Reasons for the Revelation of Surah At-Tawbah

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sent Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) along with a group of companions to perform Hajj in the ninth year of Hijrah. Subsequently, he dispatched Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) to convey critical messages from Surah At-Tawbah regarding the abrogation of treaties with the polytheists and to announce a declaration of disavowal from Allah and His Messenger. Allah (the Exalted) states, “Disavowal from Allah and His Messenger to those with whom you made a treaty among the polytheists” (At-Tawbah: 1). The message included four key points: only the believers will enter Paradise, no polytheist will perform Hajj after this year, no one should circumambulate the Kaaba Naked, and those with treaties have a grace period of four months after which their treaties become void. The reasons for the revelation of verses from Surah At-Tawbah are varied; some examples are outlined below:

Allah (the Exalted) said: “Why do you not fight in the cause of Allah and for the oppressed among men, women, and children?” (At-Tawbah: 75), this verse was revealed commanding Muslims to engage in battle against the polytheists.
Allah (the Exalted) declared: “Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them” (At-Tawbah: 14). This was revealed concerning Banu Khuza’a, allies of the Prophet, when Allah granted them victory over Banu Bakr in Mecca.
The verse “Have you made the providing of water for the pilgrim and the maintenance of Al-Masjid Al-Haram equal to the faith in Allah and the Last Day?” (At-Tawbah: 19) was said to have been revealed when Abbas was a prisoner of war during the Battle of Badr. He argued that they contributed to the upkeep of the Kaaba, leading to this verse’s revelation.
Another critical verse states, “O you who have believed, indeed the polytheists are unclean, so let them not approach Al-Masjid Al-Haram after this year” (At-Tawbah: 28). The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered that polytheists be barred from entering Mecca and selling food to Muslims out of fear of famine.
The verse “And the Jews say, Ezra is the son of Allah” (At-Tawbah: 30) was revealed in response to a group of Jews who claimed the Prophet had changed their Qiblah and rejected their assertion that Ezra is the son of Allah.
Allah (the Exalted) stated: “The postponing (of sacred months) is an increase in disbelief” (At-Tawbah: 37). This verse condemned the practice of changing sacred months to suit their desires.
In the verse “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?” (At-Tawbah: 38), it was revealed concerning Muslims hesitating to join the battle at Tabuk after the conquest of Mecca.
Allah (the Exalted) advised, “Allah has forgiven you. Why did you grant them permission until it became clear to you who were truthful and you became aware of the liars?” (At-Tawbah: 43). This addressed the Prophet’s allowances towards hypocrites and his acceptance of ransom from captives.
The verse, “And among them are those who say, ‘Permit me and do not put me to trial'” (At-Tawbah: 49) pertains to a man who sought exemption from the campaign against the Romans, fearing trials.
“If good befalls you, it distresses them; but if disaster strikes you, they say, ‘We had already taken our matter into hand’…” (At-Tawbah: 50), revealed in response to the hypocrites spreading rumors of defeat after a battle.
It was revealed about the hypocrite who criticized the Prophet during the distribution of alms, as stated in “And among them are those who criticize you concerning the charities” (At-Tawbah: 58).
Abdullah ibn Ubayy died, and the Prophet prayed for him despite the option to refuse prayer for hypocrites. The verse, “And never pray over the graves of them” (At-Tawbah: 84), was subsequently revealed, prohibiting prayers for hypocrites thereafter.
Allah mentions exemptions in “There is no blame upon the blind or upon the lame or upon the sick if they remain behind” (At-Tawbah: 91) for those unable to join the army.
Concerning the Bedouins who believed in Allah and the Last Day, it was revealed that they approached the Prophet wanting to fight but had no means to do so (At-Tawbah: 92).
Lastly, “And others acknowledged their sins; they mixed a righteous deed with another that was bad” (At-Tawbah: 102) speaks of those who regretted not participating in battle alongside the Prophet.
Additionally, “Never pray for any of them who dies” (At-Tawbah: 84) was revealed concerning Abdullah ibn Ubayy.
The final verse highlights the significance of understanding trials, as seen in “and among the Bedouins are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day” (At-Tawbah: 91).

The initial verses of Surah At-Tawbah were revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) following his return from the Battle of Tabuk. Surah At-Tawbah is classified as one of the long chapters of the Quran. Some scholars consider Surah At-Tawbah and Surah Al-Anfal as one overarching chapter. Anyone seeking to understand fighting for the sake of Allah should reflect upon the contents of both Surah At-Tawbah and Surah Al-Anfal, which discuss the themes of disavowal from polytheists, hypocrites, and those who reject faith. Key instances highlighted include:

The call to jihad against polytheists, particularly initiated after the establishment of the Islamic state in Medina.
The directive to prevent polytheists from entering the sacred sanctuary.
The exhortation prohibiting Muslims from residing in polytheist territory due to the risk of trials.
The counsel to be wary of hypocrites and maintain a firm stance against them.
The injunction against offering prayers for any deceased hypocrites.
The refusal to accept excuses from hypocrites for their absence from jihad.
The prohibition of seeking forgiveness for the hypocrites and polytheists.
The command to not establish alliances with disbelievers, even if they are family members.

Aims of Surah At-Tawbah

Surah At-Tawbah was revealed in the closing months of the ninth year of Hijrah. It primarily outlines the principles governing the relationship between Muslims, polytheists, and the People of the Book, specifying the military stance towards those polytheists who have broken treaties, and advising Muslims to offer protection to those in need among the polytheists while inviting them to the true faith. The surah encapsulates two main objectives:

To establish the foundational laws of the Islamic state by clarifying relationships with polytheists, effectively annulling treaties, barring them from entering the sacred pilgrimage, and determining the relations with the People of the Book by permitting their presence in the Arabian Peninsula and allowing trade.
To reveal the attitudes of the Prophet’s followers during the call to arms for the campaign of hardship, exposing those hesitant and lagging behind, while uncovering the conspiracies and hidden resentments of the hypocrites.

The Wisdom Behind Surah At-Tawbah’s Lack of Basmala

While all chapters of the Quran commence with the phrase “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,” Surah At-Tawbah stands out for its omission of this phrase. Scholars have proposed various reasons for this decision, primarily summarized into two perspectives:

One view suggests that Surah At-Tawbah follows as a continuation of Surah Al-Anfal; hence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not instruct his companions to include the Basmala. Consequently, some companions doubted whether they constituted a single chapter or if At-Tawbah was merely a supplement to Al-Anfal. Following the Prophet’s demise, they chose to separate the two chapters without including the Basmala.
The second perspective posits that Surah At-Tawbah focuses on warfare and the actions of hypocrites, which necessitated a tone of urgency and warning. Given that the Basmala implies peace and mercy, it would be incongruous with the themes of rebuke and caution reflected in Surah At-Tawbah.