Quran 9:120 — At-Tawba, verse 120
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
The people of Medina and their neighbouring desert Arabs should not have held back from following God’s Messenger, nor should they have cared about themselves more than him: if ever they suffer any thirst, weariness, or hunger in God’s cause, take any step that angers the disbelievers, or cause any harm to an enemy, a good deed is recorded in their favour on account of it- God never wastes the reward of those who do good-
مَا كَانَ لِأَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُمْ مِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ أَنْ يَتَخَلَّفُوا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَرْغَبُوا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يُصِيبُهُمْ ظَمَأٌ وَلَا نَصَبٌ وَلَا مَخْمَصَةٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَطَئُونَ مَوْطِئًا يَغِيظُ الْكُفَّارَ وَلَا يَنَالُونَ مِنْ عَدُوٍّ نَيْلًا إِلَّا كُتِبَ لَهُمْ بِهِ عَمَلٌ صَالِحٌ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
mā kāna li-ahli l-madīnati waman ḥawlahum mina l-aʿrābi an yatakhallafū ʿan rasūli l-lahi walā yarghabū bi-anfusihim ʿan nafsihi dhālika bi-annahum lā yuṣībuhum ẓama-on walā naṣabun walā makhmaṣatun fī sabīli l-lahi walā yaṭaūna mawṭi-an yaghīẓu l-kufāra walā yanālūna min ʿaduwwin naylan illā kutiba lahum bihi ʿamalun ṣāliḥun inna l-laha lā yuḍīʿu ajra l-muḥ'sinīna
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- It is not for the people of the City and for the Bedouins who dwell around them to stay behind God's Messenger, and to prefer their lives to his; that is because they are smitten neither by thirst, nor fatigue, nor emptiness in the way of God, neither tread they any tread enraging the unbelievers, nor gain any gain from any enemy, but a righteous deed is thereby written to their account; God leaves not to waste the wage of the good-doers.
- Muhammad Asad
- It does not behove the people of the [Prophet's] City and the bedouin [who live] around them to hold back from following God's Apostle, or to care for their own selves more than for him -for, whenever they suffer from thirst or weariness or hunger in God's cause, and whenever they take any step which confounds those who deny the truth, and whenever there comes to them from the enemy whatever may be destined for them -[whenever anything thereof comes to pass,,] a good deed is recorded in their favour. Verily, God does not fail to requite the doers of good!
- Sahih International
- It was not [proper] for the people of Madīnah and those surrounding them of the bedouins that they remain behind after [the departure of] the Messenger of Allāh or that they prefer themselves over his self. That is because they are not afflicted by thirst or fatigue or hunger in the cause of Allāh, nor do they tread on any ground that enrages the disbelievers, nor do they inflict upon an enemy any infliction but that it is registered for them as a righteous deed. Indeed, Allāh does not allow to be lost the reward of the doers of good.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | مَاmā | Not | — |
| 2 | كَانَkāna | it was | كون |
| 3 | لِأَهْلِli-ahli | (for) the people | أهل |
| 4 | ٱلْمَدِينَةِl-madīnati | of the Madinah | مدن |
| 5 | وَمَنْwaman | and who | — |
| 6 | حَوْلَهُمḥawlahum | were around them | حول |
| 7 | مِّنَmina | of | — |
| 8 | ٱلْأَعْرَابِl-aʿrābi | the bedouins | عرب |
| 9 | أَنan | that | — |
| 10 | يَتَخَلَّفُوا۟yatakhallafū | they remain behind | خلف |
| 11 | عَنʿan | after | — |
| 12 | رَّسُولِrasūli | the Messenger | رسل |
| 13 | ٱللَّهِl-lahi | of Allah | أله |
| 14 | وَلَاwalā | and not | — |
| 15 | يَرْغَبُوا۟yarghabū | they prefer | رغب |
| 16 | بِأَنفُسِهِمْbi-anfusihim | their lives | نفس |
| 17 | عَنʿan | to | — |
| 18 | نَّفْسِهِۦ ۚnafsihi | his life | نفس |
| 19 | ذَٰلِكَdhālika | That is | — |
| 20 | بِأَنَّهُمْbi-annahum | because [they] | — |
| 21 | لَاlā | (does) not | — |
| 22 | يُصِيبُهُمْyuṣībuhum | afflict them | صوب |
| 23 | ظَمَأٌۭẓama-on | thirst | ظمأ |
| 24 | وَلَاwalā | and not | — |
| 25 | نَصَبٌۭnaṣabun | fatigue | نصب |
| 26 | وَلَاwalā | and not | — |
| 27 | مَخْمَصَةٌۭmakhmaṣatun | hunger | خمص |
| 28 | فِىfī | in | — |
| 29 | سَبِيلِsabīli | (the) way | سبل |
| 30 | ٱللَّهِl-lahi | (of) Allah | أله |
| 31 | وَلَاwalā | and not | — |
| 32 | يَطَـُٔونَyaṭaūna | they step | وطأ |
| 33 | مَوْطِئًۭاmawṭi-an | any step | وطأ |
| 34 | يَغِيظُyaghīẓu | that angers | غيظ |
| 35 | ٱلْكُفَّارَl-kufāra | the disbelievers | كفر |
| 36 | وَلَاwalā | and not | — |
| 37 | يَنَالُونَyanālūna | they inflict | نيل |
| 38 | مِنْmin | on | — |
| 39 | عَدُوٍّۢʿaduwwin | an enemy | عدو |
| 40 | نَّيْلًاnaylan | an infliction | نيل |
| 41 | إِلَّاillā | except | — |
| 42 | كُتِبَkutiba | is recorded | كتب |
| 43 | لَهُمlahum | for them | — |
| 44 | بِهِۦbihi | in it | — |
| 45 | عَمَلٌۭʿamalun | (as) a deed | عمل |
| 46 | صَـٰلِحٌ ۚṣāliḥun | righteous | صلح |
| 47 | إِنَّinna | Indeed | — |
| 48 | ٱللَّهَl-laha | Allah | أله |
| 49 | لَاlā | (does) not | — |
| 50 | يُضِيعُyuḍīʿu | allow to be lost | ضيع |
| 51 | أَجْرَajra | the reward | أجر |
| 52 | ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَl-muḥ'sinīna | (of) the good-doers | حسن |