Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary * - Translations’ Index
Translation of the meanings Ayah: (74) Surah: At-Tawbah
يَحۡلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ مَا قَالُواْ وَلَقَدۡ قَالُواْ كَلِمَةَ ٱلۡكُفۡرِ وَكَفَرُواْ بَعۡدَ إِسۡلَٰمِهِمۡ وَهَمُّواْ بِمَا لَمۡ يَنَالُواْۚ وَمَا نَقَمُوٓاْ إِلَّآ أَنۡ أَغۡنَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦۚ فَإِن يَتُوبُواْ يَكُ خَيۡرٗا لَّهُمۡۖ وَإِن يَتَوَلَّوۡاْ يُعَذِّبۡهُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمٗا فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةِۚ وَمَا لَهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِن وَلِيّٖ وَلَا نَصِيرٖ
(74) [2173]They swear ˹to you˺ that they did not utter ˹the word of Denial[2174]˺; surely they have uttered the word of Denial so they Denied after their ˹professing˺ Islam[2175]. They resolved ˹to carry out˺ what they failed to attain[2176]; they only bore grudges after Allah – and His Messengers – enriched them with His bounty![2177] If they repent, it would be better for them but if they turn away, Allah will inflict a painful punishment on them ˹both˺ in the worldly life and in the Hereafter—˹and then˺ they will have no ally or helper.
[2173] What the hypocrites said and did, their slandering and plotting, and even conspiring to assassinate the Messenger (ﷺ), amounted to outright Denial (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr, Riḍā). They are still being forewarned and the cover over their machinations is blown in the most glaring of terms so that they may ponder and repent.
[2174] The ‘word of Denial’ (kalimat al-kufr) is the speech that indicates Denial (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr), for example, insulting the Messenger (ﷺ) and attacking the religion (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Wasīṭ, al-Shawkānī, al- Saʿdī).
[2175] By uttering the word of Denial, they revealed once and for all their true mettle; although they were Muslims to all appearances, they were in fact Deniers (cf. al-Baghawī, al-Qurṭubī).
Ibn ʿAṭiyyah makes a point about word choice, which further sheds light on the meaning; the word “islām” and not “īmān” (sincere Faith) is used here because Islam can be professed with mere words, i.e. the testimony of monotheism, but īmān is a much further step, because it tackles what the heart holds: “The herds people said: “We have Believed!” Say ˹Muhammad˺: “You have not Believed. But say: “We have professed Islam” for ˹true˺ Faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allah and His Messenger ˹wholeheartedly˺, He will not discount anything from ˹the reward of˺ your deeds—Allah is truly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (49: 14).
[2176] They devised to assassinate the Messenger (ﷺ) upon his return from the Tabuk Expedition, but their plot was foiled (cf. al-Baghawī, Ibn al-Qayyim, Zād al-Maʿād, 3/477-478, Ibn Kathīr, al-Alūsī, al-Saʿdī).
[2177] A fact that should have had the opposite effect on them (cf. al-Zajjāj, Maʿānī al-Qur’ān, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, Ibn Kathīr). But such is always the way of venomous people; no act of kindness will ever allay them. Whatever one does will only increase their hatred towards one. When the renowned linguist, al-Bajalī, was asked about where to find the following Arab adage in the Qur’an: “Beware of the evil of the person you have shown kindness to”, he quoted this portion of the aya (cf. al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalā’, 13/414).
[2174] The ‘word of Denial’ (kalimat al-kufr) is the speech that indicates Denial (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr), for example, insulting the Messenger (ﷺ) and attacking the religion (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Wasīṭ, al-Shawkānī, al- Saʿdī).
[2175] By uttering the word of Denial, they revealed once and for all their true mettle; although they were Muslims to all appearances, they were in fact Deniers (cf. al-Baghawī, al-Qurṭubī).
Ibn ʿAṭiyyah makes a point about word choice, which further sheds light on the meaning; the word “islām” and not “īmān” (sincere Faith) is used here because Islam can be professed with mere words, i.e. the testimony of monotheism, but īmān is a much further step, because it tackles what the heart holds: “The herds people said: “We have Believed!” Say ˹Muhammad˺: “You have not Believed. But say: “We have professed Islam” for ˹true˺ Faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allah and His Messenger ˹wholeheartedly˺, He will not discount anything from ˹the reward of˺ your deeds—Allah is truly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (49: 14).
[2176] They devised to assassinate the Messenger (ﷺ) upon his return from the Tabuk Expedition, but their plot was foiled (cf. al-Baghawī, Ibn al-Qayyim, Zād al-Maʿād, 3/477-478, Ibn Kathīr, al-Alūsī, al-Saʿdī).
[2177] A fact that should have had the opposite effect on them (cf. al-Zajjāj, Maʿānī al-Qur’ān, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, Ibn Kathīr). But such is always the way of venomous people; no act of kindness will ever allay them. Whatever one does will only increase their hatred towards one. When the renowned linguist, al-Bajalī, was asked about where to find the following Arab adage in the Qur’an: “Beware of the evil of the person you have shown kindness to”, he quoted this portion of the aya (cf. al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalā’, 13/414).
Arabic explanations of the Qur’an:
Translation of the meanings Ayah: (74) Surah: At-Tawbah
Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - Translations’ Index
Translation of the meanings of the Noble Qur’an into English - in progress - translated by Dr. Walid Bleihesh Al-Omari.