Surah 9 At-Tawba — Ayah 52
قُلْ هَلْ تَرَبَّصُونَ بِنَآ إِلَّآ إِحْدَى ٱلْحُسْنَيَيْنِ ۖ وَنَحْنُ نَتَرَبَّصُ بِكُمْ أَن يُصِيبَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِعَذَابٍۢ مِّنْ عِندِهِۦٓ أَوْ بِأَيْدِينَا ۖ فَتَرَبَّصُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مَعَكُم مُّتَرَبِّصُونَ
Say, "Do you await for us except one of the two best things while we await for you that Allah will afflict you with punishment from Himself or at our hands? So wait; indeed we, along with you, are waiting."
qul hal tarabbaṣūna binā illā iḥ'dā l-ḥus'nayayni wanaḥnu natarabbaṣu bikum an yuṣībakumu l-lahu biʿadhābin min ʿindihi aw bi-aydīnā fatarabbaṣū innā maʿakum mutarabbiṣūna
Word by word
- قُلْ qul Say
- هَلْ hal Do
- تَرَبَّصُونَ tarabbaṣūna you await
- بِنَآ binā for us
- إِلَّآ illā except
- إِحْدَى iḥ'dā one
- ٱلْحُسْنَيَيْنِ ۖ l-ḥus'nayayni (of) the two best (things)
- وَنَحْنُ wanaḥnu while we
- نَتَرَبَّصُ natarabbaṣu [we] await
- بِكُمْ bikum for you
- أَن an that
- يُصِيبَكُمُ yuṣībakumu Allah will afflict you
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah will afflict you
- بِعَذَابٍۢ biʿadhābin with a punishment
- مِّنْ min from
- عِندِهِۦٓ ʿindihi [near] Him
- أَوْ aw or
- بِأَيْدِينَا ۖ bi-aydīnā by our hands
- فَتَرَبَّصُوٓا۟ fatarabbaṣū So wait
- إِنَّا innā indeed, we
- مَعَكُم maʿakum with you
- مُّتَرَبِّصُونَ mutarabbiṣūna (are) waiting
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
(Say), O Muhammad to them,
(Do you wait for us), anything,
(except one of the two best things), martyrdom or victory over you, according to the meaning given by Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, and others.
(while we await for you), that this will touch you,
(either that Allah will afflict you with a punishment from Himself or at our hands), either capture or killing,
(So wait, we too are waiting with you.) Allah said next,
(Say: Spend willingly or unwillingly), for whatever you spend either way,
(it will not be accepted from you. Verily, you are ever a people who are rebellious.) Allah mentions the reason behind not accepting their charity from them,
(except that they disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger. ) and the deeds are accepted if they are preceded with faith,
(and that they came not to the Salah except in a lazy state.) Therefore, they neither have good intention nor eagerness to perform the acts of faith,
(And nothing prevents their contributions from being accepted from them except that they disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger, and that they came not to the Salah (the prayer) except in a lazy state, and that they offer not contributions but unwillingly.) The Truthful, to whom the Truth was revealed, Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that Allah does not stop giving rewards until you (believers) stop performing good deeds, and that Allah is Tayyib Good and Pure and only accepts what is Tayyib. This is why Allah does not accept charity or good deeds from the people described in these Ayat, because He only accepts it from those who have Taqwa.