Texts of Islam

The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'ân,: 9. at-Taubah: ...

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This is a passage from Surah 9 (at-Taubah, "Repentance") of the Quran, presented in M.M. Pickthall's early 20th-century English translation — a work notable for being one of the first translations by a Muslim convert into English. The surah addresses a specific historical crisis: the dissolution of treaties between the early Muslim community in Medina and Arab polytheist tribes, issuing a formal declaration that such agreements are terminated while granting a four-month grace period for idolaters to depart or convert. A central preoccupation is distinguishing sincere believers from hypocrites — those who nominally profess Islam but seek exemptions from military service, undermine community cohesion, and withhold material support. The surah also extends its polemical scope to Jews and Christians, criticizing their theological claims (that Ezra or Jesus is the son of God) and commanding that they be fought until they pay tribute and submit. A distinctive feature is its unusually direct, legalistic tone — unlike more devotional Quranic passages, this surah reads as a political-military directive, specifying rules of engagement, conditions for peace, and obligations of loyalty, which has made it one of the most debated and contextually contested chapters in Islamic jurisprudence.

The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'ân,: 9. at-Taubah: ...

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