۞ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَـٰهَدَ ٱللَّهَ لَئِنْ ءَاتَىٰنَا مِن فَضْلِهِۦ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ 75
Translations
And among them are those who made a covenant with Allāh, [saying], "If He should give us from His bounty, we will surely spend in charity, and we will surely be among the righteous."
Transliteration
Wa minhum man 'aahada Allaha la-in atana min fadlihi lanastaddaqanna wa lanakoonanna mina as-salihin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes hypocrites who make covenants with Allah, swearing that if He grants them wealth from His bounty, they will certainly give charity and be among the righteous. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this refers to those whose intentions are insincere—they make promises to Allah based on conditional material gain rather than genuine piety. The ayah highlights the hypocrisy of those who tie their righteousness to worldly acquisitions, demonstrating how wealth can become a test of one's true faith and character.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah At-Tawbah (Chapter 9), which was revealed in Medina and deals extensively with the characteristics of hypocrites (munafiqun) and those who made insincere pledges. The surah was revealed after the Battle of Tabuk, addressing those who made false promises to Allah regarding their conduct and charity.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Wealth and children are adornments of life, but the everlasting good deeds are better' (Surah Al-Kahf 18:46, with related meaning in At-Tirmidhi 2465). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Bukhari (1472) emphasizes that deeds are judged by intentions, showing the necessity of sincere intention behind charitable acts.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true righteousness cannot be conditioned upon material gain; genuine piety flows from sincere intention and love of Allah, not from transactional promises made during times of need. Believers should examine their hearts to ensure their acts of charity and worship stem from genuine faith rather than worldly expectations or social obligation.
Related Ayahs
بَرَآءَةٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَـٰهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
[This is a declaration of] disassociation, from Allāh and His Messenger, to those with whom you had made a treaty among the polytheists.
۞ وَمَا كَانَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُوا۟ كَآفَّةً ۚ فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَآئِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا۟ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُوا۟ قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ
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.
يَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ لِيُرْضُوكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥٓ أَحَقُّ أَن يُرْضُوهُ إِن كَانُوا۟ مُؤْمِنِينَ
They swear by Allāh to you [Muslims] to satisfy you. But Allāh and His Messenger are more worthy for them to satisfy, if they were to be believers.
وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ فَزَادَتْهُمْ رِجْسًا إِلَىٰ رِجْسِهِمْ وَمَاتُوا۟ وَهُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ
But as for those in whose hearts is disease, it has [only] increased them in evil [in addition] to their evil. And they will have died while they are disbelievers.