إِلَّا تَنفِرُوا۟ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا وَيَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُّوهُ شَيْـًٔا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ 39
Translations
If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment and will replace you with another people, and you will not harm Him at all. And Allāh is over all things competent.
Transliteration
Illa tanfiroo yu'aththibkum adhaaban aliman wa yastabdil qawman ghayrakum wa la tadurroohu shay'an wa Allahu ala kulli shay'in qadeer
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah warns the believers of severe punishment if they neglect the obligation to perform Jihad (striving in the cause of Allah), particularly in the context of the military expedition mentioned in Surah At-Tawbah. Allah emphasizes that if the Muslims fail to respond to this call, He will replace them with another people who will obey Him, and their failure to participate will not harm Allah in any way, as He is all-powerful and self-sufficient. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note this ayah addresses both the obligation of Jihad and the consequence of abandoning communal religious duties.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the 9th year of Hijrah during the context of the Tabuk expedition, when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) called upon the Muslims to prepare for battle against the Byzantine Christians. Some believers were reluctant to participate due to the hardship of travel during harvest season, and this ayah served as a stern warning against their hesitation and excuse-making.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever dies without having fought or having made up his mind to fight, dies on one of the branches of hypocrisy' (Sahih Muslim 1910). Additionally, the hadith of the Tabuk expedition in Sahih Bukhari illustrates the context of this revelation and the Prophet's emphasis on participation in Jihad.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that avoiding our religious obligations—whether Jihad in its broader sense of striving for Allah's cause or other communal duties—carries serious spiritual consequences, and reminds us that Allah's will and purposes cannot be thwarted by human disobedience, as He can always find others to fulfill His commands. For modern believers, it emphasizes the importance of responding to calls for collective religious responsibility and understanding that our participation matters for the strength and continuity of the Islamic community.