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Surah 9 · Madinah · 129 āyāt

Phase 06 · Conquest, completion and farewell(6–11 AH) — view in timeline

At-TawbahThe Repentance

التوبة

Revealed 113th, in the ninth year after the Hijrah, in the aftermath of the expedition to Tabūk — the hardest and most far-reaching campaign of the Prophet's ﷺ life. The surah opens with a public declaration of immunity (barāʾah) severing the old treaties with the polytheists who had repeatedly broken faith, sets out the terms on which peace or war would proceed, and then turns to expose those who stayed behind from Tabūk with false excuses, the hypocrites who built a rival mosque, and the three sincere believers who told the truth about their failure and waited months for their forgiveness to be revealed. It closes with two āyāt describing the Prophet's ﷺ tenderness toward his own people.

Why it was revealed

Rome's Byzantine forces were rumoured to be massing on the northern frontier, and the Prophet ﷺ called the believers to a gruelling march in the extreme heat of summer, at the time of the date harvest, to the distant outpost of Tabūk. Some hypocrites and a handful of otherwise sincere believers stayed behind. In the same period the treaty-breaking among the Makkan polytheists was formally ended, and a group of hypocrites who had built a mosque as a rival to Qubāʾ, and as cover for scheming against the Muslims, were exposed.

Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4418; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4655; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1398 (context); Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2769; Ibn Kathīr on 9:1–3; Ibn Kathīr on 9:107; Ibn Kathīr on 9:117; Ibn Hishām, al-Sīrah (via Ibn Isḥāq)

Kaʿb ibn Mālik, one of the three who stayed behind without excuse, narrated at length how the whole of Madinah was commanded to stop speaking to him and his two companions, how even his own wife was told to leave him, and how after fifty nights of this boycott the Prophet's ﷺ face lit up with joy as he announced, 'Rejoice with the best day that has come upon you since your mother bore you' — the revelation of 9:118 accepting their repentance.

Cited toṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4418; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2769

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

Revelation9 AH · Age c. 62 · Minā, near Makkah

The declaration of immunity proclaimed at Minā

ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib was sent after Abū Bakr to proclaim publicly at the ḥajj that no polytheist would be permitted to perform ḥajj after that year and no one would circle the Kaʿbah naked, formally ending the old treaties with those who had broken faith.

Recalled in āyah 1, 3

بَرَآءَةٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَـٰهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ

[This is a declaration of] disassociation, from Allāh and His Messenger, to those with whom you had made a treaty among the polytheists.

Cited toṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4655; Ibn Kathīr on 9:1–3

  • Madd — 2 vowels
  • Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
  • Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
  • Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
  • Ghunnah — 2 vowels
  • Qalqalah
  • Ikhfāʾ
  • Ikhfāʾ shafawī
  • Idghām shafawī
  • Idghām with ghunnah
  • Idghām without ghunnah
  • Idghām mutajānisayn
  • Idghām mutaqāribayn
  • Iqlāb
  • Hamzat al-waṣl
  • Lām shamsiyyah
  • Silent letter

Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).

THEME 01Āyāt 1–3

The missing basmalah

At-Tawbah is the one surah of the Qurʾān that opens without 'Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm'. It begins instead with a stark declaration of disassociation from the treaty-breaking polytheists, setting a tone of severance rather than the mercy invoked at every other surah's opening.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 9:1; Ibn Kathīr on 9:1

1

بَرَآءَةٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَـٰهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ

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[This is a declaration of] disassociation, from Allāh and His Messenger, to those with whom you had made a treaty among the polytheists.

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From the tafsīr

Reports from the Companions, including ʿAlī and Ibn ʿAbbās, give the reason as the surah's subject matter: it announces the final breaking of treaties and a declaration of war on those who had repeatedly betrayed their covenants, and the basmalah is a mercy and security inappropriate to open such an announcement.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 9:1

Some Companions held that At-Tawbah and Al-Anfāl were so closely linked in subject that they were considered virtually one surah, which is also given as a reason no basmalah separates them; ʿUthmān's committee nonetheless left a gap between them without writing the basmalah.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 9:1

Key takeaways

Reflect

Where in your own life does mercy need to give way, for a time, to plain and necessary firmness?

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Question 1 of 2

What reason does Ibn Kathīr report for At-Tawbah opening without the basmalah?

Question 2 of 2

What additional reason does al-Qurṭubī report regarding At-Tawbah and Al-Anfāl?

THEME 02Āyāt 1–29

The declaration of immunity and its terms

The surah opens by giving the treaty-breaking polytheists four months' grace before hostilities resume, while honouring in full any treaty they had kept. Those who repent, establish prayer and give zakāh are to be let go their way. Later, People of the Book who do not submit to the truth are to be fought until they pay the jizyah in submission — a specific legal ruling tied to its historical context of active hostility and treaty violation, not a blanket description of all non-Muslims for all time.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 9:29; Ibn Kathīr on 9:1; Ibn Kathīr on 9:5

1

بَرَآءَةٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَـٰهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ

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[This is a declaration of] disassociation, from Allāh and His Messenger, to those with whom you had made a treaty among the polytheists.

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5

فَإِذَا ٱنسَلَخَ ٱلْأَشْهُرُ ٱلْحُرُمُ فَٱقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَٱحْصُرُوهُمْ وَٱقْعُدُوا۟ لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ ۚ فَإِن تَابُوا۟ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَخَلُّوا۟ سَبِيلَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

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And when the inviolable months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakāh, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.

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29

قَـٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَلَا بِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَلَا يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ وَلَا يَدِينُونَ دِينَ ٱلْحَقِّ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ حَتَّىٰ يُعْطُوا۟ ٱلْجِزْيَةَ عَن يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَـٰغِرُونَ

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Fight against those who do not believe in Allāh or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allāh and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth [i.e., Islām] from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled.

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From the tafsīr

The four-month grace period applied to those polytheists who had a general or unlimited treaty, or whose fixed-term treaty had less than four months remaining, so that no one could later claim they were attacked without warning.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 9:1

The 'verse of the sword' is immediately qualified by its own continuation — if they repent, establish prayer and give zakāh, they are to be released — showing the aim is the cessation of hostility and idolatry, not indiscriminate killing.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 9:5

In his commentary on Sūrah at-Tawbah (9:29), al-Qurṭubī presents the jizyah as a required payment collected from dhimmīs among the People of the Book in exchange for the covenant of protection (dhimmah) and safety under Islamic rule.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 9:29

Key takeaways

Reflect

How readily do you honour an agreement in full, even when the other party has given you grounds to abandon it?

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Question 1 of 2

How does Ibn Kathīr read the continuation of 9:5 after 'kill the polytheists wherever you find them'?

Question 2 of 2

According to Ibn Kathīr, what determined the length of the four-month grace period in 9:1?

THEME 03Āyāt 38–41

The āyah of the cave: Allāh's aid needs no one

Reproaching those slow to march for Tabūk, the surah recalls the darkest hour of the Hijrah: the Prophet ﷺ and Abū Bakr hiding from their Makkan pursuers in the cave of Thawr, when Abū Bakr's fear for the Prophet's ﷺ safety was answered with the words, 'Do not grieve, Allāh is with us.' The lesson is direct — Allāh's help for His Messenger ﷺ was never dependent on the believers' support.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 9:40; Ibn Kathīr on 9:40

40

إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ثَانِىَ ٱثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِى ٱلْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَـٰحِبِهِۦ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَا ۖ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُۥ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلسُّفْلَىٰ ۗ وَكَلِمَةُ ٱللَّهِ هِىَ ٱلْعُلْيَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

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If you do not aid him [i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)] - Allāh has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he [i.e., Muḥammad (ﷺ)] said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allāh is with us." And Allāh sent down His tranquility upon him and supported him with soldiers [i.e., angels] you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allāh - that is the highest. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.

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From the tafsīr

The 'second of two' is the Prophet ﷺ and Abū Bakr in the cave of Thawr during the Hijrah, pursued by the Makkans who stood at the cave's very entrance; Allāh's tranquility (sakīnah) descended and unseen soldiers, understood as angels, supported him.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 9:40

The āyah is placed here, amid the call to Tabūk, precisely to rebuke reluctance: if none of you aid the Messenger ﷺ, Allāh has already aided him in the direst circumstance imaginable, so your support adds to your own reward, not to his security.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 9:40

Key takeaways

Reflect

When circumstances feel as tight as that cave, do you remember that Allāh's presence does not depend on visible means?

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Question 1 of 2

Why, per al-Qurṭubī, is the cave episode recalled in the middle of the call to Tabūk?

Question 2 of 2

Who are the 'two' referred to in 9:40, per Ibn Kathīr?

THEME 04Āyāt 38–99

Tabūk and those who made excuses

Called to go forth 'light or heavy' to Tabūk, some believers hesitated and some hypocrites fabricated excuses to be exempted, while a few came forward and asked truthfully to be excused for genuine incapacity. The surah distinguishes sharply between the sincerely excused, the reluctant, and those who lied outright, and lists among the believers' virtues that no hardship they suffer for the sake of Allāh is wasted.

Drawn fromIbn Kathīr on 9:41; Ibn Kathīr on 9:90–93

41

ٱنفِرُوا۟ خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟ بِأَمْوَٰلِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

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Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allāh. That is better for you, if you only knew.

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From the tafsīr

'Light or heavy' is explained by the Companions in various ways — young or old, rich or poor, willing or reluctant — all pointing to a general command that excuses grounded merely in personal preference were not accepted for this expedition.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 9:41

A distinction is drawn between the genuinely weak, sick or without means, who are absolved with no blame upon them if sincere to Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ, and the hypocrites who had the means but preferred to remain behind, storing up regret.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 9:90–93

Key takeaways

Reflect

When called to something costly, do you look first for a legitimate excuse or for the means to go?

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Question 1 of 2

How does Ibn Kathīr distinguish the genuinely weak from the hypocrites regarding Tabūk?

Question 2 of 2

What does 'light or heavy' in 9:41 command, per the Companions cited by Ibn Kathīr?

THEME 05Āyāt 107–110

The mosque of ḍirār

A group of hypocrites built a mosque near Qubāʾ under the pretence of piety, swearing they intended only good, while its true purposes were to cause harm, spread disbelief, divide the believers, and provide a base for a man who had previously warred against Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ was commanded never to stand to pray in it, in contrast with a mosque founded on taqwā from its first day.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 9:108; Ibn Kathīr on 9:107

107

وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مَسْجِدًا ضِرَارًا وَكُفْرًا وَتَفْرِيقًۢا بَيْنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِرْصَادًا لِّمَنْ حَارَبَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَلَيَحْلِفُنَّ إِنْ أَرَدْنَآ إِلَّا ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ

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And [there are] those [hypocrites] who took for themselves a mosque for causing harm and disbelief and division among the believers and as a station for whoever had warred against Allāh and His Messenger before. And they will surely swear, "We intended only the best." And Allāh testifies that indeed they are liars.

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108

لَا تَقُمْ فِيهِ أَبَدًا ۚ لَّمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ أَحَقُّ أَن تَقُومَ فِيهِ ۚ فِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَن يَتَطَهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُطَّهِّرِينَ

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Do not stand [for prayer] within it - ever. A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allāh loves those who purify themselves.

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From the tafsīr

The builders asked the Prophet ﷺ to pray in their new mosque before he departed for Tabūk; he deferred until his return, when this revelation exposed their true intent and he sent men to burn and demolish it.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 9:107

'A mosque founded on taqwā from the first day' is understood by most commentators as the mosque of Qubāʾ, though some hold it to be the Prophet's ﷺ mosque in Madinah; either way the contrast is between sincerity of foundation and a building erected to conceal harm.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 9:108

Key takeaways

Reflect

Are there good-looking structures in your own life — habits, roles, even acts of worship — that were founded on a compromised intention?

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Question 1 of 2

Which mosque do most commentators identify as 'founded on taqwā from the first day' in 9:108?

Question 2 of 2

What did the Prophet ﷺ do regarding the mosque of ḍirār once its purpose was exposed?

THEME 06Āyāt 117–118

The three who were left behind

Among those who missed Tabūk without a valid excuse, three sincere Companions refused to lie and simply admitted the truth. The Prophet ﷺ ordered the community to boycott them entirely; even the earth, in their own perception, seemed to close in on them, until their souls despaired of any refuge but Allāh. Their honesty, though it cost them dearly, is precisely what earned the acceptance recorded in 9:118.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 9:118; Ibn Kathīr on 9:118

118

وَعَلَى ٱلثَّلَـٰثَةِ ٱلَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا۟ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَن لَّا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّآ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

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And [He also forgave] the three who were left alone [i.e., boycotted, regretting their error] to the point that the earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness and their souls confined [i.e., anguished] them and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allāh except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allāh is the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful.

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From the tafsīr

The three are named as Kaʿb ibn Mālik, Murārah ibn al-Rabīʿ, and Hilāl ibn Umayyah; unlike the hypocrites who swore false excuses and were readily believed outwardly, these three told the truth and bore the full consequence of a fifty-night social boycott before their repentance was accepted.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 9:118

The verse is cited as a proof that truthfulness, even when costly, is the path that leads to Allāh's acceptance, while convenient falsehood — however much it spares one in the short term — does not.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 9:118

Key takeaways

Reflect

Would you rather bear the short-term cost of the truth, or the long wait it took Kaʿb and his companions to be forgiven for a convenient excuse?

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Question 1 of 2

What set the three who were left behind apart from the hypocrites, per Ibn Kathīr?

Question 2 of 2

What does al-Saʿdī draw from 9:118 as a general lesson?

THEME 07Āyāt 128–129

Closing: a Messenger grieved by your suffering

The surah that opened with the harshest severance closes with two āyāt of striking tenderness: a Messenger ﷺ from among the believers themselves, grieved by their hardship, eager for their guidance, and full of concern and mercy toward them. Should people turn away regardless, his reliance remains upon Allāh alone, Lord of the Mighty Throne.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 9:129; Ibn Kathīr on 9:128

128

لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

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There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you [i.e., your guidance] and to the believers is kind and merciful.

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129

فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَقُلْ حَسْبِىَ ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَهُوَ رَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ

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But if they turn away, [O Muḥammad], say, "Sufficient for me is Allāh; there is no deity except Him. On Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne."

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From the tafsīr

'Grievous to him is what you suffer' describes the depth of the Prophet's ﷺ personal anguish over any hardship, worldly or otherwise, that befalls his community, and his eagerness ('ḥarīṣun ʿalaykum') for their guidance and good.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 9:128

These closing āyāt are reported to have been among the last revealed of the Qurʾān, and their placement at the end of the surah that began with disassociation shows that severance from open enemies and mercy toward one's own people are held together, not in contradiction.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 9:129

Key takeaways

Reflect

Does knowing the depth of the Prophet's ﷺ concern for you change how you receive his guidance?

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Question 1 of 2

What does al-Qurṭubī note about the placement of 9:128–129 at the surah's end?

Question 2 of 2

What does Ibn Kathīr say 'grievous to him is what you suffer' in 9:128 describes?

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VOCABULARY

Roots from this surah

Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.

ب ر أ

āyāt 1, 3

to be free of, disassociate

  • بَرَآءَةٌdisassociation
  • بَرِىءٌfree/innocent of
  • أَبْرَأَto declare free of

ع ه د

āyāt 1, 4, 7, 8

covenant, treaty

  • عَـٰهَدتُّمyou made a treaty
  • عَهْدcovenant
  • عَاهَدَto make a covenant

ت و ب

āyāt 3, 5, 11, 104, 117, 118, 126

to turn back, repent

  • تَوْبَةrepentance
  • تَابَhe turned in repentance / accepted repentance
  • ٱلتَّوَّابُThe Ever-Accepting of Repentance

غ و ر

āyāt 40

cave, depth

  • ٱلْغَارِthe cave
  • غَارَhe went into a cave / sank
  • مَغَارَةcavern

ن ف ر

āyāt 38, 39, 41, 122

to go forth, mobilise

  • ٱنفِرُوا۟go forth
  • نَفِيرmobilisation for battle
  • نَفَرَhe set out / recoiled

ض ر ر

āyāt 107

harm

  • ضِرَارًاcausing harm
  • ضَرَرharm, damage
  • ضَارَّhe harmed

ط ه ر

āyāt 108

purity

  • يَتَطَهَّرُوا۟they purify themselves
  • طَاهِرpure
  • ٱلْمُطَّهِّرِينَthose who purify themselves

خ ل ف

āyāt 83, 87, 93, 118

to be left behind, succeed

  • خُلِّفُوا۟were left behind
  • خَلَفsuccessor
  • ٱلْمُخَلَّفُونَthose left behind

ح ر ص

āyāt 128

eagerness, concern

  • حَرِيصٌeager, concerned
  • حِرْصeagerness
  • حَرَصَhe was eager for

و ك ل

āyāt 51, 129

to rely upon, entrust

  • تَوَكَّلْتُI have relied
  • وَكِيلtrustee, guardian
  • تَوَكُّلreliance upon Allāh

Carry this with you

  • At-Tawbah alone opens without the basmalah, a mark that its subject is severance from treaty-breakers, not an invocation of mercy.
  • The declaration of immunity gave clear warning and honoured treaties kept in full, showing that even severance follows justice, not caprice.
  • Repentance, prayer and zakāh immediately halt hostility toward any individual, even in the surah's harshest passage.
  • In the tightest possible circumstance — a cave with pursuers at its mouth — Allāh's aid to His Messenger ﷺ needed no human support.
  • 'Go forth, light or heavy' set aside the excuse of personal convenience when the cause of Allāh called for sacrifice.
  • Outward religiosity, even a mosque, can conceal a harmful intent that only Allāh's revelation exposes.
  • Costly honesty — as with the three who were left behind — is rewarded over convenient falsehood, even when it takes months to bear.
  • Their forgiveness came only when 'the earth, despite its vastness, closed in on them' and they found no refuge but Allāh Himself.
  • The surah that begins with declared war closes by describing the Prophet's ﷺ personal grief over the believers' suffering.
  • 'Sufficient for me is Allāh' remains the final resting point when even sincere concern is met with turning away.

Where this surah connects

Cross-surah threads

Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.

Patience while the answer is delayed3 movementsRefuge, protection and the unseen harm2 movementsThe four trials1 movementThe signs you already walk on1 movement
All threads →

Sources behind Sūrah At-Tawbah

Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.

Seerah & history1

  • Ibn Hishām, al-Sīrah (via Ibn Isḥāq)
FINAL ASSESSMENT

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At-Tawbah — full exam

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At-Tawbah · The āyah of the cave: Allāh's aid needs no one

Why, per al-Qurṭubī, is the cave episode recalled in the middle of the call to Tabūk?

Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol