At-Tawbah 19: (Oh idolaters!) Did you equate giving water to the pilgrims and renovating the Masjid al-Haram to the belief of those, who believe in Allah, in the hereafter and who fight on the path of Allah? Nations that continue with oppression will not attain Allah’s guidance.
Contents
Explanation
Translation
(Oh idolaters!) Did you equate giving water to the pilgrims and renovating the Masjid al-Haram to the belief of those, who believe in Allah, in the hereafter and who fight on the path of Allah? Nations that continue with oppression will not attain Allah’s guidance.
Tafsir
No polytheist or non-Muslim's faith can be compared to the faith of a believing Muslim. The polytheists and non-Muslims believe what Allah does not want them to believe, abandon Allah's path, turn away from Islam, associate shirk with Allah, pursue their own desires, and believe in the temptations of Satan. They turn their backs on the right path shown by Allah. Their belief is not faith. Faith is the faith of those who believe in Allah and His Messenger. Any other belief is ideology. In this respect, Allah says to the polytheists and non-Muslims: "Your giving water to the pilgrims and repairing the Masjid al-Haram cannot be equated with the faith and belief of those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and fight jihad. For in the sight of Allah, this belief and faith of Islam is not the same as the belief and ideology of the polytheists and non-Muslims.
The faith and belief of Muslims is as Allah wants it to be. It is their belief in Allah, His Prophets and the Last Day, as well as their submission to Allah's commands. The faith of such people is faith. Those who deviate from this understanding and behavior, those who follow the desires and wishes of their own souls, those who are proud and arrogant, those who associate shirk with Allah, their faith is not faith. These are people who deceive themselves with this behavior, and who pursue their own desires and wishes by deifying their own souls. These are the ones who are unjust to their own souls.
Therefore, those who are unjust to themselves and oppress those around them, who want to remove Allah's justice from the earth and impose their own laws, are the unjust people. If they continue in this state and do not repent, they will not be guided by Allah.
What is said in the video
Surah At-Tawbah, verse 19. This too is a verse that has been explained wrongly. Let us look at this one too. First let us read the wrong one. Verse 19: O polytheists!
Giving water to the pilgrims and restoring the Masjid al-Haram — do you hold it equal to the faith of those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and wage jihad in the way of Allah? Yet they are not equal in the sight of Allah. 'Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people,' we have said. Why? Is there no one among the wrongdoing people who finds guidance? As long as the wrongdoing people continue in that state, they cannot reach Allah's guidance. Otherwise there is no such thing as 'Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.' In the age of ignorance people commit wrongs, become non-Muslims, become unbelievers, become idol-worshippers. In the end, don't some of them turn back? There are such among them.
Why does Allah Almighty do this? Like this. To them — among those wrongdoers — a Muslim soul He sends. They are there. 'We grew up in this town, (?) we remained among the wrongdoers, we saw it this way from our mothers and ancestors, and so we carried it on' — so that they cannot say this, He sends a Muslim soul among them, and they see the truth; after becoming Muslim, they leave from among them. Among the wrongdoers. Yes, 'O polytheists', Surah At-Tawbah, the 19th verse. O polytheists, with your giving water to the pilgrims and restoring the Masjid al-Haram, compared with the faith of those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and wage jihad in the way of Allah, do you hold yourselves equal?
Yet they are not equal in the sight of Allah. Communities that persist in their wrongdoing cannot reach Allah's guidance. Yes. The belief of no polytheist and no non-Muslim can be measured against the faith of a Muslim who has believed; it admits no comparison. Polytheists and non-Muslims believe in what Allah does not want, abandon Allah's way, distance themselves from Islam, associate partners with Allah and run after the whims of their own nafs, and believe the temptations of Satan. They turn their backs on the right path Allah has shown. Their beliefs are not faith. Faith is the belief of those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and have faith.
Beliefs other than this are ideology. In this respect Allah, addressing the polytheists and non-Muslims: your giving water to the pilgrims, your restoring the Masjid al-Haram, compared with those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and wage jihad — with their faith and beliefs — cannot be held equal. Because in the sight of Allah, this belief and faith of Islam and the polytheists' and non-Muslims' beliefs and the ideologies they believe in are not the same.
The belief and faith of Muslims is the way Allah wants.
Their believing in Allah, in Allah's prophets and all His prophets, and in the Last Day is at the same time their submitting to Allah's commands. The faith of such people, then, is faith. Those outside this understanding and conduct, who follow the desires and wishes of their own nafs, who are full of self in pride and arrogance, those who associate partners with Allah: their beliefs are not faith. These are people who by this conduct deceive themselves, who (?) their own nafs and run after their own desires and wishes. These are the ones who do wrong to their own selves. So those who do wrong to their own selves and who oppress those around them, societies that want to remove Allah's justice from the earth and apply their own laws, are wrongdoing peoples.
If they continue in this state and do not repent, they cannot attain Allah's guidance.