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Qur'an 9:108

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Qur'an 9:108
Verse's Information
Suraal-Tawba (Qur'an 9)
Verse108
Juz'11
Content Information
Cause of
Revelation		Construction of a mosque next to Quba Mosque by hypocrites and its destruction by the Prophet (s) after the revelation of the verse
Place of
Revelation		Medina
TopicForbidding the Prophet from praying in Masjid al-Dirar and ordering him to a mosque founded upon piety from the first day
Related VersesQur'an 9:107 and Qur'an 9:109


Qur'an 9:108 admonishes Prophet Muhammad (s) and the believers to refrain from performing prayer in Masjid al-Dirar, instead recommending a mosque established on the foundation of piety from its inception, whose congregants aspire to purification. The verse further affirms God's love for those who purify themselves. This follows the preceding verse, which delineates four characteristics of Masjid al-Dirar.

Exegetes identify the occasion of revelation for this verse, along with the preceding and subsequent verses, as concerning the hypocrites. Motivated by jealousy of the worshipers at Quba Mosque and instigated by Abu 'Amir al-Rahib, they constructed a rival mosque adjacent to Quba. Following the revelation of these verses, the Prophet (s) ordered the demolition of the hypocrites' structure.

The "recommended mosque" mentioned in the verse is variously interpreted as the Quba Mosque, al-Masjid al-Nabawi, or any mosque founded upon piety. However, the majority of exegetes favor the Quba Mosque interpretation due to numerous supporting reports and its direct relevance to the occasion of revelation. While many exegetes interpret "purification" (ṭahāra) as physical cleansing from impurities such as urine and feces using water, others discuss the possibility of spiritual purification, encompassing Faith, Righteous Deeds, and the avoidance of Sin.

Some scholars argue that the superiority of one mosque over another founded on piety can serve as evidence for the superiority of Imam Ali (a) over others. This argument posits that the Imam never committed disbelief in God, whereas others were initially polytheists, rendering the Imam more deserving of leadership and Imamate. Additional insights derived from this verse by exegetes include the significance of intention in evaluating actions and the invalidity of prayer performed in any mosque built with the intent to cause harm (ḍirār).

General Points of the Verse

Qur'an 9:108 prohibits the Prophet and all Muslims[1] from entering,[2] gathering in,[3] or performing Prayer in Masjid al-Dirar, a structure erected on the foundations of disbelief and hypocrisy.[4] Conversely, it recommends prayer in a mosque distinguished by two key characteristics:[5] first, it was established on piety from its first day; second, its congregants love purification[6] and consistently maintain a state of purity.[7] The verse concludes by declaring God's love for those who purify themselves.[8]

The preceding verse, Qur'an 9:107, outlines the four negative characteristics of Masjid al-Dirar, while the subsequent verse contrasts the builders of Masjid al-Dirar with those of the recommended mosque, describing the latter as replete with goodness and blessings.[9]

'Allama Tabataba'i, author of al-Mizan, posits that by highlighting the mosque's foundation on Taqwa, the verse praises the pure intentions of its founders from the outset; consequently, praying in such a mosque is more meritorious, and its worshipers are superior to others.[10] Such a mosque is said to realize the objectives of prayer, fortify the Principles of Religion upon truth, and structure Muslim relationships on the basis of piety.[11]

Exegetes differ regarding the specific Mosque referenced in this verse.[12] Two primary views exist.[13] al-Tabrisi, a Shi'a exegete, lists various possibilities based on narrations without expressing a preference.[14]

Quba Mosque

The majority of exegetes[15] identify the mosque founded on Taqwa as the Quba Mosque,[16] near which the hypocrites constructed Masjid al-Dirar.[17] The author of Tafsir-i ithna 'ashari asserts that this interpretation aligns more closely with the text's literal meaning and is the more renowned view,[18] supported by numerous reports.[19]

Arguments of Proponents

al-Masjid al-Nabawi or Other Mosques

Some scholars argue that the verse is not exclusive to the Quba Mosque and its congregation, suggesting that interpreting it as al-Masjid al-Nabawi does not contradict the text.[26] Others propose that the verse encompasses both specific mosques[27] and extends to include all mosques founded upon Taqwa.[28]

Physical or Spiritual Purity

Exegetes debate whether the term "purification" (ṭahāra) signifies physical cleanliness or spiritual purity.[29]

Physical Purity

Here, Tahara is defined as physical cleanliness achieved through the use of water.[30] This view is widely accepted among exegetes.[31] Specific instances include removing impurities from the body,[32] washing with water, and avoiding sleep while in a state of Janaba.[33] Narrations from the Infallible Imams (a) support this interpretation.[34] For example, a narration recounts that Prophet Muhammad (s) asked the worshipers at Quba Mosque the reason for their purity, to which they cited their practice of physical purification.[35]

Spiritual Purity

Alternatively, cleanliness is interpreted as Faith, Taqwa,[36] Worship, Righteous Deeds,[37] and the avoidance of sins.[38]

Both Physical and Spiritual Purity

The literal wording of the verse suggests a broad concept of Tahara[39] that encompasses both physical and spiritual dimensions.[40] Thus, it refers to purity from physical impurities as well as freedom from inner corruption.[41]

Occasion of Revelation

Exegetes identify the occasion of revelation for this verse, along with the preceding and subsequent verses, as pertaining to a group of hypocrites,[42] specifically Abu 'Amir al-Rahib,[43] and their construction of Masjid al-Dirar.[44] Husayni Hamadani asserts there is a consensus among exegetes regarding this occasion of revelation.[45]

Driven by jealousy[46] and the intent to sow division,[47] a faction of hypocrites built a separate Mosque adjacent to the Quba Mosque and invited Prophet Muhammad (s) to pray there. The Prophet (s) deferred their request until after his return from the Battle of Tabuk.[48] Upon his return, he intended to visit, but the revelation of the verse[49] exposed their true motives.[50] Consequently, he ordered the destruction of that mosque.[51]

Points Extracted

  • Superiority of Imam Ali (a) Regarding Caliphate: The verse emphasizes the superiority of prayer in a mosque founded on Taqwa from its inception. This principle is used to argue for the superiority of Imam Ali (a), as he never committed disbelief in God, rendering him more deserving of leadership than those who were initially disbelievers.[52] The Sunni exegete Fakhr al-Razi acknowledges this view in his commentary.[53]
  • Effect of Intention in Valuation: The value of any institution depends on the goals and intentions of its founders. The worth of a Mosque lies in its worshipers, not its architecture.[54]
  • Correctness of Hijri Calendar Start: The phrase "from the first day" (min awwal yawm) aligns with the Sahaba's decision to commence the Hijri Calendar from the year of the Hijra.[55]
  • Invalidity of Prayer in Harmful Mosques: This verse serves as proof for the invalidity of Prayer in any mosque established on the basis of harm (ḍirār) and division.[56]

Notes

  1. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 5, p. 300; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, 1419 AH, vol. 4, p. 187; Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 4, p. 103.
  2. ↑ Abū l-Futūḥ Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, 1408 AH, vol. 10, p. 40.
  3. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 11, p. 210.
  4. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 9, p. 390; Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 11, p. 20; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 8, p. 140; Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 148.
  5. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 148; Ṣādiqī Ṭihrānī, al-Furqān, 1365 Sh, vol. 13, p. 302.
  6. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 9, p. 390; Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 11, p. 20; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 8, p. 140.
  7. ↑ Ḥusaynī, Tafsīr-i ithnā ʿasharī, 1363 Sh, vol. 5, p. 204.
  8. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 9, p. 390; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 8, p. 140; Jaʿfarī, Kawthar, 1376 Sh, vol. 4, p. 579.
  9. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 147.
  10. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 9, p. 390.
  11. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 11, p. 211.
  12. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 5, p. 111.
  13. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 5, p. 300.
  14. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 5, p. 111.
  15. ↑ Ḥusaynī, Tafsīr-i ithnā ʿasharī, 1363 Sh, vol. 5, p. 204.
  16. ↑ See for example: Ibn Sulaymān, Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān, 1423 AH, vol. 2, p. 197; Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, 1416 AH, vol. 2, p. 847; Qummī Mashhadī, Kanz al-daqāʾiq, 1368 Sh, vol. 5, pp. 545-546; Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh, Bayān al-saʿāda, 1408 AH, vol. 2, p. 278; Āl Saʿdī, Taysīr al-karīm al-raḥmān, 1408 AH, p. 400.
  17. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 8, p. 140.
  18. ↑ Ḥusaynī, Tafsīr-i ithnā ʿasharī, 1363 Sh, vol. 5, p. 204.
  19. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, 1415 AH, vol. 6, p. 20.
  20. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 11, p. 211.
  21. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 11, p. 211.
  22. ↑ Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 311.
  23. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 8, pp. 140-141.
  24. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, 1415 AH, vol. 6, p. 20.
  25. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 11, p. 211.
  26. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, 1415 AH, vol. 6, p. 20.
  27. ↑ Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 3, p. 98; Āl Saʿdī, Taysīr al-karīm al-raḥmān, 1408 AH, p. 400.
  28. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 8, p. 140.
  29. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 8, p. 140.
  30. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 148.
  31. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 148; Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 4, p. 103.
  32. ↑ Thaʿlabī, al-Kashf wa l-bayān, 1422 AH, vol. 5, p. 95.
  33. ↑ Thaʿlabī, al-Kashf wa l-bayān, 1422 AH, vol. 5, p. 95.
  34. ↑ Qummī Mashhadī, Kanz al-daqāʾiq, 1368 Sh, vol. 5, p. 546; Ḥusaynī, Tafsīr-i ithnā ʿasharī, 1363 Sh, vol. 5, p. 204.
  35. ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 11, p. 22; Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1364 Sh, vol. 8, pp. 259-260.
  36. ↑ Ṣādiqī Ṭihrānī, al-Furqān, 1365 Sh, vol. 13, p. 302.
  37. ↑ Mughniyya, al-Tafsīr al-mubīn, p. 260.
  38. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 5, p. 300; Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 3, p. 98.
  39. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 8, p. 140.
  40. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 148.
  41. ↑ Sulṭān ʿAlī Shāh, Bayān al-saʿāda, 1408 AH, vol. 2, p. 278.
  42. ↑ Baghawī, Maʿālim al-tanzīl, 1420 AH, vol. 2, p. 387; Maybudī, Kashf al-asrār, 1371 Sh, vol. 4, p. 211.
  43. ↑ Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1364 Sh, vol. 8, p. 257; Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 1363 Sh, vol. 1, p. 305.
  44. ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 1363 Sh, vol. 1, p. 305.
  45. ↑ Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i dirakhshān, 1404 AH, vol. 8, p. 117.
  46. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 5, p. 109; Qummī Mashhadī, Kanz al-daqāʾiq, 1368 Sh, vol. 5, pp. 540-541.
  47. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, 1415 AH, vol. 6, p. 19.
  48. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 9, p. 389; Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 3, pp. 501-502.
  49. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 148.
  50. ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 1363 Sh, vol. 1, p. 305; Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 11, p. 18; Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, 1415 AH, vol. 6, p. 19; Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1364 Sh, vol. 8, p. 257; Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 310.
  51. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 148; Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 5, p. 298.
  52. ↑ Ḥāʾirī Ṭihrānī, Muqtaniyāt al-durar, 1377 Sh, vol. 5, p. 187.
  53. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 148.
  54. ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 3, p. 505.
  55. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, 1415 AH, vol. 6, pp. 20-21.
  56. ↑ Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 4, pp. 103-104.

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