Investigating Causes That Undermine Faith in Muslim Community

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Some verses of Surah At-Tawbah address the Muslim community and warn them of factors that can undermine their faith.

Speaking in the fourth session in a series on Surah At-Tawbah, a member of the Quran and Etrat School of the University of Tehran addresses this topic. Following are excerpts from his remarks in the session:

Verse 19 of Surah At-Tawbah reads: “Do you (pagans), because you served water to the pilgrims and constructed the Sacred Mosque, consider yourselves equal to those who have believed in God, the Day of Judgment, and have fought for the cause of God? In the sight of God, you (pagans) are not equal to the believers. God does not guide the unjust.”

The verse shows that some 10 years after the establishment of a religious government by the Holy Prophet (PBUH), people do not consider “jihad” as valuable as before. The same people who had migrated and fought for the cause of God and believed in the value of their acts felt differently about jihad after 10 years.

 “(Muhammad), tell them, ‘If your fathers, children, brothers, spouses, relatives, the property that you possess, the trade you fear may have no profit and the homely life are more beloved to you than God, His Messenger and fighting for His cause, wait until God fulfills His decree (of making the right distinct from the wrong). God does not guide the evil-doers.’” (Surah At-Tawbah, verse 24)

This Surah addresses the whole Muslim community. People in early Islam may have had doubts over how many years they should commit to a religious government and pay for it. They were thinking that after all these clashes and hardships, they could settle and improve their lives.

This Surah was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) at a time when disbelievers sought to take action and the Prophet had invited world leaders to worship Allah Almighty.

It is apparently normal for a fighter who has fought in earlier wars to become tired. However, there are some people in this very society that live under very harsh economic conditions without abandoning the cause of God.

Meanwhile, there are some other people in this society that have become rich. This leads people to question which path of Islam is correct; the Islam of the rich or the Islam of mujahids? All these individuals pray and fast and are apparently Muslim.

Gradually, people may think they can also choose the path that the rich are following. Surah At-Tawbah has come down under such circumstances to provide answers to questions that have been raised in the Muslim community.