The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 761
PT. 11 AT-TAUBAH CH. 9 وَ عَلَى الثَّلَثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِفُوا حَتَّى إِذَا And He has turned with. 118 mercy to the three "whose case became too strait for them with ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ was deferred, until the earth اَنْ لَّا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّوا ان لا all its vastness, and their souls مَلْجَا مِنَ اللهِ إِلَّا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ and they became convinced that لِيَتُوبُوا اِنَّ اللهَ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ were also straitened for them, there was no refuge from Allah save unto Himself. Then He turned to them with mercy that they might turn to Him. Surely, it is Allah Who is Oft-Returning with compassion and Merciful. 1265 is 1265. Commentary: on "9:106. to The reference here is to Ka'b bin Mālik, Hilāl bin Umayya and Murārah bin Rabi'a already referred to in 9:106. These were sincere Muslims but failed to join the expedition to Tabük, and therefore the Holy Prophet, on his return Medina, ordered their complete social ostracism. They continued under this interdiction for no less than fifty when days, their sincere repentance, and after they had come out of this severe ordeal successfully, they were granted pardon, mentioned in this verse. One of these three men, Ka'b bin Mālik, relates his own story, which may be summed up as follows "Hitherto it had been a custom with the Holy Prophet to conceal the object of an intended expedition to the very last. But the journey now to be undertaken was so as distant and the heat of the season so excessive and the enemy against whom he was called upon to march so powerful that he thought it necessary to give his followers a timely warning so that they might be able to make the necessary preparation. back the "I went to the market everyday to make the needful purchases, but came without doing anything, would do thinking that I necessary preparation next day, for I I was well able to do so. In this way went on postponing from day to day until the army started from Medina. Even then I thought I would be able to make the necessary arrangements next day and join the army on the way. But the next day also I did nothing and put off till the day following. The result of this procrastination was that the army had 1201