Tafseer of The Repentance · At-Tawba · 9:53
Say, "Spend willingly or unwillingly; never will it be accepted from you. Indeed, you have been a defiantly disobedient people."
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 discourse on the explanation of His statement: قُلْ أَنْفِقُوا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا لَنْ يُتَقَبَّلَ مِنْكُمْ إِنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ (Say: "Spend, willingly or unwillingly; it will never be accepted from you; truly, you are a wicked people") (9:53).
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is lofty, says to His prophet Muḥammad, the Prophet ﷺ: (Say), O Muḥammad, to these hypocrites (munāfiqūn): spend your possessions as you wish, on this expedition of yours and on others, and in whatever state you wish, whether of your own free will or with reluctance. For if you spend it, Allah will not accept those expenditures from you, while you are in doubt concerning your religion, and in ignorance concerning the prophethood of your prophet, and have an evil knowledge of the reward and the punishment of Allah. إِنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ (truly, you are a wicked people) — He says: people who have departed from belief in your Lord.
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The statement (spend, willingly or unwillingly) is issued in the form of a command, but its meaning is conditional (jazāʾ, a conditional ruling). The Arabs do that in those places where "in" ("if"), which conveys the meaning of a condition, is fitting, just as the Exalted, whose praise is great, said: اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لا تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ (Ask forgiveness for them or ask not forgiveness for them) [Surah At-Tawbah: 80]. That stands in the wording of a command, but its meaning is conditional. To this also belongs the saying of the poet:
Do us evil or do us good — no reproach befalls you with us, nor rejection if you turn away.
So too is His statement (spend, willingly or unwillingly): for its meaning is: if you spend, willingly or unwillingly, then it will not be accepted from you.
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It has been said: this verse was revealed concerning al-Jadd ibn Qays, when he said to the Prophet ﷺ — after the Prophet ﷺ had urged him to march out with him for the campaign (ghazwah) against the Romans: "Here is my wealth, with which I will assist you."
16803 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, who said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: al-Jadd ibn Qays said: "Truly, when I see women, I cannot restrain myself until I fall into temptation; but I will assist you with my wealth!" He said: Concerning that was revealed (spend, willingly or unwillingly, it will never be accepted from you). He said: because of his statement "I will assist you with my wealth."
