| | Linda “iLHam” Barto rendition of Surah Repentance(at-Taubah)
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| 9:1 | | Immunity from Allah and His messenger is for the idolaters with whom you have made an agreement. |
| 9:2 | | Travel freely in the land for four months. Realize that you cannot escape Allah and that Allah will disgrace the unbelievers. |
| 9:3 | | An announcement from Allah and His messenger is for the people involved in the day of the great pilgrimage. Allah and His messenger are not obligated to the idolaters. If you [idolaters] repent, that would be best for you. If you turn away, realize that you cannot escape Allah. Proclaim a terrible punishment for the unbelievers. |
| 9:4 | | An exception is made for the idolaters with whom you have made an agreement and who have not failed in their obligations and have not aided your enemies. Fulfill their agreement to the end of the term. Allah loves the righteous. |
| 9:5 | | When the sacred months have passed, destroy the [hostile] idolaters wherever you find them. Take them captive, surround them, and wait for them in a state of ambush. If they repent, establish ritual prayer, and give the required charity, then leave them alone. Truly, Allah is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. |
| 9:6 | | If anyone of the idolaters seeks your protection, protect him/her so that he/she may hear the Word of Allah. Afterward, escort him/her to a place of safety. This is allowed because they are people without knowledge. |
| 9:7 | | How can the idolaters have a treaty with Allah and His messenger? An exception is those [idolaters] with whom you made a treaty near the Sacred Mosque. As long as they are loyal to you, you must be loyal to them. Truly, Allah loves the righteous. |
| 9:8 | | How? If they gain an advantage over you, they do not respect your ties to kinship or treaties. They flatter you with their mouths, but their hearts reject you. Most of them are rebellious. |
| 9:9 | | They have traded Allah’s signs for a miserable price. They obstruct His way. Truly evil are all their deeds. |
| 9:10 | | They do not respect the ties of a believer’s kinship or treaties. They are transgressors. |
| 9:11 | | However, if they repent, establish ritual prayer, and practice required charity, they become your partners in faith. We explain the signs in detail for those with understanding. |
| 9:12 | | If they break their promises after their treaty and if they slander your religion, fight the unbelieving leaders. Their promises mean nothing to them. They must be restrained. |
| 9:13 | | Would you not fight people who broke their promises, plotted to banish the messenger, and attacked you first? Are you afraid of them? You should fear Allah more, if you truly believe. |
| 9:14 | | Fight them, and Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them. He will give you victory over them. He will heal the hearts of the faithful. |
| 9:15 | | [He will] remove any anger from their hearts. Allah is merciful to whom He pleases. Allah is the All-knowing, Perfectly Wise. |
| 9:16 | | Did you think you would be abandoned, as if Allah did not realize who among you have struggled and have not relied on protectors other than Allah, His messenger, and the believers? Allah is Fully Aware of what you do. |
| 9:17 | | The idolaters should not visit the mosques of Allah while they witness against themselves in unbelief. Their deeds are worthless. They will dwell in fire. |
| 9:18 | | The mosques of Allah should be tended by those who believe in Allah and the last day, establish ritual prayers, practice required charity, and fear none except Allah. They are the ones rightly guided. |
| 9:19 | | Do you consider giving water to the pilgrims and guarding the Sacred Mosque as valuable as believing in Allah and the last day and struggling in Allah’s way? They are not the same in Allah’s sight. Allah does not guide those who sin. |
| 9:20 | | Those who believe, suffer exile, and struggle for the cause of Allah, using their possessions and their selves, have the highest rank in the sight of Allah. They are the achievers! |
| 9:21 | | Their Lord gives them good news of a mercy from Himself, of His approval, and of Paradise where there are gifts that endure. |
| 9:22 | | They will dwell there forever. Truly, in Allah’s presence is the ultimate reward. |
| 9:23 | | O Believers, do not depend on your fathers and brothers as allies if they prefer unbelief over true faith. Anyone who depends on them as allies is in the wrong. |
| 9:24 | | Say, “If your fathers, children, siblings, spouses, and relatives, your acquired wealth, your businesses for which you worry a decline, and the homes you love are dearer to you than Allah, His messenger, or the struggle for His cause, then wait for Allah’s decree. Allah does not guide the rebellious people.” |
| 9:25 | | Certainly, Allah helped you on many battlefields and on the Day of [the Battle of] Hunain. Your large numbers encouraged you, but they did not do you any good. The earth, despite its vastness, seemed small to you, and you retreated and fled. |
| 9:26 | | Allah then poured His tranquility upon His messenger and the believers. He sent down invisible forces. He punished the unbelievers. That is how the unbelievers are rewarded. |
| 9:27 | | Afterward, Allah will grant mercy to whom He will. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. |
| 9:28 | | O Believers, truly, the idolaters are unclean. Do not allow them to approach the Sacred Mosque after this year of theirs. If you fear poverty, Allah will soon enrich you from His bounty, if He will. Truly, Allah is the All-knowing, the Perfectly Wise. |
| 9:29 | | Fight those who do not believe in Allah or the last day, who do not avoid what has been forbidden by Allah and His messenger, and who do not follow the true religion. [Fight them] even if they are those who were given a Book. [Fight them] until they willingly pay the taxes after being subdued. |
| 9:30 | | The Jews call Ezra a son of Allah, and the Christians call Messiah the son of Allah. That is a saying from their own mouths, but they simply imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah may destroy them. How they are deluded! |
| 9:31 | | They take their priests and their saints to be their lords, instead of Allah, as well as Messiah, the son of Mary. Yet they were commanded to worship only One God. No god is there except Him. Glory to Him from having the partners they associate. |
| 9:32 | | They want to extinguish Allah’s light with their mouths, but Allah will not allow anything except that His light be perfected, even though the unbelievers detest it. |
| 9:33 | | He is the One who has sent His messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to prevail it over all other religions, even though the idolaters detest it. |
| 9:34 | | O Believers, many among the priests and other religious leaders falsely devour the substance of people and hinder from the way of Allah. Among them are those who hoard gold and silver and do not use it in the way of Allah. Announce to them a grievous penalty. |
| 9:35 | | One day, heat will be made from [their wealth] in the fire of Hell. With it, their foreheads, backsides, and backs will be branded. “This is what you hoarded for yourselves. Taste what you hoarded.” |
| 9:36 | | Certainly, the number of months in Allah’s sight is twelve. He decreed that on the day that He created the skies and Earth. Of them, four [months] are sacred; that is the correct way. Do not wrong yourselves about that. Fight all the idolaters as they fight all of you. Realize that Allah is with the righteous. |
| 9:37 | | Certainly, postponement [of sacred months] is another example of unbelief. The unbelievers are misled by it. They make it lawful one year and forbidden other year so that they can adjust the number of months made sacred by Allah and make lawful what Allah has made unlawful. Their evil doings seem right to them. Allah does not guide those who reject faith. |
| 9:38 | | O Believers, what is wrong with you? When you are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah, you cling tenaciously to the world. Do you prefer the life of this world to the life hereafter? The comfort of this world is small compared to that of the hereafter. |
| 9:39 | | If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a terrible punishment and put others in your place. You would not harm Him in the least. Allah is Most Capable over all things. |
| 9:40 | | If you do not help, Allah does help (the Prophet). When the unbelievers expelled him, he had only one companion. Both were in a cave, and he said to his companion, “Do not worry. Truly, Allah is with us.” Allah then sent His tranquility upon him and strengthened him with invisible forces. He felled the word of the unbelievers. The word of Allah is highly exalted. Allah is Victorious, Perfectly Wise. |
| 9:41 | | Go forth, lightly or heavily armed. Struggle with your possessions and your bodies in the cause of Allah. That would be best for you if you only knew. |
| 9:42 | | If quick gain had been available and if the journey had been easy, they all undoubtedly would have followed you. But the distance seemed too long for them. Yet, they would swear by Allah, “If we could, we certainly would have gone out with you.” They destroy their own souls. Allah knows that they are certainly lying. |
| 9:43 | | May Allah forgive you! Why did you excuse them before it became evident to you who was telling the truth and who was lying? |
| 9:44 | | Those who believe in Allah and the last day do not ask you to be excused from fighting with their possessions and their bodies. Allah is the All-knowing over the righteous. |
| 9:45 | | Only those who do not truly believe in Allah and the last day ask to be excused. Doubt is in their hearts. In their doubt, they waver. |
| 9:46 | | If they had intended to go forth, they would certainly have prepared for it. Allah was adverse to their going forth, so He caused them to lag behind. They were told, “Sit among those who stay behind.” |
| 9:47 | | If they had gone forth with you, they would not have increased you in anything but confusion. They would have hurried among you seeking to cause trouble for you. Among you are some who would have listened to them. Allah is the All-knowing over the trouble-makers. |
| 9:48 | | Certainly, even before now, they have tried to cause trouble. They plotted against you until the truth was revealed and Allah’s will became realized, although they hated it. |
| 9:49 | | Among them is one who says, “Grant me exemption, and do not try me.” Have they not already fallen into trial? Surely, Hell surrounds the unbelievers. |
| 9:50 | | If goodness happens to you, it grieves them. If hardship afflicts you, they say, “We protected ourselves,” and they turn away well pleased. |
| 9:51 | | Say, “Nothing will happen to us except what Allah allows for us. He is our protector. May the believers put their faith in Allah.” |
| 9:52 | | Say, “Can you expect for us anything other than one of two glorious things [victory in this world or Paradise in the next]? We expect that Allah will send His punishment to you, either from Himself or by our hands. So wait; certainly, we wait with you.” |
| 9:53 | | Say, “Whether you give willingly or unwillingly, your offerings will not be accepted. You certainly are a disobedient people.” |
| 9:54 | | The only reason their offerings are not acceptable is that they reject Allah and His messenger. [It is also because] they come to ritual prayer without sincerity, and they give offerings reluctantly. |
| 9:55 | | Do not let their wealth or their children impress you. Allah plans to punish them with these things in this life so that their souls will depart in a state of unbelief. |
| 9:56 | | They swear by Allah that they are truly of you, but they are not of you. They are intimidated. |
| 9:57 | | If they could find a refuge or a cave or other hiding place, they would run there frantically. |
| 9:58 | | Among them are people who criticize you in respect to the required charity. If a share is given to them, they are pleased; but, if they receive nothing, they are indignant. |
| 9:59 | | They should have been content with what Allah and His messenger had given them. They should have said, “Allah is sufficient for us. Allah and His messenger will soon give us from His bounty. We indeed turn our hopes to Allah.” |
| 9:60 | | The required charity is for the poor and needy. It is for the administrators of the funds. It is for [witnessing to] those whose hearts may be reconciled. It is to free the captives and those in debt. It is for the cause of Allah. It is for those traveling. It is a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is the All-knowing, the Perfectly Wise. |
| 9:61 | | Among (the hypocrites) are people who ridicule the Prophet. They say, “He listens to everybody.” Say, “His listening to everybody is good for you. He believes in Allah and trusts the believers. He is a mercy to those of you who believe. Those who ridicule the Prophet will suffer a horrible punishment.” |
| 9:62 | | They swear by Allah to you in order to please you. Allah and His messenger have a greater right to be pleased if they were truly believers. |
| 9:63 | | Do they not realize that whoever opposes Allah and His messenger will abide continuously in the fire of Hell? That is the ultimate disgrace. |
| 9:64 | | The hypocrites fear that aChapter may be sent down about them and that it will tell what is in their hearts. Say, “Go ahead and scoff! Allah will certainly expose what you fear.” |
| 9:65 | | If you question them, they will say, “We were only joking and fooling around.” Say, “Would you make a mockery of Allah, His signs, and His messenger? |
| 9:66 | | Do not make excuses. You rejected faith after you had believed. If We forgive some of you, We will punish others among you because they are guilty.” |
| 9:67 | | The hypocrites, both men and women, are in cahoots with each other. They compel evil and forbid what is right, and they close their hands [from doing good deeds]. They have forgotten Allah, so He has forgotten them. Truly, the hypocrites are defiantly disobedient. |
| 9:68 | | Allah has promised the hypocrites, both men and women –along with the unbelievers— the fire of Hell. They shall dwell therein continuously; it is sufficient for them. They have the condemnation of Allah and an enduring punishment. |
| 9:69 | | Concerning those previous (hypocrites), they were mightier than you [hypocrites] in power. They exceeded more in wealth and children. They had their enjoyment of their term, and you have yours just as they did. You indulge in idle talk just as they did. Their accomplishments are futile in this world and in the hereafter. They are losers! |
| 9:70 | | Haven’t they heard all the stories of those before them –the people of Noah, Ad, and Thamud, the people of Abraham, and the people of Midian, and the destroyed cities [of Sodom and Gomorrah]? Messengers came to them with evidence. Allah was not unjust to them; they were unjust to themselves. |
| 9:71 | | The believers, both men and women, are protectors of one another. They enforce what is just and forbid what is evil. They observe routine prayers, practice the required charity, and obey Allah and His messenger. On them Allah will pour His mercy. Indeed, Allah is Victorious, Perfectly Wise. |
| 9:72 | | Allah has promised to believers, both men and women, gardens, underneath which rivers flow, for their dwelling, plus beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss. The greatest blessing of all is the approval of Allah. That is the best achievement. |
| 9:73 | | O Prophet, strive against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell. What a terrible destination! |
| 9:74 | | They swear by Allah that they said nothing. Actually, they uttered blasphemy, and they did so after accepting Islam. And they conceived a plot, which they were unable to enact. They were only resentful because of the bounty with which Allah had enriched them and His messenger. If they repent, that would be best for them. If they regress, however, Allah will punish them with a grievous penalty in this life and in the hereafter. There will be no one on earth to protect or help them. |
| 9:75 | | Among (the so-called Muslims) are people who made a covenant with Allah [saying], “If He blesses us from His bounty, we would certainly be generous in charity and be among the righteous.” |
| 9:76 | | But after He did bless them from His bounty, they became covetous and regressed while being averse. |
| 9:77 | | Therefore, He has given them the consequence of hypocrisy in their hearts until the day in which they shall meet Him. This is because they broke their covenant with Allah and because they repeatedly lied. |
| 9:78 | | Do they not realize that Allah knows their secrets and their private discussions? Allah knows all that is hidden. |
| 9:79 | | Consider those who ridicule the believers who freely give in charity. Consider those who ridicule those who cannot give anything except what they earn through hard labor. Allah will ridicule (the hypocrites). They will endure a horrible punishment. |
| 9:80 | | It is the same whether or not you ask for forgiveness for them. If you ask for their forgiveness seventy times, Allah will not forgive them. That is because they have rejected Allah and His messenger. Allah does not guide people who are defiantly disobedient. |
| 9:81 | | Those who stayed behind [during the Tabuk battle] were glad they were left behind by Allah’s messenger. They hated the idea of fighting with their possessions and their lives for the sake of Allah. They said, “Do not rush into the heat.” Say, “Hell’s fire is much hotter!” If only they understood! |
| 9:82 | | May they laugh very little and cry a lot in return for what they have done. |
| 9:83 | | If Allah returns you to face any of them, and if they request permission to come with you, say, “You will never go with me and fight an enemy with me. You chose to stay behind the first time, so stay behind now with those who sit.” |
| 9:84 | | Don’t ever pray for any one of them who dies. Do not stand at his grave. That’s because they certainly rejected Allah and His messenger and died in rebellious sin. |
| 9:85 | | Do not let the amount of their wealth or children impress you. Allah’s plan is to punish them with these things of this world. Their souls will perish while they are unbelievers. |
| 9:86 | | [Sometimes] aChapter descends and beckons them to believe in Allah and to struggle along with His messenger. Those with influence among them ask you for exemption. They say, “Leave us to be among those who remain.” |
| 9:87 | | They prefer to be with those who remain behind. Their hearts are sealed, so they do not understand. |
| 9:88 | | As for the messenger and those who believe with him and who strive, they use their financial resources and their physical beings. Good things are in store for them, and they will prosper. |
| 9:89 | | Allah has prepared for them Paradise, underneath which rivers flow, where they will dwell forever. That is the great victory! |
| 9:90 | | Among the desert Arabs are some who made excuses and asked for exemption. Those who were false to Allah and His messenger sat inactive. A horrible punishment will afflict the unbelievers among them. |
| 9:91 | | No blame is on those who are disabled or sick or who have no resources to invest, if they are sincere to Allah and His messenger. There is no complaint against those who live righteously. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. |
| 9:92 | | No blame is on those who came to you to be provided with mounts [horses or camels to ride in battle] when you told them, “I cannot find mounts for you.” They returned with tears filling their eyes due to sorrow because they had no way to contribute [to the cause of Allah]. |
| 9:93 | | Blame is on those who ask for exemption even though they are wealthy. They prefer to be among those who stay behind. Allah has sealed their hearts so they don’t understand. |
| 9:94 | | They will make excuses to you when you return to them. Say, “Do not make excuses; we do not believe you. Allah has told us about you. Allah and His messenger observe your actions. You will finally be brought before the All-knowing of what is secret and what is revealed. He will expose the truth of all you did.” |
| 9:95 | | They will swear by Allah to you, when you return to them, that you may leave them alone. Leave them alone! They are unclean. Their home is Hell –the result of their actions. |
| 9:96 | | They will swear to you that you will be pleased with them. Even if you are pleased with them, certainly Allah is not pleased with disobedient people. |
| 9:97 | | The desert Arabs are the worst in unbelief and hypocrisy. They are most likely to be ignorant of the command that Allah has sent down to His messenger. Allah is the All-knowing, the Perfectly Wise. |
| 9:98 | | Some of the desert Arabs consider their expenses [in Allah’s cause] as a loss. They wait for disaster to strike you. Disaster will strike them! Allah is the All-hearing, the All-knowing. |
| 9:99 | | Some of the desert Arabs believe in Allah and the last day. They consider their expenses as a way of bringing them nearer to Allah and being blessed by the messenger. They do indeed bring them nearer. Allah will admit them to His mercy. Truly, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. |
| 9:100 | | The first to pave the way were the first of the emigrants and helpers and those who honorably followed them. Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. He has prepared for them gardens underneath which rivers flow. They will live there forever. That is the ultimate success! |
| 9:101 | | Some of the desert Arabs around you are hypocrites. Some of the people of Medina are also obstinate in hypocrisy. You do not know them, but We know them. We will punish them twice. In addition, they will be sent to a horrible punishment. |
| 9:102 | | Some people have confessed their sins. They combined good deeds with evil deeds. Allah may turn to them in mercy. Truly, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. |
| 9:103 | | Accept a charity from their wealth so that you may purify and sanctify them. Bless them. Truly, your blessings are an assurance for them. Allah is All-hearing, the All-knowing. |
| 9:104 | | Do they not realize that Allah accepts repentance from His servants? He receives their charity. Allah is the Most Responsive, the Most Merciful. |
| 9:105 | | Say, “Work! Allah will see your work. Also His messenger and the other believers [will see your work]. You will be returned to the All-knowing of the hidden and the revealed. He will advise you of what you did. |
| 9:106 | | Others are awaiting the command of Allah to punish them or show them mercy. Allah is the All-knowing, the Perfectly Wise. |
| 9:107 | | Some people built a mosque to cause harm. They intend to create apostasy and division among the believers. They provided a central place for those who have been at war against Allah and His messenger. They will swear to you, “We had the best of intentions.” Allah bears witness that they are really lying. |
| 9:108 | | Do not ever set foot in (that mosque)! There is a mosque whose foundation was founded upon holiness from the first day it was built. It is worthy of your standing in it. There are people in it who love to be purified. Allah loves those who purify themselves. |
| 9:109 | | Which one is better? One person lays a foundation on faithfulness to Allah and pleasing Him. Another person builds on a crumbling cliff so that the building is ready to fall with him/her into the fire of Hell? Allah does not guide [unrepentant] sinners. |
| 9:110 | | The building of such people always causes doubts in their hearts until their hearts are cut to pieces. Allah is the All-knowing, the Perfectly Wise. |
| 9:111 | | Allah has purchased from the believers their selves and their possessions in exchange for Paradise. They fight in the way of Allah, and slay and are slain. There is a truthful promise upon Him in the Torah [spoken to Moses], the Gospel [of Jesus], and the Qur’an [delivered to Muhammed]. Who is more faithful to His covenant than Allah? So rejoice in the transaction you have contacted! It is the supreme accomplishment. |
| 9:112 | | [It is] for those who repent, who worship, who give praises, who go out [to do the will of Allah], who bow and prostrate [in prayer], who promote good and forbid evil, and who observe the limits set by Allah. So proclaim glad tidings to the believers. |
| 9:113 | | It is not proper for the Prophet and other believers to pray for forgiveness for the idolaters, even if they are relatives, after it is obvious that they are companions of Hell. |
| 9:114 | | Abraham prayed for his father’s forgiveness only because of a promise he had made to him. When it became obvious that he was an enemy to Allah, (Abraham) disowned him. Abraham was certainly loving and patient. |
| 9:115 | | Allah will not betray people after He has guided them in order to clarify to them what to beware. Allah is the All-knowing of such things. |
| 9:116 | | Truly, the dominion of Heaven and Earth belongs to Allah. He gives life, and He causes death. Except for Him, you have no guardian or assistant. |
| 9:117 | | Allah turned in mercy to the Prophet, the emigrants, and the helpers who followed him in a time of distress. Some of them almost had a failure of heart, but (Allah) turned to them. Truly, He is to them the Kindest, Most Merciful. |
| 9:118 | | [He was also merciful] to three who were left behind. They felt that the spacious earth was closing-in on them. Their souls seemed constricted. They came to realize that there is no refuge from God other than to turn to Him. He then responded to them so they would repent. Truly, Allah is the Most Responsive, the Most Merciful. |
| 9:119 | | O Believers, fear Allah and be among those who are true. |
| 9:120 | | It was not proper for the people of Medina and the desert Arabs around them to refuse to follow Allah’s messenger. It was not proper for them to prefer their own lives to his. That is because they would have been credited for righteousness for every bit of suffering. They would have been credited if they had suffered thirst, fatigue, or hunger in the cause of Allah. They would have been credited if they had taken a path that enraged the unbelievers. They would have been credited if they had received injuries from an enemy. Truly, Allah does not allow the reward of the righteous to be lost. |
| 9:121 | | (Believers) could not contribute any amount –great or small— or cut across a valley [ie, go out of the way to do some good deed] without such deeds being ascribed to their credit so that Allah may reward each deed with what is best. |
| 9:122 | | Believers should not go out all together [to fight]. Some of them should stay in order to devote themselves to studying religion. They could then teach the others when they return so they may all guard themselves against evil. |
| 9:123 | | O Believers, fight [in self-defense] the unbelievers who surround you, and let them find fortitude in you. Know that Allah is with those who fear Him. |
| 9:124 | | Whenever aChapter [of the Qur’an] descends, some of them say, “Who among you has had an increase in faith because of it?” Those who do believe experience an increase in faith, and they rejoice. |
| 9:125 | | But those in whose hearts is a disease experience doubt added to their doubt, and they will die as unbelievers. |
| 9:126 | | Do they not realize that they are tried [and called to faith] once or twice every year; yet, they do not repent, and they do not heed. |
| 9:127 | | Whenever aChapter descends, they look at each other [and say], “Is anyone looking?” and then they turn aside. Allah has deflected their hearts because they are a people who [by their own choice] do not understand. |
| 9:128 | | Now a messenger [Prophet Muhammed] from among yourselves [the common people] has come to you. It distresses him that you should perish [unsaved], so passionately concerned is he over you. To the believers, he is most kind and merciful. |
| 9:129 | | If they regress, however, say, “Allah is sufficient for me. No god is there except Him. On Him I put my trust. He is the Lord of the Glorious Throne.” |
