199 Page Notes

09 Surah At-Tawbah (continued)

Page 199 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

9:73

9:74

9:75

9:76

9:77

9:78

9:79

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 199 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 199 of the Quran covers Surah At-Tawbah (9), verses 73 through 79. This passage documents a critical turning point in the Prophetic era, detailing a formal shift in statecraft toward the hypocrites (Munafiqin) following their treasonous actions during the Expedition of Tabuk (9 AH).

The text addresses explicit assassination plots against the Prophet ﷺ, the deep spiritual disease of backtracking on financial vows, and the cruel psychological bullying targeted at poor companions who donated humble amounts to the defense fund.

1. Verse 73–74: The Assassination Plot at the Cliff (Aqabah)

“O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them... They swear by Allah that they did not say [anything] while they had said the word of disbelief and disbelieved after their [pretense of] Islam and they planned that which they were not to attain…” (Quran 9:73–74)

The Sunnah Context: The Treason at Tabuk

Up until the revelation of Verse 73, the Prophet’s ﷺ Sunnah was to accept the surface-level professions of Islam from the hypocrites, choosing to manage them gently through diplomacy to protect the domestic stability of Medina. This verse officially ordered a firmer, harsher policy.

Authentic Hadith Reference: The Incident of the Cliff (Aqabah)

The clause "they planned that which they were not to attain" refers directly to an assassination plot orchestrated by a dozen hypocrites against the Prophet ﷺ during his journey back from Tabuk.

Narrated Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman: As the Prophet ﷺ was navigating a narrow mountain pass (Aqabah) at night on his return from Tabuk, twelve masked men belonging to the hypocrites rode up swiftly from behind, plotting to crowd his mount and throw him over the steep cliff.

The Prophet ﷺ alerted Hudhayfah (who was leading the camel) and Ammar ibn Yasir (who was steering it from behind). Hudhayfah turned back and struck the faces of the attackers' mounts with a shield, causing them to panic and flee back into the darkness to blend in with the main army.

The Prophet ﷺ then revealed the secret names of all twelve conspirators exclusively to Hudhayfah, earning Hudhayfah his unique title in the Sunnah: “The Keeper of the Secret of the Messenger of Allah.” — Summarized from Sahih Muslim, Book 50 (Characteristics of the Hypocrites), Hadiths 7035–7037.

2. Verses 75–77: The Traitorous Economics of Broken Oaths

“And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah, [saying], 'If He should give us from His bounty, we will surely give charity and be among the righteous.' But when He gave them from His bounty, they were stingy with it and turned away... So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they shall meet Him...” (Quran 9:75–77)

The Sunnah Lesson: Wealth Exposing Character

While classical histories often attribute this verse to a man named Tha'labah ibn Hatib (who begged for wealth, grew vastly rich via livestock, and subsequently abandoned prayers and Zakat), analytical Hadith specialists treat the verse as a broad warning regarding the structural psychology of greed.

• The Law of Reciprocity: The Sunnah emphasizes that the hypocrites viewed charity as a financial loss rather than a spiritual investment. They routinely promised allegiance and philanthropy while they were broke, but the moment their personal trade or agricultural investments yielded high returns, they backtracked on their agreements.

• The Penalization: Verse 77 outlines a terrifying spiritual law: breaking a solemn vow made to God directly poisons the spiritual heart, cementing hypocrisy (Nifaq) as a permanent condition.

3. Verse 79: The Public Bullying of Poor Donors

“Those who criticize the contributors among the believers concerning [their] charities and [criticize] those who find nothing except their effort, so they mock them—Allah will mock them, and they will have a painful punishment.” (Quran 9:79)

Authentic Hadith Reference: The Struggle to Donate (Sahih al-Bukhari)

When Verse 29 of this Surah demanded heavy financial backing to fund the massive mobilization to Tabuk, the wealthy companions gave astronomical amounts (e.g., Abu Bakr gave his entire fortune, and Uthman equipped a third of the army). The hypocrites immediately claimed they were just "showing off."

Conversely, the poorest workers of Medina had absolutely nothing of value to offer. The Hadith literature preserves their incredible grit and the cruel mockery they endured:

Narrated Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari: "When the verses of charity were revealed, we used to work as laborers carrying heavy loads on our backs down at the marketplace to earn a meager wage.

A man came and gave a remarkably large amount in charity, and the hypocrites sneered, 'He only did that to show off!'

Then another man (identified in histories as Abu Aqil) arrived and presented a humble donation consisting of a single Sa' (approx. a small bowl/handful) of dates, explaining that he had worked all night pulling water to earn two Sa's of dates—leaving one Sa' to feed his starving children and bringing the other Sa' to the Prophet ﷺ.

The hypocrites burst out laughing and mocked him, saying: 'Verily, Allah stands in no need of this guy's single bowl of dates!'

Upon this exact cruel interaction, Allah immediately revealed the verse: 'Those who criticize the contributors among the believers concerning [their] charities and [criticize] those who find nothing except their effort...' (9:79)." — Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 24 (Book of Zakat), Hadith 1415; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1018.

The Sunnah Metric of Value

Through this specific event, the Prophet ﷺ established an unshakeable benchmark for community worth: sincerity and relative sacrifice matter infinitely more than raw volume. The Sunnah validated the laborer's single bowl of dates over the empty millions of the elite, permanently crushing the classist bullying of the hypocrites.

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.

• Ibn Kathir, I. O. (2003). Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged). Darussalam Publishers.

Verification of Primary Source Indexing:

• The Assassination Plot at the Mountain Pass: Sahih Muslim, Book 50, Hadiths 7035, 7036, and 7037.

• The Story of the Handful of Dates (Abu Aqil): Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 24, Hadith 1415; Sahih Muslim, Book 12 (Book of Zakat), Hadith 1018.