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wa-mā kāna l-muʾminūna li-yanfirū kāffatan fa-law-lā nafara min kulli firqatin minhum ṭāʾifatun li-yatafaqqahū fī d-dīni wa-li-yundhirū qawmahum ʾidhā rajaʿū ʾilayhim laʿallahum yaḥdharūna
Yet it is not for the faithful to go forth en masse. But why should not there a group from each of their sections go forth to become learned in religion, and to warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware?
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah At-Tawbah – Verse 122
122 . “And it is not for the believers to go out (to fight) totally; why should not then a group from every party of them go forth to become learned in religion, and to warn their people when they return to them. So that they may beware?”
In the previous verses, the Muslims were emphatically called toward Holy Struggle, and those who offended that commandment were severely criticized. Now, this verse attracts the attention of the Muslims toward another important duty that they have. This matter is not less significant than Holy Struggle from the point of importance, because the ordinances of Allah can be learnt. With the emphasis which was laid on Holy Struggle, the believers attached importance to Holy Struggle, and whenever a fight came forth, the Muslims wholly attended in its expedition, even though the Prophet himself (S) would not take part in that Holy Struggle, and no one offended from it.
In that circumstance, the Prophet (S) was alone and there was not anybody of those Muslims to take the ordinances of Islam from him. This verse indicates that the entire of the believers should not go to fight, but a group of them ought to remain in Medina in order to learn the religious teachings and to be learned in religion, so that when the strivers came back to them, they could teach them what they had learnt, and could warn them and preach them, perhaps, they would be in awe of Allah and would observe the limits of the religion.
It is indisputable that the conditions are often different. Sometimes the enemy is powerful and dangerous and all Muslims must be mobilized for war, like what happened in the Battle of Tabūk where the Muslims were against the powerful army of Byzantine. And, sometimes it happens that the enemy is less powerful and it is not necessary that the Muslims totally participate in war. When the Prophet (S) was alive, it was in such circumstances that a group of the Muslims should go to fight and another group would remain at the presence of the Prophet (S) busy learning the subjects of the religion.
For, at any moment, the revelation might be sent down and an ordinance or a new subject be announced by the Prophet (S). So, there should be present some believers to receive it and to learn it, and when their brethren would return from Holy Struggle, they could teach it to them, too. In that manner, the strivers could also be in the current of that revelation which would firm their Faith and might create a higher standard of piety and God-fearing in them.
The verse says:
“And it is not for the believers to go out (to fight) totally; why should not then a group from every party of them go forth to become learned in religion, and to warn their people when they return to them. So that they may beware?”
This holy verse clearly indicates to the importance of knowledge in Islam. It is found out that the value of learning and teaching is not less than the value of Holy Struggle. Then, when a party of faithful people go to Holy Struggle and fight against the enemy of Islam, another party should also remain in the intrenchment of knowledge and acquaintance in order to obtain it. The verse under discussion can also be rendered into another form. The content meaning of the verse can be considered as some facts related to the Muslims who lived in other cities and the tribes who were far from Medina.
In this case, we may say that the verse indicates that there were some Muslims who lived in some other places and they should not go to fight totally, but a party of them ought to travel to Medina and attend the presence of the Holy Prophet (S) in order to learn the ordinances of the religion. After that, they could return to their people and preach them those ordinances. There seems another probability denoting that basically the verse is not related to Holy Struggle, since there is not any word mentioned in the verse concerning Holy Struggle. It only implies that the whole believers should not go out, but a group from every party of them would travel and learn the lessons of religion.
Perhaps, the objective meaning is that, at the time of the Prophet (S) and after the expansion of Islam among different tribes, whoever embraced Islam wished to meet the Prophet (S) and to learn Islam directly from him, which caused a trouble. So, the verse commands such believers that they did not need to go totally to Medina to attend the presence of the Prophet (S), but a group of them were sufficient to come and learn the lessons of the religion and return to their people in order to teach those lessons to them.