۞ أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ ٱلْحَآجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ وَجَٰهَدَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ لَا يَسْتَوُۥنَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
Have you made the providing of water for the pilgrim and the maintenance of al-Masjid al-Haram equal to [the deeds of] one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and strives in the cause of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Introduction
This is āyah 19 of Sūrat At-Tawba (The Repentance), the 113th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 10. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Medinan
- Order revealed
- 113 of 114
- Surah
- At-Tawba (9)
(Count ye the slaking of a pilgrim's thirst and tendance of the Inviolable Place of Worship as (equal to the worth of) him who believeth in Allah) [9:19]. Abu Ishaq al-Tha'alibi, may Allah have mercy on him, informed us> 'Abd Allah ibn Hamid al-Wazzan> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far> ibn 'Abd Allah al-Munadi> Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn al-Ash'ath> Abu Tubah al-Rabi' ibn Nafi' al-Halabi> Mu'awiyah ibn Salam> Zayd ibn Salam> Abu Salam> al-Nu'man ibn Bashir who said: �I was sitting close to the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, when a man said: 'I do not care if I ever do any other good works after I quench the thirst of the pilgrims', another man said: 'I do not care if I ever do any other work after tending to the Sacred Mosque', and a third man said: 'Jihad in the way of Allah is much better than what you have mentioned'. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab rebuked them, saying: 'Do not raise your voices so close to the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, (this happened to be a Friday). But what I will do is that, after performing my prayer, I will go in and ask the verdict of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, concerning that about which you have differed'. He did, and then Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Count ye the slaking of a pilgrim's thirst and tendance of the Inviolable Place of Worship) up to His words (Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk�)�. This was narrated by Muslim from al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Halwani from Abu Tubah. Said Ibn 'Abbas, according to the report of al-Walibi: �When he was taken prisoner on the Day of Badr, al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib said: 'If you have precedence over us through Islam, migration and Jihad, we also used to tend to the Sacred Mosque, quench the thirst of the pilgrims and relieve the afflicted'. Allah, exalted is He, revealed therefore (Count ye the slaking of a pilgrim's thirst and tendance of the Inviolable Place of Worship�)�. Al-Hasan, al-Sha'bi and al-Qurazi said: �This verse was revealed about 'Ali, al-'Abbas and Talhah ibn Shaybah who boasted to each other. Talhah said: 'I am the master of the House, its key is in my hand.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
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