Tafseer of The Repentance · At-Tawba · 9:91
There is not upon the weak or upon the ill or upon those who do not find anything to spend any discomfort when they are sincere to Allah and His Messenger. There is not upon the doers of good any cause [for blame]. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
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: لَيْسَ عَلَى الضُّعَفَاءِ وَلا عَلَى الْمَرْضَى وَلا عَلَى الَّذِينَ لا يَجِدُونَ مَا يُنْفِقُونَ حَرَجٌ إِذَا نَصَحُوا لِلَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْسِنِينَ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (91) (There is no blame upon the weak, nor upon the sick, nor upon those who find nothing to spend, so long as they are sincerely loyal to Allah and His Messenger. Against the doers of good there is no way [to punishment]. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (91))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted — may His remembrance be praised — says: There rests upon the chronically infirm and those who are unable to make the journey and the fighting, nor upon the sick, nor upon him who finds no provision by which to transport himself to his theater of battle, any "blame" — and that is sin. He says: upon them there rests no sin, so long as they are sincerely loyal (naṣaḥū) to Allah and His Messenger in their absence from the jihād with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. "Against the doers of good there is no way," that is to say: against him who acts well and is sincerely loyal to Allah and His Messenger in his staying behind, far from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, away from the jihād with him, on account of a valid excuse by which he is excused, there exists no way by which one could take him to task and punish him. "And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful," that is to say: and Allah covers the sins of the doers of good and shrouds them with His forgiveness by pardoning them for that; "Merciful" toward them, that He should punish them for it.
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And it has been mentioned that this āyah was sent down concerning "ʿĀʾidh ibn ʿAmr al-Muzanī".
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And some of them said: concerning "ʿAbdallāh ibn Mughaffal".
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* Mention of those who said: it was sent down concerning "ʿĀʾidh ibn ʿAmr".
17078 — Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: "There is no blame upon the weak, nor upon the sick, nor upon those who find nothing to spend, so long as they are sincerely loyal to Allah and His Messenger" — it was sent down concerning ʿĀʾidh ibn ʿAmr.
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* Mention of those who said: it was sent down concerning "Ibn Mughaffal".
17079 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning his word: "There is no blame upon the weak, nor upon the sick," up to His word: حَزَنًا أَلا يَجِدُوا مَا يُنْفِقُونَ (out of grief that they found nothing to spend). And that was because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had commanded the people to go forth to battle with him. Then a group of his Companions came to him, among whom was "ʿAbdallāh ibn Mughaffal al-Muzanī", and they said: O Messenger of Allah, provide us with a mount. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them: By Allah, I find nothing upon which I can let you ride! Then they turned away, weeping, and it weighed heavily upon them that they had to stay behind from the jihād and found neither provision nor a mount. When Allah saw their longing for His love and the love of His Messenger, He sent down their excuse in His Book and said: "There is no blame upon the weak, nor upon the sick, nor upon those who find nothing to spend," up to His word: فَهُمْ لا يَعْلَمُونَ (so that they do not know).
