Sura al-Tawba: Difference between revisions

The sura has a number of names (up to fourteen), two of which are more famous: al-Baraʾa and al-Tawba. The former, which occurs in most hadiths, is derived from its first verse, and the latter, which appears in some hadiths, is because it contains a number of verses about tawba (or repentance). Other names of the sura are as follows: Fadiha (scandalizing), Mukhziya (humiliating), Mubaʿthira (inquirer), Hafira (revealer), Munqira (divulger), Musharrida (scattering), and Munakkila (torturer).

Sura al-Tawba is a Madani sura of the Quran. In the [[order of revelation]], it is the 114th (last) sura revealed to the [[Prophet (s)]]. In the present order of compilation, it is the ninth sura of the Quran, located in juzʾ ten and eleven.

Sura al-Tawba has 129 verses, 2506 words, and 11116 letters. As for its length, it is one of the seven long suras ([[sab' tiwal]]); that is, a relatively large sura, which occupies about one juzʾ of the Quran.

* The sura was revealed after [[Sura al-Anfal]], and hence, they count as one sura.

* “Bism Allah al-Rahman al-Rahim” is a verse of mercy and amnesty, while Sura al-Baraʾa declares the repeal of amnesty, which does not square with “Bism Allah.”

* According to a hadith from [[Ibn 'Abbas]], [['Uthman]] said that the Prophet (s) did not say anything about the place of these two suras. Thus, we wrote them consecutively because both were revealed in [[Medina]] and were concerned with the same topic.<ref>Ibn ʿAbbas says: “I told ʿUthman why you have included Sura al-Baraʾa, which is a “miʾun” sura [suras with at least one hundred verses], among the seven long suras together with Sura al-Anfal which is one of al-Mathani, and why did you not write ‘Bism Allah’ between these two suras?” ʿUthman said: “When Quranic verses were revealed to the Prophet (s), he had the practice of telling the scribes of revelation to include those verses in such and such suras. Sura al-Anfal was one of the first suras revealed in Medina, and Sura al-Baraʾa was among the last suras revealed therein, and since these two suras involve the same stories [or similar contents], we treated Sura al-Baraʾa as a sequel of Sura al-Anfal. The Prophet himself never said anything about this until he died. Thus, we included it among the long seven suras, without writing ‘Bism Allah’ between them.”</ref>

Sura al-Tawba commands Muslims to cut their ties with [[polytheists]] and [[hypocrites]], while its leaves the doors of [[repentance]] open to them. It commands [[believer]]s to cut their ties to their polytheist family members and relatives, and orders the Prophet (s) not to ask for the forgiveness of polytheists, just as [[Prophet Abraham (a)]] repudiated his uncle when he was sure that he could not be led to the right path. Another theme of the sura is the [[Dirar Mosque]], which was built by hypocrites, on which verses 107 and 108 of the verse were revealed. The breach of the order to attend [[jihad]] on part of some Muslims and [[zakat]]] are other themes of the sura.

According to ''[[Tafsir-i nimuna]]'', almost all Muslim exegetes and historians agree that upon the [[revelation]] of Sura al-Tawba (or at least its opening verses), the treaties between the Prophet (s) and polytheists were revoked. In [[9 AH]]/630, the Prophet (s) commissioned [[Abu Bakr]] to declare the decree to all people during the [[Hajj]] season, but he then cancelled Abu Bakr’s mission and commissioned [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] to declare the order to people in [[Mecca]]. The event is cited in many [[Sunni]] sources, albeit with slight verbal differences. For instance, [[Ahmad b. Hanbal]] reports in his ''Musnad'' that the Prophet (s) sent Abu Bakr to declare Sura al-Tawba to people, but he then sent ʿAli (a) to take the message from him, saying: “this sura should only be declared by someone who is from me and whom I am from.” It should be noted that Imam ʿAli (a) himself appealed to this event as a proof for his superiority over other [[companions of the Prophet (s)]] and as evidence for his entitlement for the position of [[caliphate]].

The opening verses of Sura al-Tawba are called Verses of Repudiation or Baraʿa Verses, in which the ultimate rulings about the relations between [[Muslim]]s and [[polytheists]] are issued. In these verses, [[God]] commands the Prophet (s) and Muslims to publicly declare their repudiation of polytheists, to exit the treaties they had made with them, and to declare war against them if they do not convert to Islam. The verses were declared to polytheists on the day of [[Eid al-Adha]] by Imam ʿAli (a).

According to Quranic exegetes, the unilateral repeal of the treaty with Muslims was not abrupt. It was preceded by a breach on the part of polytheists. For this reason, by these same verses, the treaty with polytheists who had not breached their agreements was still respected by Muslims. Moreover, those treaties are said to have been provisional from the beginning.

According to [[Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya]], the emphasis in these verses that polytheists in the [[Arabian Peninsula]] should be forced to convert to Islam or to prepare for a war is not incompatible with the fact that Islam should not be imposed on anyone, which is asserted in other Quranic verses. This is because polytheists in the Arabian Peninsula constantly breached their treaties and threatened the newly established Islamic community, which is why the ruling only applies to them.

In [[Shia]] and Sunni sources, there are many [[hadith]]s about the occasion of the [[revelation]] of this verse. According to one hadith, which is deemed the most accurate by ''[[Tafsir-i nimuna]]'', a dispute occurred between Shayba and [['Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib]], the Prophet’s uncle. ʿAbbas boasted about his position of [[Siqayat al-Hajj|“siqaya”]] (provision of water for hajj pilgrims) and Shayba boasted about his position of holding the [[Ka'ba]]’s key. Imam ʿAli (a) entered and said that his honor was his early faith and jihad in the way of God. ʿAbbas was angered and complained to the Prophet (s). When Imam ʿAli (a) went to the Prophet (s), the above verse was revealed, in which faith and jihad are said to be superior.

The Verse of “La Tahzan” or “do not grieve” concerns the [[Prophet's migration from Mecca to Medina]]. When the Prophet (s) learned about the plot for his murder through revelation, he and Abu Bakr left [[Mecca]] toward [[Yathrib]] through a detour until they arrive in [[Thawr Cave]], where they hid.

There are disagreements among Quranic exegetes over what is meant by “Sadiqin” (the truthful). Some Sunni exegetes believe that it refers to the Prophet (s) and his companions, but Shiite exegetes cite hadiths to show that it refers to [[Infallible Imams]].

Verse 122 of Sura al-Tawba is known as the Verse of Nafr. The verse is said to be Quranic evidence for the obligation of learning, the reliability or authoritativeness of [[Khabar al-Wahid]] and [[fatwa]]s issued by [[mujtahid]]s.

There are about fifteen verses in Sura al-Tawba, which count as [[ayat al-ahkam]] (verses of jurisprudential rulings). Major rulings inferred by [[jurist]]s from these verses include the rulings of [[zakat]] and the way it should be spent, the rulings of [[jihad]] and three groups of people being exempt from it, and impurity of polytheists. Moreover, these verses are said to imply certain principles of [[jurisprudence]] and its principles. For instance, the Verse of Nafr is said to imply [[Khabar al-Wahid]], verse 115 is said to imply the presumption of innocence (asl al-baraʾa), and verse 91 implies the principle of benefaction (al-ihsan).

==Virtues and Features==

There is a hadith from the Prophet (s) to the effect that, on the [[day of resurrection]], he would intercede for and testify in favor of those who recite [[Sura al-Anfal]] and Sura al-Tawba, since they are pure from hypocrisy, they are given ten [[reward]]s for every hypocrite (munafiq) man and woman in the world, he is purified from ten [[sins]], ten degrees are added to his degrees, and the Throne and its bearers send greetings to him during his life in the world. [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] is quoted as saying that those who recite Sura al-Anfal and al-Tawba every month, hypocrisy will never creep into their hearts. ''[[Tafsir al-'Ayyashi]]'' makes the following comment on the latter hadith: such a person will live on heavenly tables together with Shias until people’s deeds in the world are reckoned. It is recommended to recite Sura al-Tawba every month.

There are hadiths in which certain benefits are attributed to the [[recitation]] of this sura, such as immunity from fire, protection against wild animals (by recitation of verses 128 and 129 of the sura).{{fulltext}}