۞ وَمَا كَانَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُوا۟ كَآفَّةً ۚ فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَآئِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا۟ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُوا۟ قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ 122
Translations
And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn [i.e., advise] their people when they return to them that they might be cautious.
Transliteration
Wa mā kāna al-mu'minūna li-yanfirū kāffah. Fa law lā nafara min kulli firqah minhum ṭā'ifah li-yatafaqqahū fī ad-dīn wa li-yundhirū qawmahum idhā raja'ū ilayhim la'allahum yaḥdhirūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the obligation for believers to acquire religious knowledge and teach it to others, while not all must abandon their worldly duties simultaneously. The verse emphasizes that from each group of believers, a contingent should dedicate themselves to understanding the Deen (religion) in depth so they can warn and guide their communities upon return. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as establishing the concept of fard kifāyah (collective obligation)—that while not every believer must become a scholar, the Muslim community must collectively ensure knowledge is preserved and disseminated.
Revelation Context
This ayah is revealed within the context of Surah At-Tawbah (Medinan), which deals with the aftermath of the Battle of Tabuk. The verse addresses the broader principle that the Muslim community requires both those engaged in jihad/worldly affairs and those devoted to religious study and scholarship. It validates the division of labor within the ummah while maintaining the collective responsibility for religious knowledge.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever travels a path seeking knowledge, Allah will ease for him a path to Paradise' (Jami' At-Tirmidhi 2646). Also relevant is the hadith: 'The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it' (Sahih Al-Bukhari 5027), which emphasizes the combined obligation of learning and teaching.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that pursuing and sharing Islamic knowledge is a sacred communal duty, not merely an individual choice, and reminds us that a healthy Muslim society requires scholars dedicated to preserving and transmitting faith. For modern readers, it validates both the active pursuit of knowledge and the responsibility of the knowledgeable to educate and guide their communities with wisdom and clarity.
Related Ayahs
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَلْمِزُكَ فِى ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتِ فَإِنْ أُعْطُوا۟ مِنْهَا رَضُوا۟ وَإِن لَّمْ يُعْطَوْا۟ مِنْهَآ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْخَطُونَ
And among them are some who criticize you concerning the [distribution of] charities. If they are given from them, they approve; but if they are not given from them, at once they become angry.
۞ إِنَّمَا ٱلسَّبِيلُ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَـْٔذِنُونَكَ وَهُمْ أَغْنِيَآءُ ۚ رَضُوا۟ بِأَن يَكُونُوا۟ مَعَ ٱلْخَوَالِفِ وَطَبَعَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
The cause [for blame] is only upon those who ask permission of you while they are rich. They are satisfied to be with those who stay behind, and Allāh has sealed over their hearts, so they do not know.
وَمِمَّنْ حَوْلَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَعْرَابِ مُنَـٰفِقُونَ ۖ وَمِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ ۖ مَرَدُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنِّفَاقِ لَا تَعْلَمُهُمْ ۖ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ سَنُعَذِّبُهُم مَّرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَذَابٍ عَظِيمٍ
And among those around you of the bedouins are hypocrites, and [also] from the people of Madīnah. They have persisted in hypocrisy. You, [O Muḥammad], do not know them, [but] We know them. We will punish them twice [in this world]; then they will be returned to a great punishment.
وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُهَـٰجِرِينَ وَٱلْأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَـٰنٍ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى تَحْتَهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhājireen and the Anṣār and those who followed them with good conduct - Allāh is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.