Qur'an 9:36
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| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Name | Verse 36 of Sura al-Tawba |
| Sura | Sura al-Tawba (Qur'an 9) |
| Verse | 36 |
| Juz' | 11 |
| Content Information | |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | Jurisprudential |
| About | The prohibition of fighting in the Haram Months |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 2:217 and Qur'an 2:194 |
Qur'an 9:36 designates fighting as haram (forbidden) during four specific months of the twelve-month lunar year. According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, there is a consensus among exegetes that these four sacred months are Rajab, Dhu l-Qa'da, Dhu l-Hijja, and Muharram.[1] Exegetes suggest that the rationale behind this four-month prohibition is to provide warriors with a period of reflection and respite; by laying down their arms, the probability of permanently ending conflicts increases significantly.[2]
Regarding the concluding portion of the Verse, some commentators interpret the command to "fight all the polytheists" as an injunction to combat them with unity and collective resolve, mirroring the united front the polytheists present against the believers. Others maintain that it mandates fighting every polytheist, just as they all fight against the Muslims.[3] A third group posits that this verse underscores the necessity of a decisive and deterrent struggle against polytheism.[4]
| “ | إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ وَقَاتِلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ كَافَّةً كَمَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ كَافَّةً ۚ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ
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” |
| “ | Indeed the number of the months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s Book, the day when He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred. That is the upright religion. So do not wrong yourselves during them. Fight all the polytheists, just as they fight you all, and know that Allah is with the Godwary.
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” |
| — Qur'an 9:36 | ||
In the exegeses of Nur al-Thaqalayn and al-Burhan, narrations are cited proposing an esoteric interpretation (bāṭin) of Qur'an 9:36 that refers to the Imams of the Shia.[5] According to a narration from Imam al-Baqir (a), the verse alludes to the concept of "the upright religion," arguing that mere knowledge of the calendar months does not constitute the upright religion, as Jews, Christians, and followers of other faiths also recognize these months. This narration interprets the "twelve months" as a reference to the twelve Imams, who are the pillars of God's religion. Furthermore, the "four sacred months" are interpreted as the four Imams named 'Ali: Imam 'Ali (a), Imam al-Sajjad (a) ('Ali b. al-Husayn), Imam al-Rida (a) ('Ali b. Musa), and Imam al-Hadi (a) ('Ali b. Muhammad).[6]
Conversely, Nasir Makarim Shirazi suggests, based on other narrations, that the phrase "that is the upright religion" (dhālika al-dīn al-qayyim) indicates that the sanctity of these months was established in previous religions and represents a continuous divine tradition across prior laws.[7]
Notes
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1352 Sh, vol. 9, p. 267.
- ↑ Taqīzāda Akbarī, Jihād dar āyina-yi Qurʾān, 1386 Sh, vol. 2, p. 70; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 7, p. 407.
- ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 1404 AH, vol. 1, p. 289; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1352 Sh, vol. 9, p. 269; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1408 AH, vol. 5, p. 43.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1352 Sh, vol. 9, p. 269.
- ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, 1415 AH, vol. 2, pp. 772-775; Ḥuwayzī, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn, 1415 AH, vol. 2, p. 214.
- ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, 1415 AH, vol. 2, p. 773.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 7, p. 406.
References
- Baḥrānī, Hāshim b. Sulaymān al-. al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Qom, Muʾassasat al-Biʿtha, 1415 AH.
- Taqīzāda Akbarī, ʿAlī. Jihād dar āyina-yi Qurʾān. Qom, Zamzam-i Hidāyat, 1386 Sh.
- Ḥuwayzī, ʿAbd ʿAlī b. Jumʿa al-. Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn. Iran, Isma'iliyan, 1415 AH.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1352 Sh.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān. Beirut, Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1408 AH.
- Qummī, ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm al-. Tafsīr al-Qummī. Qom, Dār al-Kitāb, 1404 AH.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.