Tafseer of The Repentance · At-Tawba · 9:76
But when he gave them from His bounty, they were stingy with it and turned away while they refused.
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.
Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says: thus did Allah provide for them and grant them of His bounty = فَلَمَّا آتَاهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ بَخِلُوا بِهِ (and when He granted them of His bounty, they were miserly with it), with the bounty of Allah which He granted them, and they gave no alms from it, nor did they maintain ties of kinship with it, nor did they spend anything of it in the right of Allah = وَتَوَلَّوْا (and they turned away), He says: and they turned away from the covenant which they had made with Allah = وَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ (while they are averse), from it = (so He caused to follow it) Allah = (hypocrisy in their hearts), on account of their miserliness with the right of Allah which He had imposed upon them concerning what He had granted them of His bounty, and on account of their breaking of the promise which they had made to Allah, and their violating of His covenant, in their hearts = (until the Day on which they will meet Him, because they did not fulfill to Allah what they had promised Him), of almsgiving and spending in His way = (and because they used to lie), in their claim; and He denied them the penitent return (tawba) from it, because the Exalted made it a condition of their hypocrisy that He would cause it to follow them until the Day on which they would meet Him, and that is the day of their death and their departure from the world.
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And the people of interpretation differed concerning whom this verse intends.
Some of them said: by it is intended a man called Thaʿlaba ibn Ḥāṭib, of the Anṣār.
* Mention of who said that:
16986 - Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to us, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ (and among them is he who made a covenant with Allah: if He grants us of His bounty...), the verse: and that was because a man called Thaʿlaba ibn Ḥāṭib, of the Anṣār, came to an assembly and took them as witnesses and said: if Allah grants me of His bounty, I will give every one who has a right his right, give alms from it, and maintain the ties of kinship with it! Then Allah tested him and granted him of His bounty, but he broke what he had promised Allah, and he provoked Allah's wrath by breaking what he had promised. Then Allah recounted his case in the Qurʾān: وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ (and among them is he who made a covenant with Allah), the verse, up to His word (they lie).
16987 - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Hishām ibn ʿAmmār related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Shuʿayb related to us, saying: Maʿān ibn Rifāʿa al-Sulamī related to us, on the authority of Abū ʿAbd al-Malik ʿAlī ibn Yazīd al-Ilhānī: that he informed him on the authority of al-Qāsim ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān: that he informed him on the authority of Abū Umāma al-Bāhilī, on the authority of Thaʿlaba ibn Ḥāṭib al-Anṣārī, that he said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: pray to Allah that He grant me wealth! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Woe to you, O Thaʿlaba, a small amount for which you render thanks is better than a great one which you cannot bear!" He said: then he said it again, and he said: "Are you not content to be like the prophet of Allah? For by Him in whose hand is my soul, if I wished that the mountains would travel along with me as gold and silver, they would travel along!" He said: by Him who sent you with the truth, if you call upon Allah and He grants me wealth, I will surely give every one who has a right his right! Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "O Allah, grant Thaʿlaba wealth!" He said: then he acquired sheep, and they multiplied as worms multiply, until Medina became too narrow for him; he withdrew from it and settled in one of its valleys, until he was performing the noon and afternoon prayers in congregation (jamāʿa), but neglecting the rest. Then they multiplied and increased, and he withdrew further, until he neglected the prayers except the Friday prayer (jumuʿa), while they multiplied as worms multiply, until he neglected the Friday prayer as well. He began to await the riders on Friday and to ask them for news. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "What has Thaʿlaba done?" They said: O Messenger of Allah, he has acquired sheep and Medina has become too narrow for him! And they informed him of his condition. He said: "Woe to Thaʿlaba! Woe to Thaʿlaba! Woe to Thaʿlaba!" He said: and Allah revealed: خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً [Surah Al-Tawba: 103] (Take from their wealth an alms) the verse, and the ordinances of the alms (ṣadaqa) were revealed to him. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent out two men for the alms, a man of the Juhayna and a man of the Sulaym, and he wrote down for them how they should collect the alms of the Muslims, and he said to them: pass by Thaʿlaba and by such-and-such a man — a man of the Banū Sulaym — and collect their alms! They set out until they came to Thaʿlaba and asked him for the alms and read to him the writing of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said: this is nothing but a poll-tax (jizya)! This is nothing but the sister of the poll-tax! I do not know what this is! Go on until you are finished and then come back to me. They went on, and the Sulamī heard of them, and he looked at the best of his camels in age, and set it apart for the alms, and went out to meet them with it. When they saw it, they said: this you are not obliged to give, and we do not wish to take this from you. He said: nay, take it, for my soul is content with it, and it indeed belongs to me! So they took it from him. When they had finished with their alms, they returned until they passed by Thaʿlaba. He said: let me see your writing! He looked into it and said: this is nothing but the sister of the poll-tax! Go on until I consider my decision. They went on until they came to the Prophet ﷺ, and when he saw them, he said, before he spoke with them: "Woe to Thaʿlaba!" and he prayed for the Sulamī for blessing. They informed him of what Thaʿlaba had done and what the Sulamī had done, and Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed concerning him: وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (and among them is he who made a covenant with Allah: if He grants us of His bounty, we will surely give alms and surely be among the righteous), up to His word (and because they used to lie). And with the Messenger of Allah was a man of the kinsfolk of Thaʿlaba who heard that; he set out until he came to him and said: woe to you, O Thaʿlaba! Allah has revealed concerning you such-and-such! Then Thaʿlaba set out until he came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him to accept his alms from him. He said: "Allah has forbidden me to accept your alms from you!" Then he began to throw dust on his head, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him: "This is your own doing; I commanded you, but you did not obey me!" When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ refused to receive it, he returned to his dwelling, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died without having accepted anything from him. Then he came to Abū Bakr when he had been appointed caliph and said: you know my position with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and my standing among the Anṣār, so accept my alms! Abū Bakr said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not accept it, should I then accept it! Then Abū Bakr died without having received it. When ʿUmar held authority, he came to him and said: O Commander of the Believers, accept my alms! He said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not accept it, nor did Abū Bakr, should I then accept it from you! Then he died without having received it. After that ʿUthmān — may Allah have mercy on him — held authority, and he came to him and asked him to accept his alms. He said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not accept it, nor Abū Bakr, nor ʿUmar — may Allah's good pleasure be upon them both — should I then accept it from you! So he did not accept it from him. And Thaʿlaba perished during the caliphate of ʿUthmān — may Allah have mercy on him.
16988 - Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ (and among them is he who made a covenant with Allah: if He grants us of His bounty), the verse: we were told that a man of the Anṣār passed by an assembly of the Anṣār and said: if Allah grants him wealth, he will give every one who has a right his right! Then Allah granted him wealth, and he did with it what you hear. He said: فَلَمَّا آتَاهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ بَخِلُوا بِهِ (and when He granted them of His bounty, they were miserly with it), up to His word (and because they used to lie). We were told that the prophet of Allah ﷺ recounted that Mūsā — peace and blessings be upon him — when he brought the Torah to the children of Israel, the children of Israel said: the Torah is vast, and we have no time for it; so ask for us of your Lord a concise set of commandments to which we may hold and after which we may free ourselves for our livelihood! He said: O people, gently, gently! This is the Book of Allah, the light of Allah and the protection of Allah! He said: they repeated it to him, and he repeated it to them; he said it three times. He said: then Allah revealed to Mūsā: what are My servants saying? He said: O Lord, they say such-and-such. He said: I command them three things; if they hold to them, they will thereby enter the Garden (janna): that they hold to the division of the inheritance (mīrāth) and commit no injustice therein, that they not cast their glances into the houses until permission is given to them, and that they not eat any food until they have performed the ablution of prayer. He said: the prophet of Allah ﷺ returned with that to his people, and they rejoiced and supposed that they would observe it. He said: but by Allah, the people remained thus only a short time, until they deviated and it was severed from them. When the prophet of Allah ﷺ had recounted this report about the children of Israel, he said: guarantee me six things, and I will guarantee you the Garden! They said: what are they, O Messenger of Allah? He said: when you speak, do not lie; when you promise something, do not break it; when something is entrusted to you, do not betray it; and restrain your glances, your hands, and your private parts: your glances from betrayal, your hands from theft (sariqa), and your private parts from fornication (zinā).
16989 - Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, that the Prophet ﷺ used to say: three characteristics, in whomever they are present, he has become a hypocrite (munāfiq), even if he fasts and prays and claims that he is a Muslim: when he speaks, he lies; when something is entrusted to him, he betrays it; and when he promises something, he breaks it.
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And others said: nay, by this verse two men are intended: one is Thaʿlaba, and the other Muʿattib ibn Qushayr.
* Mention of who said that:
16990 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn ʿUbayd, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ (and among them is he who made a covenant with Allah: if He grants us of His bounty) the verse, and those among them who made the covenant with Allah were: Thaʿlaba ibn Ḥāṭib and Muʿattib ibn Qushayr, and they both belonged to the Banū ʿAmr ibn ʿAwf.
16991 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ (and among them is he who made a covenant with Allah: if He grants us of His bounty), he said: two men went out to a gathering that was seated, and said: by Allah, if Allah provides for us, we will surely give alms! But when He provided for them, they were miserly with it.
16992 - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ (and among them is he who made a covenant with Allah: if He grants us of His bounty), two men went out to a gathering that was seated, and said: by Allah, if Allah provides for us, we will surely give alms!
