم بَدَءُوكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ ۚ أَتَخْشَوْنَهُمْ ۚ فَٱللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَوْهُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Would you not fight a people who broke their oaths and determined to expel the Messenger, and they had begun [the attack upon] you the first time? Do you fear them? But Allah has more right that you should fear Him, if you are [truly] believers.

Translation: Saheeh International

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Mishary Rashid Alafasy

Reflection — Ibn Kathir

Encouragement to fight the Disbelievers, and some Benefits of fighting Them

These Ayat encourage, direct and recommend fighting against the idolators who break the terms of their covenants, those who tried to expel the Messenger from Makkah. Allah said in other Ayat,

وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَـكِرِينَ

Reflection — Maarif ul Quran

After that, to persuade Muslims to fight, they were told in verse 13 that there was no reason why they would not be ready to fight against the kind of people who had conspired to expel the Messenger of Allah. This refers to the Jews of Madinah who had hatched a plan to expel the Holy Prophet ﷺ from the city of Madinah. They had said: لَيُخْرِ‌جَنَّ الْأَعَزُّ مِنْهَا الْأَذَلَّ (the one having more honor and power will certainly expel the one being humble and weak from there - 63:8). In their self-view, they were the people of honor and power while Muslims were weak and lowly. The answer they needed was given by Allah Al-mighty in His way. He took their proud statement as it was and made it come true in a manner that the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Companions, by turning the Jews out of Madinah, proved that honor belonged to Muslims and disgrace to Jews.

Giving the second reason for fighting against them, it was said: وَهُم بَدَءُوكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّ‌ةٍ (and it was they who started [ fighting ] against you for the first time). The sense is that they were the aggressors. What Muslims have to do now is simply to defend themselves, an action universally sane and normal.

What does this verse bring up for you today?

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