قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلٌ ٱقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَـٰرَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَجِهَادٍ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ 24
Translations
Say, [O Muḥammad], "If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allāh and His Messenger and jihād [i.e., striving] in His cause, then wait until Allāh executes His command. And Allāh does not guide the defiantly disobedient people."
Transliteration
Qul in kana aba'ukum wa abnaukum wa ikhwanukum wa azwajukum wa ashiratukum wa amwalin iqtaraftumuhaa wa tijaratun takhshawna kasadaha wa masakinu tardawna ahabba ilaykum mina Allah wa rasulih wa jihad fee sabilihi fatarabbasu hatta yatia Allah bi-amrihi wa Allah la yahdil-qawmal-fasiqin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents a test of faith, stating that if worldly attachments—family, wealth, commerce, and dwellings—are more beloved than Allah, His Messenger, and jihad in His cause, then such people are committing a grave sin. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this ayah does not forbid loving these things absolutely, but rather warns against prioritizing them over one's duties to Allah and His Messenger. The conclusion warns that those who fail this test (the fasiqun—the transgressors) will not receive Allah's guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the Medinan period as part of Surah At-Tawbah, which addresses issues of loyalty and commitment to Islam and the Muslim community. It was revealed in the context of some Muslims being reluctant to participate in expeditions and Jihad due to their attachment to worldly pursuits and family obligations, reflecting the testing times when the early Muslim community faced threats and required unwavering commitment.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Al-Bukhari from Abu Hurairah reports the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: 'None of you believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children, and all people.' This directly reinforces the hierarchy of love mentioned in Surah 9:24. Additionally, the hadith from At-Tirmidhi about abandoning one's family for jihad illustrates the practical application of this principle.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that sincere faith requires examining our priorities: Is our love for Allah and obedience to His commands greater than our attachment to family, wealth, and comfort? For modern believers, it is a reminder that while loving family and working for provision are permissible, they must never supersede our obligations to Allah, and that true spiritual success comes from ordering our loves according to Islamic principles.
Related Ayahs
ٱنفِرُوا۟ خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟ بِأَمْوَٰلِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allāh. That is better for you, if you only knew.
وَإِذَآ أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ أَنْ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟ مَعَ رَسُولِهِ ٱسْتَـْٔذَنَكَ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلطَّوْلِ مِنْهُمْ وَقَالُوا۟ ذَرْنَا نَكُن مَّعَ ٱلْقَـٰعِدِينَ
And when a sūrah was revealed [enjoining them] to believe in Allāh and to fight with His Messenger, those of wealth among them asked your permission [to stay back] and said, "Leave us to be with them who sit [at home]."
لَقَدِ ٱبْتَغَوُا۟ ٱلْفِتْنَةَ مِن قَبْلُ وَقَلَّبُوا۟ لَكَ ٱلْأُمُورَ حَتَّىٰ جَآءَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَظَهَرَ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ وَهُمْ كَـٰرِهُونَ
They had already desired dissension before and had upset matters for you until the truth came and the ordinance [i.e., victory] of Allāh appeared, while they were averse.
يَعْتَذِرُونَ إِلَيْكُمْ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ قُل لَّا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكُمْ قَدْ نَبَّأَنَا ٱللَّهُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِكُمْ ۚ وَسَيَرَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُۥ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَـٰلِمِ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
They will make excuses to you when you have returned to them. Say, "Make no excuse - never will we believe you. Allāh has already informed us of your news [i.e., affair]. And Allāh will observe your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger; then you will be taken back to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do."