Surah Tawbah ayat 38 Tafsir Quran 9:38

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ۚ أَرَضِيتُم بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ ۚ فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ﴾
[ التوبة: 38]

9:38 O you who have believed, what is [the matter] with you that, when you are told to go forth in the cause of Allah, you adhere heavily to the earth? Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the Hereafter except a [very] little.

When the Prophet s summoned men for the Tabūk campaign and they thought it too burdensome because of the hardship and the extreme heat from which they were suffering the following was revealed O you who believe what is wrong with you that when it is said to you ‘Go forth in the way of God’ you sink down heavily iththāqaltum the original tā’ of tathāqaltum has been assimilated with the thā’ and the conjunctive hamza has been supplied in other words you hesitate and are disinclined to participate in the struggle to the ground to stay sitting upon it? the interrogative is meant as a rebuke. Are you so content with the life of this world and its delights rather than with the Hereafter? that is in place of its bliss? Yet the enjoyment of the life of this world is in comparison with the enjoyment of the Hereafter but little trivial.

O you who have conformed to Islam: what ails you that you are indisposed to action! When you are told to strive in the cause of Allah you cling heavily to the ground! Have you come to be worldly - minded and content with life here afore that Hereafter! But how little are the material and the immaterial things that minister to enjoyment and content here as compared with Hereafter

Admonishing clinging to Life rather than rushing to perform Jihad Allah admonishes those who lagged behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the battle of Tabuk, at a time when fruits were ripe and shades tempting in the intense and terrible heat, يَأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ( O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the cause of Allah ), if you are called to perform Jihad in the cause of Allah, اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الاٌّرْضِ ( you cling heavily to the earth ), reclining to remain in peace, shade and ripe fruits. أَرَضِيتُم بِالْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الاٌّخِرَةِ ( Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter ), why do you do this, is it because you prefer this life instead of the Hereafter Allah next diminishes the eagerness for this worldly life and increases it for the Hereafter, فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ ( But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world compared to the Hereafter. ) Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Mustawrid, a member of Bani Fihr, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«مَا الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا كَمَا يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُكُمْ إِصْبَعَهُ هَذِهِ فِي الْيَمِّ،فَلْيَنْظُرْ بِمَ تَرْجِعُ؟»
( The life of this world, compared to the Hereafter, is just like when one of you dips his finger in the sea, let him contemplate how much of it his finger would carry. ) The Prophet pointed with his index finger.
Muslim collected this Hadith.
Ath-Thawri narrated that Al-A`mash said about the Ayah, فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ ( But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world compared to the Hereafter. ) "What compares to the provision a traveler takes." `Abdul-`Aziz bin Abi Hazim narrated that his father said, "When `Abdul-`Aziz bin Marwan was dying he said, `Bring the shroud I will be covered with so that I inspect it.' When it was placed before him, he looked at it and said, `Is this what I will end up with from this life' He then turned his back and cried, while saying, `Woe to you, O life! Your abundance is truly little, your little is short lived, we were deceived by you."' Allah warns those who do not join Jihad, إِلاَّ تَنفِرُواْ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا ( If you march not forth, He will punish you with a painful torment ) Ibn `Abbas said, "Allah's Messenger ﷺ called some Arabs to mobilize, but they lagged behind and Allah witheld rain from coming down on them, and this was their torment." Allah said, وَيَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ( and will replace you by another people ), who will give aid to His Prophet and establish his religion.
Allah said in another Ayah, الْفُقَرَآءُ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْاْ يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْماً غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَكُونُواْ ( And if you turn away (from the obedience to Allah ), He will exchange you for some other people and they will not be your likes.) 47:38 وَلاَ تَضُرُّوهُ شَيْئًا ( and you cannot harm Him at all ), you can never harm Allah when you lag behind and stay away from joining Jihad, وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ( and Allah is able to do all things. ) He is able to destroy the enemies without your help.

(9:38) O *38 you who believed! what was amiss with you that, when you were asked to march forth on the Way of Allah, you clung to the earth? What! did you prefer the life of this world to the life of the Hereafter? If it is so, you should know that all these goods of this worldly life will prove to be but little in the Hereafter. *39

O you who have believed, what is meaning

*38) From here begins the discourse ( vv.
38-72 ) which was sent down at the time when the Holy Prophet was engaged in making preparations for the Campaign to Tabuk.

*39) " ....
you should know that the goods ...
Hereafter " may imply two meanings.
First: " When you will find that the life in the Hereafter is eternal and see that the good things and the provisions of enjoyment are countless, you will realize that the potential and the actual enjoyments of the temporary life of this world were nothing as compared with the blessings of that great Kingdom.
At that time you will regret why you deprived yourselves of this everlasting happiness and bliss for the sake of the little-very little-sort-lived enjoyments of the mortal life of this world.
" Second: " The goods of this worldly life are of no value in the Hereafter, howsoever abundant they might be.
You shall have to give up each and everything as soon as you breathe your last, for nothing of this world can go with you to the Next World.
Of course, you will get credit for what you sacrificed for the pleasure and love of Allah, and lout of Islam. "
 

Admonishing clinging to Life rather than rushing to perform Jihad Allah admonishes those who lagged behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the battle of Tabuk, at a time when fruits were ripe and shades tempting in the intense and terrible heat, يَأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ( O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the cause of Allah ), if you are called to perform Jihad in the cause of Allah, اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الاٌّرْضِ ( you cling heavily to the earth ), reclining to remain in peace, shade and ripe fruits. أَرَضِيتُم بِالْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الاٌّخِرَةِ ( Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter ), why do you do this, is it because you prefer this life instead of the Hereafter Allah next diminishes the eagerness for this worldly life and increases it for the Hereafter, فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ ( But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world compared to the Hereafter. ) Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Mustawrid, a member of Bani Fihr, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «مَا الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا كَمَا يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُكُمْ إِصْبَعَهُ هَذِهِ فِي الْيَمِّ،فَلْيَنْظُرْ بِمَ تَرْجِعُ؟» ( The life of this world, compared to the Hereafter, is just like when one of you dips his finger in the sea, let him contemplate how much of it his finger would carry. ) The Prophet pointed with his index finger.
Muslim collected this Hadith.
Ath-Thawri narrated that Al-A`mash said about the Ayah, فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ ( But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world compared to the Hereafter. ) "What compares to the provision a traveler takes." `Abdul-`Aziz bin Abi Hazim narrated that his father said, "When `Abdul-`Aziz bin Marwan was dying he said, `Bring the shroud I will be covered with so that I inspect it.' When it was placed before him, he looked at it and said, `Is this what I will end up with from this life' He then turned his back and cried, while saying, `Woe to you, O life! Your abundance is truly little, your little is short lived, we were deceived by you."' Allah warns those who do not join Jihad, إِلاَّ تَنفِرُواْ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا ( If you march not forth, He will punish you with a painful torment ) Ibn `Abbas said, "Allah's Messenger ﷺ called some Arabs to mobilize, but they lagged behind and Allah witheld rain from coming down on them, and this was their torment." Allah said, وَيَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ( and will replace you by another people ), who will give aid to His Prophet and establish his religion.
Allah said in another Ayah, الْفُقَرَآءُ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْاْ يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْماً غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَكُونُواْ ( And if you turn away (from the obedience to Allah ), He will exchange you for some other people and they will not be your likes.) 47:38 وَلاَ تَضُرُّوهُ شَيْئًا ( and you cannot harm Him at all ), you can never harm Allah when you lag behind and stay away from joining Jihad, وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ( and Allah is able to do all things. ) He is able to destroy the enemies without your help.

( O ye who believe! ) the address is to the Companions of Muhammad ( pbuh ) ( What aileth you that when it is said unto you: Go forth ) with your Prophet ( in the way of Allah ) in obedience of Allah at the Battle of Tabuk, ( ye are bowed down to the ground with heaviness ) you wish to remain bowed down to the ground. ( Take ye pleasure in the life of the world ) i.e. in that which is in the life of this world ( rather than in the Hereafter? The comfort of the life of the world is but little in the Hereafter ) and will not last.

O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad) you cling heavily to the earth? Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter.

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