Tafseer of The Repentance · At-Tawba · 9:71
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those - Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
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 word: وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أُولَئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ (71) ("And the believing men and the believing women are protectors (awliyāʾ) of one another; they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and they perform the ritual prayer (ṣalāh) and give the obligatory alms (zakāh), and they obey Allah and His Messenger. Upon these Allah will bestow His mercy. Indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Wise." (71))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: And as for "the believing men and the believing women" — and they are those who hold true Allah and His Messenger and the signs of His Book — indeed, their distinguishing mark is: that they are helpers and supporters of one another. "They enjoin what is right" — He says: they enjoin upon the people faith in Allah and His Messenger, and in what he has brought from Allah — "and forbid what is wrong" — "and they perform the ritual prayer" — He says: and they fulfill the obligatory prayer — "and give the obligatory alms" — He says: and they give the obligatory zakāh to those entitled to it — "and they obey Allah and His Messenger" — so that they follow the command of Allah and His Messenger and refrain from what they have forbidden them. "Upon these Allah will bestow His mercy" — He says: these, those who bear this distinguishing mark, are the ones upon whom Allah will bestow mercy, so that He saves them from His punishment and admits them into His garden (janna) — not the people of hypocrisy and the denial of Allah and His Messenger, who forbid what is right, enjoin what is wrong, and withhold their hands from rendering the right of Allah out of their possessions. "Indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Wise" — He says: indeed, Allah is a possessor of power in His retribution against whomever He retaliates against among His creatures for their disobedience to Him and their disbelief in Him; no hinderer prevents Him from the retribution against him, and no helper helps him against Him. "All-Wise" (ḥakīm), in His retribution against them, and in all His deeds.
* * *
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
16938 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ ibn Anas, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya, who said: Everything that Allah has mentioned in the Qurʾān concerning "the enjoining of what is right and the forbidding of what is wrong" — well, "the enjoining of what is right" is the call from shirk to Islam, and "the forbidding of what is wrong" is the forbidding of the worship of the idols and the devils.
16939 — ...... he said: ʿAbdallāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: "they perform the ritual prayer," he said: the five prayers.
