192 Page Notes

09 Surah At-Tawbah (continued)

Page 192 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

9:32

9:33

9:34

9:35

9:36

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 192 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 191 of the Quran contains Surah At-Tawbah (9), verses 32 through 36. 

These verses deal with the preservation of monotheism against theological distortion, an intense warning regarding the financial corruption of religious elites, and the definitive standardization of time and the lunar calendar under Islamic law.

1. Verses 32–33: The Perfection of the Message

“They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it. It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion...” (Quran 9:32–33)

Authentic Hadith Reference: The Triumph of the Light

These verses provided immense psychological reassurance to the early Muslim community during times of heavy regional and global opposition (such as the looming threat from the Byzantine Empire during the Tabuk expedition). The Prophet ﷺ explicitly mirrored the promise of Verse 33 in his statements about the future of the faith:

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "This matter (Islam) will certainly reach every place touched by the night and the day. Allah will not leave a house of clay or hair except that He will cause this religion to enter it, bringing honor to the honorable or humiliation to the disgraceful." — Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 4, Hadith 16957 (Authenticated by Al-Arna'ut).

2. Verse 34: The Hoarding of Wealth by Clergy and Laypeople

“O you who have believed, indeed many of the scholars and the monks devour the wealth of people unjustly and avert [them] from the way of Allah. And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah—give them tidings of a painful punishment.” (Quran 9:34)

The Sunnah Clarification: What Constitutes "Hoarding" (Kanz)

When this verse was revealed, the severe warning against accumulating gold and silver deeply terrified the companions, who worried that holding onto any personal savings or family inheritance would doom them.

Narrated Ibn Umar: "A Bedouin came to me and said: 'Inform me about the statement of Allah: And those who hoard gold and silver...'

Ibn Umar replied: 'Any wealth on which the Zakat (obligatory charity) is paid is not considered a hoarded treasure (Kanz), even if it is buried deep under the earth. But any wealth on which Zakat is not paid is considered Kanz (hoarded treasure) which will burn its owner, even if it is left visible on the face of the earth.'" — Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 24 (Book of Zakat), Hadith 1404.

The Prophetic Remedy: The Ultimate Treasure

To ease the anxiety of the companions regarding this verse, the Prophet ﷺ redirected their understanding from material hoarding to spiritual and domestic wealth:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: When the verse 'And those who hoard gold and silver...' was revealed, it distressed the Muslims. Umar ibn al-Khattab said he would resolve their anxiety. He went to the Prophet ﷺ and expressed their fear.

The Prophet ﷺ explained: "Allah has only made Zakat obligatory to purify the remainder of your property, and He only ordained inheritances to distribute wealth to those who come after you."

Umar shouted in relief, "Allah is the Greatest!"

The Prophet ﷺ then added: "Shall I not inform you of the best treasure a man can store up? It is a righteous spouse; when he looks at her, she pleases him, when he commands her, she obeys him, and when he is away from her, she guards his interests." — Sunan Abi Dawud, Book 9 (Book of Zakat), Hadith 1664.

3. Verse 36: The Twelve Months and the Four Sacred Months

“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion [i.e., way], so do not wrong yourselves during them...” (Quran 9:36)

Authentic Hadith Reference: Standardizing Time (The Farewell Sermon)

Prior to this revelation, the pagan Arabs practiced a custom called Nasi' (intercalation). They would arbitrarily add months to the lunar calendar or shift the positioning of the sacred months to bypass the divine prohibition of warfare when it conflicted with their geopolitical or trade interests.

During his historic Farewell Pilgrimage (10 AH), the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explicitly invoked Verse 36 to permanently end this practice and anchor time to its original cosmic order.

The Islamic Hijri calendar tracks time purely by lunar cycles. Source: Olesia Lapshina / Getty Images

Narrated Abu Bakrah: The Prophet ﷺ delivered a sermon during his Farewell Hajj and declared: "Time has rotated back to its original state as it was on the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred. Three are in succession: Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and al-Muharram; and the fourth is Rajab of the Mudar tribe, which stands between Jumada [al-Thani] and Sha'ban." — Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 64 (Book of Military Expeditions), Hadith 4406; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1679.

The Sunnah of "Not Wronging Yourselves"

The phrase "so do not wrong yourselves during them" was heavily commented upon by the companions. The legislative Sunnah dictates that while sins are forbidden year-round, committing injustices, violence, or oppression during these four designated months carries an amplified, far more severe spiritual penalty. Conversely, staging righteous deeds and maintaining peace during these windows yields heightened spiritual rewards.

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. (1997). Sahih al-Bukhari (Vols. 1-9). Darussalam Publishers.

• Al-Naysaburi, M. H. (2007). Sahih Muslim (Vols. 1-7). Darussalam Publishers.

• Al-Sijistani, Abu Dawud (2008). Sunan Abi Dawud. Darussalam Publishers.

• Al-Shaybani, Ahmad ibn Hanbal (2012). Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Al-Resalah Publishers.

Verification of Primary Source Indexing:

• The Definition of Kanz: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Zakat, Chapter: The Obligation of Zakat, Hadith 1404.

• The Best Treasure: Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Zakat, Hadith 1664 (Graded Sahih / Authentic).

• The Farewell Sermon on Time: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Military Expeditions, Hadith 4406.