سورة التّوبَة
Surah Al-Taubah 9:37
The Repentance · Verse 37 of 129
إِنَّمَا النَّسِيءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِي الْكُفْرِ ۖ يُضَلُّ بِهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُحِلُّونَهُ عَامًا وَيُحَرِّمُونَهُ عَامًا لِيُوَاطِئُوا عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ فَيُحِلُّوا مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ ۚ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سُوءُ أَعْمَالِهِمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ
Abdul Mannan Omar
The postponement (of a sacred month to some other month) is an excess (committed in the days of) disbelief; the disbelievers are led astray by this (practice). They hold it lawful (for waging a war) one year and forbid it another year, thus adjusting the term of the ban prescribed by Allâh and making lawful what Allâh has made unlawful. The evil of their deeds has been made (by satan) fair-seeming to them. And Allâh guides not the disbelieving people in the ways of success.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Verily the transposing (of a prohibited month) is an addition to Unbelief: the Unbelievers are led to wrong thereby: for they make it lawful one year, and forbidden another year, in order to adjust the number of months forbidden by Allah and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their course seems pleasing to them. But Allah guideth not those who reject Faith.
Ahmed Ali
Intercalating a month is adding to unbelief. The unbelievers are misguided by this, for they take the same month to be sacred one year and sacrilegious the next, thus making the number of months sanctified by God accord with theirs in order to make what God has forbidden, lawful. Attractive seem to them their evil deeds; but God does not show the unbelievers the way.
12 more translations
Ali Unal
The postponement of a sacred month, and therefore making changes (for such aims as to make fighting in the Sacred Months lawful and cause the season of the Pilgrimage to fall in the period of the year they wish) is but an increase in unbelief (for it means making the unlawful lawful and changing the nature of many lawful and unlawful acts done in those months and therefore recognizing no law). By doing so, those who disbelieve are (further) misled, declaring it (the month they postpone) permitted in one year and forbidden in another, in order that they may conform to the number of the months that God has declared as sacred, (without caring) that they thereby make lawful what God has made unlawful. The evil of their deeds is decked out to be appealing to them. God does not guide the disbelieving people (to truth and to the attainment of their aims).
Daryabadi
The postponement is but an addition unto infidelity, whereby the infidels are led astray, allowing it one year and forbidding it anot her year, that they may make up the number which Allah hath sanctified; and then they allow that which Allah hath forbidden. Made fair-seeming unto them is the vileness of their works; and Allah guideth not an infidel people.
Faridul Haque
Their postponing of the months is nothing but furtherance in disbelief - the disbelievers are misled by it - they decree it lawful in one year and regard it forbidden in another year, in order to equate to the number of the months which Allah has made sacred, and to make lawful what Allah has forbidden; their evil deeds seem good in their sight; and Allah does not guide the disbelievers.
Maulana Muhammad Ali
Postponing (of the sacred month) is only an addition in disbelief, whereby those who disbelieve are led astray. They allow it one year and forbid it (another) year, that they may agree in the number (of months) which Allah has made sacred, and thus make lawful what Allah has forbidden. The evil of their doings is made fair-seeming to them. And Allah guides not the disbelieving people.
Maulvi Sher Ali
Surely the postponement of the Sacred Month is an addition to disbelief. Those who disbelieve are led astray thereby. They allow it one year and forbid it another year, that they may agree in the number of the months which ALLAH has made sacred, and thus make lawful what ALLAH has forbidden. The evil of their deeds is made to seem fair to them. And ALLAH guides not the disbelieving people.
Muhammad Asad
The intercalation [of months] is but one more instance of [their] refusal to acknowledge the truth- [a means] by which those who are bent on denying the truth are led astray. They declare this [intercalation] to be permissible in one year and forbidden in [another] year, in order to conform [outwardly] to the number of months which God has hallowed: and thus they make allowable what God has forbidden. Goodly seems unto them the evil of their own doings, since God does not grace with His guidance people who refuse to acknowledge the truth.
Muhammad Musin Khan
The postponing (of a Sacred Month) is indeed an addition to disbelief: thereby the disbelievers are led astray, for they make it lawful one year and forbid it another year in order to adjust the number of months forbidden by Allah, and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their deeds seems pleasing to them. And Allah guides not the people, who disbelieve.
Muhammad Pickthall
Postponement (of a sacred month) is only an excess of disbelief whereby those who disbelieve are misled; they allow it one year and forbid it (another) year, that they may make up the number of the months which Allah hath hallowed, so that they allow that which Allah hath forbidden. The evil of their deeds is made fairseeming unto them. Allah guideth not the disbelieving folk.
Muhammad Sarwar
To disregard the observation of the sacred months and to observe it during the non-sacred months is to add more to one's disbelief. This causes the unbelievers to go further astray. One year they (the pagans) consider a sacred month not sacred, (and observe it during a non-sacred month) but the next year they consider it sacred at the right time. By dealing with the sacred months in such a manner, they think that they have observed the laws of God, but, in fact, they have changed them. Their evil deeds seem attractive to them but God does not guide the unbelieving people.
Muhammed ali Shakir
Postponing (of the sacred month) is only an addition in unbelief, wherewith those who disbelieve are led astray, violating it one year and keeping it sacred another, that they may agree in the number (of months) that Allah has made sacred, and thus violate what Allah has made sacred; the evil of their doings is made fairseeming to them; and Allah does not guide the unbelieving people.
Rashad Khalifa
Altering the Sacred Months is a sign of excessive disbelief; it augments the straying of those who have disbelieved. They alternate the Sacred Months and the regular months, while preserving the number of months consecrated by GOD. They thus violate what GOD has consecrated. Their evil works are adorned in their eyes. GOD does not guide the disbelieving people.
Shabbir Ahmed
Altering the Sacred Months is only an addition to disbelief. It increases the straying of the disbelievers. They keep the total count of the Sacred Months as four, but keep shifting them within the same year or from year to year. Thus they allow what God has forbidden. Their evil actions seem pleasing to them. God does not guide those who choose to reject the truth.
Commentary 9:37Al-Nasi النَّسِيءُ means the postponement of a sacred month to some other month. This postponement relates to the four months during which, according to…
إِنَّمَا النَّسِيءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِي الْكُفْرِ
9:37Al-Nasi النَّسِيءُ means the postponement of a sacred month to some other month. This postponement relates to the four months during which, according to Arab custom, no warfare was practiced. These four months are Muharram, Rajab, Dhul Qadah, and Dhul Hijjah. Their postponement was accomplished by declaring other months as “sacred” and the above-mentioned “sacred months” as ordinary. The postponement defied the objective of these months, which was to guarantee security and peace for a fixed period. Three of these months are consecutive, and the fourth month, Rajab, is separated from them. This ensured a pause in hostilities at least twice a year – an important factor in maximizing the chance of ending a given state of war and succeeding with peace negotiations. In modern terminology, one may call it a period of enforced ceasefire.