Tafseer of The Repentance · At-Tawba · 9:99
But among the bedouins are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day and consider what they spend as means of nearness to Allah and of [obtaining] invocations of the Messenger. Unquestionably, it is a means of nearness for them. Allah will admit them to His mercy. Indeed, 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: وَمِنَ الأَعْرَابِ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَيَتَّخِذُ مَا يُنْفِقُ قُرُبَاتٍ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَصَلَوَاتِ الرَّسُولِ أَلا إِنَّهَا قُرْبَةٌ لَهُمْ سَيُدْخِلُهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (99) ("And among the bedouins (al-aʿrāb) there are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and who regard what they spend as means of nearness to Allah and to the prayers of the Messenger. Indeed, it is for them truly a means of nearness; Allah will admit them into His mercy. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.") (99)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: And among the bedouins there are some who hold Allah to be truthful and acknowledge His oneness, as well as the resurrection after death, the reward and the punishment, and who, with what they spend on expenditures in the armed struggle (qitāl) against the polytheists (mushrikīn) and on their expedition with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, seek means of nearness to Allah. "Al-qurubāt" is the plural of "qurba", and that is what brings a person nearer to the pleasure and love of Allah. And to the prayers (ṣalawāt) of the Messenger. By this He means: and with the expenditure of what he spends he seeks, besides seeking his nearness to Allah, the supplication (duʿāʾ) of the Messenger and his asking forgiveness for him.
And we have already shown earlier in our book that among the meanings of "al-ṣalāh" is supplication, in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat this in this place.
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And in accordance with what we have said about this, the interpreters of the Qurʾān (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
17095 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to us, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word and to the prayers of the Messenger: he means: the asking of forgiveness by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
17096 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: and among the bedouins there are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day and who regard what they spend as means of nearness to Allah and to the prayers of the Messenger, he said: the supplication of the Messenger. He said: this is the exception (thaniyya) that Allah makes among the bedouins.
17097 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: and among the bedouins there are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day, he said: they are the Banū Muqarrin, of Muzayna, and they are those concerning whom Allah said: وَلا عَلَى الَّذِينَ إِذَا مَا أَتَوْكَ لِتَحْمِلَهُمْ قُلْتَ لا أَجِدُ مَا أَحْمِلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ تَوَلَّوْا وَأَعْيُنُهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ حَزَنًا ("Nor against those who, when they came to you that you might give them mounts, and you said: I find nothing upon which to mount you, turned away while their eyes overflowed with tears out of grief") [Sūrat al-Tawba: 92]. He said: they are the Banū Muqarrin, of Muzayna. He said: Ḥajjāj related to me, saying: Ibn Jurayj said concerning His word: الأَعْرَابُ أَشَدُّ كُفْرًا وَنِفَاقًا ("The bedouins are more severe in disbelief (kufr) and hypocrisy (nifāq)"), then He made an exception and said: and among the bedouins there are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day, the āyah.
17098 — Aḥmad related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of al-Bukhtarī ibn al-Mukhtār al-ʿAbdī, saying: I heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Maʿqil say: we were with ten sons of Muqarrin, and concerning us was revealed: and among the bedouins there are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day, to the end of the āyah.
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Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah said: indeed, it is for them truly a means of nearness (qurba). The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: indeed, the prayers of the Messenger are for them a means of nearness to Allah.
And it may also mean: indeed, the expenditure which he spends is likewise a means of nearness for them to Allah. Allah will admit them into His mercy. He says: Allah will admit them among those to whom He is merciful, so that by His mercy He admits them into the Garden (janna). Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, for what they have done wrong, Merciful, toward them, in that He does not punish them, together with their repentance and their amendment.