Table of Contents

The Feature of Surah At-Tawbah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

This Surah, which is the ninth Surah of the Qur’ān, contains129 verses and has been revealed in the ninth year A.H. (anno Hejira). Some parts of the Surah were revealed before the Battle of Tabūk, some parts during the Battle, and other parts were revealed after it.

Regarding the Islamic literature, the most recorded known names of this Surah are ‘At-Tawbah’ and ‘Al-Barā’at’. Since the subject of repentance of man and the return of the grace of Allah has repeatedly been referred to in this Surah, it has been called ‘At-Tawbah’, and for the fact that the Surah begins with the declaration of immunity towards idolaters, it has been named ‘Al-Barā’at’.

The subject matters of this Surah are mostly related to the subject matters of Surah Al-’Anfāl. For this matter, some commentators, considering this Surah the continuation of that one, have said that, because of this circumstance, Surah At-Tawbah has not needed to have the holy phrase Bismillāh-ir-Rahmān-ir-Rahim.

But, according to Sh‘iah’s belief, the traditions which have been received from Ahlul-Bayt (as) denote that this Surah is independent and the absence of Bismillāh at its beginning is for its wrathful tone due to the idolaters. The holy phrase Bismillāh is an indication of mercy and security, while this Surah has been commenced with the declaration of immunity towards perjured idolaters.

For the importance of this Surah, the word of the Messenger of Allah (S) is sufficient when he said:

“The Suras Al-Barā’t and Tauhid were revealed accompanied with seventy thousand rows of the angels.”

Section 1: Immunity Declared

Surah At-Tawbah - Verse 1

بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ إِلَی الَّذِينَ عاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (1)

1. “(This is a declaration of) immunity from Allah and His Messenger towards those of the polytheists with whom you made a covenant.”

Some Points Necessary to Be Noted

1 - In the Islamic traditions, the name of this Surah has been introduced as ‘Barā’at’ and ‘Tawbah’. This fact makes it clear that this Surah is not a part of Surah Al-’Anfāl, but it is an independent one.

2 - The content of this Surah has a tone of indignation. For this reason it has begun without the holy phrase Bismillāh. By this sign we understand that the holy phrase Bismillāh-ir-Rahmān-ir-Rahim at the beginning of every Surah belongs to that very Surah and is a part of it. Thus, this holy phrase has not been located as a ceremonial phrase at the beginning of every Surah.

3 - The declaration of Barā’at (immunity) was for the infidels’ perjury which has been referred to inverses 7 and 8 of the current Surah. In Islam, the general law is that promises should be fulfilled, and as long as the opposite party is faithful to the treaty, it should be kept, too.

Moreover, in that circumstance, it was for the reason of their weakness that the Muslims had to accept that treaty, else, the desire of the Muslims was the destruction of idolism as rapidly as possible.

Some Details Upon These Verses

In the eighth year A.H., Mecca was conquered, but the pagans still continued coming into Meccan to perform their worshipping rites which was, of course, a mixture of superstitions and aberrations.

Among their customs it was seen that they used to give in charity the clothing with which they had circumambulated. Once it happened that a woman desired to perform some more circumambulations after finishing her first circumambulation, but, since she had no more clothes with her, she had to circumambulate nakedly while people were watching her.

That circumstance was not tolerable for the Prophet (S) and the Muslims, who were in a very high degree of power. The Prophet (S) was waiting for the command of Allah until when this Surah was revealed in Medina.

The Messenger of Allah (S) commissioned Abū-Bakr to convey some verses of it unto the people of Mecca. The Prophet (S) chose him, maybe, for the reason that he was an old man and people were not sensitive to him.

But, after Abū-Bakr had left Medina towards Mecca, Angel Gobriel appeared to the Holy Prophet (S) and brought a Message from Allah denoting that the recital of those verses of the Qur’ān should be conveyed either by the Holy Prophet himself or by the one who is of him. As soon as the divine command was received, the Prophet (S) called Hadrat Ali (as) and instructed him to do it. He said:

“I am his and he is mine.”

It was so that, in the midst of the way, Ali (as) took away the verses from him and went into Mecca where he recited them unto the pagans.

The details of the recitation of the verses of this Surah by Ali (as) are recorded in the books of the Sunnites, too. Some Prophet’s companions such as: Abū-Bakr himself, Ali (as), Ibn-‘Abbās, ‘Anas-ibn-Mālik and Jābir-ibn-‘Abdillah’Ansāri have narrated them and quoted them inside a lot of Islamic sources.¹

Some of the Sunnite writers have tried to pretend this fact as an ordindary matter so that it would not be counted as a kind of privilege for Hadrat Ali (as).

They have considered the mission of recitation of the verses given to Ali (as) as a manner of complying with his request, not as a privilege for him; while for complying with any one’s request, a safe mission might be given to him, not the recitation of the verses of declaration of Barā’at (immunity) from pagans, in the region of infidelity and by a person who had killed many of the idolaters in different wars and where a lot of the people were carrying his hatred in their hearts.

When Allah commanded Moses (as) to go toward Pharaoh in order to invite him to Unity, he (as) said:

“My Lord! Verily I killed one of them, so I fear lest they should slay me;”.2

Then he asked Him to send his brother Aaron with him as an aider. But, Ali (as), who had killed a large number of the chiefs of pagans, went alone towards them and recited the verses of immunity unto them with the utmost calmness. This event happened in a sensitive place, i.e. Muna, where the site of the last lapidation was located near-by.

The subjects which were revealed and were announced unto pagans by Ali (as) were as follows:

1 - Acquittal declared, and treaties cancelled.

2 - The prohibition of pagans participating in Hajj from the following year.

3 - The prohibition of circumambulation around the Ka‘bah in the state of nakedness.

4 - The prohibition of pagans entering the Sacred Mosque.

The holy phrase: “(This is a declaration of) immunity from Allah ” indicates that this acquittal is from the side of Allah. And the, phrase: “and His Messenger ”, mentioned immediately after it, means that the strings of promises and treaties were cut off, respites were ended, and agreements were cancelled. The addressee ‘you’ in the sentence: “towards those of the polytheists with whom you made a covenant ” is both the Messenger of Allah (S) and the Muslims. Thus, it means that they should declare immunity unto the polytheists between whom and them there was an agreement, because Allah (s.w.t.) and His Messenger (S) are quit of them.

The objective meaning here is that Allah (s.w.t.) and His Messenger (S) are quit of giving a promise to them and, after that, fulfilling it, because the polytheists who made covenants with them broke their promises.

If someone asks how it is permissible for the Prophet (S) to break his promise, the answer is that it is permissible for the Prophet (S) to break his promise by one of the following ways:

1 ) The fulfilment of the promise was conditioned that there would not come any other command from Allah, the Exalted, upon it, and since there came down a revelation instructing that there would remain no covenant thereafter, the Messenger of Allah (S) broke the covenant.

2 ) Since treachery and perjury was made manifest from the side of idolaters, Allah, the Exalted, instructed His Prophet (S) to break their covenant, too.

3 ) That covenant was not a permanent (and an absolute) treaty, but it was bound over a definite point of time and for a certain length of time, so that when its term was ended that covenant would be broken, either.

It has also been pointed out in some traditions that the Messenger of Allah (S) had conditioned the above mentioned matters with them in the treaty. It has also been narrated that the idolaters broke their promise or decided to break it.

Then, Allah, the Glorified, commanded His Prophet to break their covenant, too Next to that, through the following verse, Allah, the Glorified, addressing the idolaters, says:

“So go about in the earth…”.

Explanations

1- Fulfilment the promise, yes; but surrending to plots, never. The verse says:

“(This is a declaration of) immunity from Allah and His Messenger towards those of the polytheists with whom you made a covenant.”

2- The legislator is Allah,² of course, but in conduct and action, Allah and the Messenger of Allah are mentioned beside each other:

“…from Allah and His Messenger…”

3- It is true that legally we have to be faithful to our treaties, but heartily immunity from polytheists and those who deviated from the straight path is a religious principle in Islam.³

4 - If a treaty is cancelled because of fear from a plot and a treachery, it should be announced to the opposite party, in order that they might not be seized unawares.

5 - Immunity is a sign of sharp conclusiveness and authority; while being silent before plots and breach of covenants is a sign of weakness and abasement.

Musnad Ahmad-I-Hanbal, vol. 3, pp. 213 and 283; and vol. 1 pp. 151 and 330 - Mustadrak Sahihayn, vol. 3, p. 51 - Tafsir-i-Al-Manār, vol. 10, p. 57 - Tafsir-i-Tabari, vol. 10, p. 46 - Tafsir-i-Ibn-I-Kathir, vol. 2, pp. 322 and 333 - Ihghāgh-ul-Haghgh, vol. 5, p. 368 - Fadā’il-ul-Khamsah, vol. 2, p. 342 - The names of 73 authors who have recorded this event in their commentary books, like Fakhr-i-Rāzi and ‘Ālūsi, are mentioned in Al-Qadir, vol. 6, p. 338 ↩
Surah Al-Kahf, No. 18, verse 26 says: “…and He does not make any one His associate in His Judgement.” ↩
This fact is current whether it is in the favour and grace, as in this Surah, verse No. 74 says: “… Allah and His Messenger enriched them out of His grace…”; or in allegiance the Qur’ān says: “ Verily those who swear their fealty unto you do but swear fealty unto Allah…” (Surah Al-Fath, No. 48, verse 10); or in obedience: “Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah…” (Surah An-Nisā’, No. 4, verse 80); or in immunity, like this verse. (Tafsir-I-Atyab-ul-Bayān) ↩