Reflection of Surah Tawbah

Surah Tawbah gets its name from the many verses it contains that emphasize the nature and conditions of repentance. It is also called Bara'a, release, taken from the first word in the Surah. A third name for this surah is Fadiha (exposure). While surah Tawbah is unique in many ways, the first and most obvious distinction from other surahs is that it does not begin with the Basmallah. There is no other surah in the Qur'an with this characteristic. Surah Tawbah is a Medinan surah, the beginning of which was revealed after the Battle of Tabuk. That year Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) served as the leader for Hajj. Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) later followed to convey Surah Bara'a to the Meccans, a declaration of the ending of the Jahiliya period. It was one of the last chapters revealed to the Beloved Prophet (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). Surah Tawbah is a continuation of the end of Surah Anfal, discussing treaties. Surah Tawbah concludes the "seven long surahs".

This ninth chapter of the Qur'an covers the phenomenon of hypocrisy and the characters of the hypocrites, such as staying behind in times of battle and erecting a masjid in order to gather believers and then cause division between them. But Allah swt exposes the hypocrites and reminds the believers not to become anxious, that indeed Allah is aware of all of their plans and all that transpires. He ordered the Prophet (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) to destroy the Masjid Dirar built by the hypocrites. It is from stories such as these that Allah makes it clear that though people may try to bring division or cause destruction in the name of religion, they will not succeed as there is no place for it in Islam.

Verse 18 discusses the importance of taking care of masajid, as well as the characteristics of people who help to establish them. Today as a community, we have to work to maintain our institutions and mosques. A Masjid is a place where a person should feel a sense of community and a sense of love, an environment of brotherhood and sisterhood.

Surah Tawbah also mentions the behaviors of human beings in regards to accepting the order of Allah. Allah swt recognizes the laziness of the human in responding to His call. He swt mentions the habit of holding back and not spending for the sake of Allah, especially in the matter of Zakah. This is covered in verses 34 and 35. While we know that Allah is never in need of our obedience, He reminds us of those that need us to execute the command of Allah. In verse 60 Allah swt declares the categories of those worthy of Zakah. They are our brothers and sisters who need us to stand up and fulfill our responsibilities by giving them what is already rightfully theirs. We must remember that these are not people in distant parts of the word, but brothers and sisters who walk the halls of the very mosque that we do. Who are we to deny them what Allah has already made theirs?

Often times people are hesitant to part with material things, such as money, because of the effort that was put forth to earn it. Allah swt reminds us in verse 75 and 76 that while effort on our part is a means to obtaining wealth, the source is Allah. The believers are reminded in times of difficulty we often seek Allah's assistance and promise to use what blessings He provides us in His way. But when He provides, we turn our backs and forget the promises that were made. Unfortunately this stems from people failing to put their full trust in Allah swt. In verse 40 Allah swt reminds us that we must have unshakable belief in Allah and His Messenger. He reminds us of the story of Prophet Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr as they fled from the capture by the Meccans. Abu Bakr turned to the Prophet of Allah, while hiding in the cave, and said, "O Rasul Allah, those people are at the door of the cave. If one were to look down, they would see us". The Prophet (peace be upon him) responded, "O Abu Bakr, what do you think about two people, and Allah is the third?" The lesson being that if we are striving in the way of Allah and putting our trust in Him, we do not have to fear anything or be sad, for we are in the company of Allah swt. This concept of being in Allah's presence through striving for what He has commanded is an extremely important and relevant concept for Muslims today. It reminds us that so long as we have Allah on our side, nothing else matters and in times of difficulty or hardship, Allah will be our source of comfort and ease.

Sacrificing in the way of Allah swt is probably most relevant to us now in this month of Ramadan. May of us give more of our time and wealth during this month, as we are encouraged to do. Some may be able to do more than others. In verse 79, Allah swt emphasizes the importance of never belittling the deeds or efforts of another person. He forbids mockery of another person's actions. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made every effort to unify the Muslims into a strong ummah, supportive of each other. It is important for us to follow in that example and to appreciate every effort that people make. Allah swt judges on the quality of the intention, we should not then make it our place to judge on the quantity of something material or worldly. A person's twenty five cents may out weight twenty-five dollars if the intention of the former is more pure than that of the latter, so leave the judgment to Allah.

Allah swt concludes this surah with a beautiful dual. When we say this dua, Allah will bring us comfort and ease. "Allah sufficeth me: There is no god but He: On Him is my trust- He the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme." 9:129