(90–93) “The excuse-makers among the Bedouins came seeking permission to be exempted, while those who lied to Allah and His Messenger remained behind. A painful punishment will befall those among them who disbelieved. * There is no blame upon the weak, the sick, or those who cannot find anything to spend, provided they are sincere to Allah and His Messenger. There is no ground for blame against those who do good, and Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. * Nor is there any blame upon those who came to you for mounts and to whom you said, ‘I can find no mounts for you.’ They turned away with their eyes overflowing with tears, grieving that they had nothing to contribute. * Ground for blame exists only against those who seek your permission to remain behind even though they are wealthy. They were content to be among those who stayed behind. Allah has set a seal upon their hearts, so they do not know.”
Allah, Exalted is He, says: “The excuse-makers among the Bedouins came seeking permission to be exempted.” That is, those among them who were remiss and failed to go forth came so that they might be permitted to abstain from jihad. Owing to their coarseness and lack of shame, they were brazen in offering excuses. Yet the fact that they came at all was due to the weak faith they possessed.
As for those among them who lied to Allah and His Messenger, they simply stayed behind and offered no excuse whatsoever. His words, “the excuse-makers,” may alternatively mean those who had a valid excuse: they came to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—so that he would excuse them, as it was his practice to excuse anyone who had a valid excuse.
“While those who lied to Allah and His Messenger remained behind”: they lied in their claim to possess faith, which required them to go forth, yet they failed to act accordingly. He then threatened them with His words: “A painful punishment will befall those among them who disbelieved”—in this world and the Hereafter.
Having mentioned those who sought to be excused, who fell into two categories—those whose excuses were valid under the Sacred Law and those whose excuses were not—He explains this by saying:
“There is no blame upon the weak”—those who are physically weak or visually impaired and lack the strength to go forth and fight—“nor upon the sick.”
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This includes every kind of illness (1) that prevents a person from going forth and engaging in jihad, such as lameness, blindness, fever, pleurisy, paralysis, and other ailments.
“Nor upon those who cannot find anything to spend”: that is, those who can find neither provisions nor a mount by which to sustain themselves on their journey. Such people incur no blame, provided that they are sincere to Allah and His Messenger: that their faith is genuine; that they firmly intend and resolve to engage in jihad if they become able; and that they do whatever lies within their ability to urge, encourage, and inspire others to engage in jihad.
“There is no ground for blame against those who do good”: that is, there is no basis on which they may be held to account. By fulfilling, to the best of their ability, the rights owed to Allah and to His servants, they have averted blame from themselves. When a servant does well in what he is able to do, what lies beyond his ability is waived.
This verse is also evidence for a legal principle: if a person acts benevolently toward another in respect of [his person] (2), property, or the like, and his benevolent act subsequently results in loss or damage, he is not liable to compensate, because he was acting benevolently and there is no ground for blame against those who do good. It likewise indicates that one who does not act benevolently—namely, a wrongdoer, such as one who is negligent—is liable to compensate.
“And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Part of His forgiveness and mercy is that He pardons those who are incapable and, on account of their firm intention, grants them the reward of those who are able and actually perform the deed.
“Nor is there any blame upon those who came to you for mounts,” but found nothing available with you, and to whom “you said,” apologetically, “I can find no mounts for you. They turned away with their eyes overflowing with tears, grieving that they had nothing to contribute.” They were unable to go, despite being willing to give of themselves, and they experienced the grief and distress that Allah has described concerning them.
Such people incur no blame. Once blame is lifted from them, the matter returns to the basic principle: whoever intends a good deed, whose firm intention is accompanied by every effort within his ability, but who then remains unable to perform it, is accorded the status of one who completed the deed.
“Ground for blame exists only,” and censure falls only, upon “those” (3) who seek your permission to remain behind even though they are wealthy, able to go forth, and have no valid excuse. For themselves and their religion, they “were content to be among those who stayed behind,” such as women, children, and others like them.
“And”—they were content with this condition only because Allah “set a seal upon their hearts”; that is, He sealed them so that no good can enter them and they cannot perceive what serves their religious or worldly welfare. “So they do not know,” as punishment for what they committed.