يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ جَـٰهِدِ ٱلْكُفَّارَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَمَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ 73
Translations
O Prophet, fight against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination.
Transliteration
Ya ayyuha an-nabiyyu jahid al-kuffara wa-al-munafiqin wa-aghlutz alayihim wa-ma'wahum jahannamu wa-bi'sa al-masir
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to strive against both the disbelievers and the hypocrites, adopting a firm and stern approach toward them. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this encompasses both spiritual and physical jihad—spiritual struggle against their falsehoods and, when necessary, military struggle—while making clear that Hell is their ultimate destination for their rejection of truth. The severity of the command reflects the particular danger hypocrites posed to the Muslim community, as they outwardly professed Islam while secretly harboring disbelief.
Revelation Context
Surah At-Tawbah was revealed in the 9th year of Hijrah during a period of intense consolidation of Islamic authority in the Arabian Peninsula. This ayah specifically addresses the internal and external threats the Muslim community faced: external enemies (disbelievers) and internal undermining elements (hypocrites of Madinah). The Medinan context makes this directive particularly relevant to establishing a cohesive and protected Muslim state.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best jihad is a word of truth spoken before a tyrannical ruler' (Sunan Ibn Majah and others), reflecting that jihad against falsehood takes many forms. Additionally, the Prophet emphasized firm but just treatment, as seen in his instruction: 'Show mercy to those on earth, and the One in the heavens will show mercy to you' (Sunan At-Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that confronting falsehood and corruption—whether external or internal—is a responsibility of Islamic leadership, and that such confrontation must be conducted with clarity and moral certainty, knowing that ultimate judgment belongs to Allah alone. For believers today, it emphasizes the importance of both internal vigilance against compromised faith and principled opposition to ideologies that contradict Islamic truth.
Related Ayahs
كَيْفَ وَإِن يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ لَا يَرْقُبُوا۟ فِيكُمْ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً ۚ يُرْضُونَكُم بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَتَأْبَىٰ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ فَـٰسِقُونَ
How [can there be a treaty] while, if they gain dominance over you, they do not observe concerning you any pact of kinship or covenant of protection? They satisfy you with their mouths, but their hearts refuse [compliance], and most of them are defiantly disobedient.
أَوَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ فِى كُلِّ عَامٍ مَّرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ لَا يَتُوبُونَ وَلَا هُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
Do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice but then they do not repent nor do they remember?
فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفَاقًا فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يَلْقَوْنَهُۥ بِمَآ أَخْلَفُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا وَعَدُوهُ وَبِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْذِبُونَ
So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him - because they failed Allāh in what they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.
۞ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَـٰهَدَ ٱللَّهَ لَئِنْ ءَاتَىٰنَا مِن فَضْلِهِۦ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
And among them are those who made a covenant with Allāh, [saying], "If He should give us from His bounty, we will surely spend in charity, and we will surely be among the righteous."