Have you made the providing of water for the pilgrim and the maintenance of al-Masjid al-Ḥarām equal to [the deeds of] one who believes in Allāh and the Last Day and strives in the cause of Allāh? They are not equal in the sight of Allāh. And Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Verse 19 of Surah At-Tawbah (9:19), a Medinan surah, is in juz 10, on page 189 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.
Listen to verse 19 of Surah At-Tawbah
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Tafsir of verse 19
Al-Mukhtasar
Do the idolaters think that giving water to the pilgrims and caring for the Sacred Mosque is like someone who has faith in Allah, not associating any partners with Him, having faith in the Day of Judgement, striving with their self and their wealth to make the Word of Allah supreme, and the word of the disbelievers lowest? Do they consider them to be equal in virtue before Allah? They will never be equal before Allah, and Allah will not give success to those who do wrong by being idolaters, even if they do good actions, such as giving water to the pilgrims.
Do you consider giving water to the pilgrims and maintaining the Sacred Mosque as equal to believing in Allah and the Last Day and striving for Allah’s cause? They are not equal before Allah, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Do you consider the providing of drinking water to the pilgrims and the maintenance of Al-Masjidal-Harâm (at Makkah) as equal to the worth of those who believe in Allâh and the Last Day, and strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allâh? They are not equal before Allâh. And Allâh guides not those people who are the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers).
Count ye the slaking of a pilgrim's thirst and tendance of the Inviolable Place of Worship as (equal to the worth of) him who believeth in Allah and the Last Day, and striveth in the way of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.
Do ye make the giving of drink to pilgrims, or the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque, equal to (the pious service of) those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and strive with might and main in the cause of Allah? They are not comparable in the sight of Allah: and Allah guides not those who do wrong.
What! do you make (one who undertakes) the giving of drink to the pilgrims and the guarding of the Sacred Mosque like him who believes in Allah and the latter day and strives hard in Allah's way? They are not equal with Allah; and Allah does not guide the unjust people.
Do you make the giving of water to the pilgrims and the tending of the Inviolable Mosque the same as (the worship of) one who has believed in Allah and the Last Day and has striven in the way of Allah? They are not equal (Literally: They are not the same level) in the Meeting with Allah; and Allah does not guide the unjust people..
I was standing by the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when a man said: I do not care if I do no other deed after becoming Muslim except that I give water to the pilgrims. Another said: I do not care if I do no other deed after becoming Muslim except that I maintain the Sacred Mosque. And…
لاَ تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ عِنْدَ مِنْبَرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَلَكِنْ إِذَا صَلَّيْتُ الْجُمُعَةَ دَخَلْتُ فَاسْتَفْتَيْتُهُ فِيمَا اخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِيهِ .
And from [part of] the night, pray with it [i.e., recitation of the Qur’ān] as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allāh. And Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
How shall Allāh guide a people who disbelieved after their belief and had witnessed that the Messenger is true and clear signs had come to them? And Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Have you not considered the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord [merely] because Allāh had given him kingship? When Abraham said, "My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death," he said, "I give life and cause death." Abraham said, "Indeed, Allāh brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west." So the disbeliever was overwhelmed [by astonishment], and Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Then is one who laid the foundation of his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allāh and [seeking] His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building on the edge of a bank about to collapse, so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell? And Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Indeed, those who have believed [in Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)] and those [before him (ﷺ)] who were Jews or Sabeans or Christians - those [among them] who believed in Allāh and the Last Day and did righteousness - no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.
