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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 prohibits Prophet Muhammad (s) and the believers from praying in Masjid al-Dirar, instead directing them to pray in a mosque founded on piety from its very first day, whose worshippers are devoted 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 mosque referred to 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" (tahara) 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 a mosque founded on piety over one established for harmful purposes 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.

General Points of the Verse

Qur'an 9:108 prohibits the Prophet (s) 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] Instead, it encourages 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 mosque founded on piety, 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]

The Identity of the Mosque Founded on Piety

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] Shah 'Abdul'azimi, 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

  • The Quba Mosque is directly connected with the occasion of revelation,[20] as Masjid al-Dirar was built as a direct reaction against it,[21] indicating a confrontation between two specific mosques.[22]
  • The phrase "from the first day" alludes to the Quba Mosque, as it was the first mosque established in Medina.[23]
  • Narrations identifying the Quba Mosque are more abundant,[24] and traditions from the Ahl al-Bayt (a), particularly from Imam al-Sadiq (a), corroborate this identification.[25]

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" (tahara) 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] Examples 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 that 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]

Exegetical and Jurisprudential Inferences

Various points have been derived from Qur'an 9:108, some of which include:

  • 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]
  • The Role of Intention in Evaluating Actions: 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]
  • Beginning of the Hijri Calendar: The phrase "from the first day" (min awwal yawm) has been cited as supporting the Companions' decision to begin the Hijri calendar with the Hijra.[55]
  • Invalidity of Prayer in Mosques Established to Cause Harm: This verse serves as proof for the invalidity of prayer in any mosque established on the basis of harm (dirar) and division.[56]

Notes

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

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