As-salaam wa-alaikum, brothers and sisters.
Summary
Today’s selection is from Surah 9, At-Tauba or Repentance, verses 30-42. These verses assert Jews and Christians, who call Ezra and Jesus the sons of God, respectively, are mushrikïn. Furthermore, do not be like the rabbis and priests who misappropriate the wealth of the people. Four of the 12 months in the Qur’an are declared sacred and God orders the faithful to bear arms against the unbelievers, if necessary.
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Verses
Bis-millahi ar-rahman, ar-raheem.
In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful.The Jews say: “Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah,” and the Christians say: “Messiah (Christ) is the son of Allah.” That is what they say with their mouths, imitating the sayings of the former unbelievers. May Allah destroy them! How perverted they are![30] They (Jews and Christians) have taken their rabbis and priests to be their Lords beside Allah and so they did with Messiah (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), although they were commanded in the Torah and the Gospel to worship none but One Ilãh (Allah); besides Whom there is none worthy of worship. Exalted be He above those whom they associate with Him.[31] They desire to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths but Allah will not allow it to happen, for He seeks to perfect His light even though the disbelievers may dislike it.[32] It is He Who has sent His Rasool with guidance and true Deen (faith) to make it prevail over all other deens (faiths) even though the mushrikïn (those who associate others with Allah) may hate it.[33] 9:[30-33]
O believers! Indeed most of the (Jewish) rabbis and (Christian) priests misappropriate the wealth of people and hinder them from the way of Allah. To those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah, proclaim a painful punishment.[34] The Day will surely come when their treasure will be heated up in the fire of hell, and their foreheads, sides and backs branded with it. They will be told: “This is the treasure which you hoarded. Now taste what you were hoarding!” [35] 9:[34-35]
The number of months ordained by Allah is twelve in the Book of Allah since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred; that is the established principle of Deen. Therefore, do not wrong yourselves by violating them. But you may fight against the mushrikïn in all these months if they fight against you in all of them. Know that Allah is with the righteous.[36] Transposing a prohibited month is only an addition to unbelief, thereby the disbelievers are misguided. They make a certain month lawful one year and in another year they make the same a forbidden month, so that they make up for the months which Allah has sanctified, thus making lawful what Allah has forbidden. Their evil actions seem pleasing to them. Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.[37] 9:[36-37]
O believers! What is the matter with you that when you are asked to march forth in the way of Allah, you cling to the earth? Do you prefer the life of this world to the life of the hereafter? If it is so, then you should know that the comforts of this life are little compared to the life of the hereafter.[38] If you do not march forth, He will inflict on you a painful punishment and replace you with other people, and you cannot harm Him at all, for Allah has power over everything.[39] If you do not help the Prophet, it does not matter: Allah did help him when the unbelievers drove him out of his town, the second of the two, while the two were in the cave and (the enemy came to the opening of the cave) he said to his companion (Abu Bakr, later the first of the rightly-guided caliphs), “Do not worry, Allah is with us.” So Allah sent down his serenity on him and strengthened him with forces which you can not see, thus, He made the word of the unbelievers lowest, while words of Allah remain supreme. Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.[40] March forth whether you are equipped lightly or heavily and make Jihãd (exert your utmost) in the way of Allah with your wealth and your persons. That is best for you if you understand.[41] As for the hypocrites, if the gain would have been immediate and the journey short, they would have certainly accompanied you, but the long journey (in Tabük expedition) was too hard for them. To justify their not accompanying you, they would even swear by Allah, “If we were able, we would certainly have marched with you.” By doing so, they are destroying their own souls, for Allah knows that they are liars.[42] 9:[38-42]
Ameen.
This concludes today’s episode of the 17 Verses Podcast. I hope that this selection has helped increase your understanding of the holy Qur’an just a little bit.
Thank you and be well.