Tafseer of The Repentance · At-Tawba · 9:33
It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although they who associate others with Allah dislike it.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of His statement: هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ (33) (He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists hate it.) (9:33)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: Allah is the One who wills nothing other than the completion of His religion, even though those who deny it and reject that hate it. (Who has sent His Messenger), namely Muḥammad ﷺ, (with the guidance), that is to say: with the clarification of the obligations that Allah imposes upon His creatures and all that is incumbent upon them, and with the religion of truth, which is Islam. (that He may make it prevail over all religion), He says: that He may exalt Islam above all creeds. (even though the polytheists hate it), namely that it will prevail over them (the religions), as far as Allah is concerned.
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And the interpreters of the Qurʾān (ahl al-taʾwīl) have differed concerning the meaning of His statement: (that He may make it prevail over all religion).
Some of them said: That is at the coming of ʿĪsā (Jesus), when all creeds will become one.
* Mention of those who said that:
16645- Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān related to us, saying: Shaqīq related to us, saying: Thābit al-Ḥaddād Abū al-Miqdām related to me, on the authority of a sheikh, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, concerning His statement: (that He may make it prevail over all religion), he said: at the time of the coming of ʿĪsā ibn Maryam.
16646- Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ḥumayd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, on the authority of Fuḍayl ibn Marzūq, who said: He who heard Abū Jaʿfar related to me: (that He may make it prevail over all religion), he said: When ʿĪsā, peace be upon him, descends, the adherents of every religion will follow him.
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And others said: The meaning of that is: that He may teach him all the laws of the religion and make him acquainted with them.
* Mention of those who said that:
16647- Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement: (that He may make it prevail over all religion), he said: that Allah may make His Prophet acquainted with the entire matter of the religion, and bestow it upon him in full, so that nothing of it remains hidden from him. And the polytheists (mushrikīn) and the Jews hated that.
