Transliteration:( Innamaa yastaazinukal lazeena laa yu'minoona billaahi wal Yawmil Aakhiri wartaabat quloobuhum fahum fee raibihim yataraddadoon )
Only those who do not believe [130] in Allah and the Last Day ask you for exemption, and their hearts are in doubt [131]. Thus, they waver in their doubts.
This verse clearly identifies that seeking permission to stay away from holy war using lame excuses is a mark of hypocrisy.
Although the hypocrites claimed belief in Allah, their rejection of the Holy Prophet ﷺ proves that their faith was not genuine.
This shows that belief in the Prophet ﷺ is inseparable from belief in Allah. Denying the Prophet ﷺ—whether openly or subtly—is equivalent to denying Allah Himself.
The "doubt" mentioned refers to the hypocrites’ lack of firm belief in Islam’s truth and the falsity of disbelief.
Their faith fluctuates based on worldly events—if Muslims succeed, they momentarily consider Islam to be true; if the disbelievers succeed, they suspect the opposite.
Such inconsistency reveals their lack of faith in divine promises and in the unseen knowledge conveyed by the Prophet ﷺ.
One deeper sign of hypocrisy is hesitation or denial regarding the Prophet’s ﷺ knowledge of the unseen (Ilm al-Ghayb) and his truthful prophecies.
Those who doubt or belittle his prophetic insights and divine promises are not true believers.
In contrast to hypocrites, sincere believers are blessed with spiritual contentment and certainty.
The degree of this inner peace depends on the strength of their faith, as stated in the Qur'an:
“Behold! In the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.” (Surah Ra’d 13:28)
The tafsir of Surah Taubah verse 45 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Taubah ayat 43 which provides the complete commentary from verse 43 through 45.
(9:45) It is only those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, and whose hearts are filled with doubt that seek exemption from striving (in the cause of Allah). They keep tossing to and fro in their doubt.[46]
46. This verse shows clearly that the conflict between Islam and kufr is the criterion to distinguish between a true believer and a hypocrite. The one who supports Islam in this conflict with the whole of his heart and expends all of his energies and resources in order to make it victorious and does not hesitate in the least to make any sacrifices for this purpose, is a true believer. On the contrary, the one who hesitates to support Islam in this conflict and refrains from making sacrifices in its way, when he confronts the threat of the victory of kufr, is a hypocrite, for such an attitude is itself a proof of the fact that there is no faith in his heart.
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