Surah At-Tawba
Chapter 9 · Verse 83 · Revealed in Madinah
“If Allah should return you to a faction of them [after the expedition] and then they ask your permission to go out [to battle], say, "You will not go out with me, ever, and you will never fight with me an enemy. Indeed, you were satisfied with sitting [at home] the first time, so sit [now] with those who stay behind."”
Translation: Saheeh International
Listen to recitation
Mishary Rashid Alafasy
Reflection — Ibn Kathir
Hypocrites are barred from participating in Jihad
Allah commands His Messenger, peace be upon him,
فَإِن رَّجَعَكَ اللَّهُ
Reflection — Maarif ul Quran
The statement: لَّن تَخْرُجُوا (Ian takhruju ... you shall never march) in the second verse (83) has been explained by Maulana Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi (رح) in the summary of his Tafsir Bay-an a1-Qur'an. According to him, ` even if these people intend to participate in a future Jihad, they would get out of it when they want to, under one or the other pretext; and since they do not have faith in their heart, their intention too will not be backed by sincerity. Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was commanded that, even if they want to take part in a Jihad, he should tell them the truth that he does not trust their word and deed. So, they would neither go for Jihad nor fight an enemy of Islam in his company.'
Most of the commentators have said that this injunction has been enforced as their punishment in the present world, that is, even if they themselves were to make a request that they be allowed to take part in Jihad, even then, they should not be allowed to do that.
What does this verse bring up for you today?