۞ 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
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ فَلَا يَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ ٱلْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَـٰذَا ۚ وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةً فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦٓ إِن شَآءَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
O you who have believed, indeed the polytheists are unclean, so let them not approach al-Masjid al-Ḥarām after this, their [final] year. And if you fear privation, Allāh will enrich you from His bounty if He wills. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Wise.
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِىِّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوٓا۟ أُو۟لِى قُرْبَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَحِيمِ
It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire.
وَلَا يُنفِقُونَ نَفَقَةً صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً وَلَا يَقْطَعُونَ وَادِيًا إِلَّا كُتِبَ لَهُمْ لِيَجْزِيَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ أَحْسَنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Nor do they spend an expenditure, small or large, or cross a valley but that it is registered for them that Allāh may reward them for the best of what they were doing.
وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُضِلَّ قَوْمًۢا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَىٰهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يُبَيِّنَ لَهُم مَّا يَتَّقُونَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
And Allāh would not let a people stray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them what they should avoid. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing of all things.