202 Page Notes

09 Surah At-Tawbah (continued)

Page 202 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

9:94

9:95

9:96

9:97

9:98

9:99

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 202 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 202 of the Quran covers Surah At-Tawbah (Chapter 9), verses 94 through 99. The historical backdrop of these verses is the Expedition of Tabuk (9 AH), a major military expedition led by Prophet Muhammad. This specific section of the Surah deals aggressively with two groups: the urban hypocrites (Munafiqun) who stayed behind making excuses, and the desert nomads (A'rab or Bedouins), detailing their varying degrees of faith, harshness, and sincerity.

Classical works of Tafsir (such as Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Tafsir al-Qurtubi) record specific Hadiths and Sunnah traditions that directly explain or contextualize these verses.

1. Verses 94–96: The Hypocrites and Their Excuses

"They will present excuses to you when you return to them. Say, 'Make no excuse, never will we believe you...' " (Quran 9:94)

When Prophet Muhammad returned to Medina after the arduous campaign at Tabuk, the hypocrites who had remained behind rushed to offer false explanations under oath to escape accountability.

• The Hadith Context (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim): In the famous lengthy Hadith of Ka'b ibn Malik (one of the three sincere believers who failed to join the battle but told the absolute truth), Ka'b describes this exact scene upon the Prophet's arrival:
  "When the Messenger of Allah arrived [in Medina], he sat down to receive the people. Those who had remained behind came and started making excuses, swearing oaths to him. There were over eighty men. The Messenger of Allah accepted their public declarations, took their pledges of allegiance, asked forgiveness for them, and left their inner secrets to Allah. Then I came forward..." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 64, Hadith 431). Verses 94-96 were revealed precisely regarding those eighty-plus men who swore false oaths to stay in the good graces of the Muslim community.

2. Verses 97–98: The Harshness of Certain Bedouins

"The Bedouins are stronger in disbelief and hypocrisy and more likely not to know the limits of what Allah has revealed to His Messenger..." (Quran 9:97) "And among the Bedouins are those who consider what they spend as a loss and await for you turns of misfortune..." (Quran 9:98)

These verses criticize the rugged lifestyle of the desert nomads (A'rab), noting that their isolation from the Prophet’s educational assemblies in Medina left them prone to severe spiritual ignorance, hard-heartedness, and resentment over paying Zakat (mandatory charity), which they viewed as a financial penalty or tax rather than worship.

• The Sunnah Warning Against "Bedouinism" (Ta'arrub): The Prophet emphasized that prolonged isolation in the deep desert strips away refinement and empathy. In a well-known Sunnah tradition, the Messenger of Allah said:
  "He who lives in the desert becomes harsh/rough; he who pursues game becomes negligent; and he who approaches the doors of the ruler is put to trial." (Sunan Abi Dawud, 2859; Sunan an-Nasa'i, 4309). This lack of civic and spiritual refinement directly links to why verse 97 defines them as "more likely not to know the limits." (Al-Qaradawi, n.d.).

• The Narrative of the Urinating Bedouin: To contextualize this characteristic harshness and ignorance, classical scholars frequently cite the famous Sunnah narrative in Sahih al-Bukhari. A Bedouin entered the Prophet's Mosque in Medina and began to urinate in a corner. The Companions shouted to stop him, but the Prophet demonstrated prophetic gentleness (Rifq), telling them:
  "Leave him alone and pour a bucket of water over his urine. You have been sent to make things easy, not to make things difficult." (Sahih al-Bukhari, 220). This event illustrates the exact ignorance of structural religious limits ("limits of what Allah has revealed") that the Quran attributes to the remote desert-dwellers of that era.

3. Verse 99: The Sincere Bedouins

"But among the Bedouins are those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and consider what they spend as means of nearness to Allah and of [obtaining] the prayers of the Messenger..." (Quran 9:99)

Lest the text be taken as a blanket condemnation of all desert dwellers, verse 99 establishes an immediate, crucial exception for the righteous Bedouins who gave their charity cheerfully, seeking the Prophet's du'a (prayers).

• The Sunnah of the Prophet's Prayer for the Givers: The verse states that sincere believers spent wealth to receive "the prayers of the Messenger." The Sunnah clearly outlines how the Prophet fulfilled this exact expectation. Whenever a tribal delegation or an individual brought their Zakat or Sadaqah to him, it was his established practice to pray explicitly for them and their families.
  Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa narrated:
  "Whenever a people brought their charity to the Prophet, he would say: 'O Allah, send prayers/blessings upon them.' When my father brought his charity to him, the Prophet said: 'O Allah, send blessings upon the family of Abu Awfa.'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 24, Hadith 528; Sahih Muslim, 1078).

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. (n.d.). Sahih al-Bukhari.

• Al-Qaradawi, Y. (n.d.). The Sunnah: A Source of Civilization. Islamicstudies.info.

• Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. (n.d.). Sahih Muslim.

• Sijistani, Abu Dawud. (n.d.). Sunan Abi Dawud.