Tafseer of The Repentance · At-Tawba · 9:59
If only they had been satisfied with what Allah and His Messenger gave them and said, "Sufficient for us is Allah; Allah will give us of His bounty, and [so will] His Messenger; indeed, we are desirous toward Allah," [it would have been better for them].
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 the words of the Exalted: And if they had been content with what Allah and His Messenger gave them, and had said: "Allah is sufficient for us; Allah will grant us of His bounty, and His Messenger also; truly, to Allah do we direct our longing" (9:59).
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is sublime, says: And if these people who criticize you, O Muḥammad, concerning the alms (ṣadaqāt) had been content with what Allah and His Messenger had granted them of gift, and with the portion that He had allotted to them — and had said: "Allah is sufficient for us" — He says: and they had said: "Allah is enough for us" — Allah will grant us of His bounty, and His Messenger also — He says: Allah will grant us out of the bounty of His treasuries, and His Messenger will grant us out of the alms and otherwise — truly, to Allah do we direct our longing — He says: and they had said: truly, to Allah do we direct our longing, that He may pour His bounty abundantly upon us, and thus make us independent of the alms and of the rest of the people's gifts and of need for them.
[The footnotes of the printed edition: (22) See the explanation of "ḥasb" as already given earlier, p. 49, note 1, and the references there. (23) See the explanation of "ātā" and "faḍl" in the lexical registers.]
