Surah At-Tawbah, Ayah 126
Quran 9:126 · The Repentance · Madani · Para 11 · Page 207
اَوَلَا یَرَوْنَ اَنَّهُمْ یُفْتَنُوْنَ فِیْ كُلِّ عَامٍ مَّرَّةً اَوْ مَرَّتَیْنِ ثُمَّ لَا یَتُوْبُوْنَ وَلَا هُمْ یَذَّكَّرُوْنَ ۟
Transliteration
Awa la yarawna annahum yuftanoonafee kulli AAamin marratan aw marratayni thumma layatooboona wala hum yaththakkaroon
Saheeh International
Do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice but then they do not repent nor do they remember?
Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir
Are the hypocrites not taught a lesson by being tried by Allah, when He exposes their hypocrisy, once or twice a year? Then, despite knowing that Allah did this to them, they do not turn to Him from their disbelief, asking for forgiveness, and do not root out their hypocrisy, or think about what happens to them and that it is from Allah.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) on 9:126–9:127
See they not that they are put in trial once or twice every year? Yet, they turn not in repentance, nor do they learn a lesson (from it)(126)And whenever there comes down a Surah, they look at one another (saying): "Does any one see you?" Then they turn away. Allah has turned their hearts because they are a people that understand not (127)
Hypocrites suffer Afflictions
Allah says, do not these hypocrites see,
أَنَّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ
(that they are put in trial), being tested,
فِي كُلِّ عَامٍ مَّرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ لَا يَتُوبُونَ وَلَا هُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
(once or twice every year? Yet, they turn not in repentance, nor do they learn a lesson.)
They neither repent from their previous sins nor learn a lesson for the future. Mujahid said that hypocrites are tested with drought and hunger.
Allah said;
وَإِذَا مَا أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ نَّظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ هَلْ يَرَاكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ ثُمَّ انصَرَفُوا ۚ صَرَفَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُم بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ
(And whenever there comes down a Surah, they look at one another (saying): "Does any one see you?" Then they turn away. Allah has turned their hearts because they are a people that understand not.)
This describes the hypocrites that when a Surah is revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,
نَّظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ
(they look at one another), they turn their heads, right and left, saying,
هَلْ يَرَاكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ ثُمَّ انصَرَفُوا
("Does any one see you?" Then they turn away...) turning away from, and shunning the truth. This is the description of hypocrites in this life, for they do not remain where the truth is being declared, neither accepting nor understanding it, just as Allah said in other Ayat,
فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ التَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ - كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌ مُّسْتَنفِرَةٌ - فَرَّتْ مِن قَسْوَرَةٍ
(Then what is wrong with them that they turn away from admonition? As if they were wild donkeys. Fleeing from a lion.)[74:49-51], and,
فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ - عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ
(So what is the matter with those who disbelieve that they hasten to hear from you. (Sitting) in groups on the right and on the left.)[70:36-37].
This Ayah also means, what is the matter with these people who turn away from you to the right and to the left, to escape from truth and revert to falsehood Allah's statement,
ثُمَّ انصَرَفُوا ۚ صَرَفَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُم
(Then they turn away. Allah has turned their hearts (from Truth)) is similar to,
فَلَمَّا زَاغُوا أَزَاغَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ
(So when they turned away, Allah turned their hearts away.)[61:5].
Allah said next,
بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ
(because they are a people that understand not.)
They neither understand Allah's Word nor attempt to comprehend it nor want it. Rather, they are too busy, turning away from it. This is why they ended up in this condition.