(9:118) Accepted Repentance P2: At-Tawbah - Talha Ghannam

#FridayReminders 66: Accepted Repentance (9:118) - Part 2
#QuranReflections by Talha Ghannam
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وَعَلَى ٱلثَّلَـٰثَةِ ٱلَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا۟ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَن لَّا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّآ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ١١٨
And (likewise for) the three who lagged behind until, when the earth-vast as it is-closed in on them and their own (inner) selves closed in on them and they thought that there was no refuge from Allah except in Him, He then granted them repentance, so that they may repent. Indeed, Allah is the Granter and Accepter of repentance, the Bestower of mercy.
[9:118]
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In this verse, Allah ﷻ gives us a confirmation of His acceptance of the repentance of the 3 companions of the Prophet ﷺ who absconded from the army. In doing so, He gives us a blueprint to follow on how our repentance can also be accepted too. Here is part 2 covering the second 5 points we derive from this verse and story. If you haven’t already, read part 1 to get full context of the verse:
6 - Flee to Allah ﷻ
Allah ﷻ states
وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَن لَّا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّآ إِلَيْهِ
They knew there was no refuge from Allah except in Him.
True repentance brings a realisation that the only escape from Allah ﷻ is to Allah ﷻ. It is such a profound description of the process; a recognition that you have overstepped His boundaries and warrant punishment, and a turning to Him in recognition that His mercy outweighs His wrath. This balance of hope and fear of Allah ﷻ is the foundation that underpins all of faith.
7 - No Compulsion
Once the Prophet ﷺ had returned, those who absconded came before him with their excuses. One by one the Prophet ﷺ accepted their excuses and dismissed them. He did not scold nor punish them, but took their word at face value and prayed to Allah ﷻ for their forgiveness. Allah ﷻ told him the truth of their hearts, and taught him how to interact with them.
You see, these people outwardly proclaimed to be Muslim, and here was the Messenger of God ﷺ who had more right than anyone to punish or excommunicate them from the faith. Yet, if he judged by their inward, we could never follow the same example. Instead, he taught us to live and let live, accept people’s choice and judge only by what is presented. So long as no public crime is committed, it is not our business to enforce it.
8 - Make it up
Just like how sins harm us, good deeds benefit us. The battle of Tabuk was gruelling. Aside from the psychological hurdles of battling a far bigger and better equipped Roman army, the battle was set at a time of intense heat, in a far away land when all the fruit was just ripening back home. As a result, the companions who returned with the Prophet ﷺ came back different, purified in the cauldron of tribulation to become the great people they became. Allah ﷻ states in the verse before:
لَّقَد تَّابَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَٱلْمُهَـٰجِرِينَ وَٱلْأَنصَارِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُ فِى سَاعَةِ ٱلْعُسْرَةِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ ١١٧
Allah has certainly turned in mercy to the Prophet as well as the Emigrants and the Helpers who stood by him in the time of hardship, after the hearts of a group of them had almost faltered. He then accepted their repentance. Surely He is Ever Gracious and Most Merciful to them.
For these 3 companions, as part of their forgiveness, they had to undergo a process similar to the one they missed. It is necessary for their development, and wasn’t something they could forego. When we miss our prayers, break our fasts, skip our zakah or fail in other obligations we have, we are not off the hook. Allah ﷻ knows how important these are in nurturing our spiritual selves, and we must compensate for having missed them by making them up to the best of our ability. When they completed their trial, Allah ﷻ affirms they achieved the same outcome: the Tawbah (turning) of Allah ﷻ to them.