يَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ مَا قَالُوا۟ وَلَقَدْ قَالُوا۟ كَلِمَةَ ٱلْكُفْرِ وَكَفَرُوا۟ بَعْدَ إِسْلَٰمِهِمْ وَهَمُّوا۟ بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُوا۟ ۚ وَمَا نَقَمُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ أَنْ أَغْنَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۚ فَإِن يَتُوبُوا۟ يَكُ خَيْرًۭا لَّهُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَتَوَلَّوْا۟ يُعَذِّبْهُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةِ ۚ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِن وَلِىٍّۢ وَلَا نَصِيرٍۢ
They swear by Allah that they did not say [anything against the Prophet] while they had said the word of disbelief and disbelieved after their [pretense of] Islam and planned that which they were not to attain. And they were not resentful except [for the fact] that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His bounty. So if they repent, it is better for them; but if they turn away, Allah will punish them with a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And there will not be for them on earth any protector or helper.
Introduction
This is āyah 74 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)
(They swear by Allah that they said nothing (wrong)�) [9:74]. Said al-Dahhak: �The hypocrites set off with the Messenger of Allah for Tabuk. But whenever they met alone with each other, they insulted the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and his Companions and discredited the religion. Then Hudhayfah reported what they said to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: 'O hypocrites, what is this that I hear you have said?' They swore to him that they said nothing wrong, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this to give them the lie�. Said Qatadah: �It was mentioned to us that a man from Juhaynah had a fight with another man from Ghifar and the latter had the upper hand. When he saw this, 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy cried: 'O Banu Aws, help your brother for, by Allah, the like of us and the like of Muhammad is as it was said: fatten your dog and he will eat you. By Allah, once we enter Medina, the mighty among us will drive out the lowly'. A Muslim man heard this and informed the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. When he sent for 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, the latter swore by Allah that he did not say it. Allah, exalted is He, revealed this to give him the lie�. (And they purposed that which they could not attain�) [9:74]. Al-Dahhak said: �They were planning to push the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, off his mount on the night of the steep road. These were men who agreed to kill the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, while they were with him. They waited for an opportunity to take him by surprise. Their chance came when the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was taking a steep road. Some of them came forward while others stayed behind. It was night time. They said to each other: 'Once he starts going down this steep road, we will push him off his mount into the ravine'. His guide that night was 'Ammar ibn Yasir and his navigator was Hudhayfah. When Hudhayfah heard the sound of camels' hoofs, he looked behind and saw veiled men. He shouted: 'Go away, go away, O enemies of Allah!' They stopped and the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, proceeded to his destination. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (And they purposed that which they could not attain�)�.
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.
Community resources
No community resources for this verse yet.